The city seemed to have got into the holiday mood on Monday, two days before the festival of colours.
Right from students, shop assistants to autorickshaw drivers and rickshaw-pullers, almost everybody seemed to have caught in the Holi fever.
Aspiring techies from National Institute of Technology (NIT) Patna were a privileged lot having bagged a five-day-long extended Holi vacation this year.
Their counterparts at Indian Institute of Technology Patna and Birla Institute of Technology, Patna with two- and three-day vacations respectively can just feel jealous. With the engineering cradle remaining closed from Monday to Friday, a first for NIT, many students left the institute last Saturday evening.
IIT Patna would remain closed on March 27 for Holi and on March 29 for Good Friday, while BIT Patna would be shut from Wednesday to Friday for the same.
Sources said NIT took the decision, as many students bunk classes during this period every year.
However, the institute has decided to hold extra classes for next three Saturdays to make up for the extended holidays.
An ecstatic Sachin, a final-year computer science student at NIT, said: “As the institute is closed for six days, I am going to spend the vacation with my family in my village. There will be no tension of classes.”
NIT Patna director Asok De said: “This year, we have decided on a weeklong Holi vacation, as we record poor attendance of students during Holi and Chhath. An equal number of extra classes on three Saturdays would help students complete the syllabus.”
E. Ramu Endulri, a third-year electrical engineering student at IIT Patna, said: “As our classes would remain suspended on March 27 and March 29, many of our batchmates are planning to celebrate at the institute. We have asked the cook to prepare some good delicacies.”
Residents, on the other hand, are a harried lot with massive migration of the labour class to villages during Holi every year.
Patliputra Colony resident Navin Mishra said: “This morning, I was surprised when my milkman gave me supply for two more days. He said he would not come from Tuesday for a few days owing to Holi. I cannot understand how could he take leave with two days left for Holi? I am also a service holder. I cannot go on leaves just like that.”
Dhaba owners said they were forced to close the eateries because their employees had gone on leave for Holi. Surendra Kumar, the owner of a dhaba near Frazer Road, said: “Ten people work at my dhaba. Of them, six are on leave. Three more will go on leave tomorrow. I have no option but to close my dhaba for a few days because I cannot handle all the work alone.”
Kumar’s eatery, which serves breakfast, lunch and dinner apart from tea and snacks, caters to around 100 people daily.
Office employees, dependent on roadside eateries, are in trouble. Prachi (23), an office goer, said: “I prefer to go to the tea shop outside Vishal Mega Mart owing to its proximity to my office. Today, I found the tea-seller absent. I realised that he must have gone to his village for Holi.”
Rickshawpullers are also planning long holidays, inconveniencing passengers.
Ramdulal Mehto, a rickshawpuller, said: “This time, I have planned to spend 15 days in my village for Holi. Those who would continue here would ask passengers extra money. For example, if the usual fare is Rs 15, they would charge passengers Rs 50 or Rs 60. Passengers would be compelled to pay up because they would not get any other mode of transport easily.”
