Bihar minister Tej Pratap Yadav reminded people of his father Lalu Prasad on Wednesday when he celebrated Holi with gay abandon and earthiness that characterized the RJD president in his heydays.
Yadav, who chose to stay back in Patna, away from his father who is recuperating from a kidney transplant in Delhi, also made a video call to Prasad for good measure and the latter tried to perk up supporters.
“A very Happy Holi to you. I am not well hence away from you all but my wishes are always with you. Let me recover then we will celebrate Holi with a bang,” said Prasad as his doting elder son held the phone to display the screen to visitors.
Yadav, whose devotion to Lord Krishna often moves the naive and bemuses the cynics, welcomed visitors donning a 'Mor Mukut' (crown adorned with a peacock feather).
Devotion to Krishna seemed to be the flavour of the occasion as there were some females dressed up like “Gopis” and they performed the “lath maar” Holi of Barsana, near Mathura, where women are known to celebrate the festival by beating menfolk with sticks.
The imprint of Lalu Prasad was also seen as Yadav indulged in a bit of “kapda phaad”, a rather unsightly custom of men tearing off each others’ clothes, perhaps to assert a lack of inhibition that is a veritable hallmark of the festival.
Ever since becoming the minister of environment, Yadav has been vigorously promoting the use of bicycles as the preferred mode of transport in a bid to reduce pollution caused by fossil fuel-driven vehicles. The maverick politician did a few laps of his sprawling bungalow on his bicycle, using the occasion to reaffirm his convictions.
“We are grateful to Teju Bhaiya for organising the colourful celebrations. While there can be nobody like Lalu ji, Teju Bhaiya does his bit to keep the legacy alive”, said one of his supporters.
