By Nur Sharikul Huda
Grass a patchwork of colours, air tinted red and blue, skin the canvas of Cubists – such were the remainders of Monash’s Holi celebrations, held last Wednesday.
The Festival of Colours lived up to its name with a stunning display of international commemoration and the participants did not disappoint.
In what was a medley of laughter, ordered chaos and dyed faces, MUISS’s event was one that you would remember for quite a while – be it voluntarily in memory or in the lasting multi-colored hues on your skin.
Even nature seemed to be participating in the Holi celebration; the event began in the glow of golden sunset, and just like the skies above, the earth saw more and more colour as time progressed.
While the festive mood took a while to lock into gear, once the flood began, no dam could stem it.
Most people were initially hesitant of their actions, looking for “safe people” to ease into the revelries. However, it took some time for one cardinal rule to set in – anyone in the designated coloured area was the victim, and no one was to be spared.
People had even come up to me, one of the people designated to refill the colour sources, and said phrases like “You look too clean!” or “Why don’t you have anything on you yet?” before pelting me with colour from multiple directions.
What I had felt at that moment was exactly the opposite of annoyance: it was pure merriment.
Despite multiple mouthfuls of colour and faces that looked like a drunk Bob Ross went all-out on, there was only more enthusiasm. The spirit could not be marred.
Only when halfway through the event did the frenzy mellow down, even though unsubstantially – with the introduction of food and drinks.
People rushed in droves to the steaming samosas and chilled lassi, be it owing to overpowering hunger after such exertion or only so they could gulp some basic sustenance down before rushing out to the battle again.
Nevertheless, the ebb was eclipsed by the surging flow. Students did not seem to tire well into the second hour, with the colour running out faster than it could be refilled.
Only as the clock inched towards the last quarter of the day did people begin dissipating into the showers, some coming out suspiciously clean while others looked just as red or blue as they did before they had gone in.
In the end, the Holi celebration reached across transnational borders and successfully connected countless nationalities in the merry fête of the Festival of Love.
Even though several people, including quite a few MUISS members, were concerned about going to class the next day looking like a Smurf, the words of our very own committee member rang out as the embodiment of a shoulder-shrug: “But it’s okay because we’ll all look like Teletubbies tomorrow.”
And there weren’t many who minded that. After all, that was the very theme of the show: BURA NA MANO, HOLI HAI!
Photography by Shevyn and Mahruk
MUISS 