Kicking up the heels at the ISWA women’s event
The festival of swings, Teej is back and how! The lovely ladies of Indian heritage in Perth gathered to spend some quality time together at this women’s festival. Dressed to kill, these ladies shone bright on their day out with the girlfriends.
Women mark this festival to celebrate their bonds of kinship with each other, and traditionally observe fast for the well-being of their family members. The Herb Graham Recreation Centre at Mirrabooka hosted more than 900 ladies on the floor, reportedly double as compared to the previous season.
The Indian Society of Western Australia (ISWA) arranged a free photoshoot at the very entrance. The well-known photographer Manish Bolla made all the girls feel like stars on the red carpet!
Fabulously set up stalls, Indian attire, henna glorifying hands, food, dances, performances and much more – the event had it all.
True to custom, the cultural show began with an obeisance to Ganesh, sung beautifully by Annapoorna. Then the foot tapping Gidha rocked the audience. Jatheeswaram, a group dance, performed by Narthanalaya Dance School was beautiful. Solo performers Janvi, Tweena, Sadhana, Manisha, Sonia, Sandhya, kudos to you all! Energy infused Bollywood items to Nachaange sari raat and High heels brought the house down.
The Mauritian Sega dance by Perth Mauritian Cultural Association was something different and a thumbs up to the intermingling of two cultures on this eve.
Contenders for the ISWA Queen title dazzled on the catwalk. The fashion show by Rajdeep Arora was spectacular, as was Powerhouse Bhangra by Ravleen and Simron.
Meanwhile, the kurtis and traditional wear were selling like hot cakes, and the pedal horse was getting a good workout thanks to the kids.
Such events prove to be a fantastic gateway for people to showcase their talent and for entrepreneurs to introduce their businesses – this leads to the development of the Indian community. We can all look forward to more such events with the combined efforts of the community and ISWA.
