A video went viral on social media in which a professor of BHU's Department of Political Science, Kaushal Kishor Mishra, can be seen lying on cow dung. In the video, he can be heard saying that Holi with cow dung is the original form of the festival as it purifies individuals. The professor was playing Holi with cow dung, and he claimed that this form of Holi used to prevail in villages.
In the video, Mishra said, “Holi using cow dung—holi with cow’s pure dung is incredible. Earlier, in villages, holi with cow dung was played just like this. This cow’s pure dung. In this kind of holi, there is no colour; the body gets pure; everything gets pure. This holi is incredible.”
Meanwhile, in another incident, at least three students drowned while taking a bath after celebrating Holi in Odisha’s Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur, and Balasore districts, news agency PTI reported, citing police. In Cuttack, a Class 12 student drowned in a pond at Karamuan village, while in Jagatsinghpur, a minor died while taking a bath at Katkula village, according to the police. A 10-year-old boy drowned in Balasore's Soro following Holi celebrations, PTI reported, citing a police officer. The bodies have been sent for a post-mortem, police said.
In Mumbai, Holi revelry ended in tragedy for a group of five teenage boys when one of them drowned in the sea at Mahim on Monday while his friend is missing, officials said. Rescuers managed to save three others.
The incident occurred on Monday afternoon when five youths went for a swim in the sea after playing Holi, between Mahim and Shivaji Park coast, an official said, as reported by PTI. "Some of them entered the deep water but started drowning, seeing which their friends rushed to help. However, they also started struggling to stay afloat," he said, as quoted by PTI.