The majestic ‘gers’ spraying colours up to 200 feet high in the city on Rang Panchami on Monday was a benchmark and an attempt to enter UNESCO’s world heritage list. A documentary prepared of the celebrations was made and will be sent to UNESCO to add ‘gers’ to the heritage list.
What was noticeable was large numbers of women, girls and children who joined the festivity. Women, girls and children accompanied by their family members were moving around DJs, gers and enjoyed the festival from starting till the end. Some of them had to face trouble in crowd as there was no place to move freely.
Keeping a date with tradition, ‘gers’ sprayed thousands of kilos of gulal and colours. Rasiya Corner Ger flung about 2.5 kilograms of gulal. Radha Krishna Faag Yatra sprayed over 1,000 kilograms of gulal. Sangam Corner Ger sprayed about 7,000 kilograms.
Over 1 lakh people from Indore and outside gathered at Rajwada chowk to drench themselves in water colours sprayed by ‘gers’. Four ‘gers’ and two ‘faag yatras’ were taken out amidst shower of gulal and other dry colours with dholaks, DJs and other musical instruments. The use of water was limited as dry eco-friendly colours were sprayed. ‘Faag yatras’ and ‘gers’ were seen in different colonies.
Radha Krishna Faag Yatra
Radha Krishna Faag Yatra was carried out by Hind Rakshak Sangh. Radha Krishna chariot was drawn by women and men. A tableau featuring Lord Vishnu was a major draw.
Visiting temples
Madhav Faag Yatra was taken out from Jabran Colony and visited temples of Jawahar Marg, Pandharinath and Harsiddhi.
As good as new in 2 hours
Keeping Indore clean, the streets were washed and cleaned immediately after celebrations concluded at Rajwada chowk. After two hours of conclusion, the streets were as good as new and Indore was sparkling as India’s cleanest city again. Many people who celebrated Rang Panchami in the afternoon were surprised to find
Rajwada chowk clean by evening.
Eateries remain closed
Eating joints around Rajwada chowk were closed. Some were forced to down shutters by administration to avoid conflict. Eateries remained open at a distance of 150 metres from main celebrations at Rajwada chowk. Most shops and houses were covered with tarpaulin sheets to prevent colouring.
Vigil via drones
While people were busy enjoying the riot of colours, police kept vigil through eight drone cameras, which recorded every moment of festivity. Policemen deployed in large numbers warned those who were disturbing others or splashing colours on girls and families. Police patrolled nearby areas as well.
Colours, colours everywhere
Celebrations began at 10.30 am with Tori Corner Ger spraying colours, which turned the sky pink. Moral Club Ger doubled the excitement by adding more colours in the air. Rasiya Corner Ger followed and added more hues. In a while, all three ‘gers’ reached Gorakund Square giving people an experience of a lifetime. Radha-Krishna Faag Yatra presented another photograph opportunity for youngsters. When people thought that celebrations could not be more grand, Sangam Corner Ger arrived and celebrations peaked.
Lathmar Holi with 21-feet long flag
Sangam Corner Ger surprised people by staging ‘Lathmar Holi’ of Barsana. Kamlesh Khandelwal from the organising committee said, “We brought 21-feet-long flag from Vrindavan Banke Bihari temple as mark of blessings and good luck for Indore.”
Through missiles
In Tori Corner Ger, colours were sprayed from automatic missiles reaching up to 70 feet. Tory Corner Ger organisers Shekhar Giri and Shiv Gupta said, “We want to create a benchmark for Indore and add it UNESCO heritage list.”
Tribute to soldiers
Before starting the celebrations, tribute was paid to 45 soldiers who were killed in Pulwama attack. Youths dressed as soldiers were main draw in Rasiya Corner Ger. About 200 youngsters wore saffron helmets to pay tribute to soldiers. The ‘ger’ sprayed colours up to 51 feet.
Helping elders
Police and volunteers of Nagar Suraksha Samiti helped senior citizens and made way for them every time when they were stuck in the crowd.
20-yr-old girl faints
Chaos prevailed near Rajwada chowk when a 20-year-old girl fainted and fell on road at 12 noon. Her family members and local residents rushed her to 108 Ambulance parked near Ganesh Cap Mart for the treatment. After getting first aid in the ambulance, her condition improved and she left the place.
