Premier Minns also said that the Indian Hindu community is decent, hardworking and love Australia.

NSW Multicultural Minister Steve Kamper said that the light of the sails of the Opera House symbolising Diwali celebrations will shine brightly enough for the whole of Sydney to see.

“The lighting of this iconic symbol is an invitation to all Australians to celebrate Diwali as one community united by our mutual respect and friendship”, said Minister Kamper.

The attendees at the event reflected a slice of multicultural Australia with members of different ethnicities and backgrounds enjoying the festivities. The event included chanting of slokas by children of BAPS Swaminarayan Temple. Shlokas were also chanted prior to the lighting up of the sails of the iconic Opera House.

CEO of Multicultural NSW, Joseph La Posta, and NSW MP from Parramatta, Donna Davies, also shared their feelings about Diwali.

Th event was attended by Consul General of India in Sydney, Dr S. Janakiraman, NSW MP Julia Finn, Director of Swami Vivekananda Cultural Centre, Sydney, Niyati Mehta, Parramatta Councillor Sameer Pandey, Ku-ring-gai Councillor Barbara Ward and Australia India Business Council (AIBC) National Associate Chair, Irfan Malik among several other eminent guests.

Various celebrations took place across different cities some with distinctive Aussie colour to them.

In a stunning symphony of ancient Indian and modern Australian culture, ‘Jai Shri Ram’ and ‘Aigiri Nandini’ echoed in Sydney as the Consulate General of India, Sydney and Swami Vivekananda Cultural Centre celebrated Diwali in partnership with the Art Gallery of New South Wales.

The programme comprised of various Indian cultural activities including music, dance, a rangoli workshop, and a special tour to celebrate the Festival of Lights. 

Earlier Diwali celebrations took place at the Powerhouse Museum in Castle Hill, Sydney. Powerhouse is Australia’s largest museum group. The programme of music, dance and storytelling was hosted in collaboration with the Consulate General of India, Sydney and the Swami Vivekananda Cultural Centre.

“Bharat Mata Ki Jai’ also reverberated in Sydney as Australian (Sydney) Chapter of ICAI (Institute of Chartered Accountants of India) proudly presented Diwali Gala 2024 in Sydney, inspired by the profound theme “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam” symbolising “The World is One Family.”

In celebration of this concept, CA members and their families created a unique dance drama titled “Life of a CA: Shuddh Desi NRI,” honouring the unity and cultural richness of India. The performances captured the essence of India from 1995 to 2024 through an engaging script, choreography, and a selection of nostalgic music from sources such as Akashvani, Doordarshan, and the iconic song Anekta Mein Ekta (Unity in Diversity) to showcase India’s festivals and traditions.

The Hindu Council of Australia and its various chapters also organised Diwali celebrations across Australia.

The Hindu festival of lights (also known as Deepavali) is celebrated each year on the 15th Day of the ‘Kartik’ month (eight month according to the Hindu calendar) on Amavasya (new moon).

It is commonly celebrated by lighting small oil lamps called diyas, and symbolises the triumph of good over evil, light over darkness, knowledge over ignorance and hope over despair. 

An iconic Australian confectioner, Sticky, known for its handcrafted rock candy, has also embraced the spirit of Diwali by crafting colourful, intricate sweets designed to honour the Hindu cultural tradition of sharing sweets on this festival of lights.

In an exclusive interview with The Australia Today Minister Pradhan mentioned that Australia like India believes that whole of humanity is one family. He also said that he was impressed with Australia’s respect for multiculturalism which was alignd with India’s values.

Minister Pradhan also spoke about the Education agreement between Australia and India to mutually recognise qualifications and recent measures taken by Australia regarding International students. He also mentioned different kinds of networks and tie-ups and between prestigious Indian and Australian Universities like IIT Mumbai and IIT Hyderabad with Monash and spoke about a twinning programme between BITS Pilani and RMIT.

The Minister interacted with the diaspora here and emphasised their importance in the bilateral relationship.

He also interacted with Indian students studying across Australia and mentioned that research collaboration is the bedrock of collaboration between Australia and India. Minister Pradhan highlighted the fact that Indian students are working on cutting-edge research in robotics, chemicals, astrophysics, superconductivity, AI in manufacturing, healthcare, med-tech, climate change, water management and urban planning in Australia.

The Hindu Council of Australia hosted a reception for Minister Pradhan and Minister Clare in Sydney. The highlight of the event was the importance of establishing Australia’s first Hindu school.

Minister Pradhan’s two city (Melbourne-Sydney) three day tour included extensive interactions with stakeholders across the board.

In a significant advancement for gender equity in  science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), five Indian women researchers were awarded fellowships to collaborate with Australian experts on pressing issues such as climate-resilient crops, rabies control, and sustainable fuel cell technology during this visit.

These fellowships, part of the Australia India Women Researchers’ Exchange (AIWE) Program, were announced during the Australia India Education and Skills Council meeting.

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At the heart of FOMA Week was the FOMA Runway and Exhibition, an event that drew fashion enthusiasts, industry experts, and diplomats. This standalone event showcased the collections of both established and emerging designers from Australia and abroad, who brought modern Australian fabrics to life on the runway.

The FOMA runway featured a breathtaking display of cultural diversity and innovative design, with collections that merged traditional techniques with modern aesthetics. Designers from around the world, including those representing First Nations and diverse Australian communities, showcased their craftsmanship through garments that reflected both heritage and contemporary creativity. Each piece on the runway told a unique story, symbolizing the rich cultural tapestry of Australia and its global connections.

The Faces of FOMA program, showcased over 40 nationalities on the runway where Asian, American, and European cultures converged.

The Consulate General of India Sydney and the Swami Vivekananda Cultural Centre collaborated with FOMA to celebrate the rich and vibrant tapestry of Indian textiles in partnership with 5 Pleats by Poornima Menon.

The Embassies of Bhutan, Columbia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Kosovo and Uruguay and the Fiji Consulate General and Trade Commission Australia and New Zealand were also FOMA-in Country Partners this year.

The accompanying exhibition offered attendees a closer look at the intricate details of the garments, allowing them to explore the narratives behind each collection. Visitors could engage with the textiles, learning more about the designers’ creative processes and their commitment to sustainable and ethical fashion. This exhibition highlighted the core values of FOMA: sustainability, innovation, and cultural appreciation.

The FOMA runway wasn’t just about aesthetics; it was also a platform for business, with buyers, trade representatives, and foreign delegations in attendance. The event provided designers with unparalleled exposure, opening doors to international markets and trade partnerships. Several designers secured interest from global retailers, further establishing FOMA as a critical event for Australia’s creative industries and international trade relations.

Sonia Sadiq Gandhi, founder of FOMA and Gandhi Creations, reflected on the success of the runway, saying, “The FOMA Runway is where art meets business. It’s an opportunity for our designers to showcase their work on a global stage while also forging connections that will take Australian fashion to new heights.”

In addition to the FOMA Runway and Exhibition, the week was filled with other notable events, such as the “Threads of Identity” exhibition at SXSW Sydney, the FOMA x Powerhouse Castle Hill “Back of House” Tour, and the festival’s involvement in the Premier’s NSW Export Awards 2024. Through these diverse events, FOMA continued to merge creativity and commerce, elevating Australia’s role in the global fashion industry.

Fabrics of Modern Australia (FOMA) is an annual event celebrating the creative talents of designers working with modern Australian fabrics. Through runway shows, exhibitions, and trade discussions, FOMA serves as a platform for cultural exchange and international commerce, promoting Australia’s diverse design landscape

The reception was attended by Parliamentary Friends of India Chair, Dr Andrew Charlton, Minister for Skills and Training Andrew Giles, Indian High Commissioner to Australia, Gopal Baglay, Consul General of India in Sydney, Dr S. Janakiraman, President of Hindu Council of Australia, Sai Paravastu, and Vice President of Hindu Council of Australia, Surinder Jain.

