BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA, USA, March 15, 2009: Hundreds of students raucously celebrated Holi on the UC Berkeley campus Sunday, drenching all celebrants in vivid colors and dancing to blaring Bollywood tunes. But two things were different this year: the colored powders imported from India are certified to be free of any toxins, and none of them are seeping into the watershed.
Last year’s Holi celebration on the UC Berkeley campus turned Strawberry Creek orange when students hosed down Sproul Plaza after the festivities, and there was concern about the impact on wildlife. This year, students know more about the campus drain system. “We have to cover up the drains, suck the water up and put it in a sanitary sewer,” said Rajiv Khanna, president of the university’s Indian Students Association.
In the ancient tradition, the colored powders were made from crushed flowers and spices such as turmeric and saffron. But the industrial age made it easy to produce a cheap, synthetic version that can be hazardous to people who get it in their eyes, nose or mouth.
Outside the Fremont Hindu Temple, 1,500 people of all ages also celebrated Holi with natural colors. This was the first year Fremont organizers sought an herbal, non-synthetic powder for the event, said Ajay Bhutoria, chairman of a youth league at the temple.
“If you’re clean, you’re a target,” said senior Trevor Lee, experiencing the Indian festival for the first time. “It’s pretty wild.”