Holi is more than just colored chalk — it’s a unifying celebration of new beginnings – The Daily Aztec

Members of Sanskriti, San Diego State University’s South Asian student organization, arrived at Clay Neighborhood Park dressed in all white, but left covered in every shade of the rainbow. 

“You start off with beautiful white clothes and end with beautifully colored clothes,” said Shreyas Basu, fourth-year computer science major and Sanskriti vice president. “There’s a lot of chalk – this one is biodegradable and healthy, but try not to get it in your eyes.”

The moment the Holi festival started, not an inch on anyone’s body was left uncolored. Vibrant shades of red, pink, green and blue were splashed across every member’s face. On top of the full face of colors, each student wore a bright smile, laughing and cheering as they threw the colored chalk at one another.

Basu joked that some students would make truces with their friends, but the truces would eventually be broken as the festivities went on.

The club’s Holi celebration on March 21 was filled with warmth, bonding and the guest of honor — a colored chalk powder called “gulal.” Celebrants throw the colored chalk at each other to symbolize the joy of turning a new page and the freedom of leaving old grudges in the past.

Sanskriti members throw colored chalk at each other in their Holi festival on March 21, 2026 (Felicity Desuasido)

Even though Clay Neighborhood Park has been fenced off for construction for weeks, the club persevered and contacted the City of San Diego, requesting a permit for access to the space. Fortunately for Sanskriti, their request was approved and the festivities were still able to commence. 

Sristi Fulsunge, third-year computer science major and president of Sanskriti, shared that the park being fenced off caused some slight difficulty in organizing the event. One challenge was transporting all the necessary materials inside.

“Water was a pretty big thing because they fenced this whole park off, so we had to go all the way around and get water, but the entire time you just want to make sure everyone has a really good time and a lot of fun,” Fulsunge said.

Despite the initial bump in the road, the club was still able to turn the day into a success.

Fulsunge said her favorite part was seeing everyone in their colorful hues and the excitement of discovering what vibrant pattern her white shirt would transform into.

Also known as the “Festival of Colors,” Holi is an annual Hindu festival that celebrates new beginnings and the triumph of good over evil. 

“There’s a bunch of color in the middle, like a cornucopia, and then we say ‘Three, two, one, go!’ and it’s like ‘The Hunger Games.’ We go ham. We go crazy. That’s kind of the game of it,” said Shaan Notani, fourth-year computer science major and Sanskriti photography officer.

Holi is rooted in the Hindu religion and celebrated in two parts: Holika Dahan and Rangwali Holi.

Holika Dahan takes place the night before Rangwali Holi. Celebrants light a bonfire to sing and dance around — meant to symbolize the burning of the Hindu demoness Holika. Rangwali Holi, also called “The Day of Color,” is when celebrants drench each other with gulal and colored water called “pani,” using water guns called “pichkaris.”

Many students ran around with entire bags of the powder in their hands, trying to chase down their friends and slap a handful of chalk on them. Others ran around with water guns, squealing with joy as they managed to hit their friends from feet, or even yards, away.

However, the students didn’t avoid getting messy – they embraced it, as getting colored is part of the experience of Holi.

Holi is celebrated with colored chalk powder called “gulal” and water guns called “pichkaris” (Felicity Desuasido)

Rithish Sivaraj, fourth-year computer science major and web officer, said the part he enjoys the most is throwing water on everyone, while they throw water on him in return.

Sivaraj has attended Sankriti’s Holi for all four years of his college experience.

“This was our last one with SDSU and everything, but we’re definitely going to keep celebrating,” he said.

Margo Lundeen, fourth-year criminal justice major, expressed excitement at getting to attend her first Holi festival.

“Everyone was just having so much fun spraying each other with water and the colors, and it was just very lively and happy,” Lundeen said. “It’s a good time.”

As members left the event, covered head-to-toe in gulal, their laughter echoed around the park, and the festival’s theme of strengthening friendships was all around.