Dance and flower petals bring in festivities

BHOPAL: Women's groups in state capital are putting their best foot forward to spread some much needed cheer ahead of Holi. They are conducting several programmes showcasing their talent.
In an unique event at Hotel Shiraj, members of the Crazy Innovative women's group put up cultural shows as part of their pre-Holi celebrations on Tuesday.
A puppet show and a play were performed by the members of the group in a bid to promote folk traditions.
The women's group conducted the puppet show under the guidance of Dilip Masoom, one of the leading puppeteers of the country. This was followed by dance performances on folk songs and Bollywood numbers. The women also gave out the crucial message of adopting environment-friendly measures for playing Holi. They smeared each other with colour that was made from flowers.
Another pre-Holi celebration was held at Minto Hall on Monday by the Bhopal Saree Speak Group. The theme for the celebrations was 'Floral chiffon sarees', in which more than 25 women from all walks of life participated. They also played 'phoolon ki holi' -- Holi with flowers -- to drive home the message to enjoy the festival without using harmful colours and wasting precious water. The Saree speak group originally started as a Facebook page, that went on to become a global movement encouraging women to adopt sarees in their wardrobes as a way of going back to their roots.