Pranav Aggarwal, Rajeev Jairam and Ramyavaran Ramaswamy from Hindu Education and Cultural Centre, Murray Norman, CEO, Better Balanced Futures (Faith NSW), Darren Bark, Co-Chair, Better Balanced Futures (Faith NSW), National Associate Chair, Australia India Business Council (AIBC), Irfan Malik and Dr Meenakshi Srinivasan, Founder and Principal, Sydney Sanskrit School, were also present at the event held at law firm Minter Ellison’s premises.

At the reception Minister Clare said that Australia is one of the most multicultural countries in the world today and has seen the Indian-Australian community double in a decade, who are a living bridge between the two countries. He added that the fastest growing religion in Australia is Hinduism and emphasised the importance of having a Hindu School. 

“Drive around Sydney and you will also see public schools, Catholic schools, Islamic schools, Anglican schools, Jewish schools and Buddhist schools. But you won’t see a Hindu school. But the Hindu Council has a plan to change that. You have purchased land in North-West Sydney to build a primary school. It will be operated by the Hindu Education and Cultural Centre.”

“It will deliver the New South Wales curriculum embedded with teachings on Hinduism’s culture, traditions and philosophy. I think, personally, that this is a fantastic initiative. I’ve now got the submission, and I am working on it with the Prime Minister and I want to say to you tonight, I am so keen to work with you on seeing this come to life. Minister Pradhan, I hope when you are back in two years, I will be able to take you to it,” said Minister Clare.

He also mentioned that not far from where this new school will be built, in Greenway Park in Cheerybrook, you’ll find a memorial with the names of 12 Indian Australians on it, men who were born in India and who fought for Australia in World War I. Soldiers like Nain Singh Sailani, a 43-year-old labourer from Perth, and Sarn Singh a 33-year-old farmer from Adelaide.

“In the last 100 years or so our countries have changed a lot. Just imagine what these 12 men would think if they were with us today. I think they’d be proud of the country that we have become, the great multicultural country Australia has become. I think they’d be so excited to see India become a real economic powerhouse. And I think they’d be over the moon to see our two countries working so closely together to make the most of it. Thank you so much to the Hindu Council for organising this special event.”

Minister Pradhan who was on his second visit to Australia spoke about the growing collaboration between the two countries in education and skills sectors. He also praised the Hindu Council of Australia for propagating the message of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ (the world is one family), keeping Indian traditional knowledge and culture alive in Australia and for preserving Sanatan culture, values and traditions.

Dr Charlton also said at the event that the Indian diaspora is the most employed and the most educated diaspora in Australia and highlighted the success and contribution of the diaspora in Australia’s progress.

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Urmi Talukdar is the visionary founder of the Dussehra Exhibition. Dussehra Exhibition is an annual event that celebrates cultural heritage, promotes ethnic products, and empowers women entrepreneurs.

With a deep passion for community engagement and a commitment to supporting small businesses, Urmi established the exhibition as a platform for women, especially working mothers, to showcase their talents and business. She has created a platform for everyday moms and working women, aiming to help them fulfill their dreams and aspirations. Her vision for the Dussehra Exhibition, is to provide a space where women can showcase their talents, entrepreneurial skills, and cultural heritage.

Urmi’s commitment to empowering these women goes beyond mere business; she believes in fostering a supportive community that encourages creativity and collaboration. By highlighting the unique stories and products of these women, she not only uplifts individual aspirations but also strengthens the bonds within the community, making their dreams more achievable.

“The Dussehra Exhibition will continue to invite everyone to explore the diverse offerings and support women in business. It fosters a supportive environment where women feel encouraged to take risks and pursue their business aspirations. Our marketing efforts are not just about sales; they are about uplifting women and building a community that celebrates their achievements. My aim is to promote small businesswomen, helping them gain recognition and thrive in their entrepreneurial journeys”, says Urmi.

The Dussehra Exhibition has become an important space for promoting ethnic products, especially focusing on empowering women from all walks of life. Many of the vendors are working mothers and entrepreneurs who balance their family responsibilities with their passions. The exhibition provides a platform for Women Entrepreneurs with a chance to showcase their creativity and hard work, encouraging them to thrive in their businesses. Utilizing social media platforms, Urmi highlights the stories and products of small businesswomen.

As the Dussehra Exhibition unfolded this year, it brought together an impressive lineup of guests, including prominent women leaders such as NSW MPs Julia Finn, Charishma Kaliyanda, and Donna Davis. Their participation underscored the event’s commitment to celebrating women’s contributions in business, culture, and community.

Dussehra Exhibition drew crowds from across NSW, eager to explore the richness of ethnic attire and support local women-led businesses. Over 35 stalls featured a wide array of ethnic wear, including sarees, designer blouse, lehengas, kurtas, traditional jewelry, handmade jewellery, art, painting, clay pottery and handcrafted accessories. Each vendor brought unique items that told a story, reflecting the diverse cultural heritage of the community.

The Dussehra Exhibition also featured over six food stalls offering delicious traditional delicacies. From mouthwatering sensor based panipuri chaat to aromatic biryanis, samosa, fresh juice and sweet treats, there was something to satisfy everyone. The food stalls, run by local vendors—many of whom were women—added to the festive atmosphere and encouraged conversations, making the event a memorable experience.

The highlight of the day was a fashion show, beautifully choreographed by Debasrita Mukherjee. The fashion show showcased 18 vendors vibrant ethnic products. The exhibition also included live performances by renowned artists Tamal Chakraborty and Ashutosh Jain, along with a delightful dance performance by children from the Nrityam Sydney Dance Studio choreographed by Juhi Bhavsar. These performances created a joyful atmosphere and brought the diverse community together.

“The Dussehra Exhibition is not just a place to shop for festive needs; it’s a celebration of women’s empowerment and cultural values. By supporting these local businesses, attendees & visitors help the community grow economically and show appreciation for the skill and creativity behind each product. The event fosters a sense of community, allowing women to connect, share experiences, and inspire one another” says Urmi emphasising the importance of these events in uplifting women and promoting local businesses.

3VIMA is the first commercial 3D concrete printing company in Australia, focused on a vision to deliver exceptional projects with the use of technology that is clearly foreseen as the future in construction.

CEO and Founder of 3VIMA, Mr Ranganathan, is a visionary determined to implement cutting-edge technology in the construction market and for Australia to stay in the forefront of this innovation in AI and Robotics.

Mr Ranganathan says that 3VIMA can potentially construct a three bedroom house in as less as six weeks leveraging existing skills and trades. This will also generate a faster turnaround of income for the tradies given the shorter construction time.

Mr Ranganathan has a Masters Degree in Engineering from RMIT Australia and has 35 years of corporate experience having worked with global giants like IBM and Fujitsu Australia. But with innovation embedded in his DNA he founded 3VIMA to pursue his entrepreneurial dreams.

This cutting edge technology is literally what it is named, 3D concrete printing!

3VIMA recently added the Special Edition PLATYPUS X4 from LUYTEN to their fleet.

The design of this special edition X4, is exceptional as it does an entire house in a single print setup, it takes less than two hours to assemble on-site. 3VIMA are able to run the printer in shifts around the clock, with extremely low noise factor, which can become a huge advantage when it would be operated with neighbours around.

Speaking about the new edition to his fleet, Mr Rangnathan said,

“We are printing outdoor in regional NSW without worrying about common ailments in 3DCP and the results are flawless, this is a perfected product commercially ready, and it’s not just a robot, there is a real use case of advanced AI algorithms at play, helping to maximise efficiency of the whole construction cycle, thus achieving the savings so many talk about”.

