Haute Boys, Bastille Day Celebration and Rath Yatra
Society with Ruchi
Phew! What a weekend! From summer French parties to a religious yatra (journey). This weeks Society With Ruchi has something for everyone.
‘Pretty Pretty’ boys and girls gathered for the Haute Boys of Summer II an evening of shopping and charity at the Men’s Store in the Saks Fifth Avenue in the Galleria on Thursday July 14, 2011.
With only a suggested donation of $20 guests enjoyed music by DJ Shy Guy, bites from 5115 Restaurant & Lounge, cocktails by Grey Goose, and the best part: Boys of Summer by Neal Hamil Agency.
“100% of all the proceeds collected this evening will benefit the AIDS Foundation Houston,” informed Nathan Joel Kasselder.
The organizers enjoyed a full house with Wade Wilson, Miya Shay, Kim Padgett, Cara Morales, Jared Lang, Miriam Habib, Jeff Shell, Deborah Elias and other party goers.
It definitely was a boys’ night as they ruled the fashion scene for the evening with colorful twists, summer cardigans, bright pink shirt and emerald green bow tie. Nathan kept the summer theme going, looking confident and sharp in a cool white sports coat.
Overall a fun evening generously supported by Saks Fifth Avenue, Momentum MINI, Page Parkes Corporation, Grey Goose, HOUSTON Magazine, Sisley for Men, Neal Hamil Agency, Lexis Florist, F Bar and My Gay Houston.
In the spirit of ‘Bastille Day’ on July 14 the quaint Vila Mansion style Hotel La Colombe d’Or welcomed hundreds of French Americans for an evening of royalty. Le Consulat Général de France, L’Alliance Française/The French Alliance, the French-American Chamber of Commerce and the Texan-French Alliance for the Arts joined hands in hosting the celebration with fine wine and French cuisine.
Meanwhile the streets of Houston by India House near West Bellfort were transformed into the sacred land of Puri, India. More than 2,000 devoted Houston Indian Americans gathered at India House on a hot summer afternoon on Saturday July 16, 2011 to pull the holy chariot. For about four years the ritual has been successfully celebrated in Houston, a custom which has been celebrated for thousands of years in Puri, India. Jagannath Ratha Yatra is one of the oldest religious festivals in the world.
It was quite a colorful parade when Hindus of Houston enthusiastically dragged the 22ft tall beautifully decorated Rath (chariot) while men, women and children danced away chanting bhajans (sacred songs).
An inspiring evening with a clearly stated purpose of bringing all religions, cultures and races together. The dance drama performance by an eminent Odissi Dancer, Guru Nityananda Das, who lost his leg in a tragic bike accident, awed the audience with his spectacular performance and left everyone speechless proving that nothing is impossible in this world.
For more information about the event you can read Ruchi’s story on CultureMap.
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