10…9…8…
About 300 voices united in the countdown on the first Saturday of April – not to start a race, but to start a Hindu celebration of spring. At noon, people young and old released a carnival of colors to begin the Holi Festival.
Dry, colored powder flew through the air dousing anyone and everything in pink, purple, orange, blue, green and yellow. Some serious celebrants carried water guns full of colored water.
Aditya Bade, a graduate student in pharmacology and experimental neuroscience, introduced the ancient, and now widely popular, Hindu religious festival to UNMC’s campus this year. As the first international chairman of the Graduate Student Association, Bade also chaired the International Students Affairs Committee Subcommittee, a position that allowed him to seek funds for the festival, which symbolizes rejuvenation and optimism.
With international students and visitors from more than 60 different countries on campus, Bade thought the festival could be a way to promote cultural interaction. “It’s a great way to build unity and educate students, staff and faculty to a different culture,” he said.
The day started with a traditional meal donated by local Indian restaurants that brought together people from different nationalities. Bade hopes to make it an annual event.
“Holi definitely helps develop camaraderie among students,” he said.