Popularly known as “The 3D Man” Mr Ranganathan worked hand in hand with LUYTEN to prepare his team on understanding the fundamentals of Additive Manufacturing, and properly prepare for what is required in material science and project operations.

The PLATYPUS X4 SE can build entire houses in single prints, with a size of 4 metres in height, 8 metres in width and is modular, with a seamless extendable drive chain capacity.

LUYTEN PLATYPUS Series Printers have gone through many iterations and maturity cycles to be a complete world class system, which is market ready.

Mr Ranganathan says that he chose LUYTEN because of their globally recognised fleet of printers, robust technology, strongly backed support locally, team of deep tech experts and because they have products that are already proven overseas and in Australia.

According to Mr Ranganathan his aim is to expedite the Australian dream of home ownership into a reality through technology along with the luxury of aesthetically pleasing structures which are built to last the test of time.

In recognition of his work the Australia India Business Council (AIBC) felicitated Mr Ranganthan at their Annual Gala Dinner.

“We fundamentally have a social responsibility for the technology to scale and strive to apply it in ways that benefit and is accepted by the wider community. A core principle we believe and strive to always follow is conducting our operations with utmost honesty and integrity.”

“Also, our key vision is to enable the construction industry to be educated in 3DCP and adopt the emerging ways which is the ‘future of construction’. We play our part in mitigating the housing crisis and creating a sustainable future”, says Jai.

Note: Above article is published as per The Australia Today’s global content partnership initiative.

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In the first season, this docu-series covered four enterprising individuals and their migrant stories. The second season brings you insights on an extremely relevant topic of our times, ‘Entrepreneurship in the age of AI’.

The docuseries covers people who are either unknown or invisible in mainstream media. The series is attempting to establish a platform where these founders can be made visible through storytelling hence the name ‘Visible Founders’.

Directed by Indian-Australian entreprenuer Anand Tamboli, the documentary ‘Entrepreneurship in the age of AI’ will be released on YouTube on 18th October.

“This year we have one of the most relevant topics of our times – Artificial Intelligence. AI has become more pervasive than before, and now it matters more to smaller businesses. Learning about the first-hand experiences of migrant small business founders is the key to bring this topic with relevance to the migrant small business community. This documentary is aiming to do that”, says Anand.

The film features Kunal Bhusare, Milind Kulkarni, Bassam Khoreich, Carla Diaz Wadewitz and Anand himself.

The documentary was screened recently at Western Sydney University Launch Pad and is supported by the NSW Government as part of their NSW Small Business Month.

The event included talks by Senior Coordinator, Communications and Activation for Launch Pad (Startup Incubator) at WSU, Mabel Joe and Australia India Business Council (AIBC) Associate Chair Irfan Malik and a panel discussion on the impact of AI by the entrepreneurs featured in the film.

Among those who have been re-elected as councillors are Sameer Pandey (Parramatta), Moninder Singh (Blacktown) and Susai Benjamin OAM (Blacktown) from Labor and Reena Jethi (The Hills Shire), Sreeni Pillamarri (Parramatta) and Sandhya (Sandy) Reddy (Strathfield) from the Liberals.

Mr Pillamarri was earlier a councillor from Hornsby but this time contested the elections from Epping Ward in Parramatta while Ms Reddy had won her seat as an Independent in the previous election but this time contested as a Liberal candidate.

There are also several new councillors of Indian origin. Mohit Kumar, Pradeep Pathi and Jugandeep Singh from the Liberals have all won from Blacktown. Mandeep Sunny Singh from the Liberals has won in Northern beaches.

Among the Independents, Barbara Ward (lLiberal leaning) has retained her seat in the Ku-ring-gai council while Indu Balachandran has also been elected councillor in the same council for the first time. Both of them have been elected from the Gordon Ward.

The NSW Local Government Elections were held on 14th September 2024. You can catch the full election resulsts at NSW Local Elections website.

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The event included a welcome address by NSW MP Julia Finn, representing NSW Premier Chris Minns and Australia-India Cultural Synergies keynote address by Warren Kirby Co-chair NSW Parliamentary Friends of India. NSW Minister for Women, Jodie Harrison, NSW MLC Jacqui Munro and NSW MPs Nathan Hagarty, Charishma Kaliyanda, Tim James, Matt Cross and Stephen Bali also spoke at the event to perpetuate and celebrate Gandhian principles and values.

_{(Images: Shantana Deka Dutta)}

SRf is committed to promoting sustainable peace, resilient communities, and socio-economic development in honour of Mahatma Gandhi’s Birth Anniversary or ‘Gandhi Jayanti’ (2nd October International Day of Non-Violence), which it has been commemorating every year since 2021.

2024 onwards, SRf’s focus is on the ‘Women, Peace & Security’ (WPS) Global Agenda, highlighting Mahatma Gandhi’s advocacy for the participation of women in Satyagraha movements, which marked a significant contribution to both women’s empowerment and the promotion of peace and non-violence.

_{(Images: Shantana Deka Dutta)}

A call-to-action, the Global Peacebuilders Forum 2024 panel discussion, featured Patricia Garcia AO, Dr Astrid Perry OAM, Dr Anna Cody, Saroni Roy, and launched ‘Super Naari – A Period Equity Initiative’, to address the global peace economics crisis of period poverty. The initiative ‘Mission: 1 Million Super Naaris’ is to create opportunities and equitable access to basic human rights for girls and women, leading to reduced school drop-out rates, accelerated participation at work, sports, aviation, business and more, destigmatizing menstrual health, offering a life of dignity in vulnerable and less-privileged communities.

“Protecting and respecting women’s rights to reproductive health care is essential for gender equity and for building peaceful and resilient communities. Super Naari aims to inform, educate, and communicate the WPS crisis of ‘Period Poverty’, democratising and destigmatising menstruation,” said Saroni Roy, Founder & CEO, SRf.

The event featured Super Naari Awards 2024 for Outstanding Contribution towards ‘Women Peace & Security’ Global Agenda, and the ‘SRf Creatists For Peace’ segment included live performance of Mahatma Gandhi’s favourite songs by Saroni Roy along with Tanima Banerjee’s dance performance, leading duo Abhinav Bose & Rai Ali from Sarhad Project, ‘Mahatma My Hero’ speech by Prahar, Theatre Performance of ‘Gandhiji The World Needs You’ by Bandana Cultural School, ‘Spirit of Super Naari’ showcased through Raja Ravi Verma’s portrait of Damyanti, woven in Maheshwari Silk in collaboration with Saree Selections.

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During Mr Goyal’s visit Invest India and Austrade have signed an MoU to enhance investment relations, promote trade, support businesses, and foster economic growth.

Trade Minister Don Farrell and Minister Goyal co-chaired the 19th India-Australia Joint Ministerial Commission meeting today in Adelaide to discuss ways to further elevate the bilateral economic engagement.

Mr Goyal also visited the Lot Fourteen Innovation District in Adelaide.

He also met with Premier of South Australia Peter Malinauskas and the Governor of South Australia Frances Adamson.

Earlier in Sydney, in an exclusive interview with The Australia Today, Mr Goyal said that the aim should be to have $500 billion bilateral trade between the two countries by 2030.

Mr Goyal had several productive engagements with various stakeholders in Sydney and also met with NSW Premier Chris Minns.

Mr Goyal attended a business roundtable hosted by the Business Council of Australia in which prominent Australian and Indian CEOs participated and invited Australian business leaders to explore the opportunities presented by the high and sustained economic growth in India.  

He also met senior representatives from the Australian pension funds. Discussions focused on the robust policies and reform agenda of the Government of India which have boosted investor confidence. The Minister encouraged greater investments into the emerging sectors in the Indian market viz renewable energy, manufacturing, education, fintech, agritech etc.

