Sophomore Jaspreed Kaur and freshman Paulak Raswand pose while covered in gulal at the annual Holi celebration. April 15, 2025. - Staff Writer / Kacie Scibilia
A festival of wild colors and nostalgia erupted on University Green outside Bunce Hall when three Rowan University organizations united to host the annual Holi celebration. On Tuesday, April 15, Hindu YUVA and the South Asian Student Association (SASA) put on the Holi event with the help of The Center for Belonging & Student Engagement (BSE).
“Holi is something we’ve been celebrating as long as SASA has been a thing. It’s a celebration of color, it’s a festival for Hindus, so it’s just a good way to bring the community together today,” said 22-year-old senior Puja Brahmbhatt, who is majoring in biology and is the president of SASA.
Holi is a Hindu festival that incorporates gulal (colored powders) into the festivities: the participants throw the colors in the air, creating a Jackson Pollock-esque painting of themselves.
“The festival is [a] colors festival…it’s making bonds with people [and] celebrating,” said Mehakjot Sindh, a 21-year-old junior majoring in computer and biological sciences.
Elijah Blackwell, 28, is the assistant director of BSE. He explained the organization’s involvement in the event.
“[BSE] played a really crucial part in setting this up for the students…collaborating with them, the planning, the legwork, and kind of getting this off the ground…so when you have a dream and you see it come true, it’s amazing,” said Blackwell.
Traditionally, the festival is celebrated in the month of Phalguna on the Indian calendar (roughly around mid-March).
“However, because of classes and people have exams…and we have to collaborate with SASA and CBSE…we [have to] match everyone’s timing,” said Tiya Patel, a 21-year-old senior majoring in bioscience; as such, the celebration had to wait until April. “[The festival] means pure joy. We celebrate with people, we get to meet people, and we have fun,” said Patel.
Patel’s story was heard multiple times throughout the day: she is an international student who has only been in the United States for as many years as she has been attending Rowan University, and she is completely on her own. The prominent commonality was that this festival gives many international students a taste of home.
“I just love this festival. It’s one of my favorite festivals…the colors, the water…we enjoy being with our friends and family with good food…we enjoy with colors,” said Sneha Gupta, a 19-year-old freshman computer science major.
Gupta has a story similar to Patel’s, but there is one main difference between celebrating here and celebrating in India.
“[At home,] we have a lot of water there. We throw water balloons at each other…and we also use water guns…we don’t have that here, so I specifically miss that,” said Gupta.
In India on the night before the celebration, people have bonfires, marking the end of winter and the ushering in of spring; it’s the good’s victory over evil.
The colors of the gulals each have their own meaning. Red symbolizes the circle of life, in a way, as a woman traditionally wears red on her wedding day, on the day of her funeral, and for celebrations in general. It is thought to bring the wearer good luck.
Blue is the color of some Hindu gods, specifically Krishna, who is a manifestation of Vishnu, one of the three main gods in Hinduism: Brahma (the creator), Vishnu (the preserver) and Shiva (the destroyer). Vishnu is thought to come into play when there is a crisis.
Green refers to life anew and nature. It is also the shade of Prince Rama, one of Vishnu’s forms. In some areas of India, married women wear green to honor Rama.
Yellow is a sacred hue in India, considered the color of happiness. Gods like Krishna are characteristically shown wearing yellow, which is believed to have restorative energies. It doesn’t hurt that turmeric, a traditional and widely popular Indian spice, is yellow. It has also been used in Indian medicine for centuries.
Pink is reminiscent of youth, vitality, and love. Certain Hindu deities are associated with pink and are often found wearing or surrounded by the pigment, such as the goddess Lakshmi, wife of Vishnu.
Orange represents strength, courage, and sacredness. Monks often wear orange sashes with their robes, and it is even found in the Indian flag. Orange is also associated with the sacral chakra, one of the seven main chakras, or energy centers along the spine.
Purple is the color of royalty and power in India. It combines the serenity of blue with red’s fiery passion. It is associated with the crown chakra.
All in all, the festivities went exactly as planned. Scores of people attended, enjoyed the food, danced, and reveled in the colors. The students gathered in a circle and moved around in a circular dance called “Garba,” according to Phani Alla, a 22-year-old senior majoring in cybersecurity.
“This is a state dance in Gujarat,” said Alla.
As the festivities started winding down, Hartej Hundal, a 22-year-old senior majoring in biomedical engineering and e-board member of the SASA gave his take on the event.
“[The celebration] is a success; I love the music, love the food…I think this is just a great way to celebrate Holi,” said Hundal.
Eating, drinking, and being merry were the primary goals for the day, something many people accomplished. However, the celebration went deeper than that; it affected some on a visceral level.
“Being a part of this warms my heart…when you are able to create this for students on campus, what feels like home, what feels like culture, feels like what they want for themselves, and you’re able to be a part of creating that, it just warms my heart. It really does,” said Blackwell. “Just being able to sit here and see the look on their faces, the color on their faces, it’s a good time, so I’m glad to be a part of it.”
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