Dharma Greets Spring

A flurry of bright-colored powder capped off the annual Hindu Holi festival this past Saturday afternoon, in what was the College’s first official celebration of the holiday.

Members of Harvard’s Hindu Students Association, Dharma, served samosas, wafers, and biscuits to a crowd of about 40 at Kirkland House last weekend in observance of Holi.

“It’s our first year, so it’s experimental, but I’m very pleased with the great turnout,” said Utpal N. Sandesara ’08, Dharma’s social chair. “We hope to hold it for many years to come.”

Participants gathered to play traditional games such as Carrom, a pool-like board game, and Khabbadi, a game similar to tag.

But the celebration reached its climax with the ceremonial throwing of rang, a colored powder that is tossed at fellow observers, symbolizing the filling of the world with colors, according to Sandesara.

In modern-day India, the celebration is a large-scale event where cities enjoy an entire day of rejoicing, Om L. Lala ’06 said.

“Even men in suits get hit, and they can’t get mad because it’s Holi,” Lala said.

Holi commemorates the coming of spring, according to Sandesara. It comes from a Hindu myth about a demon king who tried to punish his son Prahled for worshipping Lord Vishnu, he said.

The demon king instructed his daughter Holika to hold Prahled in a fire, Sandesara added, but Lord Vishnu ultimately came to Prahled’s aid, allowing him to survive while Holika burned to death.

“Holi shows the triumph of good over evil and the innocent over the corrupt,” Sandesara said.

Alka R. Tandon ’07, who attended the event, hailed it as a success.

“It was really great to see people of diverse backgrounds come together,” Tandon said. “It was good to finally see it on Harvard campus.”