On Sunday, the highlight was the festival’s signature ‘Dance Masti’ competition featuring 140 gifted artistes competing in different categories based on age. For the finale, Desi Rain, a team of talented professionals performing Bollywood numbers, regaled the audience with a musical concert. On Saturday, there were some 15 different groups, among them being Dhoonya Dance, the Arya Dance Academy, Jadu, Leena Mishra’s team, India International School, India School of Performing Arts and Bombay Beats. We had back-to-back performances spanning some eight hours”, she told us. “I had to turn away people because we had so much interest in performing. Rena was thrilled by the tremendous interest in performing for the cultural show. Being miles away from India, it is a perfect event to experience the festivities of Diwali”, she said. It’s a perfect platform for young children to show their talent, for business people to display their products and perfect for networking. Deepa believed, “the Star Heritage Festival is a great event for all age groups. Manish Sood and Deepa Shahani of Intense Entertainment, Inc., were on hand to promote their upcoming Takeover Tour, on November 4, in Washington, featuring Imran Khan, H-Dhami and Culture Shock. The food vendors included Diya restaurant in Tysons Corner, Woodlands south Indian vegetarian cuisine, Mughal Garden in Baltimore, IndAroma, Ambrosia on Wheels, and Ariana. “The food is all fresh and being cooked outside”, Misra said. Regarding the cultural show, Misra told us that last year, a group from New Jersey performed the Ramlila, while this year a live band, Desi Rain, will belt out Bollywood hit numbers.Ī unique feature at the festival was the fresh squeezed sugarcane juice on-site in lime, orange and ginger flavors by Mughal’s Oasis. “Every year, we get about 30 percent new vendors who up the standard, up the ante, make things even better! There is just a great quality of products that are available”.Īmong the vendors were: Cox Communications Star India Plus Capital Area Realtors Express Care, a humanitarian organization whose motto is ‘healing through compassion’ New York Life MoneyGram international money transfer Style Dezigns and Art by Unique Touch. We asked him how the festival is different from previous years? “There is a new dimension to stage performances, there is a new dimension to vendors and food”, he replied. It’s a good thing for the vendors because less competition means they probably made more money”. “But, from a square feet standpoint, it is almost the same as what we use at the Dulles Expo Center. “We had to reduce the number of booths that we can fit”, he said. Misra informed us that there were a total of 91 booths. Not surprising, she was armed with bags galore! The jewelry was fabulous and very reasonably priced”. The vendors had an amazing selection of suits and sarees. With her daughter Alycia, all of nine years old by her side, she told us, “We had such a great time at the Star Heritage India Festival. Seema Tina Tara of Lorton, was one delighted shopper. Not only was there a lot of variety, but the quality and exquisiteness of the items caught the eye and imagination! Shopping was a huge draw at the festival and exceedingly popular among womenfolk who could not seem to get enough of the traditional Indian wares. That’s what keeps us going every year”, he said. It’s so good that the community supports such events. We thought that would affect the turnout. “We have had a huge turnout, beyond expectations” Misra gushed. Still, the organizers were thrilled with the response. For the last couple of years, the event has been held at the Dulles Expo Center, in Chantilly, a venue which was unavailable this time around! Not always a good idea because as Rena Surana-Nirula, cultural coordinator, pointed out, “the weather can be dicey, so we moved it indoors”. The festival, almost a decade old, was earlier held outdoors on the Montgomery County Fairgrounds. There is shopping for women, great food for men and entertainment for children”, he said. What we try to provide is wholesome entertainment for the family. Shishir Misra, proprietor of Rushhi Entertainment, Inc., and organizer of the festival, was delighted with the outcome. For two days, the indoor field house of the Robinson Secondary School bore a festive look as some 6,000 members of our community took in the sights and sounds of a traditional ‘Mela’, the likes of which one would find in India. Fairfax, VA - Leading up to perhaps the most awaited time of the year for Indians, thousands thronged to the Star Heritage India Festival, this weekend, to partake in celebrations on the auspicious occasion of Diwali.
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