Holi was celebrated in Punjab, Haryana and their common capital Chandigarh with fervour and gaiety on Thursday as people smeared 'gulal', threw balloons filled with colours on each other and exchanged sweets.

"Holi Hai!" rent the air as revellers zoomed their motorbikes across streets and danced to popular Bollywood songs.

Colours of all hues and the smell of gulal pervaded streets as people of all ages celebrated the festival.

Children also played Holi from their rooftops and splashed colour on people passing down the streets.

Some hotels and resorts organised rain dance parties with snacks and buffets, attracting big crowds.

Police in the two states and Chandigarh had made elaborate arrangements to ensure a safe and joyous Holi.

A warning was issued against hooliganism, while special teams of traffic police along with PCR vans and local police were deployed at many places to check incidents of drunk driving, speeding and reckless driving.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)