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Indians at ASU come together to celebrate Holi, 2,000 people take part
The Indian Students' Association (ISA) at Arizona State University (ASU) came together to celebrate Holi, the festival of colours
The Indian Students' Association (ISA) at Arizona State University (ASU) came together to celebrate Holi, the festival of colours. Event organisers said that approximately 2,000 people from different cultural backgrounds attended the event. The grass field north of the Tempe SDFC was painted in various colours.
In India, the celebration of Holi marks the beginning of Spring. "Holi is the biggest festival we celebrate in India," said Aviral Jain, a graduate student studying global management, according to The State Press. "There are a lot of different stories from it."
Holi celebration at ASU
Holi marks an event of cultural exchange at ASU, with the colours signifying inclusivity and connection. "There is no boundary, basically," Jain said. "I'm not playing with a friend, I'm playing with strangers, and there, you develop connections."
"This whole festival is about making friends and adding colors and spreading positivity," Akshay Sukumaran, a graduate student studying global management, said. “That's it, there's nothing else.”
ASU officials confirmed that about 6,400 of ASU's international students come from India. Arin Shaw, a member of the Indian Students' Association and a senior studying molecular biosciences and biotechnology, said that he decided to join ISA because there is a "huge population of Indian students."
"I realized that ISA had events which remind me of home and celebrated our culture," he said. "It's enriching, not just for Indians on campus but for every other individual, because they're getting to know about our culture more every single day with events like this."
According to Jain, since there is an increasing global conflict, Holi is important socially too, and not just culturally. "Everywhere there are fights and disputes," Jain said. "It's a festival of letting go, and you're all accepting the negativities, forgiving everyone and celebrating the friendships, the brotherhood and the relationships."
