Desi Club members dressed in all white tossed handfuls of pink, orange and green powder at each other and into the air, filling the courtyard with an overwhelming floral scent as they celebrated the Hindu festival Holi March 8.

According to Sejal Schullo, Desi Club sponsor, Holi is a religious Hindu celebration that marks the triumph of good over evil. In addition, Holi celebrates the coming of spring, fertile land and the planting of crops.

“It is symbolic of the coming of spring, and the colors that come with spring and […] it is designed to be very mischievous as a tribute to the mischievousness of Krishna, who is a Hindu deity,” Schullo said.

Furthermore, Holi has become a “great equalizer” in society, according to Schullo. It demonstrates a message of social equality because people of all castes and classes interact with each other and play Holi.

“On that day, because people do not dress according to caste or class and they all simply dress in white clothing, you can’t tell from outward appearances what caste or class a person belongs to, and thus, it doesn’t matter that day,” she said. “[…] By the end of the day, everybody is a colorful mess and you really can’t tell how rich people are […] You wouldn’t know what family background they come from, what part of town, what their job or career was simply by looking at them. So it makes everybody equal in the end.”

Jim Shellard, assistant principal in charge of student activities, helped in the planning and also observed the event. He noted the exciting sensory elements on many different levels.

“I just saw a lot of laughter and a lot of joy and that it was people having a great time, and sometimes we don’t do enough of that […] I also noticed that everyone started all in just a very bland white color and by the end, [there were] rainbows of color all over everybody,” Shellard said. “And not only was it just in their clothes and in their hair and on their face, but it was in the air. That was the cool part.”

In the middle of the festivities, students surrounded Schullo in a group hug, which, according to junior Michelle Matthew, showed how close the club has become.

Senior Raj Patel explained the event resonated with him because it was the first time his religion was being shown in school in front of so many people.

“Personally, it was kind of nice to see a Hindu holiday celebrated at school, where cultures are really appreciated,” Patel said. “Every culture is very well-known and represented and talked about.”

Similarly, Schullo reflected on the privilege to work in a building and environment where celebrating Holi was not only allowed but also encouraged.

“[…] I was really just excited about working at a place where Hinduism is a religion of the minority and regardless of religion practice, this was more of a cultural event and to spread the awareness of a culture that is not shared by a lot of students here [but] was still embraced,” Schullo said.

According to Shellard, the Student Activities Office encourages events such as this that help others understand different cultures.

“This event to me represented a very strong Hindu-Indian cultural event, and so I thought as long as we were making it clear to other students what it was about and why it was being celebrated and the importance of it, it would be a really cool event to take place at school,” he said.

Schullo added that the event served as an opportunity for Desi Club to display Indian culture for the school.

“There are people who are curious about Indian culture and would like to know more […]. [Indian culture is] something to celebrate and something to share with others to help break down the stereotypes and hold up the great parts of the culture and the country,” Schullo explained.

Desi Club hopes to continue this event for years to come in the future. After witnessing the celebration, Shellard said he would like to participate directly next year.

“I felt sad that […] I didn’t make a choice to put myself in the middle of it,” he said. “Again, if students want to do it again next year, then I’m hoping to dress all in white and be a part of it.”