Last Friday, students, led by members of the South Asian Students’ Association (SASA) and the Hindu Students Association (HSA) gathered to celebrate Holi, the traditional Hindu festival of colors, on Paresky Lawn. The annual celebration consisted of colored powder, water guns known as pichkaris, and South Asian snacks including “Magic Masala” Lays chips, lychee and mango drinks, and kulfi, a South Asian frozen dairy dessert.
Though there are many origin stories of Holi celebrations, Vania Gautam ’26, a member of both SASA and HSA, said that one stands out most to her. “[It] started when the young Hindu God Lord Krishna asked his mother, Yashoda, why his companion Radha was fair-skinned,” Gautam wrote in an email to the Record. “Jokingly, Yashoda told Krishna that he could put color on Radha so they could look the same.”
Lead organizer Ria Kedia ’24 — who is also HSA president and secretary of SASA — said that, despite the small Hindu community at the College, Holi is a joyous way to celebrate the advent of spring. “You can bring all of your friends from different backgrounds and cultures to celebrate, which is why it’s always so special,” Kedia wrote to the Record.
The colorful afternoon was also complimented by a playlist of music from Bollywood — Hindi cinema — curated by Shreya Seshadri ’27, a member of SASA. “Music is such an important part of my life, and being able to have fun with my friends while listening to Bollywood songs I grew up with was really important to me,” she wrote to the Record.
Outside of the College, Holi looks different for a number of students. “At home, it’s more of a religious traditional celebration of a Hindu holiday that I will go to a temple for,” said SASA Treasurer Kunal Pal ’25. However, Pal said that his favorite part of Holi at the College was getting everyone dirty. (“No one is spared,” he noted.)
For Kedia, Holi at the College brought feelings of nostalgia even though she hasn’t celebrated it at home. “It reminds me of my heritage and my parents’ culture,” she said. “I always love sending pictures back to [my parents] so they can see how I’m celebrating our culture and bringing this culture to the campus so that it can continue for a long time, hopefully.”
Seshadri shared a similar sentiment. “I was really excited for Holi since there are so few ways to celebrate our culture on campus,” she said. “It’s definitely a big culture shock to move from an area where there are many more South Asians than there are here, and celebrating these holidays makes me feel more at home.”
The event also introduced newcomers to the festive traditions, including Monica Wheeler ’26 and Sabrina Antrosio ’26, who celebrated Holi for the first time. Their pristine white T-shirts — which SASA and HSA made available to interested students — marked them as new targets to a crowd with colorful powder at the ready. “We arrived five seconds late, and everyone was already covered in color,” Wheeler said.
Pal explained that the event fosters a community whether or not students are part of the groups that organized it. “[It is nice] being able to just come together — even with people that are not necessarily affiliated with identities that celebrate Holi — to spread and share our culture with them,” Pal said.
With the arrival of spring comes rebirth, life, and revival. However, for the majority of students, spring also coincides with the last sprint of projects, papers, and exams to the end of the semester. Antrosio said that she appreciates the holiday’s fun and inclusive spirit.
“It’s so nice because it has been such a stressful week, and everyone got to run around together,” Antrosio added.
“For me, Holi is a reminder to take advantage of new beginnings and improve on past routines,” Gautam said.
[Editor’s note: Palvasha Khan ’25, who is managing editor of the Record and the upperclassman advisor of SASA, was not involved in the writing or editing of this article.]
