By VASHTI HARRIS
Staff Writer
SOUTH RIVER – Music, traditions, modern Indian dance, food and colored powder were the focus of the Saraswati Cultural Association’s second annual Holi festival.
“Holi is a spring festival, also known as the festival of colors or the festival of sharing love. The festival signifies the victory of good over evil, the arrival of spring, the end of winter, and for many, a festive day to meet others, play and laugh, forget and forgive, and repair broken relationships, and is also celebrated as a thanksgiving for a good harvest,” said Anita Chadha, founder and president of the Saraswati Cultural Association.
The event on April 30 at Edward A. Grekoski Park began with a musical drum performance followed by a series of traditional and modern Indian dance performances by various dance academies.
The festival included jewelry vendors, henna tattoos, Indian food as well as the main event: free white t-shirts that were provided by New Jersey Realty, LLC were doused with colored powder to signify the beginning of spring.
“The turnout [was] great and it is amazing to witness such diversity here today. I think that it is important to have such events like this, especially in light of what is going on in our country today. At our organization we are all about accepting all cultures and for a small town like this to allow us to have this event is truly amazing,” said Herman Chadha, co-president of the Saraswati Cultural Association.
Mayor John Krenzel attended the event along with Council President Shawn Haussermann and Councilmen John Alai, John Sapata and Ryan Jones.
After meeting Anita Chadha, Haussermann said that she vowed to bring the Holi festival to the Borough of South River.
“I met Anita two years ago at an event and she asked me, ‘What cultural events to you have in South River?’ [to which] I said, ‘Not very many.’ Anita said, ‘That is going to change.’ We are aiming to promote a friendlier South River and I have seen [this event] grow since last year and I hope it continues to grow for years to come,” Haussermann said.
Chadha added, “When we moved to South River, we were told there were no community events organized. To promote the cultural harmony and bring the community together we decided to organize the event last year where people from all different cultures participated and enjoyed the event.”
Members of the Girl Scouts of South River and Milltown Troop 80308 volunteered during the event helping out with various tasks.
“We [previously] did an Indian cultural event and one of my girls is the daughter of [Geeta Mavra, vice president of Saraswati] and the girls really enjoyed it. They loved the culture and they loved the food so they were very excited to come and be a part of this event,” said Zaneta Link, leader and service unit manager of the Girl Scouts.
After all the dance performances concluded, the colored powder throwing portion of the event took place, where citizens wear white t-shirts and threw colored powders at one another.
The color throwing portion of the Holi Festival represents love, friendship, fun and the coming together of a community, according to Chadha.
For more information on the Saraswati Cultural Association, visit www.scaofnj.org or the organization’s Facebook page.
Contact Vashti Harris at vharris@newspapermediagroup.com.
