Hindu Council of Australia event S

ome 1000 Indian-origin Australians came together at Parramatta’s Jubilee Park to pay tribute to the victims of 14 February Pulwama attack in Kashmir.

The last time they had gathered here was only months ago, when the President of India Ram Nath Kovind unveiled a new statue of Mahatma Gandhi. This time round, the apostle of peace stood mute witness as his beloved countrymen expressed sorrow as well as frustration at a tragic crisis situation that has endured for too long with no resolution.

The wish for peace was at the centre of the dignified ceremony organised by the Hindu Council of Australia along with 27 other community organisations.

Many of the attendees had left work early; others streamed in off the Parramatta station with their briefcases and laptops and sat patiently on the ground for the 45-minute ceremony.

The Indian tricolour was out in solemnity, sometimes wrapped around like a shawl. Community activist Rahul Jethi urged those gathered there never to forget the valour of the heroes of India and their supreme sacrifices for their motherland when he recited Shyam Sundar Rawat Gadarwara’s poem Hey Bharat Ke Ram Jago. The poem steeped in nationalism brought on the goosebumps and led to one of the many times during the evening when the slogans of “Bharat mata ki jai” (Hail Mother India) and “Vande Matram” ripped through the air.

Local politicians Tony Issa and Julia Finn from Granville speaking on behalf of the NSW Government and Opposition also expressed their solidarity with the people of India and those gathered at Jubilee Park, with their condemnation of this heinous act of terrorism. Issa said that he felt for the families of those who died in this terrorist attack. Julia Finn, in her speech said it was devastating to hear the news from Pulwama. “Terrorism needs to end and I sincerely hope that this is the last time India has to endure such an attack,” she said.

Speaking on behalf of the organisers, Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh leader Ramyavaran Ramaswamy urged all to remember the valour of those martyred. “It is important we acknowledge the families of the braves who were martyred. We also need to celebrate the lives of these brave men.” He then attacked Pakistan for harbouring the mastermind of this attack amongst their midst - the Jaishe-Mohammed terrorist organisation and its leader Masood Azhar, who has taken responsibility for this terrorist attack.

“And this is the same country which has allowed the world’s most infamous terrorist Osama bin Laden to live amongst them,” he reminded all. He urged all to keep up the fight against tyranny and make sure the sacrifices of those killed on 14th Feb do not go in vain.

With the sun setting in the background, the sole bugle call of The Last Post paid homage to the fallen soldier. The group rendering of the Shanti Mantra invoked the wish for peace, not just in the troubled Kashmir region, but also in the universal, collective and individual levels.

Pawan Luthra