Between 300 and 400 students gathered on the Beach from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday in celebration of Hopkins Holi. The Hindu Students’ Council (HSC) and the Association for India’s Development (AID) organized the event commemorating the Hindu festival of Holi.
“This was our third year leading this massive event. I had led smaller events with some other graduate students in small groups, but we’ve really expanded since AID started organizing it. It’s mostly a joint effort by both the organizations [AID and HSC]. AID is a social organization in India with many other chapters,” Nikishant Deshmukh, head of the Hopkins chapter of AID and a Ph.D. candidate, said.
Holi is traditionally a Hindu religious festival celebrated in much of South Asia. Recently, less religious versions of Holi have become popular in other parts of the world, including North America. The festival involves participants throwing colors, made of dried pigment and water, at one another. Holi was originally celebrated as the Hindu festival of love, but it also marks the start of spring on the Hindu calendar.
Many student attendees, some of whom were from South Asia where the festival originated, enjoyed the event.
“I went to Holi because all the upperclassmen always told me its such a fun event. I knew I would definitely go so I could celebrate the Indian festival of colors with my friends. I played Holi at home with my family and in smaller groups, but I had never played with such a large group of people, so this experience was so exciting for me,” freshman Saranga Arora wrote in an email to The News-Letter.
Some students chose to attend Holi for its religious value.
“I first heard about Holi through the Hindu Students’ Council. Being a fairly religious person, I regularly attend their Aarti services, and it was announced there that there would be a Holi celebration at Hopkins. Since I’m from Tamil Nadu, which is a part of India that doesn’t actually celebrate Holi, I’d only ever been to one other before. That being said, it felt like a scene from a Bollywood movie! There were colors flying everywhere, and everyone was dancing and having a great time,” freshman Akshay Srivatsan wrote in an email to The News-Letter.
Even students who had previously participated in larger Holi festivals were pleased with the event on Saturday.
“Holi is pretty much my favorite festival, so there was no way I would have missed it. I’m from India, so I haven’t been to Holi at any school or community in the U.S., but I can tell you it’s super intense but loads of fun in New Delhi! I don’t think the Holi here can compare to what I’ve played in India, but it was still a great event! The food was good, but I wish music had been better,” sophomore Chinar Berry wrote in an email to The News-Letter.
Deshmukh explained that in order to host the event at no cost to students, AID received funding from outside sources.
“We got discounted rates for food and sound from the vendors from South Asian countries. The food providers gave us a heavy discount because AID is a charitable organization working for India. They supported our cause. We saved at least $2,000 through this indirect support. The outside funding covers a lot of costs, so we can offer the event to students for free,” Deshmukh said.
Holi had been originally scheduled for March 29. However, due to weather conditions, the event was rescheduled.
