Photo by Kaela Belingon
By Justin Isaiah Iriarte with Audrey Javan
On Sunday, March 31, an event was hosted by NC State’s South Asian Student Association (EKTAA), MAITRI and the Office of Multicultural Student Affairs to celebrate the Indian festival of Holi on Stafford Commons.
Known as one of India’s most vivid and colorful holidays, Holi is an annual occasion that is celebrated on the last full moon in the month of Phalguna of the Hindu lunar calendar. With festivities including the playing of traditional Indian music, the throwing of colorful powders as well as the general enjoyment of being a part of the fun, Holi felt like stepping into a world of color and spirit that everyone should enjoy. Holi is marked as a time to let your inhibitions go and let yourself start anew. Celebrating it in a university setting is perfect for both appreciating diverse cultures and also finding a reason to give yourself a break from the rigorous curriculum we undergo at NC State.
As someone from outside of the culture, I felt nervous to immerse myself in the festivities. With a watchful eye and expectations set aside, I can say seeing the sharing of such a unique celebration first-hand was intrinsic to my ability to value new experiences and cultures.
To further understand the importance of sharing this holiday at NC State, I interviewed various organizers to tell me what hosting the event meant for the community. Shruti Gandhi, a grad student in the master’s program of industrial design at NC State’s College of Design, as well as a board member for MAITRI, gave insight into this Holi celebration and an administrative look into what went into making this event happen.
Gandhi said that the organization’s name, MAITRI, translates to friendship, which was a driving factor in the desire to celebrate Holi on our campus.
“As the Indian Grad Student Association, our aim is to nurture a feeling of ‘home away from home,’” she said. “Holi is a festival dear to all of us, and we eagerly wait for this day every year, and so we wanted to bring back the same excitement for all of our students even if they’re away from family and friends at home.”
One of Gandhi’s key highlights of the event was the many new friendships being made under the rainbow of powder in the air. Though it felt out of some of the students’ comfort zones, Gandhi said that sharing Holi’s excitement with undergraduate students and people of other ethnicities and nationalities was a great bonding experience for the community. Gandhi said that her favorite part of being a part of the organization of the event was seeing the liveliness of the celebration she knows and loves.
“I had almost forgotten I wasn’t back in India, I was so totally immersed in the experience,” she said. “The Bollywood songs, everyone dancing their hearts out and doing the hooksteps! It was all so surreal!”
EKTAA co-presidents Yash Agarwal, a third-year studying computer science, and Esha Bhatnagar, a fourth-year studying human biology, also shared the importance of Holi to them. Agarwal said that because of the nature and scale of the holiday, they always partner with MAITRI for solidarity with the South-Asian population at NC State as well as our general campus community.
Understandably, Agarwal’s favorite part of Holi is the colors.
“You can’t have Holi without chasing your friends and being covered in color,” he said. “The energy that comes with celebration welcomes spring with cheering and excitement. My favorite part would be running with two hands full of colors trying to find my co-president!”
Both Gandhi and Bhatnagar agree that hosting Holi along with other Indian cultural events contributes to the appreciation of where they come from, their experiences and their attachment to their culture.
“We absolutely love to see people from all walks of life enjoy Holi with us and immerse themselves in our other events as well such as Garba for example, which we believe is key to cultural exchange at NCSU,” Bhatnagar said.
“We’ve all grown up in our own cultural bubbles, unaware of what other cultures do year round and how they celebrate their special days,” Gandhi said. “But open events like this one really helps everyone learn new things, break stereotypes and widen perspectives. It teaches you to respect, and you start valuing traditions and teachings from all around the world!”
With Holi now having passed, this writer urges readers to not only look more into MAITRI and EKTAA but also to explore other cultural exchanges and experiences that the student population wishes to share with the community. Understanding our role in the Wolfpack means experiencing life with others and enacting a sense of pride within ourselves. The message of Holi still reigns throughout our community. We must learn to share, learn from and celebrate our cultural differences to widen our breadth and understanding of the world both near and far from our home at NC State.