Mr Goyal had a productive meeting with Tania Constable, CEO of the Minerals Council of Australia regarding ways to strengthen collaboration in the critical minerals sector between India and Australia. He also met Joel Katz, Managing Director of the Cruise Lines International Association to explore opportunities for enhancing coastal tourism in India. The Minister interacted with Robin Khuda, Founder & CEO of AirTrunk and discussed India’s digitalisation growth and the significant potential for collaboration in the data infrastructure sector.

^{(Images: @PiyushGoyal / X)}

The Centre for Australia-India Relations hosted a lunch in honour of the Minister with members of their Director network. Mr Goyal also interacted with the representatives of the Indian-Australian community at a reception hosted by the Consulate General of India at Sydney Cricket Ground.

He then offered prayers at the BAPS Swaminarayan temple in Parramatta and recalled his previous visit to the temple in 2022.

The event was attended by Dr Andrew Charlton, Chair of Parliamentary Friends of India and Warren Kirby, Co-chair of NSW Parliamentary Friends of India. 

The Minister’s official bilateral engagements included the reception hosted in his honour by Australia-India Business Council (AIBC) and NSW Parliamentary Friends of India in the Parliament of New South Wales.

He also had a fireside chat with Asialink Business CEO Leigh Howard and addressed the ‘Emerging Business Leaders Reception’ hosted by the India Australia Business & Community Alliance (IABCA)

Mr Goyal reiterated the importance of the bilateral economic relationship and spoke about the opportunities to take Australia-India business collaboration to the world at the IABCA reception.

He also attended The Confederation of Real Estate Developers Associations of India’s 22nd National conference which was being held in Sydney.

The World Malayalee Council (WMC) Far East Asia and Australia Region, in collaboration with Metro Malayalam, hosted spectacular Onam celebrations at the Joan Sutherland Performing Arts Centre, Penrith. The event was a beautiful showcase of unity, cultural diversity, and the rich heritage of Kerala, drawing attendees from various backgrounds and cultures.

The event saw the participation of over 300 Indian-Australian female artists from Sydney who put their heart and soul into their performances.

The “Voice of Kerala” event, orchestrated by Dr. Smitha Balu and her team, added a musical flair to the celebration with the musical segment being presented by the talented group Team ‘Utsavayaanam.’ It featured a special song penned by Kerala’s own Prof. V Madhusoodhanan Nair and composed by the renowned Chirayankeezhu Sudheesh, blending classical charm with folk undertone. The concluding performance from the Carnatic tradition by K C Keshava Pillai, wrapped up the segment on a high note.

The celebration featured a variety of performances, primarily showcasing Kerala’s traditional art forms. Kathakali, Mohiniyattam, Kalaripayattu, Theyyam, and several other traditional art forms were brought to life by Manisha Mohandas Vipin and her team, captivating the audience with their artistry.

In addition to these vibrant acts, the Kerala Art Forms segment uniquely portrayed Kerala’s heritage through seven different acts, including a contemporary display inspired by Raja Ravi Varma’s paintings and a theatrical movement piece called ‘Saga of White and Gold’, visualizing Kerala’s ritualistic art forms. The audience was further treated to the powerful ‘Rhythm of Kalari’, a concept highlighting women empowerment through Kalari and classical dance.

The stage came alive with the rhythms and colors of Kerala as performers brought the essence of Onam to life. A fashion show led by Beena C. Menon and her team also showcased various items, including costumes of traditional brides of Kerala, different varieties of sarees, and other unique items. The fashion show went beyond Kerala, presenting a wide variety of ethnic styles from across India.

Nisha Manath and her team presented Indian art forms from almost 14 states, each performance reflecting the cultural richness of the country. The Indian Art Form segment opened with the graceful ‘Bharatanatyam’ from Tamil Nadu, followed by beautiful performances of ‘Mohiniyattam’, ‘Kuchipudi’, ‘Odissi’, ‘Kathak’ and ‘Kolata’ to name a few.

The event also featured the folk dances ‘Garba’ from Gujarat, ‘Bathukamma’ from Telangana, ‘Bhangra’ from Punjab and ‘Sattriya’ performance from Assam.This diverse portrayal of various states’ performances was able to paint a vivid picture of India’s cultural diversity on the stage. The event concluded with the Indian national song “Vande Mataram,” where all participants gathered on stage in their vibrant costumes, with one participant proudly holding the Indian flag. This powerful moment created a deep sense of pride and emotional connection among all present.

NSW MPs Julia Finn and Charishma Kaliyanda were among the dignitaries who attended the event and did so wearing their beautiful six yards.

The event was a true celebration of cultural diversity, with people from multicultural backgrounds coming together to enjoy the festivities.

Onam celebrations also took place in Melbourne. The Kerala Hindu Society Melbourne Inc. celebrated Onam with the women’s team performing a breathtaking ‘Kinnamkali’. Shyama Sasidharan, played a crucial role in making it special.

The event was attended by Consul General of India in Melbourne, Sushil Kumar, Federal Shadow Minister for Multicultural Affairs, Jason Wood, and Victorian MP Brad Battin

Onam festivities took place in Perth as well organised by various associations. Consul General of India in Perth, Amarjeet Singh Takhi, attended the celebrations organised by Perth United Malayalee Association Inc – (PUMA). The Malayalee Association of Perth (MAP) and Malayalee Association of Western Australia (MAWA) also hosted Onam celebrations with lively cultural events.

_{(Images: Indian Society of WA, Indian Consulate in Perth, Malayalee Association of Perth/ Facebook)}

Several Indian-origin Councillors across party lines are re-contesting their seats. Sameer Pandey (Parramatta), Raj Datta (Strathfield), Moninder Singh (Blacktown) and Khushpinder Kaur (Blacktown) from Labor, Reena Jethi (The Hills Shire), Sreeni Pillamarri (Epping) from Liberals and Sandhya (Sandy) Reddy (Strathfield) from Liberals are all in the contest to keep their seats. Ms Reddy had contested and won as an Independent in the previous elections.

There are also several new entrants on the block including Manjula Viswanath (The Hills Shire), Satvik Sharma (Strathfield), Mandeep Sunny Singh (Pittwater), Vijay Sharma (Rosehill) and Samyuta Pillamarri (Hornsby) from Liberal and Dr Neeraj Duggal (Blacktown), Vivek Goyal (Canada Bay), Mithun Chakraborty (Rosehill) and Ahalya Rentala (Blacktown) from Labor. We also have Dr Saba Nabi OAM standing as an Independent from Wagga Wagga. Others who are contesting include Mohit Kumar, (Blacktown) and Pradeep Pathi (Blacktown) from the Liberals.

The NSW Local Government Elections will be held on 14th September 2024. You can get all the information about the elections and candidates from the NSW Local Elections website. Do exercise your fundamental duty and vote for your local council elections and good luck to all the candidates.

Dussehra is just around the corner and shoppers are busy buying a variety of items for their families and loved ones. Although the festival is in October, the sale of festive products has already begun. The Dussehra Exhibition in Granville, Sydney, on 28th September 2024, offers a unique experience where you can visit multiple stores, select your outfits and do your Puja shopping for the family. The exhibition will have clothes (from sarees to lehengas), shoes and jewellery all under one roof.

There will also be a collection of designer blouses. With a diverse and colourful collection of jewellery and ethnic wear, jutties and traditional footwear, souvenirs, wall hangings, and traditional arts, shoppers will find colourful options for adults as well as kids. According to the organiser of the exhibition, Urmi Talukdar, pocket-friendly prices make it a must-visit with friends.

