Clash of colours and couples at Bundoora Park

Community presented a relevant message in the midst of zestful Holi celebrations

Holi, the festival of colours, came a few days early for the people living in the northern suburbs of Melbourne. Holi celebrations at Bundoora Park on March 24 breathed an atmosphere of social merriment, with the very young, the elderly and everyone in-between joining in the fun.

Bundoora Park resonated with a particular vibrancy only associated with Indian festivals. The most significant part of the festival was definitely the colours. Blue, green, red, pink, yellow, orange - the colours of the rainbow truly came alive.

A fantastic atmosphere of the festival was recreated as almost 2000 people including youth, children, seniors and families danced to lively music and splashed colours with joyful abandonment.

Holi at Bundoora Park was a truly multicultural event as, in the true spirit of the festival, a large number of people from different cultures attended. In the spirit of the event, most arrived in white shirts which bore no resemblance to their original colour when they left, having been liberally splashed with a medley of colours. They danced to the resounding beats, and on taking a break, refreshed themselves at some of the food stalls offering a variety of different kinds of Indian cuisine. Raffles were also organised with enticing prizes to be won. In addition, stalls with information on the community were well-received, with lots of people showing interest in the Australasian Centre for Human Rights and Health (ACHRH) stall.

Many of those who attended the event recollected their days back home in India, where Holi was celebrated in its full glory. “This celebration brings back memories of fun times from my childhood,” said Arvinder Singh (24). Hailing from Punjab, this youngster took part in the revelry with two of his friends who echoed the same sentiments. “It’s great to have everyone here celebrating together,” said Amit Kapahi.

For Jimmy Sharma, the celebrations were an initiation for his four-year-old daughter. He intends to take her to India for Holi in the future. “The celebrations here are much tamer than the ones I’ve seen growing up in India. It’s great that my daughter is able to experience the festival as well,” he said.

His wife Melanie, reiterated the point. “This celebration has been good for both my children.

They get to experience Indian culture first-hand,” she said. As parents, they also made it a point to talk to their daughter about the significance of Holi.

Several non-Indians participated in the event as well. “It’s wonderful! The atmosphere is fantastic!” said Michael Johns, attending the event with his University mates. “It’s my first time here today, and I’ll definitely come back again next year!”

The organisers of the event, Fusion Entertainments, were pleased with the response to the festival, which is in its second year running.

“We received a good response and feedback last year. Most of the celebrations were in the southeastern suburbs, but we wanted to celebrate here in the north as well,” said Gaurav Verma.

“Peace, harmony and friendship. That’s what this celebration is about,” added Lavisha Kapoor, one of the organizers.

What makes Holi special is that on this day, socially expected norms are not followed. In India, tacit permission is granted to all to behave equally and celebrate without considering caste, creed or colour. There is much love and respect for all on Holi. Perhaps this is why it is probably one of the most exhilarating festivals in India. Holi lowers (but does not remove completely) the strictness of social norms, everyone celebrates together and as a result, the atmosphere is filled with excitement, fun and joy.

The Bundoora Park venue offered a perfect setting to display the ills of domestic violence in the form of jealousy, gender based inequality, and abuse of control and power. To this end, ACHRH performed a 5 minute skit about domestic violence on stage, which indicated the cause and effect of domestic violence and how quickly attitudes can change from cheerful to aggressive and fearful. Through convincing acting and well-timed music, the three minute long skit fully engaged the audience who spontaneously burst out clapping when it ended.

Amar and Roshni, the lead actors then took the microphone and offered a few facts on domestic violence to the audience, such as how it is against the law, yet a common problem. Domestic violence can be in the form of physical, emotional or financial abuse. It can happen to as many as 1 in 3 women.

MC Adrienne Slaon invited Dr Manjula O’Connor to say a few words about the skit. “This drama depicted jealousy and control, which leads to domestic violence. Help is available, please do not suffer in silence. ACHRH can help so visit us for more information,” requested Dr O’Connor.

The Bandoora Park holi festival was a resounding success, a great day of fun and festivity which was enjoyed by all.

Holi is celebrated every year on the day after the full moon in early March, and glorifies good harvest and fertility of the land, and the beginning of spring.

Dr Manjula O’Connor Vani Silvarath