A golden Diwali

NSW Premier marks Festival of Lights by lighting up the landmark’s sails

BY HARSHAD PANDHARIPANDE

ive, four, three, two, one. The crowd chanted, its expectation rising with each number. Then, as NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian threw on the switch, the sails of the Sydney Opera House came alive in a rich shade of golden with just a blush of red.

Was it a coincidence that the sails resembled the mango motif that appears so commonly in the Hindu celebrations? Perhaps, but it seemed only fitting that one of the most recognisable landmarks in the world was lit up for perhaps the most recognisable Indian festival, Diwali.

It was an acknowledgement, as Berejiklian and all other speakers pointed out, of the stellar contribution of Indians to the growth of NSW and Australia.

The select gathering of invitees at the rooftop of the Museum of Contemporary Art, dressed in its most fetching festive finery, had the best vantage point for the lighting up of the sails, which was but the most obvious of many high points of the Diwali evening hosted by the NSW Premier and Multicultural NSW. Prominent members of the Indian-Australian community added that extra sheen to the small but glittering evening.

Apart from the Premier herself, Minister for Multiculturalism Ray Williams, Seven Hills MP Mark Taylor, Sydney FC chairman Scott Barlow, Dr GK Harinath, Chair of Multicultural NSW Advisory Board, Parramatta MP Dr Geoff Lee, Strathfield MLA Jodi McKay, Granville MLA Julia Finn and CEO of AFL NSW, Sam Graham, graced the event. Consul General of India in Sydney, B Vanlalvawna, represented the Indian government.

Williams struck a chord with the gathering when he said that the reason Diwali resonated with everyone was due to its message of the victory of good over evil. “That is a message for all of humanity,” Williams said.

Berejiklian also praised the message of Diwali - “It is all about awakening, revitalisation and (victory of) good over evil” - and the contribution of Indians who shared similar values of strong family bonds and importance of education with Australians.

While she mentioned it in passing, the lighting of the Opera House sails was perhaps especially significant for the Premier: her father was a migrant and he worked as a welder on the second-highest sail of the Opera House when it was being built. So, for her to light up those very sails in the honour of another migrant community would have felt fitting.

No doubt feeling proud about the warm