“The shoes available here are both affordable and of good quality. So, don’t forget to visit the Dussehra Exhibition before Puja. Additionally, colourful and comfortable outfits for children and traditional Punjabi and dhoti for men are available. You can also enjoy delicious Puja foods like fuchka, chaat, sweets, traditional foods, fish chop, kachori alur dom, tea, Aam panna, and many more. Everything is available under one roof at the Dussehra Exhibition,” said Urmi.

The exhibition will also have a fashion show and live music by Ashutosh Jain and Tamal Chakraborty. The festival-themed fashion show will have local talented artists do a ramp walk to showcase the vendors’ products. Shoppers can see the products and buy them on the spot if they like them. Special attractions include face painting, outdoor play area, and a toy shop for kids. The entry is free for the event.

Ethnic Bazaar Australia is also launching its digital platform “e-Bazaar”. This online platform aims not only to sell ethnic products but also engage with consumers directly, build relationships and enable vendors’ businesses to reach more people 24/7 through online marketplaces.

If you are attending, you can register as a visitor to win a surprise gift.

For more information visit their website www.Ebazaar.au

Organised a day before Janmashtami (Hindu festival celebrating the birth of Bhagwan Krishna), Sydney Sanskrit school students welcomed Sri Krishna with verses from His own Divine Song, the Bhagavad Gita.

Shlokas 1-15 from Chapter 3 as well as a few subhashitams were chosen for this year’s competition. A total of 148 children registered to participate and they were divided into groups based on their age.

The programme received Janmashtami blessings from Sri Srinivasan Varanasi from the Australian Chapter of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetha Seva Samiti. The event began with prayers by the teachers and lighting of the lamp followed by a welcome to several eminent guests including Founder President, Association of Haryanvis in Australia, Sewa Singh, Director, Swami Vivekananda Cultural Centre Sydney, Niyati Mehta, President, Hindu Council of Australia, Sai Paravastu and Vijay Singhal from Hindu Council of Australia.

The participants were divided into separate groups and the competition was held in 0- 4 stages. Stage 0 and 1 had the youngest ones paricipating with Sudha Prasad and Mangala Kumsi as the judges.

Stage 2 had the maximum number of participants with Bhanu Chotera, Gayatri Madali and Nikhila Kiran as judges. Stages 3 and 4 included children aged 11 and over and had to chant as well as explain the Gita shlokas. The judges for these stages were Amita Bhatt, Lakshmi Alavandi and Shobhanjali. As always, the children performed beautifully, making the judges’ job all the more gruelling.

Congregating back for the valedictory function, the crowd witnessed a melodious Ganesha Vandana and sang along a bhajan as the Krishna pooja was being performed.

Eight Australian writers with connections to Western Sydney were commissioned to develop stories that bring to life experiences and imaginings central to the river – a place of conflict, rebirth, joy, possibility and of coming together across time and culture.

Award-winning writer Felicity Castagna is the commissioning editor, bringing together contributors Lachlan Brown, Fiona Murphy, Vivian Pham, Willem Brussen, Jiva Parthipan, Maarama Kāmira and Anwen Crawford to contribute to the series. Each writer was selected for their unique literary style, responding to the river in their own way, from personal essays exploring cultural connections and rituals, to conversations with Dharug Elders and a poet’s impression.

Conor O’Brien was commissioned by Powerhouse Artistic Associate Zan Wimberley to create a series of new images and Joseph Mayers has contributed images that capture the cultural landscapes of the river. The River is part of the museum’s new initiative, Powerhouse Writing, a project that embeds writing across the museum through storytelling. It brings new perspectives to the Powerhouse Collection and the applied arts and sciences, while shining a light on the communities and landscapes surrounding Powerhouse Parramatta. It is an ongoing project encompassing digital stories, publications and program commissions.

Powerhouse Head of Writing, Jemma Birrell, says that like the Parramatta River, this collection is both local and specific yet also universal, connecting to other parts of the world. These stories are rich and varied, and the notion of Country is central. It’s an incredible range of perspectives on the river which, as Maarama Kāmira says ‘watches and gathers our fleeting stories’.

Speaking to the The Australia Today, Jeema added that stories around the river were one way of exploring notions of Country central to opening Powerhouse Parramatta.

“When I started at Powerhouse one of the first projects I started working on was a series of writing commissions around the Parramatta River.

I asked writer and artist Felicity Castagna (who has lived close to the river for many years), to be the commissioning editor. She’s brought together 7 other established and emerging writers connected to Western Sydney. Their essays (and poetry in one case) are rich and varied, bringing a kaleidoscopic impression of the river, as well as new histories and perspectives

Powerhouse also commissioned images of the landscape surrounding the river, which are published alongside the writing and bring their own interpretation.”

Speaking about the project, Powerhouse Chief Executive Lisa Havilah said,

“Powerhouse Writing continues our support of Australian writers through commissions, collaborations, residencies and events, helping develop and grow our arts ecosystem while enabling national and international connections. ‘The River’ is one of the first projects in this initiative and I’m proud of the writers and image makers we can showcase through this series and the stories so closely connected to Powerhouse Parramatta.”

Commissioning Editor Felicity Castagna mentions that she walks the river every day and thinks about the layers of history that are underneath her feet.

“In editing ‘The River’ I’ve been given the impossible task of trying to gather together all those layers of story which extend 60,000 years back in time to when First Nations people traded here to the present, where it is still, first and foremost, a gathering space for the local communities around it. ‘Through this dynamic and diverse collection of writers that have all gathered here in their own ways, I hope I’ve managed to capture what it means to be here and why the river is such an important part of our local and national story.”

Felicity told The Australia Today that it’s been such a privilege to be able to help bring all those stories of a place that she feels so connected with to the general public.

“I walk the river every day and I think about all the many layers of story that are held there in both the natural and man made environment. There are still chemicals in the soil from the many factories that have lined the river over time. Underneath the ground, there are still the bodies of people who were held there in asylums and orphanages and  religious and state institutions. It has this huge history which spans back many thousands of years and which I’m a small part of now.”

“I’m really interested in the way that I’ve watched the landscape develop over the years as a local. There’s this incredibly striking contrast between the 15,000 year old mangrove forests on the river’s edge and all these hyper new, incredibly tall and shiny apartment blocks going up around them. In my essay, I wanted to capture that sense of a city in flux – one that exists simultaneously in the past and the present.

Firstly, the river always was and always will be Burramattagal country. Secondly, it’s important to explore how the many generations of migrants use the river now in their own ways – from promenading up and down the river like they may have in their home country, to fishing, engaging in religious rituals and bringing different communities together around the river through eating and cooking there”, added Felicity.

Fiona Murphy is one of the contributors to the series. Fiona told The Australia Today that she was immediately drawn to the concept.

“While the river is a specific location it is inherently ever changing as it moves through the landscape. As a writer it is a pleasure to write about something that is charged with momentum and lifeforce.” 

“I was keen to show readers what it is like to move through the world as a deaf person, especially moving through a well known location. While most people assume deafness is a state of sensory deprivation, it really is one of alertness — watching, feeling, tasting, and responding to the world.”

Willem Brussen, who was also among the contributors to the series told The Australia Today, what was the inspiration behind his piece.

“The inspiration was to talk to three Elders who I respect deeply and to understand their connection to the river and the area. Through having these yarns and sharing stories this made me reflect further on my own connections to the area. I felt particular resonance to Aunty Julie Christian’s connection to a tree nearby to the river. The imagery of the tree growing through the fence underpinned the resilience of stories that were shared throughout. Whether they be the stories of frontier warriors shared by Uncle Chris Tobin or reflections shared through the work that Aunty Karen Maber does now in Parramatta with The Dharug Keeping Place.” 

