Holi special: When widows from Vrindavan made gulaal for Modi

They delivered 11 earthern pots of the organic colours to the prime minister's home.

Five widows from Vrindavan reached New Delhi before Holi with 11 big earthen pots or matkis containing herbal gulaal and choicest sweets meant for their "brother" -- Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Earlier in the week, the widows of Vrindavan played 'Holi' at the historic Gopinath temple in Vrindavan for the sixth consecutive year, breaking a tradition that forced them to lead the life of a recluse.

It was a riot of colours as hundreds of women clad in spotless white sarees came out of the 'ashrams' to sprinkle colours and 'gulaal' on each other in the revered temple.

They played Holi with over 1,600 kilograms of flower petals and 1,600 kilograms of gulaal. They also danced and sang including bhajans on the occasion.

Apart from celebrating Holi with sister widows, they also prepared the herbal gulaal for Modi.

Ninety-five-year-old Manu Ghosh explained that since the widows consider 'Modiji' their brother, they had arranged special 'gulaal' for him.

"It's love from thousands of widow sisters to Modi bhaiya," 81-year-old Kanak Prabha told PTI.

For the last couple of years, some widows have been going to tie a rakhi to prime minister Modi on Rakhsha Bandhan, said Sulabh founder Bindeshwar Pathak who organised the Holi for the widows in Vrindavan.

The celebration started in 2012 as an attempt to add a dash of colour to the otherwise insipid lives of the widows who earlier lived the life of a recluse, having been deserted by their families, Pathak said.

In many parts of India, widows are not permitted to play Holi. Sulabh has been working to bring them into the mainstream.

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