Aanav K. and Tanner S. play with Tray S. (Milana B./Staff)

On Sunday, April 28, the Desi Club and the Columbus Academy Parents of South Asia (CAPSA) invited their families and friends to the school’s annual Holi celebration. Taking place from 2 – 4:00 p.m., almost 100 Academy community members spent their Sunday socializing and celbrating with one another.

Holi is the celebration of the start of spring, a significant holiday that everyone in the South Asia subcontinent celebrates, regardless of any religious preference. It is a day where everyone can assemble by eating delicious South Asian cuisines and shaved ice, bond with their communities, and throwi colorful powder at each other.

Before the color throw began, everyone gathered on the blacktop to honor Academy’s 12 Desi seniors: Irena A., Arya C. (Desi leader), Ashton D., Sean J., Akshaj J., Aanav K. (Desi leader), Grace P., Neel R., Adam R., Adi S., Tanner S., and myself.

Why colors? The origin story involves Lord Krishna (of the Hindu religion) and his beloved Radha, the goddess of love and devotion. Krishna had blue skin, and his mother jokingly said that if he threw different colors on Radha’s face, he could change her skin tone to blue, also. So, he went around the village and smeared blue on Radha’s face, and now the throwing of colors is a part of the holiday, representing the playful love and affection that Radha and Krishna once shared. In fact, many people refer to Holi as the Festival of Love.

Every year, I always look forward to this event. Not only do I get to embrace my culture, but it warms my heart to see my friends embrace it with me. Holi is one of the most fun holidays that I celebrate, and I felt thankful that I got to do that in my school community, especially before I leave Academy in a few days. Thank you to Desi and CAPSA for organizing this event and making it a success, once again!