MELBOURNE, 26 October 2024: Fit for the occasion, the glittering Melbourne Room, Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, in front of the Crown Casino, today evening had more than a thousand attendees. In traditional colourful Indian attires, from across Melbourne and Victoria, the festival of lights seems to have captivated the imagination of the rulers.
In fact, this was the third such event, the first was initiated by Premier Daniel Andrews (Dan), followed by the second one last year by him. After Dan bowed out of politics, now Labor’s Premier Jacinta Allan was here addressing the gathering at the ‘Premier’s Diwali State Reception 2024’, reiterating her government’s commitment to multiculturalism.
Lee Tarlamis MP, says in an Instagram post, “An amazing night with Premier Jacinta Allan, Minister for Multicultural Affairs Ingrid Stitt MP, Parliamentary colleagues and so many friends celebrating Diwali in Melbourne. Showcasing the strength of Victoria’s diversity in a beautiful display of our harmonious and inclusive state.”
She has recently been to India signing many agreements in New Delhi. India’s Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, was here a few days back and as a consequence the two countries including Victoria are also expected to extend their educational ties to the school level and have more Australian universities to open campuses in India.
The Victorian Multicultural Commission’s has been dispersing grants to multicultural community organisations and the Indian bodies are no exception. Some observers are reading between the lines though the next state election is two years away. The Indian & South Asian communities’ electoral presence in many suburbs cannot be wished away.
“The Indian community in Victoria is one of the largest in Australia. There are 371,901 people in Victoria who have Indian ancestries, of which 258,193 were born in India, ” says www.vic.gov.au
The City of Wyndham is home to one of the largest Indian communities in Victoria with 65,433 people. The City of Casey is next with 44,967 people.
The powerful speeches, the diverse cultural program with traditional Indian dances laced with classical music, Laxmi Puja, honours for prominent people, parliamentarians including Labor MPs, John Pessuto, Leader of opposition, and the presence of senior Indian diplomats including India’s High Commissioner Mr. Gopal Baglay and Dr. Sushil Kumar, India’s Consul General, Melbourne spoke for itself. Photo ops in the well-decorated foyer and massive networking within the diverse Indian community and local politicians paved the way for a lively festive evening.
This year the dinner was Indian cuisine, and the dessert Kulfi (Indian ice cream) and Gulab Jamun with Pistachios added to the sweet ending of the feast. The beautiful gift of Ladoo candels (look almost like real ladoo’s) was incredible. No doubt, the event was a showcase of Victoria’s diversity.
