Holi, the Hindu spring festival celebrated in India and Nepal, was on full display at Michigan Tech last Saturday. The celebration started with a feast that included Hyderabadi chicken, green peas pulao, chicken reshmi kebab and many other savory dishes. Guests were also treated to a donut-like indian dessert called gulab jamun.
After dinner, the celebration took an exciting turn when members of the Indian Students Association band called Masala Chai (Spice Tea) performed a wide variety of song and dance. Aniket Samel, the new president of ISA., led one of the best performances of the night. He accomplished an amazing feat by singing Hossana in four different languages: English, Tamil, Telugu, and Hindi. Another notable performance was by Kate Woodford, a local high-school student, who sang an entire song in Hindi. The crowd erupted with applause when Woodford completed the song without making a single error.
Holi, also known as the festival of colors, has been celebrated in Indian culture for many centuries. Mention of the festival can be traced back as far as 300 B.C.The celebration is meant to signify the arrival of spring and the victory of good over evil. One of the signature features of Holi is the colored powder, which is used to paint participants of the festivities. People also paint their targets with colored solution sprayed out of water guns (pichkaris) and water balloons. ISA’s Public Relations Officer, Smruti Rathod, said that Holi is celebrated much differently in India compared to what patrons witnessed on Saturday. “People start playing with colors almost a week before the actual Rang Panchami, which is the Holi colors day as it is called in India,” she explained.
People who are familiar with Holi might have noticed that the celebration was missing the colored powders. Not to worry, this Saturday, April 8 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., people are welcome to join in on part two of Holi, which will be held at Daniell Heights near the community hall. Rathod said that this is a great opportunity to celebrate the arrival of Spring after a long winter. “This will basically be the fun part of Holi, where we get together, play with color and make new friends,” she said.
For those of you excited to experience more of India at Michigan Tech, be on the lookout for Diwali night next semester. Rathod also indicated that she is excited to host more fun events that will involve a large number of people. “We intend to paint a colorful picture of diversity and culture of this incredible place we belong to, India,” she said.
