CHICAGO — Dance, yoga and storytelling were part of a colorful celebration of Indian culture Saturday in the South Loop.

“It is actually celebrating the coming of spring,” Mridu Sekhar, president of the Kalapriya Foundation, said.

The Kalapriya Center for Indian Performing Arts hosted its first Holi celebration at Chicago Women’s Park.

It’s a festival steeped in Hindu tradition.

“Basically women, men, everybody gets on the street, you just throw color, you just enjoy it,” Sekhar said.

The organization just moved into a new space at 21st and Wabash where they will continue to host classes, group discussions and cultural events.

“Kalapriya tries to build bridges to communities using its Indian roots, so we teach dance, we teach music, we do performances and we try to make it relevant to the issues facing Chicago,” Sekhar said. “We do a lot of work on non-violence, trying to teach Gandhi’s message of non-violence.”

The celebration included dance, yoga and storytelling. It helps bring people together to share the spirit of community and tradition.