Holi is considered one of the most popular festivals celebrated predominately in the Indian subcontinent. It signifies the arrival of spring also known as the Festival of Colour and Love. For most countries around the Sub Asian continent, Holi has a lot of different associated myths and lengths attached to it. But for the majority this festival signifies the victory of good over evil; the end of winter and a day to meet your friends and family, a day to repair broken relationships by forgetting the past and forgiving one another and focusing on a better tomorrow.

The excitement around the time of Holi is so high, the sounds of beats, laughter and joy are definitely a sight to see. People playfully run around applying colours or people dancing to high energy drum beats, it’s a day to be remembered.

This year we wanted to bring in the same excitement and joy around campus for students. The past couple of years had been really tough for all of us. This year has been an awkward year, with conflicting thoughts on whether I stay in with my comfortable PJs or actually make an effort and go out and meet people. People have observed a changed behaviour in themselves people have become apprehensive to talk to others.

What better way to bridge these sorts of gaps?

We decide to organize a Colour Run on the Cambridge campus. To organise something which has never happened was a task we officers decided to take on this year. Although we had another intention behind it. In a university which is demographically diverse, bringing all the students together was our ambition. We wanted to create a place of no discrimination; no aggressions; no tension. Just pure love and respect for one another.

With different powdered colours on everybody, there will be no place for visible disparities based on different tribes, cultures, races, languages and traditions.  Different colours represent all of us – living together in harmony to make this world a better place to live in.

On the day of the event, Cambridge had the weirdest weather. It was sunny for a minute then cloudy then it decides to snow. But it didn’t stop us to join the celebrations, being mindful of the fact that students had an amazing time wearing just simple white t-shirts in -2 degrees.

I want to thank everyone who attended, I hope it went a little way towards showing we are proud of all the cultures we have at ARU, and I hope students keep coming to us with the celebrations they want to share with all students across the university.