Swinging scenes at Sakhi Sangam

After a week of unprecedented rain in Sydney, the skies suddenly cleared up on July 24, just in time for the 13th Annual Sydney Sakhi Sangam function. Held at the Croatian Club in Punchbowl, the event was attended by over 600 women who turned up in their finest traditional attire to celebrate the start of the spring season in India.

Founders Nandini Thadani and Sushma Ahluwalia began the Sakhi Sangam in 1999, with the intention of making this a special day for women.

“The month of Shravan is significant for all ladies with Teej, Raksha Bandhan, Devi Jagran to name a few being celebrated. So we decided to have a celebration for women in Sydney who are so far away from their homes,” says Nandini.

This year the theme for the event was formal Bollywood outfit in masquerade and the women adhered to it with great gusto. There were many interesting and exotic masks.

Mistresses of Ceremony Astha Rajvanshi and Divya Dhingra, assisted occasionally by Preeti Thadani, kept the audience captive with information on the history of this event.

Attendees were entertained by dances by renowned classical dancer Purnima and her students of Indian Dance Centre, the astute dancers Anu, Chirasmita, Nayana and Priyanka. Guests also had the opportunity to buy Indian jewellery, saris and bangles. Some of the young girls waited patiently to have their hands painted with henna

“This is my second year of attending the Sakhi Sangam and this year I invited my friends who don’t get the opportunity to see Indian celebrations. I must admit that they loved it thoroughly. It is a cultural extravaganza and we enjoyed every minute of it,” said Prabha, who the Indian community. “People have accepted the event with open arms and it is growing in popularity. The reaction of the ladies is a bonus for me, as they come here to have a good time, enjoy a day full of fun and so this is truly a special day for them,” she said. “To us, everyone who attended was a VIP and we made them feel special. We kept the entertainment down to a short time so the guests could dance and let their hair down,” added Nandini with a smile.

“It was great to be involved with Sakhi Sangam, specially as this was my first time as a guest and as an MC. It was really nice to see all the ladies dressed up and ready to have a good time. Everybody got into the spirit of things, and there were many mothers and daughters too,” said Aastha Rajvanshi, adding “I like the way it was organised, and I would certainly encourage more young people to get involved with the event in the future.”

The music by DJ Dimple representing Desi Crew Australia (DCA), kept the women dancing till late.

After all, girls just wanna have fun!

The first Sakhi Sangam began in 1999 by Nandini Thandani and Sushma Ahluwalia, which was to have had only 100 ladies attending, but the head count was 225. It was held at a bowling club in Five Docks and has since been held at different locations including the Croatian Club since 2002. The largest crowd to attend was a whopping 700 guests. Every year the guests receive a welcome gift. Manjits Catering have been supporting this event since the past eleven years.

Vidya Muthanna