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Manisha Mundhra Beriwala, was born in India into an aristocrat legacy Marwari family. One that upheld traditional cultural values with strictly assigned gender roles. Women were trained and encouraged away from “heavy” college degrees and lofty corporate goals.
Since long before her birth, her family’s legacy centered on a yearly compulsory visit to our ancestral spiritual home in Rajasthan, located in the northern part of India. Rajasthan is home to the extended family’s ancestral estates in the ‘Mundhra’ locality.
In 2005 after arriving in New York along with her husband, Beriwala felt lonely and cut off from her Indian culture. Feeling the strong need to fit in, America also broke her. The lack of a corporate job made her feel less worthy, and missing a way to “plug” in. Using this experience as her strength, Beriwala transformed the hollow feelings to bridge the gap between her life here and what she was missing at home. Using Diwali, her favorite festival and one that has the most meaning in her life, Beriwala’s goal is to educate and spread the celebration of the Festival of Lights, in all is glorious, colorful detail. “Diwali gave me myself and can do the same for others across all cultural backgrounds,” she says.
Till date, Beriwala is a successful entrepreneur, founder & CEO of The Corporate Diwali. She has worked with the Mayor’s offices of New York and New Jersey and has also collaborated with brands like Baccarat and other corporate organizations such as Google and J.P. Morgan to spread cultural awareness and inclusivity.
