[slideshow]Photo by Asfandyar Sirhindi/The Gazelle;Photo by Asfandyar Sirhindi/The Gazelle;Photo by Asfandyar Sirhindi/The Gazelle;Photo by Asfandyar Sirhindi/The Gazelle;Photo by Asfandyar Sirhindi/The Gazelle;Photo by Asfandyar Sirhindi/The Gazelle[/slideshow]

On the afternoon of Saturday, April 4, a group of NYU Abu Dhabi students came together on the Corniche to celebrate Holi, a Hindu spring celebration also known as the festival of colors. The event was organized by TASHAN, a Student Interest Group that seeks to promote and enhance awareness of the culture of various South Asian countries. The participants were free to use a large area of the Corniche boardwalk, throwing color powder and water balloons at each other and playing with water guns. The event closed with a buffet featuring various South Asian dishes like chaat, pani puri and gulab jamun.

TASHAN President and sophomore Samia Ahmed stressed how the event was set in such a way that it resembled the spirit of the celebration as carried out in India:

“Celebrating Holi is a means to serve the purpose of our SIG by exposing the general university community to a popular annual event that brings all of India to her streets, yielding rang [hindi for color] and pichkaris [water guns],” she said.

Senior Clive Miranda elaborated on the multiple meanings the festival has for people in South Asia:

“The festival has several meanings. For many, it signifies good triumphing over evil. For others, Holi is a welcome to the spring season and a farewell to the winter,” he said. “But for most people, like myself, Holi is a day to let go, laugh and play, forgive and forget, and meet new people under extraordinary circumstances.”

Freshman Dominique Lear raved about her first experience at the festival.

“I have been looking forward to Holi ever since I saw pictures of last year's event, but I didn't imagine it would be so fun. It was a color fight,” she said.