Parramatta is a place of deep belonging, going back thousands of generations, with a rich history of waves of settlement coming from across the globe – particularly from India. Today, Indians comprise the second largest overseas-born community in Parramatta. The City of Parramatta is home to one of the largest populations of people of Indian descent in NSW, making the Anniversary of Indian Independence an important day for our community.
Independence Day is a celebration of culture, colour and connection for Indian Australians. To celebrate 77th Indian Independence Day, Little India Australia hosted a Flag Hoisting Ceremony at Harris Park yesterday in the presence of respected Dignitaries and a large enthusiastic crowd including kids and senior citizens. Thank you Hon Dr. Andrew Charlton MP, Hon. Donna Davis MP, Hon. Warren Kirby MP, Hon. Clr. Patricia Prociv for gracing the occasion with your valuable presence.
Those who attended, felt that this celebration was a chance to come together and share a touch of home. President of Little India Australia, Gurmeet Tuli along with the key Chairperson Parag Shah, Cultural Director, Vaibhavi Joshi JP and behind the scenes key member Dipu Mistry helped create the local Independence Day event as a way of keeping traditions alive for migrants in the regional community.
Thank you Harish Velji & Aisha Amjad for being the strongest rock solid support for Little India Australia as always. Your continuous and ongoing support is a key asset of the LIA team. Thank you Dr Shireen Morris for gracing the occasion and sharing your insights about Yes23 campaign. Thank you Parul Mehta from Indian Matrimonial for your sweet gesture of appreciating all the hard work Harish Bhai does for the various communities.
Distinguished guest and Community people felt deeply connected when our Respected Dignitaries were addressing such an enthusiastic crowd while sharing their insights on such community gatherings and significance of Independent and growing nation, India.
Many local residents felt that the event was not just for the Indian population, but for the broader community to “taste the spirit”. Indian Australians celebrated the 77th anniversary of independence, while some remembered the violent legacy of partition and maintained silence for 2 min to keep them in our prayers.
The best part of this celebration was the true community spirit. This celebration was done entirely for free for the community and Jaipur Sweets Harris Park served a free meal for every single person attended. I cannot thank you enough, Narinder Singh ji from the bottom of our hearts for this wonderful gesture.
An event in Harris Park brought together the diverse ethnic and religious Indian diaspora from various Indian states for a celebration of rich and glorious culture. Thank you Subba Rao Varigonda & Saryu Rao from Indian Support Center for your ongoing support to Little India Australia and your valuable presence.
Thank you, Dipika Ben and Parag Bhai for leading the rally of our Senior Citizen group from Rosella Park to all the way from Wigram Street to the venue with the Indian National Flag. It was fascinating to see patriotic vibes in the atmosphere when they were walking with “Vande Matram” and “Jay Hind” slogans.
They truly represented the importance of “Vasudhaiv Kutumbakam” by spreading peace, love, brotherhood & Humanity in this multicultural land. We’ve been inundated with the amount of energy and enthusiasm proclaimed by the Senior Group of Harris Park.
After the Flag Hoisting Ceremony, 2 young kids, Adyansh Jha & Presha Avlani aged 11 years, started singing the Australian National Anthem. The best part was when the Indian National Anthem “Jan Gan Man !” was sung by 2 little ones who were barely 6-8 year old kids named Prahar Shukla and my daughter Shanvi. We are very proud of both of you.
Another wonder boy named Malav Wani played our National Anthem on guitar by himself and made his parents proud. All these kids are from the upcoming generation who restored our faith and gave the assurance of carrying a legacy forward and passing it to the future generations.
We started with a mesmerizing performance of “Ganesh Vandna” from Sarjan Dance Academy. I cannot thank Ashika Mehta enough for showcasing this wonderful performance by 2 little girls. While a little girl, Impana from Natyokthi.com/ performed Bharatnatyam, another 2 little girls from Manmohini Indian Dance School performed a Katthak dance form.
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration if I said kids were the shining stars during this event. However, a senior citizen who travelled all the way from India to here named Praveen Rawal sang a wonderful patriotic song and got the most appreciation from the senior crowd.
While our own lovely lady Shobha Ingleshwar who has dedicated herself to music, spread patriotism in the air with her marvellous singing from beginning till the end. Apart from being a popular singer for more than 17 years, Shobha ji has been awarded at the community level for volunteering for seniors and for singing. Thank you, Shobha ji, for making this entire event live with your beautiful voice.
One of the most pure-hearted people I have ever met Shantana Deka Dutta was the only person everyone was looking for and guess why ? She was the only gorgeous lady who captured the entire event with her amazing photography skills and all the pics are / will be on her page Light_antana. Thank you so much Bilal Mubashar for doing a live videography for the entire event. I cannot wait to see the amazing highlights.
I am running out of words to express my sincere gratitude to Shantna for coming on board as the official photography partner. Here is a sneak peek of yesterday’s historical event that we all will cherish forever..!!
Jai Hind
– Vaibhavi Joshi JP
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