Indians in Oman celebrate Holi

Muscat: Indians in Oman celebrated Holi, the festival of colours to mark the arrival of spring, in Darsait on Sunday evening.

“The festival was organised in a temple in Darsait. Hundreds of people took part in the festival,” Itisha Seetha, a resident in Oman, said.

Holi is celebrated over two days by Indians worldwide to mark the arrival of spring by throwing colours on one another to symbolise a variety of colours brought in by the season.

It also has a reference to Krishna, a deity worshiped by Indians, whose complexion was dark blue.

The myth goes that he feared his appearance would mean he wouldn’t be accepted by his beloved Radha and so light-heartedly smeared her face in paint to make her look like him.

Indians now throw powdered paint at one another to mark their love of Krishna and Radha.

With the brightest of the bright hues painted all over their faces, children too do what they do best—playing pranks by spraying coloured water at other children inside the apartments.

“I never celebrated this occasion after coming to Muscat, but for the first time we played with other neighbours in the building,” said Suresh Kumar, an Indian expat living in Oman. With people splashing colours, it seemed like an artists’ palette. “It is wonderful to see how the look of an individual changes after applying colours,” Sunita, another Indian expat said.

She said the festival of colours could not be confined to a particular country or community, as colours do have a universal appeal.

Meanwhile, many event management groups have organised the Holi festival in Oman at different resorts and hotels.