By Manavi Shukla

We are thrilled to share some incredible news— our very own youth artist, Shriya Shaji, has won the Judge's Special Mention at the Congressional Art Competition! 

What makes this achievement truly extraordinary is that Shriya represented Madhubani, a centuries-old traditional Indian art form, in a space where contemporary styles typically dominate. Her victory is not only a personal triumph but a groundbreaking moment for traditional arts, which are rarely recognized at this level.

We are immensely proud of Shriya for her vision, initiative, and the courage to bring folk art to such a prominent platform. Her win is a beacon of hope for every young artist who believes in honoring cultural roots while reaching for the stars.

Congratulations, Shriya! Your accomplishment has carved a path for many more to follow.

By Jahnavi Shukla

“There are two types of speakers: those that are nervous and those that are liars.” This quote by Mark Twain aptly describes public speaking, an incredibly useful skill that many struggle with.

But at Deepti Designs, some of our students have started to tackle this challenge early, taking part in opportunities that let them practice public speaking, such as the Speaktank Public Speaking Program. They had their first quarter presentation at the library this past month.

Join us in congratulating Myra Garg, Sahasra Nagandla, Anugraha Ganesh, Meghna Shriram, Sarang Shriram, Prayan Mittal, Arianna Sinha, and Rama Panchapagesan, each of whom delivered a five-minute speech to an audience of around 50 people! Also, let’s put our hands together for Sai Keertana Ganta, who served as a wonderful MC of this event, engaging the audience and allowing the presentations to run smoothly.

It has been amazing to see the growth in the students’ public speaking journeys, and we can’t wait to hear more from them as they progress towards their final presentations in the public speaking course.

This month, Deepti Designs was incredibly fortunate to participate in the Sound Transit Grand Opening, celebrating the extension of Sound Transit Line 2 to two new stations. We were invited to host one of just two art engagement booths at this vibrant community event—and what a day it was!

A dedicated team of 21 enthusiastic artist volunteers joined us from 9:30 AM to 4:30 PM, engaging hundreds of community members in a wide range of creative hands-on activities. From Kolam, Rangoli, Sand Art, Quilling, and Henna to coloring sheet activities and more — our booth was bustling all day long!

One of the highlights was our live painting demonstration, which intrigued and inspired many attendees. We also organized a rotating pop-up art show, where different groups of Deepti Designs artists displayed their artwork every couple of hours—many of whom were making their event debut!

Participating artists - 

Shriya, Oumshri,  Isha, Nishka, Anugraha, Ritisha, Rasika, Riyanshi, Aadhya, Arianna, Rama, Sumi, Rupa, Sudha, Meghana, Sarang, Aadya, Hansika, Janani, Kenisha, Naina

We are so proud of all our participating artists—especially the new and young ones—for showing up with such creativity and confidence. A heartfelt thank you to each one of you for your time, energy, and artistic spirit. Events like this are only possible because of your dedication and teamwork! 

By Anishka Gogoi

On April 26th at the Brightwater Hall, nonprofit organization Together We Shine hosted an Easter Egg Hunt event to help increase awareness for special needs children and give them a fun Easter experience. The president of the organization Shrita Palla, along with other Deepti Designs volunteers, helped host a simple arts and crafts activity where participants decorated Easter eggs.

Other than the egg hunt, the event featured other activities like an art walk, games, and a photo booth. Overall, the day was successful and filled with Easter fun! We are so proud of Shrita and the other volunteers for helping pull the event off. 

By Jahnavi Shukla

Join us in recognizing two of our artists who represented India at Eastlake High School’s annual Multicultural Night. Dharini Bysani and Anika Adusumelli worked together to run the India booth at their high school’s event for showcasing different cultures.

As part of their booth, they set up a trifold board about Indian culture, displayed their own Madhubani artwork, and completed the experience by providing Indian snacks as well!

It was great to see Dharini and Anika bring a piece of Madhubani and Indian culture to their school to teach the students and staff of Eastlake High School. Keep up the great work!