A selection of Maani’s Pakistani-inspired drinks is displayed in a photoshoot. Credit: Courtesy of Maliha Pyarali.
Maani’s will bring Pakistani-inspired drinks, art, live music and local vendors to Seventh Son Brewing Co. Sunday, as a recent Ohio State graduate looks to create a new cultural tradition in Columbus.
The Pakistani-inspired cafe, formerly known as Sufi Chai House, will host a mela, which can be described as a party, celebration or gathering, something Maani’s owner, Maliha Pyarali, a 2026 Ohio State graduate, said plays a large role in Pakistani culture. The mela will take place from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday.?
“Everyone loves dressing up and coming together with family and friends,” Pyarali said. “So I wanted to bring that to the larger Columbus community.”
After participating in other pop-ups through Maani’s, Pyarali said she saw how small businesses can create community and wanted the opportunity to build one of her own. Organizing the mela allowed her to curate vendors, music, decorations and the overall atmosphere of the event.
For Pyarali, creating this community also meant building a cultural space that could include people from various backgrounds.?
Pyarali said she sometimes felt out of place at cultural events growing up, as she did not fit what she viewed as traditional expectations for a Pakistani Muslim.
“I wanted to create a space where anyone is welcome,” Pyarali said, adding that she wants attendees to feel seen, regardless of their background.
The event will feature a variety of local small businesses and artists, some of whom,Pyarali said, will be participating in their first vendor event Sunday.?
Pyarali said she wanted the event to include elements she associates with traditional Pakistani melas, such as music, dancing and mehendi — a form of temporary body art created using henna. She said receiving mehendi was one of the parts she looked forward to most at cultural events as a child.
Among the participating vendors is Kavya Chintakayala, a third-year in computer science and engineering, who creates art under the Instagram handle Crushed Cranberry. Chintakayala will sell prints of her digital artwork and draw live portraits of attendees at the mela.
The portraits only take a couple of minutes to draw, Chintakayala said, and attendees receive the finished sketch as a souvenir. For the mela, she plans to draw on paper and feature a frame or design that matches the event.?
Chintakayala said the mela will be her first time selling her artwork at an event unaffiliated with Ohio State. She first met Pyarali at another vendor event, and later began creating graphic designs for Maani’s.
For Chintakayala, she said participating in the event holds significance beyond merely selling her artwork.
“When you’re a child of immigrant parents in America, it’s hard to keep in touch with your culture,” Chintakayala said. “You have to be actively part of your culture rather than passively absorbing it.”
Chintakayala said she hopes the mela gives South Asian attendees a space where culturally inspired drinks, artwork and clothing surround them, while also giving attendees from other backgrounds the chance to experience it.?
The blending of cultures will also appear on Maani’s one-day drink menu, curated for the event. Pyarali collaborated with Daan, another pop-up cafe, to create drinks combining Pakistani and Cantonese flavors, including salted egg yolk creme chai, whipped honey shaken espresso, White Rabbit candy matcha and mango jasmine tea.?
Maani’s is also partnering with Hanini Oud, a Palestinian-owned perfume brand, to pair the drinks with custom fragrances inspired by their ingredients, Pyarali said. Each drink from the menu will have its own corresponding scent.
Pyarali said she hopes Maani’s Mela can eventually become a seasonal event, with different themes highlighting different parts of Pakistani culture.
Ultimately, Pyarali said she hopes those who attend, regardless of cultural background, experience the hospitality she associates with Pakistani culture.?
“I want anyone who comes to feel that same way,” Pyarali said, “and to feel like this is a place where they can come and just be with friends and hang out and have a good time.
