CBU students celebrate Indian culture with colorful event
Riverside, Calif. (March 9, 2020) – More than 500 California Baptist University students attended the Festival of Color event on the Front Lawn on March 6. The event, hosted by the International Center, Community Life and the Associated Students of CBU, sought to celebrate Indian culture.
Kristin Holderman, director of campus activities, said the festivity is one of the many activities CBU hosts to celebrate different cultures on campus.
“The Festival of Color allows students to learn and experience the Indian culture through food, music and the color throw. It also gives them the opportunity to experience something different on campus,” Holderman said.
Students who attended the event were given free T-shirts to wear. Additionally, they were given Indian rupee (currency) that students used to purchase different Indian dishes and drinks.
Toward the conclusion of the event, students gathered around the main stage and counted down to throw bags filled with neon colored powder. The activity, celebrated in India to inaugurate the beginning of spring, has been a popular CBU tradition.
Taylor Duncan, a photography senior, said she enjoyed the culture aspect of the event and her favorite activity was throwing the colored powder with her friends.
“It was so much fun. We absolutely loved enjoying the culture aspect of the event,” Duncan said.
Jesus Rojas, a nursing senior, used his rupee to purchase naan (Indian flatbread).
“Besides all the powder, I really enjoyed the involvement of the CBU community and how lively it was. I really enjoyed learning about the Indian culture,” Rojas said.
Harshitha Nalla, a student from India, said she appreciated how the culture was represented.
“I think that it is great that there are students from every culture that could come and celebrate something I relate to and it just makes me feel more at home. The music was the best since they were playing music from different parts of India and it was wonderful,” said Nalla, a computer science sophomore.