Brentwood, California – This past Saturday, the Punjabi Cultural Association (PCA) Brentwood hosted a spectacular celebration of “Dheeyan Di Lohri”, dedicated to daughters. The event was elevated by the melodious voices of Sukhdev Sahil and Mandeep Sidhu, who captivated the audience for nearly two hours.
“Dheeyan Di Lohri” means “Lohri for Daughters” in Punjabi. Traditionally, Lohri is celebrated to mark the arrival of longer days after the winter solstice and is often associated with the birth of male children. However, “Dheeyan Di Lohri” is a modern initiative that shifts the focus towards celebrating daughters, promoting gender equality, and appreciating the importance of girls in families and society.This celebration highlights the changing mindset in Punjabi and South Asian communities, encouraging the empowerment and recognition of daughters with the same enthusiasm and joy as sons.
Adding to the vibrancy of the evening was the Gidha team, comprised of local Punjabi women, whose energetic performances kept the audience engaged. One of the key highlights of the event was that it was held in an open-air setting, which added a unique charm. Despite the relatively small Punjabi community in the area, the event witnessed an impressive turnout, making it a grand success(around 300+ people) .
Speaking about the event, PCA Brentwood Chairman Bhupinder Singh Bajwa shared that this year’s Lohri celebration was exceptionally successful, attributing it to the event being dedicated to daughters. He further revealed that the club will actively participate in the upcoming American Independence Day Parade, during which PCA will organize a Langar (community kitchen) providing water, juice, and soda for attendees.
Additionally, Bajwa announced that the details of this year’s Blood Donation Camp in brentwood will be released soon.
The event was graced by several distinguished guests, including Balwinder Garewal, Dr. Mandeep Sidhu, Mandhir Kang, Rachna Bhatnagar, Pradeep Walia, Anshuman Shukla, Satvinder Sanghu, Avtar Lakha, Vijay Singh, Karan Mahindru, Vikram Randhawa, Nitin Khanna, Satvinder Manheyr, Rajbir Sarkaria, Sunny Sarkaria, Sachin Kumar, and Harsh Garewal, among many others.
As the event concluded, the organizing committee announced plans for next year’s celebration, promising an even bigger and better event.