The Indian Students Association of Tuscaloosa and the Nepalese Student Association, in collaboration with other organizations, hosted Holi, a festival celebrating the coming of spring, on Saturday. More than 500 people attended the event, including the vice president for student life, Steven Hood.
Holi is typically celebrated by South Asian cultures, and ISAT and NSA introduced the event to the University five years ago.
“With an international student’s perspective, we miss our events back home a lot, and we wanted to give the community of UA students and faculty a chance to enjoy the cultural events on campus,” said Pratiksha Chaudhari, a Ph.D. student studying computer science and president of ISAT.
The event kicked off with traditional Indian and Nepalese dishes catered by Mita’s Himalayan Kitchen in Columbus, Mississippi, and Hyderabad House Alabama in Hoover.
As attendees enjoyed the free food, they were able to watch traditional singing and dancing, including a performance by Bama Basanti, a UA Indian fusion dance group.
The main event, however, was the throwing of color, a part of traditional Holi celebrations.
“If you see around, it’s not just one culture or one face that you see. There’s people from all kinds of backgrounds,” said Pawonee Khadka, a Ph.D. student studying economics and president of NSA.
Prasana Dawadi, a student at St. Joseph’s University in New York City, visited Tuscaloosa to celebrate Holi. She said that she heard about the event from a friend, one of the University’s Nepalese students.
“Everyone is here together. No one is thinking about what country or what place you’re from. We’re all covered in color, so we’re all the same,” Dawadi said.
Ben Swartley, a freshman majoring in computer science, explained that he enjoyed seeing people from class who are typically serious and focused on academics let loose and have fun.
Similarly, Chaudhari said that Holi is “refreshing, relaxing and a colorful celebration.”
To some attending Holi, the event served as a reminder of the importance of celebrating cultures different from their own.
“Having these moments reminds us that we’re all humans, and we’re just here to have fun,” Khadka said.
