The Colors of Spring: Mines Student India Organization Hosts Community Hindu Holi Celebration

This weekend, bursts of vibrant color will fill the air above the South Dakota Mines stadium parking lot, showering students and community members in bright shades of yellow, pink, green, orange and blue as they celebrate the arrival of spring.

The university’s Student India Club invites everyone to join in the annual celebration of Holi, the Hindu festival of colors, on Saturday, April 19, at 11 a.m. The event, which marks the start of spring, includes 

music, dancing, snacks and lots of color. Participants are encouraged to wear white for a “splash-tastic” Holi, said club president Varun Pushpa, doctoral student in materials and metallurgical engineering.

“Holi is widely recognized as a festival that fosters unity, cultural exchange and joy through its vibrant traditions of throwing colored powders, dancing and celebrating the arrival of spring,” Pushpa said, adding that events like Holi serve as a platform for cross-cultural understanding and inclusivity. “It brings together diverse groups to celebrate shared values of love, renewal and community. We are here to celebrate the culture and the spirit.”

Holi, along with the fall’s Diwali celebration, gives students a chance to reconnect with their culture and share it with the broader community.

The Holi celebration is free and open to the public.