“When I started writing the piece I didn’t really know where it would go, I knew I wanted to have conversations with my Elders and let that guide the direction. I felt fortunate to be able to have yarns with my Elders that I might not necessarily have had the opportunity without the means of writing this piece for the Powerhouse.”  

Willem also mentioned how important it is to have diverse voices while weaving histories of ancient lands and cultures.

“Both Aunty Karen and Uncle Chris spoke about how Parramatta is a meeting place, and it always has been. As such it is a place where people from all walks of life can come together. I think it’s really important to capture those voices and the varied as well as shared histories of those voices.”

Jiva Parthipan, another contributor to the series, reflects upon the role of rivers in cultural continuity across continents. Jiva told The Australia Today that he thinks of the river’s functions in both physical and emotional spaces, and how we ascribe our personal, political, environmental and cultural histories to landscapes.

“With over eighty percent of our bodies compromising water, it’s only apt we come and end our lives with water”, added Jiva.

Punjab Cultural Society, led by Ravinder Singh Ranguwal, enthralled audiences with their dances, songs and music as they toured Sydney and Adelaide. They Swami Vivekananda Cultural Centre in Sydney (SVCC) hosted the ICCR emapnelled troupe and organised their programmes.

On 15th August, in celebration of Indian Independence Day, Punjab Cultural Society performed at the Swami Vivekananda Cultural Centre, Consulate General of India, Sydney in the morning and then proceeded to electrify the atmosphere at the Sydney Cricket Ground in the evening. This was the very first time that a dance troupe from India had performed inside the iconic cricket stadium on a stage as part of a cultural programme. The fabulous dances left the audiences mesmerised.

Watch Video: Punjab Cultural Society performing at Sydney Cricket during India’s 78th Independence Day Celebrations (Courtesy: ICCR in Australia)

Speaking exclusively to The Australia Today Mr Ranguwal said that he was enjoying his time in Australia and was really happy to have performed Bhangra and Giddha at the SCG.

Besides the vibrant performances, the troupe had a folk dance workshop for the children and teachers at the Sydney Sanskrit School.

The Swami Vivekananda Cultural Centre and the Indo-Aust Bal Bharathi Vidyalaya also organised a Punjabi workshop at Plumpton High School in Adelaide. The students had a wonderful time learning different dances with the Punjab Cultual Society.

They did a variety of performances across the two cities with traditional musical instruments as well as Bhangra, Giddha, Sammie, Jhumar and others.

Support Our Journalism

Global Indian Diaspora and Australia’s multicultural communities need fair, non-hyphenated, and questioning journalism, packed with on-ground reporting. The Australia Today – with exceptional reporters, columnists, and editors – is doing just that. Sustaining this needs support from wonderful readers like you. Whether you live in Australia, the United Kingdom, Canada, the United States of America, or India you can take a paid subscription by clicking Patreon and support honest and fearless journalism.

Government of India implemented a major financial sector reform by establishing and
operationalizing India’s maiden International Financial Services Centre (IFSC) in Gujarat
International Financial Tech City (GIFT City). The vision of the Government is to develop GIFT IFSC as a leading internationally recognized financial centre with best-in-class business regulations, competitive tax regime and ease of doing business. The IFSC is a special international financial jurisdiction, which has been designated as a non-resident zone under Foreign Exchange Management (FEM) Regulations. This status enables transactions to be carried out in notified eleven foreign currencies including AUD.

The Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, during his visit to GIFT IFSC in July 2022 articulated his vision for GIFT City and stated that “the vision of India’s future is associated with GIFT City, which is an important gateway to connect India with global opportunities”. He further stated that “if one integrates with GIFT City, one will integrate with whole world”.

To promote ease of doing business and provide for dedicated regulatory intervention, Government of India through an Act of Parliament (2019) set up the International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA) as a unified regulator for development and regulation of financial markets in the IFSCs in India. From 1st October 2020, IFSCA assumed powers of four domestic sectoral regulators namely Reserve Bank of India (RBI), Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) & Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA), in so far as development and regulation of financial products, financial institutions and financial services within the IFSCs in concerned.

In the last three years, GIFT IFSC has witnessed substantial growth across entire spectrum of financial services activities including Banking, Capital Markets, Insurance, Funds Industry, Aircraft Leasing, Ship leasing, FinTech, Foreign Universities, etc. With internationally aligned regulatory regime, competitive tax structure and beneficial cost of operations, GIFT IFSC is fast emerging as a prominent international jurisdiction for availing wide array of international financial Services. As of July 2024, more than 600 + entities across Banks, Capital Markets, Insurance, FinTech, Aircraft Leasing, Ship Leasing, Bullion Exchange, etc have been registered1 with the IFSCA. Including all entities registered, licenced, authorized and notified by IFSCA. The financial services market is gaining momentum with healthy and growing participation of global and domestic financial services institutions.

According to International Financial Services Centre at GIFT City its key advantages are as follows:
a) IFSC is a separate financial jurisdiction within India, which is treated as a non-resident zone under Foreign Exchange Regulations.
b) The IFSC enables global investors and financial services firms to access India’s large hinterland economy in a more efficient manner.
c) IFSCA has been set up as an agile, unified and dedicated authority for development and regulation of financial markets in GIFT IFSC (ease of doing business).
d) IFSC offers globally aligned regulatory architecture across banking, capital markets, insurance, fintech, aircraft leasing and financing, ship leasing and financing, etc.
e) Access to large talent pool of skilled human resource both in financial and IT sector.
f) The IFSC offers globally competitive tax regime with special tax incentives.
g) IFSC offers beneficial cost of operation viz-a-viz other global financial centres
h) Geo-strategic location of GIFT IFSC allows IFSC to serve different time zones from Japan to the United States of America

Key achievement of phase one according to IFSCA are:
a) Comprehensive regulations (29 Regulations,16+ Frameworks) aligned to international best practices, have been brought out which for banking, capital markets, insurance, funds industry, foreign universities, fintech, aircraft & ship leasing, global in-house centres, etc.

b) A well-developed financial sector ecosystem comprising world-class market infrastructure institutions, fund administration, custodial services, trusteeship services, consultancy services, legal advisory services, wealth advisory services, audit services, international trade finance services platform etc.

c) A growing banking sector comprising of 28 banks (12 foreign banks and 16 Indian banks). ANZ bank has received approval from IFSCA to set up its IFSC Banking Unit. The total banking asset size in IFSC has grown to USD 62 Bn. (June 2024) and the cumulative bank transactions have crossed USD 884 Bn. (June 2024).

d) IFSCA has recently notified (Bookkeeping, Accounting, Taxation, and Financial
Crime Compliance Services) Regulations, 2024 which provides a unique opportunity
for global firms including Australian firms to offer book-keeping, accounting,
taxation, and financial crime compliance services to non-resident clients in an
efficient and seamless manner from GIFT IFSC.

e) Gaining recognition as a preferred destination for India centric funds. Till June 2024, 130 Fund Management Entities have been registered by IFSCA. The FMEs have launched 148 funds (Private Equity funds, Venture Capital Funds and Hedge Funds) with targeted corpus to the tune of USD 38 Bn

f) The insurance and re-insurance ecosystem are gradually picking up pace with 12 Insurance offices and 23 intermediaries now having presence in IFSC.

g) Several measures have been taken to position IFSC as a ‘Global FinTech Hub’. IFSCA FinTech Entity (FE) Framework 2022 and FinTech Incentive Scheme have been notified.

h) Deakin University and University of Wollongong became the first two foreign universities to set up International Branch Campuses in GIFT IFSC. Deakin University has started its academic operations from GIFT IFSC with launch of two master’s Courses.

i) Steps have been taken to development of GIFT IFSC as a Sustinable Finance Hub. Cumulative ESG listing to the tune of USD 12.60 Bn have been listing on IFSC Exchanges.

