Holi at Arya Samaj 2012: A Day of Watercolors

By Akash Gupta

Last Sunday, the colors of Holi ran freely at Arya Samaj of Greater Houston. And not just because of the rain. This year marked a special milestone in the history of ASGH, as the the expansion of the DAV Sanskriti School was recently initiated and Dr. Suryanarayan Nanda was welcomed as the new Acharya.

Acharyaji recounted the history of Holi and how it began as a spring festival to celebrate the Indian farmers’ harvest. Speaking about the significance of Holi and its symbols, Acharyaji narrated the classic story of Prahlad and Holika in which a deeply spiritual son subverts the materialistic views held by his father. Relating the lessons about spirituality and materialism to modern times, Acharyaji quipped, “The wealthy may attain some measure of happiness, but never the bliss experienced by the spiritually enlightened.” As for the colors associated with Holi, Acharyaji explained that they symbolize life’s changes, “Nohing is black and white. You can color your actions however you wish, but you are defined by those colors.” Acharyaji enlightened the audience as to the meaning of Holi, leaving them with words to ponder and remember when the festive colors have faded.

In addition to the Satsang, Smt. Smriti Shrivastava and Smt. Vinita Arora led the Samaj in bhajans. Sh. Shekhar Aggrawal made a presentation about the bone marrow drive going on that day. Many participated in the drive and signed up to become part of the official registry, increasing the chances for patients to find matches. Aside from being a day of celebration and enjoyment, Holi proved to be an occasion for charity and compassion, making the event all the more meaningful.

To the delight of parents and children alike, lunch was served by India Chaat House. Food consisted of traditional papdi chaat and pani puri alongside tikki and chole. After lunch, everyone proceeded to the day’s main program: the throwing of Holi colors. Marching bravely out into the rain, friends and family turned pink, purple, red, and green in what could have easily been the opening to a Bollywood movie. Of course, after all the fun, everyone pitched in to clean up the rainbow-stained building.

ASGH celebrated Holi with gusto, heralding a new era in its history as well as welcoming the spring season. The Arya Samaj community would like to wish everyone the best of luck in 2012 and a very happy Holi!