- Title: Indians celebrate festival with caution amid coronavirus fears
- Date: 15th March 2020
- Summary: CHILD SITTING ON SHOULDER OF MAN AND DANCING PEOPLE DANCING
- Embargoed: 29th March 2020 12:12
- Keywords: British Ganga Mela India Kanpur Uttar Pradesh colours coronavirus epidemic festival health
- Location: KANPUR, UTTAR PRADESH, INDIA
- City: KANPUR, UTTAR PRADESH, INDIA
- Country: India
- Topics: Society/Social Issues
- Reuters ID: LVA003C55VPLB
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text:People in India's northern Kanpur city on Sunday (March 15) took utmost precautions to prevent the deadly coronavirus from spreading as they daubed each other with colours to celebrate 'Ganga Mela', a festival which is interspersed with nationalistic fervor.
Revelers avoided watercolours and played Holi with powder colours as they danced and enjoyed during the celebrations. Some were seen using masks as a precautionary measure to prevent the virus from spreading.
India, which has a population of 1.3 billion, has so far reported 107 confirmed cases of the virus, lower than other countries in Asia, Europe and North America.
Ganga Mela has been a tradition started by Indians when the country was under the rule of the British. Revolutionaries in Kanpur began a celebration to revolt against the British government after they banned the Hindu festival of colours 'Holi. They were then captured and later released on 'Anuradha Nakshatra', a bright star day.
The festival in Kanpur is being celebrated every year since then to cherish the act of rebellion. - Copyright Holder: ANI (India)
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