A crowd of almost 50 Keene State College students and faculty members gathered on the lawn of the L.P Young Student Center over the weekend where they covered themselves in colored powder in celebration of the ancient Hindu Festival of Color, Holi.

The Holi celebration took place on May 1 from 3:00 to 4:30 p.m. Students and faculty members assembled in front of the student center where they were entertained with both modern music and Holi songs, free t-shirts and Bhangra Dancers, who engaged with the crowd through group style, folk dances.

Junior Harpreet Kaur stated that Holi, also known as Holla Mohalla, is a day of celebrating the coming of spring as well as forgiveness and forgetting past errors.

“I am Indian/ Punjabi and we celebrate Holi/ Holla Mohalla every year,” Kaur said.

Kaur continued, “I am not Hindu but I am Sikh and in the Sikh religion we celebrate Holla Mohalla. It is a day

Hannah Rettig / Contributed Photo

of celebrating the coming of spring and just celebrating my culture. It symbolizes the colorful side of my culture and I love it,” Kaur stated.

She continued, “I am bringing a piece of my culture back to Keene and sharing it with the KSC and Keene community.”

Sophomore Brendan Callery added that Holi is a time for people to throw away their sins and mistakes.

Senior Jessica Pierre stated that the Holi celebration was put on by the office of Multicultural Student support in collaboration with Common Ground.

“Last year one of the students, Harpreet Kaur, came to the Multicultural Office and proposed the idea for Holi and we did it for the first time last year.” Pieree continued.

“We loved it so we decided to have it again,” Pierre stated.

Pierre added that the Office of Multicultural Student Support does plan on having the Holi celebration every year.

Kaur stated that she has brought dancers in from Boston for the Holi celebration.

“Last year I brought dancers to KSC from Boston and this year I brought another Bhangra Dance tram from Boston and they were amazing. Bhangra is a folk dance originating in Northern India in the State of Punjab,” Kaur stated.

In terms of the throwing of colors, Pierre stated that it symbolizes love and happiness to the people around us.

Kaur added that this religious holiday should not be grouped with the color run on account of both events throwing around and covering participants in colored powder.

“It is a religious holiday and it is cultural. It is not to be compared to the color run because Holi has been celebrated for many years and comparing it to the color run is a mistake because it doesn’t show the cultural aspect nor religious,” Kaur stated.

For those who participated in the Holi celebration, Callery stated that he hopes students got a new outlook on the Indian culture.

“I also hope they realize that life can be stressful and sometimes [no matter what age/race/culture/religion] we need to come together and throw away our worries unified, because from the beginning to the end that’s what has mattered,” Callery stated.

Pierre added, “Just like every event we put on we hope the campus community gets a better understanding of other culture’s traditions and become more open in their ways of thinking about diversity.”

Brogan Wessell can be contacted at bwessell@kscequinox.com

Many student athletes find themselves in the spotlight from the moment they step foot onto the field for a big game. For some, the spotlight does not end when the game is over.

Tyler Reilly, sophomore and member of the men’s lacrosse team, said that in addition to being an athlete, he is also a singer and songwriter.

Photo illustration by Kyle Bailey

“Music has always been something that interested me. When I got a guitar for Christmas in fourth grade I was hooked, so I guess that is when it all started,” Reilly said.  When it comes to writing his music, Reilly said that he gets a lot of the inspiration for his songs from anything that is relevant to his life and to the lives of other people.

“I like to leave the interpretation of my songs up to the listeners and hopefully everyone that hears them can feel something and relate to it in some way. That’s the goal, at least,” Reilly said.

According to Reilly, he has performed in front of a crowd multiple times. He said that performing is what makes being a musician rewarding because he wants people to hear his songs and get the good and bad feedback, since it is the only way to improve.

Between being an athlete and finding time to play and practice his music, Reilly said that he considers himself lucky to play for a team that respects their players having other interests. “My window for lacrosse is closing quicker than my window for music. I have two years left to be on the field and I am definitely invested in making sure I am as prepared as possible to be the best player I can be every time I am out there,” Reilly said. He continued, “In the off-season is when I work most on my music in terms of writing and shows and all that. I am lucky enough to play for a coaching staff that respects their players having other interests and I know that they’re supportive of what I’m doing off the field.” For now, Reilly said that his music is just a hobby, but the dream to do more with it is definitely there.

“For now, with school and lacrosse going on, music is just a hobby. But the dream is there. I have been to Nashville and it is definitely a place I could see myself living, so I guess time will only tell,” Reilly said.

Along with Reilly, Joe Libby, an outfielder for the Owls’ baseball team, also enjoys singing, playing guitar and writing his own music.

Libby stated that besides singing and playing guitar he also plays the drums. According to Libby, he began playing the guitar when he was twelve with his best friend, who passed away two years later. Libby stated that his friend is one of the reasons why he continues to play music.

“The other reason, of course, is the fact that I love playing music and writing songs. Before choosing Keene State in 2012, I considered music school, but chose not to because I wanted to play college baseball,” Libby stated.  He continued, “Sometimes I think about going away after college to pursue it, but that still stands as a dream as I get closer and closer to the real world.”  When he is writing his songs, Libby stated that he tries to keep everything he writes about very real and about true events, but tries to maintain catchy hooks. In comparing the nerves between being on the field or on the stage, Libby stated that the crowd at a game continues to be more nerve-racking for him.  “A crowd at a game for some reason is the most nerve-racking for me. When performing on stage with a band, you already know you’re going to sound good or amuse the crowd because they are already there to hear you perform,” Libby stated.

He continued, “In baseball, it’s not just the people watching, it’s just getting nervous before the game starts, but after the first at-bat it all goes away completely. Between baseball, music and being a student, Libby stated that most of his time goes to sports and his schoolwork, and makes finding time for music a little difficult.

“I usually play during the night time with friends here in Keene,” Libby stated.

Sophomore and member of the men’s swimming and diving team, Shahar Resman also weighed in on his interest in music.  According to Resman, his interest in music started five years ago when he tried to find something to relax himself between swim practices. He stated that he plays the drums in addition to being a DJ. Resman stated that his music is just a hobby to him and that the only time he has performed was in front of his family.

“I don’t play very often, but when I do it is often between practices and classes,” Resman stated, “I like to play classic rock, especially U2 and the Beatles.”

Brogan Wessell can be contacted at bwessell@keene-equinox.com