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The picture above is from the wedding of America’s Republican Party’s Vice Presidential pick J.D. Vance and his Indian origin wife Usha Chilukuri Vanca. Usha is a successful lawyer. She has a Bachelor’s degree in History from Yale University, is a Gates Cambridge Scholar and a graduate from Yale Law School. She met J. D. Vance at Yale Law School.

38-year-old J. D. Vance is a US marine veteran, lawyer, author of the best-selling book Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis (which was made into a movie), venture capitalist and junior Senator from the state of Ohio. Republican Presidential nominee and former US President Donald Trump officially announced J.D. Vance as his running mate at the ongoing Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Former President Trump recently survived a miraculous assassination attempt on his life while he was addressing a crowd of supporters in Butler, Pennsylvania. The convention was his first public appearance after the attack on his life.

Senator Vance is also a classmate of another prominent Republican figure Vivek Ramaswamy. Ramaswamy, who is a self-made business tycoon, had also put his hat in the fray for becoming the Republican nominee for the Presidential election but eventually put his support behind former President Donald Trump.

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Global Indian Diaspora and Australia’s multicultural communities need fair, non-hyphenated, and questioning journalism, packed with on-ground reporting. The Australia Today – with exceptional reporters, columnists, and editors – is doing just that. Sustaining this needs support from wonderful readers like you.

Whether you live in Australia, the United Kingdom, Canada, the United States of America, or India you can take a paid subscription by clicking Patreon and support honest and fearless journalism.

The launch signifies a unique milestone in promoting classical languages and fostering multicultural understanding within the community. Almost all the children who sang the anthem in Sanskrit are born and raised in Australia. They are all students of the Sydney Sankrit School and are dedicated to the pursuit of Sanskrit language studies.

Exclusive: Children singing Australian National Anthem ‘Advance Australia Fair’ in Sanskrit

The anthem which is perhaps the first of its kind in the world is written by the Sydney Sankrit School (and copyrighted to them). We are sharing it on popular demand.

The event was part of the Paniniyam Grammar Camp 2024 (6-9 July) organised by Sydney Sanskrit School.The camp that started with just 13 students in 2015, saw a gathering of 70 plus participants this year across Basic, Intermediate, and Advanced learning levels. The students, most of whom are born and raised in Australia, are dedicated to the pursuit of Sanskrit language studies.

Dr Meena Srinivasan is the founder and principal of Sydney Sanskrit School. She told the The Australia Today that her students are her prerna (inspiration).

The camp had yoga and meditation sessions along with intensive learning of Sanskrit grammar. Some of the students of the Sydney Sanskrit School have now grown to become senior teachers at the school.

Children singing Sanskrit shlok ‘Asato Ma Sadgamaya’ (Take me from untruth to the truth)

NSW MP Charishma Kaliyanda, who is the first India born Australian to become a member of the NSW Legislative assembly also attended the inauguration of the camp this year and emphasised the importance of preserving our culture, tradition, and languages.

The highlight of the camp was the launch of the Sanskrit musical band who also delighted everyone with their songs in Sanskrit.

They also sang a song describing the beauty of Campbell (a suburb in Sydney)

Founded in 2006, Sydney Sanskrit School is the first such school in the southern hemisphere

Support Our Journalism

Global Indian Diaspora and Australia’s multicultural communities need fair, non-hyphenated, and questioning journalism, packed with on-ground reporting. The Australia Today – with exceptional reporters, columnists, and editors – is doing just that. Sustaining this needs support from wonderful readers like you.

Whether you live in Australia, the United Kingdom, Canada, the United States of America, or India you can take a paid subscription by clicking Patreon and support honest and fearless journalism.

The Sensex has seen a rise of over 10% since January this year.

India’s GDP growth for FY24 also beat expectations with the Indian economy growing at a staggering 8.2%.

India is also expected to remain the world’s fastest growing major economy for FY25.

India is currently the fifth largest economy in the world in nominal terms (third biggest on purchasing power parity) behind US, China, Germany and Japan. However, it is expected to surpass Japan by 2025.

Stock exchanges in Japan and Taiwan also hit an all time high with mostly a rally in Asia-Pacific markets.

In terms of numbers, in 2020, before Covid 19 shook the world, 39% of all Australian goods were exported to China and 27% of all goods imported were from China. Now to have this level of exposure even with a friendly country with a shared value system could be concerning enough but to have it with a country that is a potential threat to your national security was alarming.

In order to reduce its dependency on China, Australia would have to slowly but steadily expand its trade relations with other countries and obviously one of the first countries that would come to anyone’s mind would be India. The one country which could enable Australia to tangibly hedge its risks.

However, it seems that instead of weaning off from China, there are allegedly vested interests within Australia who are hell bent on derailing Australia’s relationship with India, a fellow democracy and the fastest growing major economy in the world.

One glaring example of this is the escalating propaganda against India and more recently the brazen demonising of the Indian diaspora in Australia by some sections of the mainstream media.

A recent report by the ABC was so preposterous that two notable political figures commented on it. Former High Commissioner of Australia to India, Barry O’Farrell while speaking to local media suggested that the report was one-sided while Labour MP from Parramatta, Dr Andrew Charlton, issued a statement saying that media coverage should be balanced.

The media in Australia, left or right leaning, rarely publicises positive news on India and has mostly covered India through the stereotypical western colonial lens. However, the kind of blatant propaganda that one has seen post Covid seems unlikely to be a coincidence.

It has now reached a point where alleged extremist sympathisers are being condoned putting the security of all Australians at risk. Some sections of the mainstream media in Australia are condoning Khalistan extremism, a movement with a known history of unlawful violence including the assassination of India’s former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1984 and the worst aviation terror attack before 9/11, the bombing of Air India Flight 182 in 1985.

Khalistan Terrorism

India was rocked by Khalistan terrorism through the 1980s. Thousands of Hindus and Sikhs were killed in the Indian state of Punjab by terrorists who were supported by Pakistan’s intelligence agency the ISI. The Khalistani terrorists fought against India for a separate state for the Sikhs carved out only from Indian Punjab, not from the large region of Punjab that remains in Pakistan.

When India was partitioned based on the communal agenda of leaders like Mohammed Ali Jinnah who believed that Muslims can’t live with Hindus, Punjab was partitioned too. Given the communal nature of the new state carved out of India, not just the Hindus but all other minorities in these areas suffered a huge blow (the very few left continue to do so).

Before the partition of India, it is estimated that over 2 million Sikhs lived in what is now the territory of Pakistan, especially in Pakistan’s Punjab region. Today that figure ranges between 10,000 to 50,000 approximately around 0.01% of Pakistan’s population.

On the other hand in India the Sikh population has grown by over 200% during the corresponding period to over 20 million. Sikhs are involved in every sphere of activity in India with two of the past ten Army Chiefs in India belonging to the Sikh faith. India had a Sikh Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, for ten years (2004-2014).

The birthplace of the founder of Sikhism, Guru Nanak Devji, is located in Nankana Sahib, Pakistan. The Pakistani city of Lahore was the capital of the Sikh King Ranjit Singh (popularly known as Sher-e-Punjab or the ‘Lion of Punjab’) who ruled in the early half of the 19th century. Given the near ethnic cleansing of the Sikhs from Pakistan in spite of the rich Sikh history of the region, the agenda of the Khalistani separatists has been a matter of grave concern for Sikhs in India and around the world.

While Khalistan terrorism was brought to an end by India within its territory almost thirty years ago, some groups of Khalistani separatists and their supporters have remained active in some western countries allegedly with support from Pakistan’s ISI.

