Campus was filled with vibrant colored powder, the rhythms of the dhol drum, and the aroma of South Asian Food during South Asian Heritage Club’s annual Holi-Basant Celebration on March 26. 

The event celebrated the spring festivals of Holi, the festival of colors, and Basant, the kite festival. Due to light rain at the start of the event, the kite-flying portion was canceled. However, food, entertainment, and Holi still proceeded.

With the help of math teacher Ms. Anjaly Thakkar and debate teacher Mr. Eric Emerson, faculty sponsors of South Asian Heritage Club, the students put together an entertainment program themed around a train ride through South Asia.

The program contained information about various regions of South Asia; dance numbers to popular Bollywood and Holi-themed songs like “Balam Pichkari,” “Jai Jai Shivshankar,” and “Holi Mein Rangeele;” freestyle numbers on an Indian drum called the dhol; and readings of Pakistani and Bangladeshi poetry. 

Junior Eshaan Mani, co-vice president of South Asian Heritage Club, performed various numbers on the dhol with his teacher Toki Singh.

“Holi is my favorite festival because it’s a great chance to celebrate with the Kinkaid community,” Mani said. “It was super fun to play the dhol at the Holi-Basant celebration, and a highlight was definitely getting the whole Ogilvie Lobby on their feet dancing to the drumbeat.”

Mani expressed how important it was to him to share his culture with other members of the community. 

“Everyone knows about elements of Indian culture like Diwali and chicken tikka masala,” he said. “But there are some unique and exciting traditions that are lesser-known, like Basant and Holi. They celebrate the triumph of good over evil, the abundance of the harvest, and joy of life.”

After the program, dozens of excited families poured out onto the Falcon Green to play with water guns and colored powder in the celebration of Holi.

“Holi is an opportunity for my friends and I to have a blast,” junior and South Asian Heritage Club co-vice president Kaveen Shah said. “I also enjoyed helping put together the celebration, speaking at assemblies and on KLS-TV, and co-emceeing the entertainment.”