Clouds of color fill the air. Students in formerly white T-shirts laugh and cheer as they douse each other with vibrant powders of pink, blue, orange, and green. It’s certainly one way to tie-dye.
Hosted by the South Asian Student Association (SASA), Rollins’ Holi celebration took place on Fri., April 11, from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. on Lakeside Lawn.
Holi is traditionally observed on the full-moon day of the Hindu month, Phalguna. The festival of colors, celebrated across South Asia and around the world, gives participants the chance to welcome spring and playfully cover one another in colored powder and water.
Ryan Persaud (‘26), resource manager for SASA, saw the Holi event as a unifying occasion and symbol of Rollins’ growing diversity. “It was nice to see how accepting other people were,” he said. “It’s a celebration of good over evil with good winning, so who doesn’t love that?”
Persaud’s mention of good prevailing over evil references the story of Prahlad, a prince who defied his father by worshipping the deity, Vishnu. When condemned to death by fire, Prahlad was saved through divine intervention.
Holi is also associated with the love story of Krishna and Radha. Krishna, often depicted with a darker complexion or blue hue, playfully smeared colored powder on the face of the fair skinned Radha as an affectionate gesture.
Persaud joked that the white T-shirts distributed at the start of the gathering served as “foreshadowing” for what would happen next. “That white T-shirt’s a target, it means you’re going to get powder all over you,” he said.
Since Rollins students were on Spring Break during March 13 and 14, which marked the official observation of Holi, SASA moved to host the event a month later.
Persaud pointed to a silver lining in this delayed celebration. Along with better weather in April, he enjoyed taking a break from studying in Bush Science Center and preparing for finals. “It makes you feel like a child again,” he said. “It’s a good way to honor our heritage and spread some joy.”
Smruti Jani, professor of mathematics and faculty advisor to SASA, described Holi as a “celebration of community and coming together.” She noted that among the holidays celebrated in the Indian subcontinent and neighboring countries, Holi is one of the most accessible. “It’s easy to jump in, play, get carried away, and enjoy it,” she said.
Alongside having fun with festivals like Holi, Jani explained the mission of SASA as providing a community for students of South Asian origin or descent as well as those interested in learning about South Asian cultures.
Going forward, she hopes to see the educational component of the club continue to develop. “It would be great for this club to offer that sort of eye-opening understanding of the different cultures represented by SASA,” she said.
When asked for her message to students interested in future SASA events, Jani said, “Keep your eyes open and look out for more, because they’re out for more.” To stay updated on upcoming events, you can follow SASA on Instagram.
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