Here are glimpses of how the festival was marked all across the country.
Binny succeeds former India captain Sourav Ganguly.
On Friday, for the second day in a row, residents across Mumbai woke up to unusually thick smog in the air.
Take a look at the famous faces who exercised their democratic right.
The blaze erupted around 7 am in Kamla building located opposite Gandhi Hospital at Gowalia Tank, the official of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said.
According to fresh guidelines issued by the BMC on Thursday night, home isolation will continue for at least seven days from testing positive. It can end after the patient does not report fever for three days in a row.
Ponting, a former World Cup-winning Australia skipper, responded to a variety of questions during an interactive session with his fans on Twitter.
Sri Lanka captain Dinesh Chandimal is hoping that senior spinner Rangana Herath will be more effective in the second Test against India as the track, in Nagpur, has less grass as compared to Eden Gardens.
Healthcare workers at the frontline of India's COVID-19 battle got their first jabs after Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the world's biggest drive via video conferencing.
With 338 more fatalities, the death toll due to coronavirus reached 1,44,789, while the total COVID-19 cases mounted to 99,79,447, the data updated at 8 am showed.
Shiv Sena's Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut last week met NCP chief Sharad Pawar requesting him not field a candidate against Aaditya Thackeray in Worli.
Pawar thanked the Shiv Sena and the Congress for backing him on the ED action issue.
Kohli can be seen trying the Bottle Cap Challenge and Shastri's voice can be heard in the background.
On Friday, India marked the first anniversary of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's pet project Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan. Various programmes were held across the country to mark the event, which coincides with the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.
The suburban areas received around 20 mm rainfall in just three hours starting 8.30 am, an official at the India Meteorological Department's centre in Mumbai said.
The other 19 passengers who had tested positive for the viral infection were still on the ship, he said, adding that the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) conducted RT-PCR tests of 1,827 people on board the cruise on Tuesday night and their reports were expected later in the day.
This is the first time in past several decades that suburban trains have been stopped. Earlier in 1974, the suburban and long distance train services were stopped for around 20 days due to trade union strike.
Six years and nine months after she was arrested for allegedly murdering her daughter Sheena Bora, former media executive Indrani Mukerjea walked out of the prison.
The death toll climbed to 4,59,873 with 221 fresh fatalities, according to the data updated at 8 am.
Schools and colleges in the city and adjoining districts have been closed as a precautionary measure.
Newly-elected Board of Control for Cricket in India president Anurag Thakur, on Sunday, said the Board will advertise for the post of the coach of the Indian team.
The rape and murder of a young veterinary doctor in Hyderabad has sparked anger, spotlighting women's safety in yet another Indian city.
India raced to a 2-0 lead in their Davis Cup tie
Shalini Patil called Pawar's 1978 move to grab power an "act of betrayal and stabbing in the back".
Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Friday
According to a BMC bulletin, with these additions, the city's coronavirus tally jumped to 9,69,989, while the death toll climbed to 16,426.
Was it Uddhav's back-seat driving of Shinde's ministry Did Shinde feel slighted by Aaditya Thackeray's rapid ascent in the Shiv Sena? Was his spat with Sanjay Raut on Monday the last straw?
NCP leaders Ajit Pawar, Chhagan Bhujbal, Congress leaders and former chief ministers Ashok Chavan, Prithviraj and former speakers Dilip Walse Patil (NCP) and Haribhau Bagade of the Bharatiya Janata Party were among the members to take oath early.
The death toll climbed to 4,42,655 with 338 daily fatalities reported on Sunday, the data released at 8 am showed.
The businessman also said has already been pronounced "guilty" by the media, and he wishes his privacy is not intruded anymore with this continued "media trial".
'Binny's slot could go to a spinning all-rounder in Nagpur. It could be either Rohit or Mann.'
The outreach centre -- one of the sites of the 26/11 attack -- will be turned into a memorial dedicated to all the victims.
Ten terrorists of Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba carried out 12 coordinated shooting and bombing attacks lasting four days across Mumbai. At least 166 people, including six Americans and nine terrorists, were killed and over 300 others were injured in the attacks which began on November 26, 2008.
"This virus just may become another endemic virus in our communities and this virus may never go away. HIV has not gone away," Dr Ryan, executive director of the WHO health emergencies programme, said.
All of the top news of the week gone by, in photos.
Head coach Ravi Shastri has called Virat Kohli the 'boss' of Indian cricket and said the support staff is there to 'take the burden off' the skipper.
The complainant alleged that Malik made "false and derogatory" remarks against him and his family members.
The active cases -- 4,95,533 -- were recorded below five lakh after 97 days and comprised 1.62 per cent of the total infections.
The number of active cases has risen to 3,40,639, comprising 1.02 per cent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate has been recorded at 97.65 per cent, according to the data updated by the ministry at 8 am.
Thackeray and BJP legislature party leader Devendra Fadnavis lauded Patole's work as legislator and farmers' leader.
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