Bibi Celebrates 10 Years of Business at an Exclusive Red Carpet Party at NYC’s Devi Restaurant
Photos by Nikisha Gala
April 4, 2011, New York City: It was a night to see and be seen at the Bibi Magazine 10-Year Party held at Devi Restaurant in celebration of the magazine’s 10 years of publication along with its sister companies, Bibi PR and BibiBazaar.com, an online ethnic clothing portal. Celebrities such as Reshma Shetty, Deep Katdare, Manish Dayal, Meera Gandhi, Samrat Chakrabarti, Jay Dabhi, Vidur Kapur, Alaudin Ullah, Ami Sheth, Sanjiv Jhaveri, Deepti Gupta, Shetal Shah, Joya Dass, Bikram Singh, Din of Zerobridge and Falu walked the red carpet as industry professionals and socialites wined and dined with the members of the Bibi staff from both of its offices, New York City and Houston.
Bibi Founders Ayesha Hakki and Shabana Haq Rahman along with the Houston office’s Zeb Mamsa welcomed the guests by thanking everyone for their support over the years. “I’m looking around the room and I have stories with every single one of you. We’ve been friends for a long time, and I am especially grateful to all of you for your support over the years and giving us the opportunity to follow our dreams,” said Ayesha. Shabana added, “Bibi has been an incredible journey for us, and here we are tonight celebrating 10 years and three business divisions of Bibi.”
Cover girl Reshma Shetty of USA Network’s Royal Pains spoke of her recent marriage to actor Deep Katdare (American Desi, Bombay Dreams) and her experience with Bibi’s Bridal Annual Print Magazine. Social entrepreneur Meera Gandhi, an advisor to Bibi Magazine, added, “This party is an example of the type of work that Bibi Magazine does. I’m glad to know Ayesha and her team and wish them many years of future success.” She also announced a new partnership between her Giving Back Foundation and Bibi Magazine.
After cutting the colorful three-tiered cake topped with a Bibi logo, designed by renowned cake designer Elena Shumskaya, the entire party raised their glasses in a toast to Bibi Magazine.
Performances began with well-known R&B/Hip Hop artist Daraja Hakizimana accompanied by violinist Svet and rap artist WhereDough? Their performance was a unique combination of funky beats, smooth sounds and Hip Hop violin. Tina Sugandh, aka Tabla Girl, followed the triumvirate with an engaging performance of her new single, “So Good (ft. Fat Joe).” Later, the crowd danced the night away with DJ Suren spinning the latest in international dance music.
Guests enjoyed the culinary creations of Devi, one of NYC’s most awarded restaurants, which featured fusion cuisine presented in bamboo boats, over toasted bread or in mini cups. Emperor’s Brand Versailles Vodka Pomegranite Martinis and Lemon Drops were the drinks of choice followed by Sherwood Vineyard’s Oregon Road wines.
Guests included such notables as Jaswant Lalwani, Jay Gatzby, Shilen and Asifa Amin, Jackie and Lavina Melwani, Niraj Parekh, Sattie Persaud, Shoaib Qureshi, Mimi Bagga, Rajeev Bhambri, Asif Jamal, Sudhir Vaishnav, Raju Sethi, Sonal J Shah, Preeti Nanvaan, Sunil Hali, Ali Sachidina, Magic Mike, Wayne Sharpe and Amish Thakkar amongst others.
Bibi Magazine launched as a nationwide bridal and fashion magazine for the South-Asian American community in the summer of 2000. Since then, the magazine has expanded its operations into Bibi PR, a full service public relations firm that specializes in taking South Asian brands to the mainstream, and into BibiBazaar.com, an ethnic clothing site. Bibi Magazine also introduced the new look of BibiMagazine.com, its urban South Asian lifestyle portal. Bibi Magazine also holds regular bridal shows in Houston as well as fashion shows and special events across the country. Bibi was founded by Ayesha Hakki, Shabana Haq Rahman and Zooni and the three still remain partners today.
As many reporters asked the founders, what’s next for Bibi? Ayesha replied, “We’ve been very successful within our own community so far. Our goal now is to take Bibi to the next level by taking it mainstream. South Asian-Americans can now be seen in all areas of media, fashion and the arts, and Bibi is perfectly positioned to represent them whether as clients or as artists. That’s where our future is and that is exactly where we are heading.”
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