Delhi revels in sunshine and Holi colours

The sun shone bright on Thursday morning as people here splashed colours on each other and distributed sweets to celebrate Holi, the festival of colours that leads to spring.

People were seen dancing to the beats of drums and smearing each others' faces with 'abir' and 'gulal', as colours traditionally used in Holi are known.

Authorities said no untoward incident was reported from anywhere in the national capital. Over 2,500 paramilitary commandos along with the city police have been deployed here in the wake of intelligence inputs of a terror threat.

"No such case was reported till the afternoon," Muktesh Chander, special commissioner Delhi Police, told IANS.

Barricades had been set up at many places in the capital to check trouble as more than 2,500 traffic policemen were on duty to keep a close watch on those flouting road safety norms and creating problems, particularly for women.

The festival of Holi is associated with revelry and boisterous fun.

Police on Wednesday urged people to celebrate the festival with sensitivity towards others.

As neighbourhoods erupted into celebrations, children did what they like to do best on Holi -- played pranks by spraying coloured water with waterguns and flung water balloons at passersby from rooftops or the balconies of their homes.

Guests were treated with sweets, especially 'gujiya', the traditional pastry with a sweet filling.

The celebrations were louder in crowded urban pockets of Delhi. Revellers threw coloured water - deep purple, red, and black - at anyone they came across.

"I was waiting for this morning since long. It is fun," said Ronit Tomar, a 14-year-old boy, smeared with differents hues of color, from Sangam Apartments in Rohini.

He threw a watercolor-filled balloon at a passerby who was caught unawares. As the man looked around, Tomar shouted "bura na maano Holi hai" (Don't mind, it is Holi).

Many were seen consuming bhang (an edible preparation of cannbis) to add zest to their celebrations. Youngsters rode motorbikes, throwing colours in the air and shouting 'Holi hai!'.