Diverse dhamakas at Diwali Mela

The mela also featured a visiting dance and music group from Rajasthan and a raffle draw.

Hosted by Hindu Council of Australia, the mela had an added dimension to it this year as it was an integral part of Parramasala - the Australian Festival of South Asian Arts. It was supported by the NSW Government, Westpac, Western Union, Parramatta Council and Stadium, Gujarat NRE and Hello Mobile, among other sponsors.

Present among the guests were NSW Premier Kristina Keneally, Consul General of India in Sydney Amit Dasgupta, MP Laurie Ferguson and NSW Opposition Leader Barry O’Farrell. Speaking about the festival, Hindu Council of Australia Chairperson Professor Nihal Agar said, “By holding this important festival, we hope to focus in unity, strength and success. This mela is a celebration of cultural diversity and inclusiveness in a multicultural Australia.” Professor Agar also took the opportunity to propose a Hindu Cultural and Educational Centre in Australia.

All the colour, fun, food and excitement of Sydney’s largest Indian cultural festival came alive once again this year at the Parramatta Stadium on November 7. The 20th Diwali Mela was a fun-filled day of activities for the Indian community, most of who had spent Diwali day on November 5 at work or school. Over 5000 people attended the mela, ranging from subcontinent origin visitors to local Aussies.

It was a family day out for Neelima, Ashish and their eightyear old son, Rohan.

“Since November 5 was a working day for us, there wasn’t much of a celebration except for the Lakshmi puja at home that evening. However, the mela on the weekend compensated for all the celebrations we missed,” said Ashish.

The day-long mela is one of the largest of its kind in Australia, and has something for everyone. Bollywood song and dance mingled with the traditional; food stalls displayed culinary delights from different parts of India; a bazaar-like atmosphere was created through clothing, jewellery and homeware stalls and even henna painting was a hit.

Flaunting henna-painted hands, Monica from Turkey was excited to be at the festival with her Indian friends. “I simply love Indian dresses and jewellery. The food is quite different and dances are just amazing to watch,” she said.

The Indian Dance competition, sponsored by Western Union was the main event, with various Indian dance school teams in Sydney competing for the big prize. Judges Mitu Bhowmick and Roy Lange from Mind Blowing Films and Western Union Marketing Manager Monica Khanna unanimously crowned the Ministry of Bhangra as the winner, while Lotus School of Dance bagged the second prize for performing Shankar Mahadevan’s song Breathless. Indian Dance School’s entertaining rendition of Aa re megha won them the third prize. However, all participants received gifts of DVDs, CD and movie tickets for their performances.