Muslim Women Celebrate Holi In Varanasi, Join Hindu Sisters For Festivities

Varanasi: Varanasi, known for its rich Ganga-Jamuni culture, witnessed a heartwarming celebration of Holi this year as Muslim women joined the festivities, applying gulal to each other and singing folk songs in a display of unity and harmony. The celebration took place at the Subhash Bhawan in Lamahi under the joint aegis of the Muslim Women Foundation and Vishal Bharat Sansthan.

The event saw dozens of Muslim and Hindu women coming together, celebrating the festival with pomp while fostering a spirit of brotherhood. The atmosphere was filled with vibrant colours, rose petals, and folk songs like "Holi Khele Raghurai Awadh Mein, Krishna Kanhaiya Gokul Mein Ho," as the women played Holi with great enthusiasm.

Nazneen Ansari, a member of the Muslim Women Foundation, explained that this celebration is not just about the festival of Holi but also a way to strengthen mutual unity and brotherhood. "We Muslim women are strengthening our bond with our Hindu sisters. Holi is a festival of love and peace," she said.

The women openly declared that they would not be swayed by fundamentalists who spread hatred and division. "We will play Holi and go to heaven," they declared, rejecting claims made by some fundamentalist groups that participating in such celebrations would jeopardise their spiritual well-being.

Responding to such rumours, the women said that living with love, harmony, and honesty is the true path to heaven. They also rejected the notion that applying colour during Holi would have spiritual consequences. "Fundamentalist maulanas cannot dictate our lives," one of the women said, asserting their right to celebrate together in peace and unity.