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    NORTH AMERICAN Newsline                                            FEBRUARY 20, 2026       |  The Indian Eye 28

                              SWERA Sets Midwest Ablaze with

                    Fire, Rhythm, and Unbreakable bond at a

                                    Memorable Community Lohri

            OUR BUREAU                            Gurleen Kaur, introduced with   room and touched hearts, before the   RJB Music—the undisputed hero of
                                              affection by Jasbir Kaur Mann, took   energy swung back to hilarity with   this unforgettable night
            Chicago, IL
                                              the stage as the night’s charismatic   the  skit  “Kush  Khatti  Kush  Mithi.”   True  to  its mission,  SWERA
                  he crisp February evening of   MC. Her energy set the perfect tone   Written by Mandeep Kumar and Ritu   made sure the night was about more
                  Saturday, February 7, 2026, car-  for  the  first  performance:  a  breath-  Kaur, directed by Ritu Kaur, and per-  than entertainment. Dimpy Kaur and
            Tried more than just winter chill   taking Gidha titled “Dheeyan Da.”   formed by Rajinder Bir Mago, Gur-  Sukhvir Dhillon organized thought-
            outside Atlantis Banquets in Arling-  Gurleen Kaur, Parmleen Kaur, Simar   preet K Singh, Ritu Kaur, Mandeep   ful  gift  hampers  for  newlywed  cou-
            ton Heights, Illinois. Inside the hall,   Kaur, Reeya Hunjan, and Savreen   Kumar, Nitish, Raj Dhaliwal, and   ples and families welcoming new-
            the air turned warm and electric with   Kaur, guided by coordinators Payal   Rajwinder Kaur, the piece was sharp,   borns—small, beautiful gestures that
            the  unmistakable  heartbeat  of  Pun-  Virdi and Navneet Kaur, moved with   witty, and perfectly Punjabi leaving   honored life’s happiest milestones.
            jab. Laughter bounced off the walls,   fierce precision and radiant joy. Every   the audience wiping tears of joy.   Participation awards recognized ev-
            the scent of roasted lingered, and   stomp, every clap, every flash of lehen-  Another powerful wave of rhythm   ery performer and contributor, while
            colorful dupattas swirled like living   ga told the same story, the unbreak-  arrived with the grand Gidha per-  heartfelt thanks poured out to grand
            flames.  This  was  Sikh  Women  Era’s   able pride of Punjab’s daughters.  formance. Rajwinder Kaur, Rimple   sponsor Darshan Singh Dhaliwal and
            Community  Lohri,  a  joyful,  defiant   Kirandeep Kaur smoothly took   Dogra, Kirandeep Kaur, Diljot Kaur,   the generous list of supporters in-
            celebration of harvest, heritage, and   over MC duties, keeping the flow ef-  Narinder Kaur, Sarabjit Kaur, Hard-  cluding Dawinder Singh Rangi, Jas-
            the unstoppable spirit of Sikh women.   fortless and alive. Minoo Singh then   eep Kaur, Manmeet Kaur, Anudeep   si Sahota, Kamaljit Sahota, Maddy
                As a dedicated 501(c)(3) non-  lifted the mood even higher with the   Sandhu, and Baljeet Kaur command-  Singh, Chankirat Singh, Ranjit Kaur
            profit,  SWERA  has  long  stood  for   irresistible classic “Mele Nu Chal   ed the floor. Their synchronized steps   Teji, Paul Dandona, Bhupinder Dha-
            empowerment, equality, and the    Mere Naal Kureh,” sending waves of   and  commanding presence turned   noa, Jairam Singh Kahlon, Balwind-
            preservation of Punjabi culture in the   nostalgia and involuntary foot-tap-  every movement into a declaration of   er Singh Chatha, Tarlochan Singh
            American diaspora. On this night they   ping through the crowd.     strength and community.           Gill, Rajinder Singh Samra, Mini
            transformed the ancient festival of   A  quieter,  more  reflective  mo-  The  musical  climax  came  Singh, Gurpreet K. Singh, Raj Dha-
            Lohri welcoming longer days, giving   ment followed when Tahira Rida   through the soulful voice of main   liwal, Joti Khaira, Star Foods, Singh
            thanks  for  abundance,  and  remem-  brought the timeless tale of Dulla   singer Rav Inder Singh. His melodies   Grocer, Sukhdeep Walia, Sydney
            bering the legendary Dulla Bhatti into   Bhatti to life. She  reminded  every-  filled  the  hall,  kept  the  dance  floor   Smith Mann, Sandeep Singh Bajaj,
            a powerful, living tribute to women   one why this festival still burns bright:   alive, and carried the celebration to   Mini  Multani,  Pammi  Sangha,  and
            who carry tradition forward while   a folk hero who risked everything to   its emotional peak. food by Touch of   many others.
            fearlessly building the future.   protect daughters and stand against   Spice, adding that perfect touch of   Behind every moment stood the
                Jasbir Kaur Mann, one of the or-  injustice. Her storytelling wove histo-  spice! Special thanks to K K Pamma   tireless team: Jasbir Kaur Mann,
            ganization’s guiding forces, opened   ry into the present, making the legend   for the delicious spread. Decor han-  Manjind Brar, Baljeet Athwal, Sukh-
            the evening with a welcome so warm   feel close and urgent.         dled beautifully by team SWERA    vir Dhillon, Dimpy Kaur, Pammi
            it felt like stepping into family. Her   Then came pure delight. Bal-  members Baljeet Athwal and Na-  Vohra, Amarjeet Mangat, Kulwant
            words wrapped the room in gratitude   jeet, Kulwant, and Rimple took the   rinder Kaur! Moongfali and  Gachak   Parmar,  Sukhwinder Sidhu, Rimple
            and unity before Mini Singh stepped   stage for “Pension Lag gai bebe nu,”   received from Star Foods and Singh   Dogra, Sukhdeep Walia, Narinder
            forward to sing the National Anthem.   delivering the cheeky lyrics with such   Grocer                Kaur, Rajwinder Kaur, Jaspal Kaur,
            The notes rose proudly, reminding ev-  infectious humor that the entire hall   Evening’s success belongs en-  Jeety Midha, Kirpal Lall, Gurpreet
            eryone that love for heritage and love   dissolved into laughter and applause.   tirely to DJ RJB Music! His electrify-  K. Singh, Shilpa Kakkar, Gurleen
            for this new homeland can stand side   Poet Rakind Kaur offered a soul-  ing beats turned every moment into   Kaur Sangha, and Nikki Sekhon.
            by side without apology.          ful pause with verses that hushed the   pure triumph  and  celebration.  DJ   --Asian Media USA

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