'More than just a festival.' Springfield event hopes to bring exposure to Indian culture

It’s an Indian cultural celebration of spring and love which has been celebrated since the fourth century, so the Asian Indian Women’s Organization, a local nonprofit based on women volunteers, is sharing the love for a second year with Springfield with bigger plans than ever.

“This is the biggest color play outside in many, many years,” Asian Indian Women’s Organization secretary Dr. Richa Pandey said. “We got emails in 2023 asking if we were going to have this event again – we’re a pretty small organization so we have limited resources, so we chose to do this every other year.”

The second-ever Color Me Holi 5K Run/Walk is scheduled to take place April 27 at the Washington Park on South Grand Avenue West. The 5K run starts at 10 a.m. — meaning lace up those shoes early and wear something that wouldn’t be ruined getting smeared in color.

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According to member Purnima Brahma, who took part in planning the event, the Holi festival will look a little different this year.

“Last year, we usually do a big event and then small and it was the same, last year we had the big Holi festival first and run second,” Brahma said. “We had good participation for the event but this time … it will be the walk-run then the Zumba dance and award ceremony and then the color.”

The Asian Indian Women’s Organization has partnered with three organizations new to the event: the Springfield YMCA who will provide pre-run activities such as face painting and hair chalk, the Springfield area art council with crafting and coloring stations and Ketki Arya real estate.

This year’s fundraiser will focus on Share the Spirit, a Springfield-based volunteer organization which donates shoes to children led by sisters-in-law Karen and Tonya Voepel.

Since 2003 the organization has provided over 20,000 pairs of shoes primarily to District 186 and 117 in Jacksonville, Ill. Providing "shoe closets," children have the choice to pick out their pair of shoes they’ll love.

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Previously, Color me Holi partnered with Girls on the Run in 2022 and raised $17,000. Dr. Pandey hopes to do the same for Share the Spirit, as the event increases in size. Pre-sign up for the run is $30 and $35 for day-of tickets; proceeds from ticket sales go toward Share the Spirit.

In 2022, 78 runners took part in the colorful dash; this year however, over 200 people have already signed up for the run with a cause.

While Holi festivals tend to be uncommon in mid-range cities, Dr. Pandey believes they are important.

“We’re going to have a little henna station and we’ve already bought a bunch of little tools,” Dr. Pandey said. “We're going to have actual henna drawn onto people’s hands and I’m really excited about that part. It is something that is really unique and cool and not a lot of people know about that … it’s more than just a festival, it’s an exposure to Indian culture.”

While events like Color Me Holi run are currently every other year, the organization's larger "India Night" fundraiser has supported Illinois charities annually while incorporating the Asian-Indian community with the greater Springfield area.

Claire Grant writes about business, growth and development and other news topics for the State Journal-Register. She can be reached at CLGrant@gannett.com; and on X (Formerly known as Twitter): @Claire_Granted

This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Holi Festival in Springfield sees exponential growth from 2022