On Sunday, 20 May, the heritage property of Lachlan’s Old Government House in Parramatta was witness to an impressive initiative organised by Mansi Khanna Bhatia. The Indian Tea Room launched a great concept to get ladies together for a ‘glamorised cuppa’ and amongst all the fun and chit-chatting talk about a very serious issue that has been dogging our society for a very long time.
The Lisa Harnum Foundation was instituted to lend support to women who are victims of domestic abuse in the Sydney Hills Area. The Foundation provides the victims with a number of services which includes but is not limited to support, counselling, education and transitional housing. Aileen Mountfield, the founder and Executive Director of the Lisa Harnum Foundation along with Terri Sedmak, the Chairman’s wife attended the event. Julie Owens, Shadow Minister for Small Business, Dr Michelle Byrne, the Mayor of the Hills Shire Council and Councillor Reena Jethi were also there to support the event and the cause. The support of the community, the sponsors and the ladies who attended the show helped raise $3,000 for the Foundation.
Though the afternoon was one to glam up, pose for photographs and share laughter with friends and family, everyone in the room was very aware of the reason for the event, domestic violence is real and is not restricted by financial or social bindings.
While the afternoon was immaculately planned with varieties of tea and plenty of savoury dishes and sweet meats to tickle the palate and the senses, there were enough avenues for those smitten by the shopping bug. Mansi Khanna Bhatia, the brain behind this concept says, “The Indian Tea Room is where East meets West. My aim was to create a unique experience with fabulous Indian food in a different style with entertainment and shopping. It’s high tea with an Indian twist”.
The ladies dressed to the occasion and in line with the theme which was ‘vintage, florals, lace and pearls’. The event was made possible by the support of the sponsors Mash Accessories, MSS Security (SIS Securities India), Your Finance Adviser, SmileExcellence Dental Clinic and Taj Caterers. There were a number of prizes that were sponsored by various businesses. The décor for the afternoon was by Cuckoo by Sonali and Surabhi and the event coordinators were S&S Event Boutique. The fashion show by Samitha Subhashini and Muslin by Megha Kerjiwal, added the extra oomph to all the glamour that was already present in the room. The audience was taken through the proceedings of the afternoon by the emcee, Duke Ramachandran.
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