Festival of Colors celebrated
Cameron Probert/ Columbia Basin Herald<br> A child puts colored powder on another member of the mission during the Holi celebration on Sunday.
MOSES LAKE — About 30 members of the Sant Nirankari Mission gathered in Rajneesh and Anjna Grover’s house in Moses Lake to celebrate Holi Sunday.
The Hindu holiday celebrates the victory of Prahlad, who’s uncle declared himself God. The nephew wouldn’t worship him, so his uncle ordered the king’s sister to burn Prahlad alive. When the king’s sister took him into the fire, she burned but he didn’t.
“This is the festival of color and devotion,” said Shiv Bijlani, a member of the mission. “As the story in Hindu mythology goes, it’s a story of a devotee, a young child who against all odds conquers evil and his devotion is rewarded by the lord.”
The mission is a belief system, which incorporates all of the world’s religions. Amit Oberoi said the festival meant appreciating all beliefs.
“There are different flowers in all different colors and by loving each other we can come together,” he said. “The most important thing is to be a human being.”
The festival started with a satsang, which is similar to a church service. Members walked up to the podium to express their faith. The Grover’s converted a room by placing white sheets across the floor and walls. Multicolored hand prints are along the wall.
Srinivasa Repalle said satsangs have formed an important role in his life.
“Satsangs have always made me realize who am I and why I am here,” he said.
Once the congregation finished, the group ate chickpeas, lentil soup and multicolored rice. Anjna Grover said all the items were vegetarian.
She moved from Seattle seven months ago for work and holds congregation at her house every two to three months. Services draw people from Moses Lake and as far away as Bellingham, Wash.
Once dinner was finished, the congregation brought out buckets of red, green, purple and blue powder. While wearing white T-shirts, the members started throwing the powder at each other and rubbing it across their faces. Then they brought buckets of water out and splashed them across the crowd, until it was hard to tell who was who.
Vikram Singh, who started attending the services when he was in California, said the celebration marks the beginning of spring.
“We just like coming to the festival,” he said.