U of M’s Hindu Student Council (HSC) hosted Holi Party on March 14 in the Engineering Atrium, bringing students together to celebrate the colour festival on campus.
“It’s been 10 years since we have celebrated Holi on campus, and I think people somewhere are going away from their culture, from their festivals, from their religions,” said Muskan Muskan, the cultural ambassador of HSC.
Holi, also known as the festival of colours, is a Hindu celebration that marks the arrival of spring and an opportunity to start fresh.
This festival is traditionally celebrated with different vibrant activities, like the throwing of coloured powders and dancing, encouraging people to set aside social norms and embrace joy and togetherness.
Abhishek Kumar, president of HSC, stated that the reason for celebrating Holi is because Hindu students or anyone coming from South Asian communities are deeply connected to the festival and its spiritual significance in Hinduism.
“Back in India, whenever Holi comes, everyone gets excited because on that day, you forget anything,” Kumar said.
“If you’re mad with your friends, uncles or parents, you play Holi with your neighbours and everyone.”
He added, “it’s a theme of love and unity.”
The Holi Party featured an open DJ who played traditional Holi music, an array of coloured powders that participants threw at one another, food and more.
There was also a pandit — a Hindu priest — at the event who performed a religious ritual called Abhishekam where a devotee poured a liquid offering to the lord Krishna — Hindu god of protection, compassion and love.
Arti was also performed at the event, which is a Hindu ritual devotees use to give thanks to the deities.
A highlight of the event was the chanting of mantras — chants used to express devotion, establish communication or fulfill desires, serving the same purpose as prayers and supplications.
Some of the chanted mantras include Om Paraanandaaya Namaha, meaning “I am one with Divine Happiness, the Vishnu,” and O Krishnaya Namaha, meaning “Oh Shri Krishna, accept my salutations.”
There was also a talent show that included dance performances, poetry recitation and guitarists that had students engaged, embracing the tradition, with smiles on their faces and the sense of togetherness.
One activity that was not performed during the Holi Party was the Holika Dahan, a bonfire for people to sit around to burn negativity, according to Asish Charaya.
He said that “there are lots of red flags around that, so the university did not let us to do that.”
Charaya added that they only did a little bit of colour throwing as the university did not support it either.
“We had to go through a lot of challenges to keep it limited because last time people did it with colours and they got banned for 10 years, so we’re trying to keep the event going without doing too much.”
—with files from Zulkifl Rafah
