It is a colourful time in Bihar, but politics is not too far from the celebration of colours. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Yadav are in major demand for Holi in the state.

Holi this year brings 'Modi mask' and 'Modi cap' to the fore with 'Nitish pichkari' (water sprinklers or squirters) and 'Lalu pichkari' doing brisk business. The Congress leaders, though, are conspicuous by their absence from the Holi scene -- no Holi materials carry party vice-president Rahul Gandhi's or president Sonia Gandhi's pictures.