A sunny Saturday morning in Norcross waited to get even more gorgeous. The annual Holi program organized by SewaUSA, a nonprofit organization, promised to be a beautiful celebration of the festival of colors welcoming Spring.
A large open space with a playground attached to it, Pinckneyville Park in Norcross was the perfect site to hold the Holi festivities with hundreds of people expected to show up. Sewa volunteers gathered early at the location the morning of Saturday March 21st to prepare for the fun and frolic soon to visit. Motivated by last year’s exceptionally successful Holi event, the charged-up volunteers soon set up a music system, food stalls, and booths to distribute colors, jackets, and bottled water. Entry to the program was free for all.
Soon the action began! Holi themed music invited the steady stream of folks pouring in, eager to play with family, friends and strangers. Enthusiastic Sewa volunteers broke out into spontaneous dancing and exchange of colors to get the mood going. Organic colors were used so that everyone, including children, could safely use them without restrictions. A touch of blue, a dash of yellow, a splash of purple and dollops of pink color took charge of the atmosphere. People showed their true colors on this day marking the arrival of spring colors. Meeting and greeting each other ‘Happy Holi’, some smeared a few specks of color lovingly on their buddies’ cheeks; others were in attack mode dyeing their friends beyond any recognition.
DJ Khalnayak was invited to co-ordinate the music and entertainment for the day. With his rich collection of music and charming manner, he effortlessly had the sea of color-tinted people swaying to hindi music songs and remixes. A jewellery and Indian Kurta outfits display was an added attraction at this year’s program.
By lunchtime, the crowd was at full capacity and in full revelry mode. Five hundred people were at the scene surrounded by a colorful mist in the air. Amma’s kitchen provided a variety of dishes to fuel the fire, including a sumptuous thali of Puri-bhaaji, pullav, and gulab jamuns. Freshly made masala dosas were also offered as a light meal. Good food and a short break later, all were ready for the next round of Holi.
DJ Khalnayak kept up the spirits with old favorites and new numbers. Young parents danced with tiny tots in their arms. A group of friends performed a Bhangra dance. On display were innovative dance steps by the talented and brave attempts by the less graceful; either way, everyone present enjoyed shaking a leg to the lively beats. Unintentional makeovers provided a comical feel to the environment. A guy wearing a scarf over his head to protect his hair resembled a pirate; a lady covered in green looked like an alien from outer space. Men sporting pink was quite a unique spectacle too - you don’t get to see that every day!
The jubilant scene intrigued curious passersby. Some watched in awe from a distance and clicked pictures; others joined in and enjoyed the Holi experience firsthand. Young children took to the playground to play with their squirt guns and enjoy other playground attractions as their parents chatted away with each other. The program was concluded at 3.00 pm with a message from SewaUSA to the audience about the organization’s purpose and goals. The ideology of Sewa is “Nar Sewa, Narayan Sewa” – to serve humanity is to serve God. As the afternoon winded down, a satisfied crowd thanked the organizers and dispersed home.
This year’s successful event was a testament to the whole-hearted dedication of the Sewa Atlanta team and especially that of new volunteers for whom this was their first Sewa event. Sponsors for the event included Canton Mortgage, H2k Infosys, Quanta Systems, Shopper’s Point, TAMA and HSS Balgokulam; as well as several individuals and families. The attendees also donated generously for Sewa’s social development projects. Proceeds and donations from the event are donated to agencies in India to fund educational and literacy projects in India.
The mission of SewaUSA is to spread awareness of grass-root social development projects in India, Surinam, and Guyana among the Indian community in USA and to raise funds through various cultural, literary, artistic and sports activities. SewaUSA is also committed to work for local causes like organizing Health Fairs and working with Savethefamily.org, an institute for promoting family values in African-American people. Our next event is a Hindi stand-up comedy show in May featuring prominent Hindi poets from India.
For further information about SewaUSA activities, please contact the Atlanta team at atlanta@Sewausa.org. We look forward to having you at our upcoming events!
-Chintanika Desai
