Members of the Indian American Association of Northeastern Pennsylvania team pose with their guests of honor during the recent Diwali celebration held at the Woodlands. Shown from left are: Lalitha Sarada, Charmaine Johnson, Tony Brooks, Rep. Eddie Pashinski, Mona Pande Iaanepa President, Tyler Ryan, and PA live host Chris Bohinski, who emceed the event.
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Gala was a chance to share culture, club president says
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The Diwali celebration included a fashion show that featured wedding attire. Here, Yagnavi Kamdar wears an outfit suitable for a Marathi bride. The yellow and green colors are considered lucky wedding colors in that region of India.
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Dr, Punit and Dr. Shaifali Bajaj dressed as a Punjabi bride and groom, representing a region where red is considered the lucky color for a bride.
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Munireh Sayed bows to her audience during the fashion show.
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Congressman Matt Cartwright attended the Diwali Gala and Bridal Fashion Show last weekend, later posting on Facebook: ‘What a wonderful evening at The Woodlands with the Indian American Association of NEPA … Congrats to Mona Pande on a magical event!’
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Shweta Suresh and Subbaraman Subbanarasan were already married, but were happy to don garlands and flowers and take part in a ‘demonstration wedding’ during the Diwali festivities.
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Diwaili gala organizers posing with honored guests are shown from left: Matthew Malani, Mona Pande Iaanepa President, Mayor George Brown, Ambreen Chaudhary, City Councilman Tony Brooks and Dr. Sharon Chaudhari.
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When Mona Pande got married at age 21, she remembers, “My dad’s sister gave me a necklace that had been in the family through five generations.”
“And I thought, oh my God, I have this responsibility now. This is our heritage; I have to carry on the traditions. I have to represent my family and take care of my culture now.”
One way Pande, who is president of the Indian American Association of NEPA, takes care of her Indian culture is by sharing it with others. So when the IAANEPA hosted a gala celebration for Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, on the first weekend in December, she incorporated a wedding fashion show into the event.
Guests who attended the gala were able to watch as models showed off various wedding styles and colors, from the red and white bangles often worn by Punjabi brides to the yellow and green Nauvari saree, nine yards long, that would be considered good luck in the region of Northern and Central India where the Marathi language is spoken.
Following a “demonstration wedding” for Shweta Suresh and Subbaraman Subbanarasan, who were already married, Gurkirat Singh, who plays a festive drum called a dhol, and celebrity MC Chris Bohinski from WBRE and WYOU-TV invited everyone on the stage to dance. Bohinski wore a traditional Indian groom’s outfit called a “sherawani,” which Pande gave him for the occasion.
More than 200 guests attended the gala, including such dignitaries as Wilkes-Barre Mayor George Brown, State Rep. Eddie Day Pashinski and U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright, who posted on Facebook: “What a wonderful evening at The Woodlands with the Indian American Association of NEPA … Congrats to Mona Pande on a magical event!”
Food for the gala, catered by the Amber Restaurant, included appetizers of samosa (fried, filled pastries), chaat (popular street vendor food), mixed pakoras (coated vegetables) and chicken kababs, followed by a main course of butter chicken, dal makhani (slow-cooked black lentils), tava vegetables (cooked on a flat pan), achari allu (spicy potato curry), saag paneer (cooked spinach studded with pieces of cheese), naan (bread) and rice.
Dessert included the sweet gulab jaman and pudding-like hawa.
