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As students, green in our 20s and starving for a world perfectly blended with diversity and acceptance, we fantasize about a time when all of humanity will come together as one to celebrate life and the art of being. At A&M, this fantasy became a reality Sunday afternoon on Simpson Drill Field as Holi, the Indian festival of colors, was celebrated in collaboration with the India Association, Deaf Aggies and Friends (DeAF) and other students.
The field was a cultural canvas as everyone danced together in large circles, tossing powdered hues of blue and pink in the air while buckets of water were emptied on the crowd. DJ Jag from Austin was also in attendance and played a series of catchy Indian beats, including "Rangbarse," a song written for Holi that literally translates: "colors are dripping down."
"[Holi] is a joyful, playful, cultural activity cherished by our Indian students, and having the program on campus is a way to bring a little taste of home to College Station," said Suzanne Droleskey, assistant vice president for international operations at Texas A&M.
An abundance of free food was provided at the event, catered by TAZ Indian Cuisine. The dishes included samosas served with tamarind and mint sauce, and pav and chole, which are buns and chick pea curry. In addition, students from the India Association took time to prepare gulab jamuns, a dessert of cooked balls of flour dipped in sugar syrup.
"An event like Holi gives A&M students a great opportunity to experience other cultures without leaving campus," said Jared Artho, project analyst.
The celebration itself, however, harbors a deeper and more spiritual meaning than simply dancing with paint and water.
"The festival celebrates victory of good over evil," said Chandan Jethani, a graduate student and member of the India Association. "On day one, there are prayers and rituals performed around a bonfire, symbolizing the deity Holika, from which the festival derives its name. On day two, people celebrate by smearing powdered colors called ‘gulal' and colored water on each other. Holi also marks the beginning of spring," Jethani said.
Many A&M students with Indian backgrounds have been participating in Holi with their families since childhood.
"Holi is something that I always look forward to, as it has been an occasion for my family to take a break from our daily lives and get together to celebrate something we really enjoy," said Siddharth Thawrani, a junior accounting major and president of the India Association.
It is safe to say that non-Indian students also had a wonderful time at the festival.
"After experiencing my first Holi celebration, I realize it does not matter how bad of a dancer you are or how shy you are. Celebrating your life without worrying what others think is what counts the most," said Sachiko Flores, a junior wildlife and fisheries major and president of DeAF.
Members of DeAf had a booth at the festival, selling T-shirts and providing pocket American Sign Language (ASL) alphabet cards to help raise awareness of the relatively new organization.
"DeAF is an organization that creates a bridge for the hearing and deaf community. We teach sign language and the deaf culture through games and activities and have deaf socials in the community for anyone to join to further that bridge of communication," said Danielle Wood, a senior psychology major and vice president of DeAF.
Two students from DeAF also gave a performance of Lady GaGa's "Papparazzi" in ASL, showing that communication and language is never limited to tongues alone and that anyone can learn sign language.
"Most of our members are hearing and level-one signers," said Jess Gengo, a junior kinesiology major and secretary of DeAF. "I've never had a class in ASL; I just picked it up from my friends and have been doing it for a few years."
The collaboration of the India Association and DeAF resulted in a delightfully
mixed crowd of Indian and American descent, and succeeded in raising awareness of both the Indian culture and the American Deaf culture.
"Last year, we were lacking in awareness," said Atul Chavan, class of 2010 and former member of the India Association. "Now it looks to be about 50 percent Indians and 50 percent Americans here, proof that we are coming into our responsibility of spreading knowledge of our culture."
As students, green in our 20s and starving for a world perfectly blended with diversity and acceptance, we fantasize about a time when all of humanity will come together as one to celebrate life and the art of being. At A&M, this fantasy became a reality Sunday afternoon on Simpson Drill Field as Holi, the Indian festival of colors, was celebrated in collaboration with the India Association, Deaf Aggies and Friends (DeAF) and other students.
The field was a cultural canvas as everyone danced together in large circles, tossing powdered hues of blue and pink in the air while buckets of water were emptied on the crowd. DJ Jag from Austin was also in attendance and played a series of catchy Indian beats, including "Rangbarse," a song written for Holi that literally translates: "colors are dripping down."
"[Holi] is a joyful, playful, cultural activity cherished by our Indian students, and having the program on campus is a way to bring a little taste of home to College Station," said Suzanne Droleskey, assistant vice president for international operations at Texas A&M.
An abundance of free food was provided at the event, catered by TAZ Indian Cuisine. The dishes included samosas served with tamarind and mint sauce, and pav and chole, which are buns and chick pea curry. In addition, students from the India Association took time to prepare gulab jamuns, a dessert of cooked balls of flour dipped in sugar syrup.
"An event like Holi gives A&M students a great opportunity to experience other cultures without leaving campus," said Jared Artho, project analyst.
The celebration itself, however, harbors a deeper and more spiritual meaning than simply dancing with paint and water.
"The festival celebrates victory of good over evil," said Chandan Jethani, a graduate student and member of the India Association. "On day one, there are prayers and rituals performed around a bonfire, symbolizing the deity Holika, from which the festival derives its name. On day two, people celebrate by smearing powdered colors called ‘gulal' and colored water on each other. Holi also marks the beginning of spring," Jethani said.
Many A&M students with Indian backgrounds have been participating in Holi with their families since childhood.
"Holi is something that I always look forward to, as it has been an occasion for my family to take a break from our daily lives and get together to celebrate something we really enjoy," said Siddharth Thawrani, a junior accounting major and president of the India Association.
It is safe to say that non-Indian students also had a wonderful time at the festival.
"After experiencing my first Holi celebration, I realize it does not matter how bad of a dancer you are or how shy you are. Celebrating your life without worrying what others think is what counts the most," said Sachiko Flores, a junior wildlife and fisheries major and president of DeAF.
Members of DeAf had a booth at the festival, selling T-shirts and providing pocket American Sign Language (ASL) alphabet cards to help raise awareness of the relatively new organization.
"DeAF is an organization that creates a bridge for the hearing and deaf community. We teach sign language and the deaf culture through games and activities and have deaf socials in the community for anyone to join to further that bridge of communication," said Danielle Wood, a senior psychology major and vice president of DeAF.
Two students from DeAF also gave a performance of Lady GaGa's "Papparazzi" in ASL, showing that communication and language is never limited to tongues alone and that anyone can learn sign language.
"Most of our members are hearing and level-one signers," said Jess Gengo, a junior kinesiology major and secretary of DeAF. "I've never had a class in ASL; I just picked it up from my friends and have been doing it for a few years."
The collaboration of the India Association and DeAF resulted in a delightfully
mixed crowd of Indian and American descent, and succeeded in raising awareness of both the Indian culture and the American Deaf culture.
"Last year, we were lacking in awareness," said Atul Chavan, class of 2010 and former member of the India Association. "Now it looks to be about 50 percent Indians and 50 percent Americans here, proof that we are coming into our responsibility of spreading knowledge of our culture."