Wilder Park in Aurora was awash in a rainbow of colors Saturday afternoon as the city’s Indian American Community Outreach Advisory Board offered its first-ever Holi celebration.
For two hours during the Holi Festival of Colors, the park at 350 N. River St. in Aurora was filed with Indian music, dance, food and of course color, with participants joyfully flinging – and getting covered in – brightly colored powder.
The traditional Indian celebration highlights the arrival of spring, rejuvenation and the triumph of good over evil.
Ram Tyagi, chief information officer for the city’s Indian Outreach Board, said Holi festivals have been held in other towns like Naperville and that the board wanted to bring a similar celebration to Aurora as it “is one of the most diverse cities in Illinois.”
“Naperville has non-profit groups that have been celebrating there and we have seen so many of these celebrations and we thought that our board could put together an event like this in Aurora,” Tyagi said, who noted that Aurora has a sizable Indian community. “A lot of people are talking about this, and the last time we attended one in Naperville, we decided we should do one here in Aurora as well.”
Adithya Subramanian, who serves on the Indian American Community Outreach Advisory Board as the treasurer, said that “throwing the colors” is always one of the top attractions at a Holi festival.
“Definitely, throwing of the colors, but we would like to mix this with the American culture a little bit. We have all the colors coming up now with the spring,” he said. “Generally, we have Holi earlier in February or March, but we would like to mix with the time when all the colors are coming up as we’re moving into a beautiful spring following the winter.”
Marta Rios of Calumet City “was looking forward to all the colors” at the fest.
“I want to eat and dance – everything,” she said. “My daughter Annelise is 4 and she’s going to have fun.”
Madhusudal Sharma of Plainfield came with his daughter Mishi, 2, to the fest in Aurora.
“This is for prosperity and we want things to go well. Everyone is welcome here. It’s a festival of color, a festival of joy,” he said. “It should not be limited. Everyone is welcome. People meet with each other and they share their culture. That’s my favorite part – people meeting and their sharing their happiness and coming together.”
Sweta Kezriwal of Naperville came with her husband and daughter and said she was glad to see another Holi celebration in the area “as I go to as many as I can.”
“I like the Holi celebration and throwing of the colors – it’s my favorite part,” she said.
Sweta’s husband Rakesh Kumar said he and his family have been to other Holi events in the region.
“We have a lot of friends in Aurora so we wanted to come to this one as well,” he said,
The couple’s daughter Aastha Choudhary, 12, said she was performing with a dance group at the festival.
“I like dancing. I’m a little nervous but I’m excited. I can do this,” she said. “For me, I also just like playing with the colors with my friends.”
David Sharos is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
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