Source: Kaumudi Online
NEW DELHI, INDIA, March, 2001: Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee will not celebrate Holi, the festival of colors, as a mark of respect for the victims of the devastating quake that hit Gujarat in January, official sources said. Spokesman for the Prime Minister’s Office on Sunday said there would be no celebrations on Holi, which falls on March 10 this year, at 7 Race Course Road, Vajpayee’s official residence, as he wanted to express solidarity with the people of Gujarat. About 25,000 people were killed and thousands rendered homeless by the quake that rocked the western state on January 26.