The celebration of Holi is very ancient in its origin. And by its very origin, it celebrates an ultimate triumph of the ‘good’ over the ‘evil’. While, a feast of colors associated with the Holi, is the face of this celebration, the original reason of celebrating Holi, lies in its soul. And this gives us the ‘why’ of this ancient festival.

Literally “Holi” signifies “burning” in Indian language. But, how it came to be associated with ‘burning’, is a story. The reference is found only in ancient Indian mythology. And It is the legend of Hiranyakashipu, to whom the celebration of Holi is associated. Read the rest of this entry »

The city is smelling of roses as it prepares for the three-day Rose Festival starting on Friday.

The 38th edition of the annual flower show will be supplemented by dances and songs by Bollywood artists, a stunt dancing troupe from Goa and a fashion show.

“The Rose Festival is an integral part of the carnival calendar of Chandigarh. Our preparations are going on in full swing to make it a big success. We have also invited prominent Bollywood artists to add colour to this event,” Ram Niwas, home-cum-tourism secretary of Chandigarh, told IANS. Read the rest of this entry »

Chandigarh’s famous landmark, the Sukhna Lake, is shrinking and has been reduced to half its original size even as the ‘City Beautiful’ continues to expand.

The man-made lake, which is popular among tourists, boating enthusiasts and daily morning and evening walkers, has a capacity of only about 513 hectare metres against the original capacity of over 1,074 hectare metres in the late 1950s when it was built. Much of the capacity of the Sukhna Lake has been lost to hundreds of tonnes of silt that has accumulated in the lake over the last five decades. Read the rest of this entry »

Elaborate security arrangements have been made to keep an eye on hooligans and ensure a peaceful Valentine’s Day here Sunday, police said.

“We are geared up to maintain the law and order situation in the city tomorrow (Sunday). We have already given special instructions to our patrolling teams. An increased number of police check posts will be established at all sensitive locations here,” Chandigarh Superintendent of Police (security) H.S. Doon told IANS Saturday.

“We have constituted special teams for all the three divisions: east, south and central. Both male and female officials will be stationed at various places in plain clothes to keep an eye on anti-social elements,” he said. Read the rest of this entry »