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Dhanya Samuel's work with food - and social issues - earns her a media honour

BY RAJNI ANAND LUTHRA

I11dia11Unk's Dhanya Samuel has chis month won a Victorian honour in the field of multicultural media. She won a Certi6cate ofMeritat the Victorian Jv[u.lticulmral Commission's Multicultural Awards for Excellence, in the Media category.

"lt is an awesome feelingwhen your hard workandpassion getappreciated,"Dhanya toldIndianLink. "I feel ontop oftheworld Iris alsoaninspiration todobetter work in the future."

Dhanya's keen interest in local social andcommunity issues,coupledwith her insatiablelove for writing,hasmadeher one of tl1e most read journalistsin the Australian lndian community.

Her particular cake on theseissues in Australian society,andtheir impact on the large multiculm.ralcommunity tlrnt resides in this country,continues to increase awareness andunderstanding of multiculturalaffairs across Victoria,andindeed nationally.

"l have always chosen to write about topics and issues thatare a reAection of myideologies andhence haveenjoyedwriting every single feature sofar. But if Iwere topickmy favourites fromlaseyear, itwould have tobe Breaking Bread

Together andTamil Feasts. Boththestories were cenm:d aroundhow sharing food togetl1erisperhaps the best way tocelebrateyourheritage yet break downbarriersand differencesthat exist in our society."

Her story 'Breaking Bread

Together'was particularly well-received;it profiled a documentaryseries that captures tbe heart andsoul of multicultural Australia, showcasing foodas possessingan extremely powerful ability to bridge intercult:ural differences.

Showing sensitive understanding of social issues,herpiece 'Food for Thought' promotedthework ofalocal enterprise Tamil Feasts,a unique kitchen project in East Brunswick set up tosupport recently settledasylum seekers.The piece hada constructive impact onthe work ofthe CERESEnvironment Park whowere Aoodedwitl1 bookings.

"Thereacesomany stories waitingto be cold and somuch ofwork maceach of uscan do tobring thesociety together," Dhanya observed. "Attendingthe awards ceremony alsogave me a chance cointeract with andlearn aboutthe work of others, which was trulyan eye-opener."

A great believerin the power diat youth andsocial media holds toleading Australia forward, Dhanya is alsointerested in stories of young Australians followingtheir dreams, working hardtomake themcome true.Through her writing,she has raised awareness oflocalartists and docw11entary makers from diverse cultural,linguistic and religious backgrounds.

Dhanya is alsoa prolific foodwriter andruns popular foodblog,'The Spice Adventuress'.A uniquecreativevoice, her blog was nominatedamongst tl1e Top30 Australian food blogs of 20I5. Her work was alsopublishedin Bank of Melbourne's crowdsourced cookbook which celebrated me fooddiversity ofVictoria.

Thephilosophy behindher food-based writing is toshowhowfoodcan be usedas a mediumtobridge geographical, cultural,social andreligious differences.

Dhanya's foodcolumnshavegraced many of IndianLink'sissues, seeking to dispel me myths surroundingIndian food,encouraging our readers couse local .Australian ingredients in traditional Indian dishes,andputtingan Indian spin on several Oz favourites like theVegemite chicken or curriedkangaroo!

Where does herlove of food- and food writing- come from?

"Mymother is an excellent cook and it was asherlittleassistant tlrnt I began to exploredifferent flavours. Spices intrigue me and Ilove to use them liberally in my cooking; cherishing the ancient Aavours and techniques but embracingnew ones too.But my blog, 'The Spice Adventuress' was a result of mylove for writing as well as storytelling. Every dish has a story and aninherent abiliry cobring back memories and make us happy from within. Ilove co discover these stories and share them with the world. It helps us understandother cultures and religions which in cum makes us more accepting of the differences."

Dhanya continued,"The blog is alsoa space to showcase regional Indian cooking cothe global palate. India has such a strong culinary heritage and I believe that most of it stiJJ remains a mystery to the world. AndI love to combine tbis knowledge witl1 tl1e amazing produce that Australia has to offer,comingup with my signature Indo Australian recipes. The best of botl1 worlds!"

Dhanya is alsoa keen participant inher local council activitiesin Dandenong and uses her skillsin writingtopromote the council's work. Hercommunity-mindedness also findsexpression in her voluntary work with new migrants, guiding them through the settlementprocess intl1eirnewhome andhelping tl1em feel welcome. Keep up thegood work,Dhanya.