The Sun Devil Fitness Complex fields in Tempe were splashed with color following a day of dancing, singing and celebration at the Indian Students' Association at ASU's Holi festival on March 21.
ISA has hosted Holi since 2005, and this year's event drew over 3,400 registered attendees.
Pratham Hegde, president of ISA and a senior studying computer science, said Holi is "a festival celebrated in the Indian culture, also known as a festival of colors," which represents the coming of spring.
For the festival, ISA got around 250 pounds of vibrant colored powder, which Hegde said can symbolize happiness for many people.
"When people come to Holi, initially, they come in white clothes, and when people leave, their white clothes are all converted into vibrant, rainbow colored clothes," he said.
The festival was originally scheduled for Feb. 28, falling closer to March 3 and 4 when Holi was officially observed across states in India. However, ISA postponed the event until March 21 due to "an unexpected safety and security concern," according to the organization's Instagram.
The event showcased collaboration between multiple clubs and student governments across the University. ISA also partnered with two student DJs who performed music at the festival.
Aditya Sally, a junior studying mechanical engineering known on stage as DJ Sally, played a mix of Hindi, Punjabi, Spanish and English music.
"We, as Indians, we love parties, and we cannot do most of them here in Tempe, because if we go to any clubs, there's not going to be Indian music," Sally said.
He said it was important for him to represent his cultural roots in India at Holi, and he took about a week to prepare his set, which he mixed live at the event.
"It gets pretty hectic when I'm on the stage, but right after I'm done, the sense of calm that I feel, it's amazing," said Sally. "When I see the hype, when I see the crowd looking at me, them cheering with me, them dancing with me, that brings me the most amount of joy."
One of these crowd members was Preesha Kumar, a senior studying psychology, who said the festival symbolizes a new beginning, growth and spending quality time with loved ones.
"I never got to celebrate Holi in school growing up, so it's really nice to see that ASU is fostering our culture and our communities here," Kumar said.
According to Hegde, the festival brings together students who miss celebrating Holi at home, as well as students who come in from all backgrounds to experience the event.
"No one cares about anyone's race, no one cares about anyone's gender or identity or anything," Sally said. "They just put colors on them. They're happy, and they're dancing, they're vibing to music."
Edited by Sophia Braccio, Henry Smardo, Emilio Alvarado and Ellis Preston.
Reach the reporter at galawre3@asu.edu.
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Grace Lawrence is the lead reporter for the community and culture desk at The State Press. This is her 2nd semester working with The State Press.
