Indian Student Club celebrated Holi, a traditional Indian festival uses color powders to showcase forgiveness and friendship
Participants covered in a variety of colored powders throw more in the air to commemorate the Indian festival Holi on Sunday at J.E. O’Neill Park.
Fistfuls of colored powder were thrown all over students and participants to celebrate Holi at J.E. O’Neill Park on Sunday.
Fresno State’s Indian Student Club organized the event to commemorate the spring festival of Holi, a traditional Indian celebration that comes at the end of February or early in March.
What was once an ancient Hindu religious festival celebrating the god Krishna, Holi is now commercialized and is seen all around the world, said Dhruv Doshi, club president.
Holi celebrates the renewal of friendships and forgiving one another for past grievances.
On the day of Holi, people come together to eat, dance and rub “gulal,” red colored powder and other colors on each other while wishing “Happy Holi.”
Some mention the phrase, “Buran a maano Holi Hail,” meaning “Please don’t mind, but it’s Holi!” while rubbing or throwing the colors at one another.
While the Indian Student Club has been on campus the past four years, Doshi said events like Holi help bring different people together on campus to learn more about the club and participate in some of the festivities the club celebrates in Indian culture.
“Events like these spread awareness about what Indian culture is about because Indian culture is very rich,” Doshi said. “It’s been around for a long time, and there’s a lot of deep meaning behind the dances and festivals.”
Madhu Chowdhury, an Indian Student Club member, said it was her first time celebrating Holi at Fresno State, but she has participated in the past back home in Calcutta.
“I think it engages the student body in cultural awareness and kind of spreads diversity, informing students about different cultural norms,” Chowdhury said. “It’s a very exciting tradition that we have, and over the years it has become more mainstream, which is good because it’s a festival of sharing happiness with your friends.”
Dancing, music, food and plenty of color throwing kept students and other participants entertained. Hoses, water balloons and water guns were also on hand to use against others for
fun.
Fresno State student Kristina Vang said it was her first time participating in Holi and would do it again next year if the opportunity arose.
“I heard about it through International Coffee Hour this past week,” Vang said. “It peaked my interest, and it’s really fun. There’s a lot of excitement here.”
Vang also said similar cultural events brought on by the Indian Student Club or other Fresno State organizations would benefit the student population.
“It’s really beneficial for Fresno State,” Vang said. “One of our mottos is diversity, and I think it will be a lot of fun for all Fresno State students to enjoy themselves at these events.”
To learn more about the Indian Student Club and its upcoming events, visit the club’s website at www.iscfresnostate.com.