Dol Jatra or the festival of colours in West Bengal was celebrated on Tuesday with traditional fervour as people from different communities smeared 'abir' on one another and exchanged sweets.
The festival, which celebrates 'Basanta' or spring, was marked by a spirit of vibrant enthusiasm as children used 'pichkari' (water guns) and threw coloured water-filled balloons at one another.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee extended warm greetings and wished the people of the state on the occasion.
Special prayers were organised at Radha Krishna temples across West Bengal as devotees made a beeline to Mayapur in Nadia district to visit the ISKCON temple.
However, students of classes 10 and 12 could not take part in the celebrations due to the ongoing board examinations.
Some NGOs made special efforts to include differently-abled children and elderly people in the celebrations.
'Sobha jatras' (processions) were also taken out in different localities with kids, youths, and women draped in traditional attire.
Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim also participated in one such procession with his family in the chetla area.
Markets remained closed, schools and colleges were shut, and vehicles remained off the roads during the day across the state. Offices were also closed as the streets of Kolkata, Siliguri, Durgapur, Asansol and other cities of the state wore a deserted look.
Police kept a close vigil on the celebrations to avoid any untoward incident.
-With PTI Input
