ance

Of all the exciting wares on offer, the cultural segment at the Indian me/a was simply fantastic

The sight o f Punjabi bha11gra dancers and Gujarati garba dancers gyrating to the beats of a cbenda, a traditional south lndian dn1m , coul d only be seen at the Indian Mela 2014 parade held at El der Park in Adelaide o n March 15.

A mul ticultural event organised anm1aJJ y by the Indian Australian Association of South Aus tralia (IAASA), the event showcases tbe celebration of ruver se Inruan cultures along with flavoms fro m different states. Ir includes a c o mbination of class ical and BoU ywood dances, fashion, hm11a tattoos and a wide range of other activities. The 1t1e!a has been a part of t he Indian community in South Australian for nearly 30 year s now and includes someth ing for everyone, from a jumping castle and pony rides foe children, music and dance celebrations for )'Otmgista11is and a chance to interact and spe nd time together for families and seniors.

The 2014 1J1cla began at noo n with performances from children and some fol k dances, bur the o fficial segment with the parade started at 6pm. Special guesrs fro m local government graced the occas ion, such as

Governor General Kevin Scarce; Grace P ortolesi , Minister for Ernployment, Higher Education and Skills, Government of South Australia; and Lieutenant Governor General Hieu Van Le, Chairman of the South Australian

Multiculrrn:al and Ethnic Affairs Commi ssio n.

"Fo r us, the me/a is to s howcase to the world, one of the most distingui s hing character istics of lnd.ia and Indians - L111ity in diversity! De sp ite different culrures across diffe rent states, diverse food and flavours and diverse rinmls, we are still o ne when ic comes m promo ting Inrua," said Mudra Shah, Cul rural Coordinator, I.AASA who also runs tl1e Mudra Dance Academy in Adelaide.

" Preparations for tbe event itself and the culmral programs began months ago and would not have been possible without comri bution of Dr Jagdish Saraf, all the committee members and volllnteers of IAASA ," she added. Dance was a big drawcard at tbe me/a, with diver se repertoires performed by 280 performers i.ncluding indi viduals, duos and some famous dance g roups in Adelaide su ch as Mudra Dance Academy, Agni, Mayu r i and lee's n or forget Adelaide's o ldest Bollywood dance g roup, Fusio n Beats, operated by Frances ca, Mrs Australia Unive rse 2014. " I love watching groups growing with each 111ela and I still remember m y first one Now I co -coordinate the cuJmraJ element o f the s h ow and love the feeli ng of being a part of this event chat keeps the Indian culture alive for South Australia ns. It's not just fun, bur we can also display our talents," explained Francesca.

The well- pl anned culn1ral event was divided inro three different sections. The third and final section comprised excl u sively of Bollywood numbers and dances, which drew the crowd into a frenzy, specially durin g performances featuring the latest BoU ywood hits like Gbaghl'tl andNagada.

L ike most Indians, the part thac attracted m e the most was the food zone featuring stalls from some of th e most famous Indian restaurants in Adelaide. A range of Indian food was on sale, from street food like golgqppa.r and cbaat to dosai and idli; from traditional curries and t1aa11s to ice go /tis and 111asalapaa11. It was heaven for those w ho love lndian food. Desp ite the rain and wind, ir was good to see a g reat n1rnom enjoying the pe r formances, the festi ve a011 os phe re and the food, making the not-to- be-missed event a g rand success.

Niraj Pandya

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Guests enjoy a Bollywood-themed party to celebrate the launch of IFFM2014

ALW visit to the h istoncal Raheen Mansion in Kew in Mel bourne is about the whole experience. The Italianate style, heritage -listed building that belongs to billionaires Jean and A nthony Pratt, has a wealth of character. From the imposing gates and lush manicured lawns through to the ritzy decor and tastefuUy done interior, the mansion bas been the venue o f choice for many o f :tvfelbourne's high society parries. It was the perfect location to host a BoUywood themed par ry to celebrate the launch of the 2014 prog ram of the Indian Film Fesrival in Melbourne (IFFM).

Louise Asher, Minister for Innovario n, l\lliuis ter for Tourism and Major E~,ents, and l\{inister for Employment and Trade attended the dinner event in a beaurifully handcrafted smi presented to her b y festival director "tvliru Bhowmick Lange. Many other guests also made an efforr to spo rt fodian Boll ywood style dothiug and looked magnificent, thanks to all the colours and bling. Former Victorian Premier Ted Baillieu cut an imposing figure in his orange gold siU, k11rta teamed up unusually w ith a natty tie. Orange was also the d10ice for V idya Balan, BoUywood 's re igning actress, who was the gues t of honour at the event. The rest of the invitees comprised of a select group of festival spo nsors, supporters, organisers aud media representati ves i\lfs Balan continued to share the va riou s highlights that festival attendees could look forward to, including details of the inaugural awards presentation scheduled to be held in May. She claimed that she had a love affair with Me lbourne that made her want to come back to visi t this 'wonderful city full of warm peopl e' again and again.

Ms Bhowm.ick Lange invited V idya Balan, braud ambassador of the festival to join her on stage ro announce the program. Gracious as ever, Ms Balan thanked the hosts for their hospitality and complimeuted Minister Asher and other guests oo their Indian attire, particuhdy Ted Baillieu who she claimed could be 'the Arnitabh Bachchan of Me lbourne'. ''Amitabh Bachcl1an will be here in :Melbo urne soon, perhaps we could make both o f you stand together to see who is taller", she said w ith characteristic chutzpah.

The entertainment for the night was in the form of some beautifully rendered songs by Austral ian actor Simon Gleason and bis wife actress atalic O'Donnell John Molloy, festival co- director, offi cially thanked the guests for their contribution towards making this festival happen. \l{lhile l isting the main spons ors. John also took the opportunity to thank Visy and rl1e Prates for their generosity in hosting this event. He then went on to acknowledge all the lndian commilllity .leaders and the media sponsors for their ongoing support in promoting the festival. According to one of the great things about this festival is that both sides of rl1e politic s come to enjoy and celebrate the festival together w ith everyone. As the executive chairman of Visy, o ne of Australia's largest privately owned companies, rAnthony Pratt is an avid supporter of the festival and is also on the advisor y board along with M iss Manika Jain, Consul General of India in Melbourne. The festival ad visory b oard also boasts names like Ronnie Screwala, founder of UTV group; Vikramjit Roy head of publicity at Sony Pictures E nte rtainment, lndi.a; actress Simi Garewal; aud Pamela Chopra, wife of iconic lilrn maker the l ate Yash Chopra. W ith over 40 fi lms on offer, several renowned festival guests iocludiog legendary actor Amitabh Bad1chan, an acco mpli shed jury and many festival favourites on offer, this year's IFF.l'-.f promises to be quire an exc itin g event. See yo u there!