Vajpayee and Advani greet each other at the former Prime Minister?s home in New Delhi on Saturday. (PTI)

New Delhi, March 26: To each his own was the spirit of Holi in the capital?s power circle, with each player subtly seeking to send out a message intrinsic to their personalities and the brand of politics they pursue.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi said no to Holi celebrations because the tsunami tragedy is still looming in the background.

Railway minister Laloo Prasad Yadav also used ?tsunami? to keep away from the crowds thronging wife Rabri Devi?s Anne Marg residence in Patna.

It was apparent that the loss of office told on Bihar?s most famous power couple as they had an uncharacteristically subdued celebration. Laloo Prasad appeared in a spotless white kurta-pyjama, unlike in the past when he would be bare-chested and smothered in colours.

Bete noire Ram Vilas Paswan may not have succeeded in grabbing the Patna throne, but seeing Laloo Prasad out was enough for him to celebrate in Delhi with family and party workers.

Paswan insisted that Holi was an occasion to bury acrimonies, but when Laloo Prasad?s name was mentioned he froze. ?No politics please. Holi and politics cannot go hand-in-hand,? he said.

That did not stop him from sending out a little message to Laloo Prasad and BJP president L.K. Advani at the request of a journalist. ?Please keep the nation?s interest above religion and caste.?

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh kept it as low-key as possible, while President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam played host to schoolchildren.

The surprise of the day was Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Not seen or heard during the budget session as he had been advised rest due to a back problem, Vajpayee was at the BJP?s centrestage playing host to party workers.

His foster family laid out a huge spread as visitors poured in with chandan and flowers as the security said no to colours.

Advani was the first to greet him, followed by Murli Manohar Joshi.

The flavour at Vajpayee?s residence was more Bhojpuri than Avadhi with Yashwant Sinha and Rajiv Pratap Rudy breaking into jigs to the sound of Bhojpuri music.

Vajpayee recited lines from one of his poems, Aao phir se diya jalaye (Come, let us light the lamp again). The lamp was the symbol of the Jan Sangh that he once headed.

If Vajpayee?s do was constrained by security rules, Advani decided to throw them to the wind and let his guests go full blast in his house.

An artificial pond was filled with flowers and organic colours and almost every person, aware or unsuspecting was dunked in it. But nobody had a problem.