Dear Traveler,

Anyone who loves cooking as I do will know what I have discovered, namely that having the right ingredients is essential. Having spent a life in food, I have found that recipes often call for a dash of something unexpected – a secret ingredient – that makes all the difference. This year, as we celebrate International Women’s Day and TTC’s first 100 years, I have been reflecting upon the secret ingredient that women bring to all that TTC does.

One of the most energetic and fun-loving Hindu festivals, Holi festival in India sees people of all castes come together to chant, drum, and frolic while paint powders (abir) of every hue explode overhead in a rapture of color. It’s all done in the name of female demon, Holika, from which the name of this festival, “Holi”, is derived. Sister to Hiranyakashyap, a demon king who wanted his son killed for revering Lord Vishnu instead of himself, Holika is supposed to have gone to punish the boy (Prahlad) by having him burned alive. In the event, however, the powers that were supposed to protect her saved Prahlad instead and she perished in the flames.