Residents of Ezdan village 4 celebrating Holi.
The members of Indian and Nepalese community in Qatar celebrated Holi- the festival of colours- with full fervour. The festival, which generally falls during the end of February or in the middle of March, was celebrated on March 21 this year. Holi is widely celebrated in India and Nepal where people smear each other with colours and throw water.
The scene was no different in Qatar as many Indian and Nepalese expatriate’s faces were seen covered with bright colours on Thursday. The residents cooked special traditional menu for Holi and made a plan to visit neigbhours in the evening with sweets and other delicacies.
Some played Holi in the residential compounds while some decided to celebrate in beaches and parks with their groups.
Gujarati Samaj Qatar organised Holi celebrations on Al Khor Community Cricket Ground. The organisation, with a membership of 1,700 members, saw strong turnout of people who came out from across the country to be part of the celebration.
The celebrations, that began from 3 pm, witnessed jubilant members dancing to the tune of Garba songs. Garba is traditional dance form, which has originated from Gujarat- a state in the western India - but now has become famous across India.
Expatriates in Qatar, hailing from the India subcontinent celebrate Holi, the Festival of Colors Pic: Qassim Rahmatullah/the peninsula
“The Gujarati Samaj has been organising Holi Celebrations in Qatar for past many years. We choose venue according to the availability and convenience of the members. Earlier we had organised celebration in Dukhan and Simaisma beach, and this year we opted for Al Khor Community Cricket Ground,” Hasmukh Patel, Chairman of Gujarati Samaj Qatar, told The Peninsula. “This year’s celebrations are very special to us as the country is observing Qatar-India Year of Culture in 2019,” he added.
Such celebrations help us to remain connected with our traditions and culture. Through these events, our children come to know about our culture and tradition.
“We are all busy in our professional life and family affairs and it is difficult to meet with members of our community living in Qatar. Such celebrations give us chance to socailise with each other. We come to know more about each other on such festive celebrations. Celebrations like this are perfect platform to strengthen interpersonal bonds,” said Hasmukh Patel.
Al Dosari Zoo and Game Reserve also witnessed Holi celebrations where many Nepalese expatriates gathered to celebrate the festival of colours. Help Madhesi-Qatar, an organasiation of Nepalese expatriates, organised ‘Holi Utsav’ at Al Dosari Zoo and Game Reserve. The organisation, with a membership of over 15,000 expatriates, invited its members to be part of the colourful celebrations.
“Al Dosari Zoo and Game Reserve is perfect place for celebration for Holi celebration because here visitors are allowed to cook. We witnessed strong turn out of our members who came to celebrate Holi,” Engr. Mohammad Ayub, President of Nepalese Muslim told The Peninsula. The celebrations began at around 10am and lasted until 1 pm.
Residents of Al Attiya Compound celebrating Holi
For Indian expatriates living in Ezdan Village-4 in Meshaf, it was a different Thursday. The residents, who had been waiting for months for Holi, decided to make this a memorable day. Ladies came with packets of colours while the children were armed small water-guns.
In the age of social media, no event is considered until it is shared on social media platforms. Residents streamed their celebrations live on facebook and posted videos. Much time was devoted to select the best picture which can be shared on facebook, twitter or instagram.
“Holi is one of my favourite festivals and I was eagerly waiting for this day. We have formed a group of ladies and celebrate all the festival together. Our celebrations started 2.30pm and went on until evening,” said Leena Ghosh, resident of Ezdan 4.
“At the end of the day, our faces were covered with colours, making us unrecognisable. This is what Holi is all about- immersing yourselves in colours, joy and happiness,” she added.
Residents of Al Attiya Compound in Umm Ghuwailina also organised Holi celebrations on Thursday.
