After the past few months of whiteness all around me - the snow at Stevens and a ski trip to Scranton, Pennsylvania, I had almost forgotten about the existence of other colors. And as if to remind me, it was Spring! "Holi" was here! Also known as the Festival of Colors, the Indian festival, Holi marks the beginning of Spring and is the most fun filled festival. People play pranks on one another and everyone is licensed to have fun!
Holi also is the celebration of the victory of good over the evil. Legend has it, that the demon king Hiranyakashyap had a boon of not getting killed by a human or an animal, inside or outside a building, by no weapons, neither during the day nor by night; he assumed he was unconquerable and hence God himself. His son, Prahalad, on the other hand, was a staunch devotee of Lord Vishnu and was not ready to accept his father as the supreme power. The king tried to kill his son and in an attempt to do so, Prahalad was made to sit on Holika's lap (the demon king's sister), who had a boon of resistence from fire. They were made to sit on a pyre which was set ablaze in front of a large gathering of people. Miraculously, it was Prahalad who survived and Holika who was charred to death. Eventually, Lord Vishnu incarnated as 'Narsingh,' which literally means a human-lion. He killed the demon at the porch, at dusk, using his claws.
In India, on the day of Holi, the symbolic pyres are lit at night followed by playing with colours and water bolloons the next morning. And of course, how can an Indian festival be complete without loads of delicacies. 'Thandai' being a speciality drink during Holi.
The 'Indian Graduate Student Association' at Stevens kept the tradition alive by celebrating Holi with 'Rang Barse 2009.' Though there were no water balloons or colours, there definitely was the festive mood. With enthralling performances, both songs and dances and a hilrious skit on Indian celebrities, the audience was left craving for more. The programme was followed by an Indian dinner, which by far was the most awaited part of the evening. The evening ended with the entire Indian community dancing away to Bollywood music. Yes, we welcomed Spring in our own special way here and I have fallen in love with colors yet again :)
Getting Ready
The E-Board Singing the National Anthem
Performances at Rang Barse 2009
Food!!
This is how we party!
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