Rambagh Polo Club grounds this weekend as the Elephant Festival set the mood for Holi organised by Rajasthan tourism department in Jaipur

Red, blue, green and yellow seemed to paint the skies of the Rambagh Polo Club grounds this weekend as the Elephant Festival set the mood for Holi. Thousands of people flocked to the grounds to see the extravaganza organised by Rajasthan tourism department, and the hosts, Saleha Gazi and Melvin Castelino, had to make repeated requests to the crowd to keep order. And the crown goes to...: Obviously, the elephants were the showstoppers for the evening. Leaving 15 other strong contenders behind, Champakali bagged the coveted award of ‘Gajrajshri’, followed by Shyma and Shanti at second and third place. “The elephants’ procession made me feel as if I’m living in a royal era,” said Cynthia. Festive fervour: Amid loud cheers, the foreign tourists riding the elephants also played Holi. “Sitting atop an elephant and throwing colour at people I don’t even know – it’s possible only in India,” said Sarah, an English tourist. Folk performances like gair dance, chang dhap, pot race and phoolon ki Holi added to the fun.