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SACH to welcome spring season with Rang-Holi festival

Guests at the Rang-Holi Festival of Colors at Weston Nurseries last year toss colored powder in the air. PHOTO/MADHAV SAXENA

The South Asian Circle of Hopkinton has one major aim with its annual Rang-Holi Festival of Colors: unity.

“When people play with colors and everyone’s covered in color, there’s no differences between us,” said Charusmitha Ram, one of the event organizers.

The festival originated in India and Nepal and is intended as a spring celebration. Participants throw colored powder on one another, and that, according to Britannica, gives license to “deviate from the usual societal norms and rankings of caste, gender, status and age.” 

While Holi historically is a Hindu celebration, Ram explained that SACH’s celebration is not religiously affiliated. “We’re an areligious organization,” she said. “It’s purely a community cultural celebration so people can get together, have fun, enjoy and welcome spring.”

This year’s festival takes place at Weston Nurseries on April 11 from 2-5 p.m. Ram credited Weston for its generosity in providing a free space for the event. SACH held its first Holi celebration at the Town Common but realized it needed a safer location as the festival got larger.

Ram said the celebration, which is funded by the Hopkinton Cultural Council, has grown in popularity since its inaugural event in 2017. She anticipated 200-300 people will show up to take part in the festivities. Beyond color throwing, there will be food vendors and a DJ. Part of the draw, she explained, is that most surrounding communities don’t offer their own Holi celebrations.

“The surrounding towns … don’t have anything of this scale,” said Ram, adding that Natick and Worcester do put on Holi celebrations.

The festival is just the beginning of events SACH has planned for the spring. Ram noted that the organization is pairing up with the Hopkinton Chinese American Association in May to host community programs in celebration of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. The two groups will host a joint tai chi and yoga event at the Town Common on May 17 and have planned a collaboration with the Hopkinton Public Library.

The library program highlights culinary wellness, food and culture of south and east Asia, Ram explained. The event will feature henna art, music, calligraphy, free food samples and a presentation on wellness by Prana Kitchens. 

SACH’s collaboration with HCAA began two years ago after the groups attended each other’s events and realized there were opportunities for collaboration. “[AAPI month] is something that’s common, and we can get together and do something for the public,” Ram said.

— NICK SCHOFIELD

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Photo of the Day

Musicians perform at the South Asian Circle of Hopkinton’s Spring Soiree concert Saturday at the Hopkinton Center for the Arts. The event, supported by a creative experiences grant from the Mass Cultural Council, “wasn’t just a concert but a celebration of music, community and diversity,” shared Smitha Ram, one of the organizers.

PHOTO/GARV MASURKAR