On Nov. 8 at 8 p.m., seniors will be strutting the runway at Southlake Foundation’s Diwali Fest in Southlake Town Square. The festival was originally set to coincide with the Diwali holiday that is celebrated Oct.18-22, since Diwali is normally celebrated in a five-day span with many different events like Lakshami puja and Choti Diwali, but was postponed by two weeks due to bad weather.
Southlake Foundation holds Diwali Fest every year to share Indian culture with the city of Southlake with beautiful fireworks, tasty food and more. Every year during this event the culture committee likes to shine a light on Carroll seniors by allowing them to model for the Diwali fashion show.
“Doing activities like the Diwali Fest fashion show or senior sunrise gives me a break from all of the stressful stuff,” senior Jayana Patel said. “You can hang out with friends and create new experiences in your last year.”
Southlake Foundation’s culture committee has been working hard to make the show special for the seniors, who will be walking out in colorfully embroidered Indian dresses to represent the beauty of Diwali.
“It presents them with an opportunity to walk in the ramp with rich ethnic wear,” Southlake Foundation member Gauri Venkatesan said. “Which, in turn, can help them build confidence and develop self-esteem.”
The fashion show allows the seniors to represent Indian culture and show the audience how beautiful the celebration of Diwali is.
“The fashion show will showcase India’s culture and traditions through a creative and expressive way,” committee member Ritu Pahuja said. “By seniors participating in the event, they will get a better understanding of how beautiful Indian culture is.”
When walking down the fashion show, the seniors will also do a cultural dance to Bollywood songs.
“I’m so happy to share my culture with such a big, diverse audience since so many people come to Diwali Fest to experience South Asian culture,” senior Isha Ponoth said. “I’m also excited to share the beauty of Indian fashion as well.”
Anjali Jaikanthan moved to Southlake in her senior year and was amazed to see Indian culture so prominently represented.
“In my old town, we didn’t have many festivals like this,” Jaikanthan said. “So now getting to do the Diwali fashion show in Southlake has been a really great experience expressing my culture.”
Mrs. Ruby Bhandhari is the woman behind the scenes who owns Silk Threads and gave all the seniors beautiful Indian clothing every year for the fashion show. This is the second year that Bhandhari has worked on Diwali Fest by designing all the dresses and helping the seniors find a dress that expresses individuality.
“Designing for high school seniors is one of the most special things I do,” Bhandhari said. “My goal is to help the girls feel beautiful, confident and proud of where they come from. Every color, every stitch, every silhouette I design is meant to celebrate you—your culture, your courage and your journey into what’s next.”
The seniors will dance with the Diwali lights, called diyas, and walk the runway in the dresses that represent Indian cultural fashion through embroidery and style.
“The fashion show is a fun type of side quest to create a memorable experience and, most of all, have fun,” Patel said.
