A Grand South Asian Expo will be held at the Lowell Memorial Auditorium on Sunday, May 11th, from 10:00am to 8:00 pm. It promises to be a treat for moms to spend a day at the "Indian Mall" where vendors from New York, New Jersey, California, Atlanta and other cities along with local vendors will be displaying unique items at great prices. The items include clothes, jewelry, cooking equipment etc. In addition to shopping, there are many activities planned for the entire family. Food stalls, face-painting booths, Henna, beauty parlors and other activities promise to make it a fun-filled day for everyone. The centerpiece of this event is a wonderful cultural show featuring the best of New England. Such shows have been part of the New York community and it is now time for us in New England to have such an event. "We realized that even though a highly elite Indian community resides in New England, the shopping options are vague and scattered, as a result of which we often think of going back to India for shopping especially for wedding needs." says Geeta Singhani of Jashn Planners who is bringing this event to New England. "We are planning to make this expo a one-stop shop for wedding needs. We have brought decorators, wedding clothiers, caterers - all under one roof "

So why is a wedding planner organizing such a show? "As wedding planners we offer the promise of hassle-free weddings to our customers. This means we will contact all the required vendors and bring the products to the clients. But there may be a few who would like to make their own wedding arrangements. We feel we must offer such service to those who would like to make their own arrangements or to those who cannot afford a wedding planner," says Singhani. "It is a great opportunity for vendors to get to know the Boston market and for the customers to know the vendors of wedding specialty goods and services"

Geeta Singhani and Arpita Patak, the organizers of this show have a passion for organizing events. How did Jashn Planners come to be? "As far as I can remember I have been artistic and creative. My interests led me to take up a career in dress design. Later I also received training in cosmetology and aesthetics. More recently I have been involved in event planning for many non-profit organizations. Combining my talents and experiences, I decided that event planning would be the right business to be in and thus Jashn Planners was born" says Singhani. "This event is also a fundraiser for ASHA-MIT. The collections from ticket sales will be donated to ASHA", says Arpita Pathak, who is a computer engineer with a passion for event planning.

What is the ultimate goal of the show? "Well as you know our name is "Jashn" which means celebration. We love organizing a grand party, which is what this expo is all about. We have had a long winter. It is time to have some fun. Mothers can have a nice day out shopping for all their favorite goods while families can have fun with face-painting, eating or watching a super talent show. We are inviting many of the winners of talent shows to perform. The Lexington Bhangara group is teaming up with Burlington high school students to present a lively Bhangara. There will be live music and also dance dramas. There is going to be a fabulous fashion show organized by the Boutiques of New England, which will feature, bridal, casual and mother-daughter fashions. Meenal Pandya, author of Vivah will be present. She has written a beautiful book on the intricacies of Indian Weddings," says Pathak

What is in store for the future? " As an event organizer- Jashn planners will be organizing fund raisers, corporate functions and weddings. Next year we will be back with Jashn 2004. This is not an event you want to miss out on. We are bringing the best to you. We are sure that it will be a memorable experience for all" says Singhani. To learn more about this event you may visit their website at http://www.jashnplanners.com. Geeta will be appearing in an interview on Aap Ka Manoranjan on May 4th. You will also hear about this event on Sounds of India.

The event is on Sunday, May 11th and it will be held at the Lowell Memorial Auditorium. There is a 5 $ ticket. Being Mother's Day, complimentary passes will be offered to the first 500 moms along with cool gifts and raffles. There is no entry fee for Senior Citizens and kids below the age of 10.

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