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ICelebrate India brings to life a cultural extravaganza

0ver the years Diwali has emerged as the dominant Indian festival to be celebrated around the world This year, over 35,000 people converged in the UK city of Leicester to celebrate the major Indian festival. In the U S, the Oba.mas extended their warm wishes and lit diyas to celebrate Diwali in the Wh ite House, whil e closer to home the sail s of Sydney's iconic Opera House were illuminated to celebrate the fes tival of lights.

In Melbonrne one of the largest events was held at Federation Square where Celebrate India brought to life d1e traditions, food and celebration rituals of Diwali.

D uring the main event me crowd surged through the Squar e as many savoured Indian deli cacies from the array of food stalls, whilst omers shopped for traditional Indi an crafts, fashion and jeweUery. Festival staples like henna applications and face painting vied for attention with free photo oppor runities w ith the 2015 ICC Wo rld Cup.

The biggest crowd puller was the ongoing entertainment on the main stage as m yriad dance forms from varied regions of Indiaand the ever- popular Bollywood - created a fine synthesis of movement, expression and rhy d1m. Weaving together the d iverse dueads of Indian cul ture, artistes dep icted both classical and contemporary v ariations and combinations of art, dance and music.

Exotic flavours from across the globe wer e also co be found through representation fro m Fiji, Mauritius, Sri Lanka, Larin Amecica and C h ina. A laughter yoga session added joie de viv re mat made you want to mrn to their neighbor and smile. A broad range of activities kept the audience e n gaged and there was something for people of all ages. Extensive contemplation and planning, extending over quite a few mond1s, ensured that me event ran smoothly. A dedicated team of 35 volunteecs coordinated countless detail5 and dealt with a.11 aspects of planning, promotion and execution w1der the able guidance of Arnn and Jaya Sharma. This year, Melbourne's major public transport provi der Metro promoted the festival in several languages. Through the ir rq,,ular announcements d1ey informed commuters about d1e Festival and the signifi cance of Diwali prior to me event.

People at Melbourne's Tullan1at.ine Airport also witnessed the magic of Diwali as t he Celebrate India team decked out the terminal in festive decor, distributed trad itional sweets to passengers and presented Boll ywood dances for entertainment. Travel weary passengets were taken b y surprise with chis display of spectacular co lours, fun and vivacity. This year also saw me addition of the Celebrate India Essay Competition, a cross -cul rura.l ini tiative t hat en couraged primar y schoo l srudents in Victoria to participate in an essay writing competition with an aim to increase awareness of India and its culmre

Leading up to me main Federation Square event popular BoUywood movie s were screened in collaboration

;vitb Mind Blowing Films The Diwali message was con stantly encountered in the form of co lourful banners at Finders Street station, as well as through t he sou n d of Indian music being played in beautifull y lit carriages as mey trRvelled the streets of 1vfelboume.

An im pressive list of dignitaries including Premier of Victoria Denis Napd1ine, Opposition lead er Dan Andrews, Deputy :Mayor of the Ciry of Melbourne Susan Riley, and Con sul- General of India in Melbourne Manika Jain were in attendance. Speaking at d1e o ccasion , Arnn Sharma, Festival Director, expressed his dream that Diwali wou ld be declared as a public holiday in V ictoria someday soon

Putting the big bang into the Diwali at Federation Square festival, d.1e day's events culminated in a spectacular fireworks display. The explosive pyrotechnics electrified the night sky with a riot o f colours as people observed d1e display from whatever vantage point they could find.

With d1e backdrop of the 'most livable city in d1e world' me sparks shone on people's upturned faces and it was a befitting end to a joyful day

Thanks to Celebrate India's creative choreography, Diwali was celebrated as authentically and enthusiastically as it is back home.

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Assortment

With a. lavish assortment of music, dance and activities, me event upped d1e grand scale of entertainment for me audience to enjoy. The rush and jostle was all part of the experience as me event drew a large crowd. Thousands of reveUers v isited the Fed Square cultural precinct mroughout d1e day to be pa.re of ilie extravaganza.

\X/im creativity and innovation, the Celebrate India team has taken this festival from strength to strengtb since its la m1ch in 2006. Each year the organisers add another interesti ng e lement to d1eir list of activities

It's a union of cultures amid a vibrant festival atmosphere, writes SWAT/ BHARGAV

he Wyndham Diwali was noth ing shore of a carnival as up to 20,000 people gathered at President's Park in Wyndham Vale, near Werrjbee, to celebrate the Indian festival of lights. Thanks co daylight saving, the sun sho ne bright late into the evening, before the festive lights and uaditional lamps lit up the vast grounds

Wyndham D iwali scaled greater height~ this year as innumerable peopl e from across Victoria, and all parts of rhe world, came together - paving the way for a muon of culrures. \XThilst the crowd was predominantly Indian, there were also people from Pakisra1li, Bangladeshi, Sr i Lankan, Somalian, Maori, Italian, Russian and Australian backgrounds.

After a prayer to Lord Ganesha, the day-Jong 111eld in cl uded an artistic program filled with high magnitude performances and inventively choreographed dances with dazzling, colourful costumes.

The festival organisers, Wyndham Diwali Inc, believe in promoting tmi t:y t hrough cultural partnerships and exchanging traditions. At chis D iwali festiva l, using the medium of performing arts, more than 235 participants came together to promote the theme of 'Jl,fany culmres, one nation'

The atmosphere came alive as hit songs from Indian movies p lay ed loudly in the background Some amazing performances on stage added to the an1b ience. The culrural presentation included Indian classical, regional fo lk and Bollywood dancing as well as a fashion parade attended by well -known models and contest winners including Miss India Australia and Miss World Australia.

