Dressed in white shirts, hundreds of people amassed at Front Square in Trinity College ready to douse each other in coloured powder paints – all in celebration of Holi, the Indian ‘festival of colours’.
The spring festival, celebrated mostly by Hindus in India and Nepal over the course of a few days, marks a farewell to the greys and whites of winter and a welcoming of all the colours of the new season.
In the days leading up to the day itself on 27 March, the Trinity Indian Society presented a variety of movies and authentic Indian food.
Among the films screened were 3 Idiots, one of the most critically acclaimed Bollywood films in recent times, as well as Eka Tha Tiger – the first Bollywood production to be filmed in Dublin.
Now in its fourth year, the Trinity Indian Society comprises 250 members, all looking for a little piece of Indian culture in the Irish capital.
“We believe that our events bring the diversity to the student life,” said chair Servesh Muralidharan. “We show them ways to have fun and enjoy themselves in a completely different environment.”
The public celebrations were supported by The Hope Foundation, an organisation working with street and slum children in the Indian city of Kolkata ¬– through their donation of white T-shirts that created the perfect canvas for the riot of colour.
Mango lassi was also handed out to quench the revellers’ thirst. This traditional yogurt-based drink originated in the Punjab region but is becoming increasingly popular worldwide.
Elsewhere in Ireland, the India Society at University College Cork organised their own colour-throwing party, while Belfast joined in with its own festival, hosted by ArtsEkta on 7 April.
The Hindu Cultural Centre Ireland (HCCI) also hosted a Holi event at the Eurasia Supermarket in Clondalkin, west Dublin.
Meanwhile, the Trinity Indian Society says it is eager to make Indian students feel at home while also giving Irish and other non-Indian students the opportunity to share in their culture and lifestyle.
And nothing could be more fun than throwing colourful powdered paints at friends and strangers alike.
Muralidharan expressed his delight with the day. “For the duration of the event, it felt as if a part of India was brought into Trinity,” he said.
