Although colours have no meaning for them, students of a residential school for blind girls in Berhampur of Odisha celebrated Holi on Thursday with colours of joy.

This festival of colours was celebrated with much festivity on campus of this school for visually impaired being run by Odisha Service Centre for the Blind (OSCB). Director of OSCB, Bhabani Shankar Padhi, who himself a visually impaired, said their aim was pass on the message that festivals are meant for sharing of joy in which mediums are immaterial. “We also wanted to make visually impaired children feel that they are no way detached from festivities of society”, he added

Although the visually impaired girls had no means to recognise colours of gulal and coloured water, yet they got involved in revelry using them. Most of the students of this residential school had preferred to stay back and enjoy Holi together at the school rather than going home for the holidays, said principal of the institution Pratima Panda. Ranu Behera, a student of class X said although they did not know the colours yet they enjoyed the loving joyful touch of gulal and other colours while applying them to each other. They frolicked with sessions of dance and music with colourful faces, which they themselves had no chance to view. But for others who had gathered up on the school campus to take part in this unique Holi, it was most joyful sight.

Another innovative Holi celebration was organised by the Ladies Walkers’ Club at Satyanarayan temple of Berhampur. A large number of aged women took part in this Holi celebration and enjoyed a festive together of their own age.

Source: http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/sharing-the-joy-of-holi-with-a-touch-of-gulal/article8395481.ece