Anod1er festi val favourite was local rock band The Fifths, who regal ed the audience with a modern take on old classic Indian songs. The leading performance this year was the Rarnayana ballet based on the theme of the festival.

Other performances included a traditional edmic Maori group, a Tongan group, a versatile Russian group and die Din.ka African g roup, Bollywood dancing by Rachana Natyalaya, Shiamak,Jalwa dance company and many talented others.

Vibrant attire was the norm as people came dressed up for a day out. Wi[h multipl e stalls selling clothing, jewellery and handicrafts, the women got to pamper d1emselves with shopping and app lying intricate henna designs on their palms

Many v isitors chose to enjoy d1e variety of Indian food on offer as there were several stalls serving moud1 -watering Indian delicacies. The kid's activ iry area proved quite popular as children made a beeline for the slides and rides.

The Wyndham D iwali 111e/o received support from across the po litical spectrum with Wyndham City Council Mayor Bob Fairclough, alongside popular local councillor Heather Marcus and councillors Peter Maynard, Glenn Goodfellow, Gamam Gupta and Intaj Khan all in attendance an d supporting the event

The Prime iWinister was represented b y Sarah Henderson, Federal MP for Corangamite. Other d ignitaries present were Vasan Srinivasan from the Confederation of L1dian Australian Association

(Clf\J\), Andrew Elsbury (MP Western Meuopolitan Region) , representing Victorian Premier Denis Napdiine, and Telmo

Languiller (Shadow Parliamentary Secretary), Tim Pallas MP and Tim Watts MP.

The Of6ce of Multicultural Affai.rs and Citizenship was a princ ipal sponsor of [he Festiv al, and Victorian Multicultural Commiss ion Cbidambaram

Srinivasan addressed the gathering and extended the Comnlission's support to [he WDI tean-1.

" The \Xlyndham Diwali team sincerely diank Ol'vlAC, me Office of Multiculrural Affairs and Citizenship, Wyndham C ity Council, the sponsors, stall ho lders , media partners and visitors who contributed to the overw helming success of tl,is event," said Wyndham D iwali Inc. P r esi dent Ragh unandan Kuncha Koorthy.

Pronlising to come back with a bigger bang next year, D iwali at \Xlyndha.rn ended with fireworks tha[ decorated die sky wjth different co lours. In the midst of an authentic 111elo atmosphere, di e sparkling pyxotech,lics display heralded a new ray of hope and light for tl1e future.

Warm Indian hospitality marks Hindi Niketan's Diwali event

Approacb.ing Clayron. Hall to atren.d rhe Hindi iketan Diwali event, strings of colourful lights, quite like the Jadis that are commonly found adorning houses in India during fes rivals, greered revellers. You could hear the disram hnm of people's conversations, and as soon as I walked in, r was transported back co India. le was with a feeling of deja vu thar 1 saw the men huddled rogethet in earnest conversation, women chatting in groups and children running around l o oking for rheir mates The atmosphere was full of colour, joy and vibrancy as the community came together to celebrate.

Hindi Niketan is one of the o ldest not- for- profit Indian organisations in Melbourne, formed with an aim to promote Hindi language and celebrate Indian culture.

Hindi Nikecan initiated the addition of Hindi language at

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VCE (Victorian. Cenificare Of Education) level in Victoria.

\Xie have raised the bar to such an extent, that there are Hindi classes held aU over Viccorja and man y people are now aware of the language," said Sharad Gupta, Presiden t of Hindi Niketan. Attending the Hindi Niketan D iwali this year was a trip down memor y lane. Everyone enjoyed the delightful cultural performances and the delicious food presented wirh warm Indian hospitality. PoUowing Indian tradition, guests were greeted with laddoos at the entrance, and rhe evening began with a LaksbmiGanesha prayer followed by Kathak performance as a prayer to Goddess Saraswati.

Hindi r iketan is strong on promoting amateur ralent, especiaUy youth, as many young children and reenagers presented the entertainment for the night. Culture should nor only be celebrated it should be shared and passed on co future generations.

A brief address from Consul General of India in Melbourne Manika Jain, Hong Lim (M'P for Clayton), President of FIAV Vasan Srinivasan, and Victorian Mul ticul.trual Commissioner Chidambaram Srinivasan took up the formal proceedings, foUowed by community awards ptesenred to Sanrosh Kumar from Northern Region Indian Seniors Association and Dr Rani Mahajan, one of the oldest members and supporters of Hindi iketan. Sharad Gupta a lso shed light on other activities that Hindi Niketan is invo lved with during the year.

"Each year on Australia Day, which coincides with the Republic Day in India, we organise a family p icnic. Apart from celebrating major Indian festivals, we also confer awards co students who hav e comp leted their VCE wirh Hindi as a subject. This is to reward and appreciare their efforts and to promote Hindi as a language." Bes ides tbe cultural and community events Hindi Niketan is also involv ed in campaigning against social issues like domestic violence and dtug abuse

Inga Penlich. State Member for South Eastern J\,fetropolitan Region anJ Vicrorian Cabinet Secretary, arteoded rhe Diwali event and had nothing but praise for the organisation "I've had a very long association with Hindi Niketan," Peulich said.

"I always look forward to their events. Apart from the promotion of Hindi as a language , I admire the optin1istic, hard -working and asp irational namre they possess. The sky is a funir for them." Hindi Niketan should be commended for rheit exemplary job at bringing peop le rogether and celebrating the culture and traditions of India.

Swathi Bhargav