Thousands gather for Desi Talk Chicago’s 5th annual Diwali Mela

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Naperville, Ill.: The Midwest witnessed another successful annual Desi Talk Diwali Mela, which was sponsored by Sling TV, one of the most awaited events of the year organized by Parikh Worldwide Media. The Diwali fair showcasing a legacy of vibrant Indian art, culture and food took place on Oct 16^th at The Yellow Box, Naperville IL.

The annual mela, under the guidance of Padma Shri recipient Dr. Sudhir Parikh and with the leadership of Ilayas Quraishi, COO, Parikh Worldwide Media, managed to attract thousands of attendees who enjoyed a vibrant cultural program, sumptuous food and shopped their favorites for the festive season. The Diwali mela was a perfect kickstart to the upcoming festive season for everyone who attended. The annual Diwali Mela provides opportunities to a variety of vendors to grow and network.

The festival provides the perfect opportunity for attendees to shop their favorite clothing, jewelry and much more from these exclusive vendors. The beautiful photo booth at the entrance provided opportunities to the attendees to create memories of the festival with their loved ones.

Quraishi welcomed the audience with a brief introduction of the annual event along with an introduction of the judges’ panel including Prachi Jaitly, Aric Diamani, Shilpa Bajjuri and Susan Abraham. The competition is open to the public totally free of cost to ensure maximum community participation and always brings the best of the best on to the stage from all over the Midwest. This is one of the most favorite events of kids as well as parents who look forward to performing every year on such a reputable platform.

Over 20 groups of all ages participated in the talent competition with a wonderful display of cultural extravaganza. The master of ceremony at the event was Urvashi Verma who kept the audience engaged throughout.

1. Ruchi Diwan Little Fairies
2. Happy Little Feet
3. Nritydham Dance Academy (Winner, Adults category)
4. Dance Elite
5. Sree Sailaja Natyaleela
6. Rishika Aavi
7. Thejolakshmi Achari (Runner Up, Teens category)
8. Swarna Avaru
9. Hanu & Hira
10. Firefly Girls
11. Mitesh & Soumya
12. Soumya Kambi
13. Bloom (Judges’ Choice awards)
14. Sanika Sahu
15. Girls Troupe (Winner, Kids category)
16. Shirlzar Dance Company (Combined Winner, Teens Category with Dynamite)
17. Nayanam – Sonam and Nisha Dance
18. Atharva Dance Academy (Runner Up, Kids Category)
19. Niti Kumar
20. Rajasthani Dance Atharva Dance Academy
21. The Dynamites (Combined Winner, Teens Category with Shirlzar Academy)

Ilayas Quraishi and Bhailal Patel addressed the audience and thanked the event Grand sponsor Sling TV. “We are proud to be the sponsor of such a beautiful event that brings the community together every year and has been working very hard in preserving the cultural heritage of India”, said Rohan Jacob.

Quraishi applauded the hard work put in by his team in making the festival bigger and better every year. “We make sure that we have community involvement and we strive to provide opportunities to a variety of small businesses to promote their products and services at our festival. Every year we have thousands of happy shoppers as well as vendors. We are delighted to provide a talent platform to hundreds of budding artists every year and we hope to continue the mela with the same spirit and goodwill”, said Quraishi

Every year, Diwali Mela is supported by renowned community leaders and well-wishers. This year’s sponsors’ list included community leaders like Iftekhar Shareef and Sunil Shah. Elected officials and distinguished guests that graced the event were Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi, Patricia Gustin, Councilwoman, City of Naperville , Mrs Maharashtra Winner 2021, Shradha Mrathe and Tollywood actress Mannara Chopra.

Congressman Krishnamoorthi extended his Diwali wishes to everyone present and congratulated Parikh Worldwide Media for organizing the successful festival every year. He commended the efforts put in by the entire team led by Ilayas Quraishi and Bhailal Patel. Councilwoman Gustin, during her address, stressed upon the importance of cultural values, diversity and community involvement. The Diwali Mela is a prime example of community participation where people from all ethnicities participate with sheer enthusiasm.

Mannara Chopra presented an appreciation plaque to Muslima Shethwala for her contribution to the organization and also presented trophies to the winners of the talent competition. Sling TV organized a raffle at the event that was won by one of the attendees. The organizers thanked each and every one who joined to be part of the Festival of Lights 2022 and wished everyone a very happy festive season.