A very Happy Holi to everyone!
Holi, the festival of colours is here finally after a year-long wait. This is a day when you can enjoy by splashing colours and playing with friends and family. This is a festival that brings something for everyone. While children and the young like to play with the colours, parents take a breather in relaxing with friends. The elderly feel revered and happy to see their children and grandchildren enjoying. The gaiety of the event even turns strangers into friends.
The significance of Holi is so deep rooted in thought. The lighting of the Holika signifies how one should let go of one’s ego and that ultimately the good always wins over evil.
I still remember my childhood days when we lived on the Fergusson college campus with families of other professors staying with us as our neighbours. The whole college campus looked colourful as my father’s students would come home and apply colours on us and we would play with water and colours with children in our neighbourhood.
We have so many students staying on campus at Symbiosis International University. While one would expect that they would leave for their homes on Holi, it is wonderful to see that many of them don’t. They have created their extended families here with their friends and stay back to enjoy Holi with their friends. It is such a wonderful opportunity to create an inclusive environment for students as they enjoy the Holi festival splashing colours on each other. While Holi is a popular festival in the Northern and Western part of India, students from the Eastern and Southern part of India also partake in it and thus witness a different culture. This is how universities become platforms of cultural exchanges!
Even for the foreign students who are a part of Symbiosis, Holi becomes a memorable experience. They cherish these memories throughout their lives, after leaving the Symbiosis campus and India. Indian festivals such as Holi teach one to not only to enjoy and de-stress but also about inclusivity and positivity of mind.
Therefore, other than celebrating our festivals, let us all work towards utilizing these festivals to create an inclusive environment for all, far removed from the demarcations of caste, creed, religion and nationalities.