BY A STAFF REPORTER
NORWALK, CA -The Indian Cultural Society of Los Angeles (ICSLA), Artesia Chamber of Commerce, and United Federation of Indo Americans of California (UFICA) welcomed thousands of community members to the grand Diwali celebration on Oct. 22 at the Cerritos College here which began in the afternoon and...
NORWALK, CA -The Indian Cultural Society of Los Angeles (ICSLA), Artesia Chamber of Commerce, and United Federation of Indo Americans of California (UFICA) welcomed thousands of community members to the grand Diwali celebration on Oct. 22 at the Cerritos College here which began in the afternoon and...
  |   |   |
went on late into the night. Unfortunately, due to multiple Diwali events being held on the same day and time, this was a smaller event. However, that did not in any way dampen the spirit of the event.
For the large numbers who attended the mela it was an evening of fun, food, and festivities. There were multiple booths featuring food and other products from businesses and different organizations. In addition, there were cultural performances which kept the audience entertained through the evening. Committee members of the organizations who came together to make this event possible participated in the lamp lighting ceremony. The event started off with honoring representatives of various community organizations. The organizing team presented the overview of ICSLA to the audience.“Our goal is foster and promote Indian cultural values among the local community,” said Vijay Patil “Last Year ICS awarded community leaders who are the champions of Indian culture in Southern California. This year we are celebrating Diwali with Hollywood and Bollywood stars.”
Parimal Shah described the vision of the organization saying, “our dedicated team of organizers would like to take the ICS platform nationwide .by connecting various groups and organizations from other states that are engaged in promoting Indian values.”
After the majority of the cultural program filled with dances was complete, it came time to introduce some of the main attractions of the evening. First on stage was Shekhar Rahate, Hollywood fashion designer; followed by Rashi Stephens, Hollywood and Bollywood actress; then came Reggie Benjamin, international pop star and actor; last but not least came Pooja Batra, infamously known Bollywood actress.
These four came on stage individually but together brightened the stage and intrigued audiences.
Latesh Bhambani presented the ‘Celebrity Stage Show,’ showing videos of all the celebrities before they came on stage. One by one and Atul Patil, the host for the Celebrity Show, tested the knowledge of the stars by asking Diwali trivia questions.
Rashi Stephens and Shekhar Rahate had a meet and greet with people and wished them a bright Diwali.
Reggie Benjamin sang an impromptu Bollywood duet with Pooja Batra and added sparks to the evening.
Continuing the evening, Batra with Yogen Bhagat, choreographer and founder of Bollywood Step Productions, danced to two currently trending Bollywood songs,‘Baby Ko Bass Pasand Hai’ and ‘Kala Chashma. ’Then Bhagat and Batra took the time to invite other individuals to come on stage and learn some of the steps they performed to Kala Chashma.
After a beautifully performed dance telling the story of Diwali came time for the utmost anticipated part of the evening, Preity Zinta. Once she was introduced on stage, Zinta took the time to show her appreciation to the organizers and everyone for attending.
Those in attendance were given a rare opportunity to ask her a few questions .Some of the interesting questions asked related to her relationship, her career, and her life.
Fans can look forward to Zinta appearing in ‘Bhaiyyaji Superhitt’ which is set to release at the end of this year.
Earlier, Congresswoman Janice Hahn and Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez greeted the audience and wished them a Happy Diwali. They recognized the importance of Indo-US relations. U.S. Representative Ed Royce and also attended the event and greeted the audience. Artesia Mayor Pro Tem Ali Sajjad Taj, and Cerritos Mayor Pro Tem Naresh Solanki were also present.
The ICSLA organizers P.K. Nayak, Parimal Shah, Vijay Patil, Latesh Bhambani, Pranav Desai, Manmohan Chopra, Kanaksinh Zala and Vasu Pawar worked hard to bring life to the Diwali celebrations. (With inputs from Sonam Mirpuri)
For the large numbers who attended the mela it was an evening of fun, food, and festivities. There were multiple booths featuring food and other products from businesses and different organizations. In addition, there were cultural performances which kept the audience entertained through the evening. Committee members of the organizations who came together to make this event possible participated in the lamp lighting ceremony. The event started off with honoring representatives of various community organizations. The organizing team presented the overview of ICSLA to the audience.“Our goal is foster and promote Indian cultural values among the local community,” said Vijay Patil “Last Year ICS awarded community leaders who are the champions of Indian culture in Southern California. This year we are celebrating Diwali with Hollywood and Bollywood stars.”
Parimal Shah described the vision of the organization saying, “our dedicated team of organizers would like to take the ICS platform nationwide .by connecting various groups and organizations from other states that are engaged in promoting Indian values.”
After the majority of the cultural program filled with dances was complete, it came time to introduce some of the main attractions of the evening. First on stage was Shekhar Rahate, Hollywood fashion designer; followed by Rashi Stephens, Hollywood and Bollywood actress; then came Reggie Benjamin, international pop star and actor; last but not least came Pooja Batra, infamously known Bollywood actress.
These four came on stage individually but together brightened the stage and intrigued audiences.
Latesh Bhambani presented the ‘Celebrity Stage Show,’ showing videos of all the celebrities before they came on stage. One by one and Atul Patil, the host for the Celebrity Show, tested the knowledge of the stars by asking Diwali trivia questions.
Rashi Stephens and Shekhar Rahate had a meet and greet with people and wished them a bright Diwali.
Reggie Benjamin sang an impromptu Bollywood duet with Pooja Batra and added sparks to the evening.
Continuing the evening, Batra with Yogen Bhagat, choreographer and founder of Bollywood Step Productions, danced to two currently trending Bollywood songs,‘Baby Ko Bass Pasand Hai’ and ‘Kala Chashma. ’Then Bhagat and Batra took the time to invite other individuals to come on stage and learn some of the steps they performed to Kala Chashma.
After a beautifully performed dance telling the story of Diwali came time for the utmost anticipated part of the evening, Preity Zinta. Once she was introduced on stage, Zinta took the time to show her appreciation to the organizers and everyone for attending.
Those in attendance were given a rare opportunity to ask her a few questions .Some of the interesting questions asked related to her relationship, her career, and her life.
Fans can look forward to Zinta appearing in ‘Bhaiyyaji Superhitt’ which is set to release at the end of this year.
Earlier, Congresswoman Janice Hahn and Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez greeted the audience and wished them a Happy Diwali. They recognized the importance of Indo-US relations. U.S. Representative Ed Royce and also attended the event and greeted the audience. Artesia Mayor Pro Tem Ali Sajjad Taj, and Cerritos Mayor Pro Tem Naresh Solanki were also present.
The ICSLA organizers P.K. Nayak, Parimal Shah, Vijay Patil, Latesh Bhambani, Pranav Desai, Manmohan Chopra, Kanaksinh Zala and Vasu Pawar worked hard to bring life to the Diwali celebrations. (With inputs from Sonam Mirpuri)
RSS Feed
