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Bibi Russel, a Bengali
model-turned-fashion designer is known in international fashion
industry as a woman who markets handmade bags, clothes and shoes to
the Western world next to Armani and Versace. She is an inspiration
for Farzana Ahmad, who has met with Bibi at a store in
Jackson
Heights.
Farzana is a stunning but humble young
lady often seen in
New York
fashion scene as a fresh face among a growing number of South Asian
models. At American Desi Fair and Festival, she was an alluring and
dazzling model that caught eye of many who admired her performance. In
most of the fashion shows, she comes with her elder sister who acts as
her critic and manager. She has appeared in number of different
commercials also.
At home, Farzana was taught to speak
Bengali before she could learn English at school. She graduated from
Fordham University this summer in Marketing and Management and aspires
to be an entrepreneur like her parents. South Asian culture is
ingrained in her. Just as she loves desi food and clothes and, of
course, Salman Khan (since the age of 3), she believes, she fits into
the American business world also. She calls herself “mix of both the
worlds.”
Lack of South Asian event coordinators
who can bring out the best of South Asian culture remains a farfetched
idea for American event coordinators who do not fully understand or
appreciate the South Asian culture. Farzana feels that she can fill
this void for the South Asian community. She, therefore, aims to go
into catering business
Like many, she holds that South Asian
community is divided into small fractions. In the absence of
centralized leadership, “we’re not united,” she said thoughtfully. If
these small groups can come together, she feels, “we can hold much
larger societies, clubs and events as Indian, Bengali or Pakistani
culture are not that different.”
At
Fordham University, she was thrilled to be involved in FUSE, a South
Asian club. The question about FUSE fills her with passion, whereby
she describes it as “a wonderful wonderful entity.” She eventually
became the President of FUSE. FUSE attempted to bring together the
South Asian student bodies of various New York colleges, however due
to lack of leadership and time, the effort could not move beyond
planning stage. South Asians, at Fordham, are united under FUSE.
If you are thinking that Farzana was
involved in extracurricular activities only, you’d be surprised to
learn that she has interned with a Human Resources Manager at Albert
Einstein Medical Institute and at
Rockefeller
University. Although “job field is not that great because of the
economy,” she has had quite a few offers that would lead her to
achieve her dream.
As a Muslim, she has not come across any
ethnic or racial bias, however she feels that majority of Americans
are liberal and the racist comments are made by a few only. “We’re not
conservative conservative at home, we follow, we practice Islam and
all that,” but her parents would be perfectly fine with her right to
choose a life partner for herself. |
