A new Indian program has come to the Redmond and Bellevue area.

However, this one is just for children as Redmond resident Yash Limaye saw a need for more cultural programs for young Indian and Indian American children living on the Eastside.

Limaye has been a part of organizing other Indian events and celebrations in the past, however, she noticed there wasn’t anything that was specifically for kids. She said cultural celebrations were important to her growing up and developing her sense of cultural identity.

“It’s really important to kids,” she said. “It helps establish their identity and gives them the ability to learn about and accept other cultures…I thought, ‘No one else is doing it, so I will.’”

Limaye’s new children’s program, Savangadi, launched last year. It will celebrate Diwali with Deepmala, which will include a fancy dress competition and a short drama. The popular Indian holiday, Diwali, is coming up at the end of October. Diwali, also known as Deepaval, is a four- to five-day festival of lights.

The fancy dress competition for the celebration will be similar to ones Limaye participated in as a child. Each child will dress in traditional Indian attire and walk on stage for one minute.

The drama will allow the children to share information about the history of the holiday and its importance to the culture. Limaye said each child will be a character from Indian history.

Limaye said she’s excited for the event.

“I’m looking forward to the kids learning more about the history and the culture as well as having them speak more in their mother tongue at home,” she said.

Deepmala will be from 5-7:30 p.m. on Oct. 20 at the Eastside Bahá’í Center at 16007 NE 8th St. in Bellevue.

To learn more about Savangadi, visit yashaswinee.wixsite.com/savangadi. To learn more about the event, visit the Facebook event page at tinyurl.com/y4wrk6mm.

Yash Limaye explaining dialogues to Mihir Limaye. Photo courtesy of Yash Limaye