Document5

T h e u n i v e r s i T y o f T e x a s a T a r l i n g T o n

March 9, 2010volume 91, no. 88www.theshorthorn.com

since 1919

By AlAnnA QuillenThe Shorthorn assistant news editor

Sitting on a hillside, Mi-chelle Capuli watched puffs of color hover above a vibrant, pulsating mass of festival-go-ers.

The Net Solutions assistant manager didn’t plan on getting involved but, at the Holi festi-val, staying clean is difficult.

Around 150 people flocked to the west lawn behind the

Maverick Activities Center on Saturday afternoon to cel-ebrate life and color through food, dancing and cultural music. Participants sprayed water and smeared Gulal, a colored powder, on each oth-er’s faces and clothes.

Like a snowball fight with color, the festival marks the end of winter and celebrates the beginning of spring.

The Indian Student Asso-ciation, Hindu Students Coun-cil, International Student Or-ganization and the Fine Arts Society of India organized the event. For $5, attendees re-

ceived a box of Indian snacks and two packets of color. Or-ganizers used a water hose, buckets and water balloons to add to the fun.

“I was supposed to watch and sit on this hill, but I got pulled in and hosed down,” Capuli said. “I didn’t expect on getting colored up.”

Prasad Joglekar, physics graduate student and former HSC president, said the main idea of Holi festival is to bring people together and enjoy the spring.

“It’s perfect weather today,” he said. “People are getting wet

and ugly with colors.”Tamanna Patel, ISA pub-

lic relations officer, said the festival is one of her favorite religious celebrations.

“The colored powder rep-resents how colorful the world can be,” she said.

Undeclared sophomore Trevor Henry, a festival first-timer, was one of the many who was ambushed with the

Holi paints campus with the joy of springStudent life

Cultural festival dyes clothes, blasts water and celebrates the colors of life.

The Shorthorn: Aisha Butt

Suyash Chhajed, biomedical engineering graduate student, smothers Gulal, colored paint, on Manas Bhalerao, biomedical engineering grad-uate student, at the annual Holi festival on Saturday afternoon behind the Maverick Activities Center.

See more photos atTheShorthorn.com

holi continues on page 6


Mervyn Pinto, biomedical en-gineering graduate student, partakes in the celebration of life and color.

hose, buckets of water and handfuls of colored powder.

“It wasn’t that bad,” he said. “It’s a completely different, cultural kind of thing that I’ve never witnessed. You just have to open up and get used to it.”

An hour into the event, the overcast sky turned into sun-shine, fueling the jovial dance and chants wishing each other a “Happy Holi.” The crowd grew loudest when gathered into a Raas dance, a tradi-tional Indian dance where

people form a circle and move to the music with their arms and legs.

Vaishnavi Kapadia, Univer-sity of North Texas psychology senior, arrived in a pure white, Indian dress. At the end of the afternoon, she left in a soaked, colorful outfit.

“Within a minute, I was totally drenched in colors, all over from head to toe,” she said. “I’ve been waiting all week for this — it’s a great way to relax and get away.”

Medical technology junior Sanju Bhattarai kicked and screamed with laughter as she was dragged into a muddy pit of colorful hands and smiling

faces.“It felt like I was celebrat-

ing in Nepal again,” she said. “Whoever comes and plays, nobody cares about getting muddy. That’s the point of Holi – getting dirty.”

Chemistry graduate stu-dent Subhash Chand said UTA’s Holi festival reminds him of playing with his friends and family in India.

“It’s so exciting to be here,” he said. “We are so far away from our home but are still enjoying the same ambience here.”

AlAnnA [email protected]


Alumna irene lazarus participates in the annual Holi festival behind the Maverick Activities Center on Saturday afternoon. Holi is the celebration of life and color at the beginning of each spring.

holicontinued from page 1

Business

Document5