Diwali Celebration at PMR, Katy!
By Amey Wakde
KATY: Diwali is one of the largest festivals celebrated across all cultures in India and Indian diaspora. It is a festival of lights that symbolizes inner spiritual victory over the dark ignorance. Pine Mill Ranch (PMR) had a grand Diwali celebration on 10th November 2018 at the Seven Lakes High School, Katy TX. The celebration was graced by the presence of more than 400+ people.
The entrance was decorated with Lord Ganesha’s beautiful idol. Multiple booths depicting herbal henna art, jewelry, toys, and food were keeping people busy. The celebration created an ever-lasting impression on people because of the hard work and creative enthusiasm of 50+ participants and volunteers who showed their dedication over the past three plus months in preparation for this grandeur.
This was the second successful year of PMR’s Diwali celebration. The key highlight of the entire program was the focus on encouraging and cultivating our future young leaders. Kids from the age of 5 to age 12 exhibited amazing performances. The program started with honoring the key guests which included the Pine Mill Ranch HOA board of members Mr. Daryl Brister and Mrs. Cowen from Keiko Davidson Elementary who is the owner of The Smilin’ Rylen Foundation (all net proceeds of the event 4000$ were donated to this foundation). Followed by this was the traditional Diya Lightning Ceremony depicting the significance of this festival henceforth followed by the United States of America’s National Anthem – “The Star Spangled Banner”. Middle school children took on the opportunity of not only compiling and hosting the event but also writing their own scripts. The kids aged 5-9 years, beautifully danced on a Bollywood themed songs. Their tiny hands and legs created such a cute and innocent expression; it left the entire audience with awe. This was immediately followed by even younger kids aged 3-4 years who put the stage on fire by their ramp walk in a well-organized fashion show. Then came the kids who neither know Hindi nor did they had any musical background; and still beautifully managed to sing on the tune of a Bollywood song Karaoke. A very talented set of middle school children played their magic on various musical instruments in the tune of Indian songs. This performance was followed by multiple dance performances by young kids, Moms and even Dads. Between various performances, there were raffles called out and event sponsors poured gifts to many raffle winners. As the performances ended a vote of thanks was given to all the cultural leads and those who helped make this program successful. The program was concluded with India’s national anthem. Post this, there was an open floor DJ where kids, moms and dads wonderfully shook some legs and showed their dance moves. DJ A.J. wonderfully accompanied the participants.
Overall it was an everlasting mesmerizing experience. It also had an immense contribution in bringing forth the creative talents, zest and courage of the PMR youth that left the audience in awe.
We would like to thank all the platinum and gold sponsors for their generous donations. Pine Mill Ranch HOA, Dr. Teeth Dental Care – Katy, Kiddie Academy of Katy-West, Wealth Design Group LLC, Master Strokes Cricket Americas, Eye Level, JK A/C and Heating, Amiralli Dodhiya Agent with New York Life, India travel Express, Best in Class Education Center, Rasoi Katy, Tru India Restaurant, Desi Window, ibazaarkaty.com.
We would also like to thank the PMR Organizing Committee leads Palak Naik (Cultural Event Lead), Ashwini Wani (Sponsorship & Anchoring Team Lead), Iti Chhablani (Décor and Event Photography Lead), Natasha Garg (Treasurer Lead), Sree Bindu Gadde (Banner, Flyer and Entrance Photography Lead) and Rashmi Dharam (Venue and Volunteers Lead) for spearheading the overall PMR Diwali event and making it a memorable. We would also like to thank all the participants who exhibited wonderful performances through their dedication and enthusiasm.