On 24th March, Canberra’s Indian Community celebrated the festival of Holi in the spirit of Harmony Week.
This year, the festival was hosted by the Canberra India Council at Glebe Park in Canberra’s City.
Patron and Founder of the Canberra India Council, Deepak Raj Gupta, says this year’s event was the most significant it has ever been.
“As it is during Harmony Week, we invited prominent business owners and Canberran leaders,” he said.
“With India and Australia coming together in trade and culture, they can use our event as a talking point to strengthen relations.”
“As I kid I used to play and as we grew up it has become a great social celebration,” Deepak said.
Holi is a Hindu festival that celebrates the triumph of good over evil and the arrival of spring in India.
In ancient tradition, Lord Krishna pranked Radha by applying colour on her. This trend between Indian Gods became a Hindu tradition with colour used as a symbol to spread love and harmony.
From the moment I entered Glebe Park, I felt the spirit of the colours and positivity.
From afar, the park looked like slightly terrifying due to the large crowd and colours splashed across people’s faces.
But as I got closer to the action, each corner of the park was a different scene.
From children yelling to adults laughing, the park was a harmonious chaos.
People were grabbing packets of red, blue, green and yellow and throwing them at their loved ones.
Some kids brought water guns to wash away the colour.
Other kids were running around the park with packets of colour behind their backs ready to throw on their friends.
Although the festival is typically celebrated by Indians, the event was free for everyone and no one was shy to throw colour and spread joy.
At the front of the park, I stood in line at a stall that was selling packets of colour.
The lady running the stall cut the packet open and I was ready to join the action.
With music blasting through the park, I joined the crowd and flocked to the end of the stage to dance and throw colour in the air.
Deepak said Holi is different from the Multi-Cultural festival.
“We won’t have to perform, the people who are coming will perform.”
“We are lucky to celebrate this festival and for everyone to join is an honour.”
Deepak said the festival expresses the Council’s aspiration to cultivate peace and respect for all genders, elders and cultures in our society.
Despite the heat, everyone was carefree and living vicariously through their inner child.
At the other end of the park, there were food stalls to grab a bite or a drink to re-fuel.
I bought a few crispy samosas and ate them quickly before they were hit with colour.
After playing for hours, some kids and adults took to the grass to relax and soak in the colourful atmosphere.
The festival portrayed Canberra’s harmony as people from all cultures attended the event to celebrate the Hindu tradition.
Festival goer, Krish Patel, said he drove an hour from South Canberra to attend the festival.
“I was excited to celebrate Holi today,” Krish said.
“People assume this festival is an excuse to throw colour, but for us it is a reminder about the importance of family and having fun with your kids.”
Deepak said this year’s event was a testament to the efforts to build understanding and appreciate the contribution of the Indian community, especially during Harmony Week.
“The world is changing. We see that reflection in our community, in school, at work and even in the food,” he said.
“It’s not just a dance party, its a cross-cultural experience that involves everyone.”
As I walked towards my car park, I felt refreshed and honoured to participate in an event that unified our community.
My white t-shirt was stained with colours and my mind with the memories of visual splendour.
Photos by Khushi Nijhawan