Holi 2017 gets colorful on HUB lawn

Shambhavi Gupta participated in an event Saturday afternoon that reminded her a little bit of home.

Gupta, a Penn State engineering student from New Delhi, India, participated in the third annual Holi 2017 event hosted by the Indian Culture and Language Club on the HUB-Robeson Center lawn.

“It’s great to have something like this when you’re far away from home,” Gupta said. “We come here and have a great time. Every year is similar, but with different people.”

Sometimes known as the “festival of colors,” club President Kruti Mehta, a Penn State senior, said the fest celebrates the victory of “good over evil,” the arrival of spring and other general positive vibes signified by people throwing colored powder on each other.

“One of the main reasons we do this here is to educate the community on what we stand for,” Mehta said.

Other activities included Indian traditions such as dancing, rituals, art and music, a photo booth and food from India Pavilion.

Mehta also estimated about 1,000 participated in the daylong event — similar to last year’s attendance — though not all who participate have ties to India or Nepal.

Penn State admissions counselor Wareesha Tariq is of Pakistani descent, but has participated in the event since she was a student at Penn State’s York campus about five years ago.

“I think it’s especially important to celebrate in an area where there is not a huge South Asian culture,” she said.

This story was originally published April 15, 2017 at 8:01 PM with the headline "Holi 2017 gets colorful on HUB lawn."