Photo Not Really So Much Like Krishna

To the editors:



On Monday, March 12th,The Crimson published a photo (news) of the Holi celebration organized by Dharma, Harvard’s Hindu Students Association. We greatly appreciate the coverage, as The Crimson is a wonderful avenue to convey information about Hinduism to the student body. However, we have some reservations about the title given above the photo.

As the title “Just like Krishna” would suggest, the significance of throwing colors on Holi is often associated with Sri Krishna, an avatar of Vishnu. In Hindu mythology, Krishna’s followers anointed themselves with bright colors on Holi to make Krishna (himself a brilliant blue) feel accepted. However, Holi also derives significance from other Hindu deities such as Shiva and Brahma, and mythical figures including Holika and the devotee Prahlad. The longstanding traditions of Sikhs and Jains further complicate the story of Holi. To reduce Holi’s significance to one deity is factually questionable, and risks misrepresenting this important holiday to those who may not be familiar with it.

Furthermore, claiming the students celebrating Holi were emulating Krishna personalizes their relationship with the deities perhaps one degree too much. The students celebrating Holi last Saturday were not necessarily trying to emulate Hindu deities, although many sought to honor them. Similarly, it would be unfair to the students of other faiths in attendance to claim they celebrated Holi in order to re-enact Hindu myths. Even for many Hindus, throwing colors at Holi has little connection to religious figures, and instead represents the coming of spring.

We understand that covering religious events is challenging, and we would gladly comment on future captions or articles in order to achieve factual accuracy and broaden understanding of our religion. We appreciate your continuing sensitivity to the concerns of cultural and religious groups.



MIHIR GUPTA ’10

March 15, 2007

Cambridge, Mass.



The writer is a freshman representative at Dharma, Harvard Student’s Hindu Association.