India’s late Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi, belonged to the Congress party which is currently in opposition in India. She was shot dead by her own Sikh bodyguards during the height of Khalistan terrorism in 1980s. Her assassination was tragically followed by mass murders of Sikhs (the official death count is over 3000 in New Delhi and over 8000 across India) allegedly by members of Mrs. Gandhi’s political party. The BJP led NDA government in India is pursuing some cases related to those killings and was thanked by Sikh leaders in India for doing so.

But the one-sided reporting on this issue in some sections of Western media including Australia inaccurately seem to suggest that this issue is driven by tensions between Hindus and Sikhs in the diaspora predominantly because of the current government in India. Not only is this intentional propaganda against India but it is also racial and religious vilification of the hugely successful Indian diaspora and the Hindu and Sikh communities.

Most Sikhs are proud Indians. According to a Pew Research in (2021) 98% of Sikhs said that respecting India was important to them while 97% of Sikhs said that they are proud to be Indian. The same survey also says that 70% of Sikhs say that you cannot be a Sikh if you disrespect India.

Some sections in the media here repeatedly call Khalistani extremists ‘Sikh activists or Sikh separatists’ (which is like calling Neo-Nazis ‘Christian activists’ or members of IRA ‘Catholic separatists’). This is to give an extremist movement a false veneer of legitimacy. They cherry pick information in order to paint a fake narrative. For instance while reporting on Hardip Singh Nijjar, a Khalistani extremist, who was shot in Canada, the reporting will intentionally omit the fact that he was on a US and Canadian no-fly list and had an interpol red-corner notice against him. According to the US Transportation Security Administration (TSA) “The No Fly List” is a small subset of the U.S. government Terrorist Screening Database (also known as the terrorist watchlist).

The reporting also fails to mention that before Mr Nijjar was murdered there was another high profile figure related to Khalistan who was murdered in Canada in July 2022. Ripudaman Singh Malik was a former Khalistan extremist but had more recently thanked the Indian PM Modi for taking positive steps for Sikhs. He was shot dead outside his family business in Surrey B.C. in Canada. Information like this is intentionally omitted in reports by western media to give the impression that only anti-India Sikhs are getting targeted in Canada. The Indian government has provided several dossiers to the Canadian government for several years now warning them of the dangers of harbouring Khalistani extremists and criminals and how it could result in gang wars between different factions on Canadian soil. Omissions like these are deliberate as mentioning them would validate India’s position.

In one of the deadliest terror attacks in aviation history before 9/11, 329 people were killed by Khalistani terrorists on Air India flight 182 which was flying from Montreal to Mumbai via London and New Delhi on 23 June 1985.

The Khalistani terrorists planted a bomb on the flight which blew up mid-air while flying from Montreal to London killing everyone on board. Among those killed were 268 Canadian citizens, 27 British citizens and 24 Indian citizens.

Khalistan extremists are known to viciously attack people who are opposed to their ideology. A glimpse of this violence was visible when Khalistan supporters were caught on camera attacking Indian-Australians who were peacefully protesting against their propaganda at Melbourne’s Federation Square in January last year. Shockingly though no charges have been filed against anyone so far. The attackers endangered public safety in Australia but have not been held accountable by law enforcement or the media in Australia.

Warning: Disturbing visuals of vicious attack by Khalistan supporters in Federation Square Melbourne

The mainstream media here, perhaps intentionally, also did not cover the brutal attack on Harnek Singh in Auckland, a Sikh broadcaster who challenged Khalistani extremism. He was stabbed over 40 times outside his house. One of the people convicted for his attempted murder was Gurinderpal Brar, a known religious leader, who had established Gurudwaras (Sikh Temples) in New Zealand.

The Alleged Pakistan Connection

Pakistan, which allegedly has been a supporter of Khalistani extremists, is the same country where the world’s most notorious terrorist Osama Bin Laden was found living in a garrison city (Abbottabad) right next to a military cantonment, in a big house in a sprawling compound. It is the same country that took money from the West as it was supposedly an ally in the ‘war on terror’ but then gave money to terrorists like the Taliban to murder innocent Afghans and Western soldiers. “We fooled them” said the former chief of ISI, General (Retd) Asad Durrani, in a televised interview. Thousands of Afghans and 41 Australian soldiers were killed and innumerable wounded by terrorists aided by Pakistan. Not surprisingly then, the Taliban overran Afghanistan in 2021. The horrors that have followed in Afghanistan which was once the land of Bamiyan Buddhas are well documented.

But besides Pakistan’s links to international terrorism (it was also on FATF’s grey list from 2018 to 2022), it has a special doctrine called ‘bleed India by a thousand cuts‘ which involves using non-state actors like terrorists against India as it cannot win against India in a conventional war.

Not surprisingly then the one politician in Australia who routinely indulges in anti-India rhetoric and anti-Hindu bigotry is also the one who received the Tamgha-e-Quaid-I-Azam (‘Medal of the Great Leader’), one of the highest civilian awards, from the President of Pakistan.

While Mr Shoebridge never seems to miss an opportunity screeching against India, he seemingly doesn’t have time to speak up against the horrific crimes happening in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan even as he is fine receiving awards from them. That list is pretty long but most recently a man was burnt alive in Pakistan for allegedly committing blasphemy. This was not the first such case but in any case blasphemy and apostacy are punishable by death in Pakistan. Yes, such a thing does exist is some countries in the 21st century! While most sane people in the world would consider laws like this horrific, subhuman and belonging to the dark ages, Mr Shoebridge seems to be completely comfortable with it given that he has never once spoken about it.

In between all of this it has been reported that fake China based social media networks that were encouraging Australian Sikhs to protest were identified and shut down by Meta.

Not surprising is also the fact that China and Pakistan are the best of friends. Their friendship in their own words is higher than the mountains and deeper than the seas.

Lindt Cafe Terror Attack

This brings me to the Lindt Cafe terror attack that shook Australia in 2014. The terrorist in question Man Haron Monis was a fugitive who had an arrest warrant against him in Iran. He sought political asylum in 1996 in Australia which was granted in 2001. Requests for his extradition by Iran were repeatedly rejected by Australia. He was also interviewed by ABC Radio National in 2001, who called him Ayatollah Manteghi Boroujerdi then, for their ‘The Religion Report’ program (audio is not available anymore but here is the link confirming the same). At the time of the attack in 2014 he was on bail for 40 sexual assault charges and accessory to murder.

The point being that if the authorities had been more careful about who they were giving political asylum to or if the ABC had been more diligent about who they were platforming perhaps Australia’s worst terror attack could have been prevented, perhaps.

One must also always remember Hillary Clinton’s words about snakes in your backyard that she used in reference to Pakistan. If any country shelters terrorists, fugitives and criminals from other countries, it is bound to have repurcussions for their own security.

The Lindt Cafe terror attack was a blaring example where government security agencies, in spite of red flags, gave political asylum to a man who clearly had a problematic history to put it mildly. Ofcourse the Islamic Republic of Iran is a religious theocracy ruled by a ‘Supreme Leader’ committing horrific crimes against its own people, so one can give some degree of latitude to the authorities for giving an Iranian fugitive political asylum.

But it is simply shocking that in spite of the violence on January 2023 in the heart of Melbourne and the history of terrorism associated with Khalistani extremists, the Government and security establishment in Australia seem to have done nothing against those who seek to attack the sovereignty of a fellow democracy by any means possible, including violence.

Warning: Disturbing visuals of vicious attack by Khalistan supporters in Federation Square Melbourne

As journalists one can interview anyone but it is unethical to publish interviews of members of extremist groups without including the context of their activities. One can also have opinion pieces and debates on media outlets as to how far a country should go for national security. For instance, was it correct for the US to kill Osama or Baghdadi on foreign soil. Or was it ok for the US to drop nuclear bombs on Japan? These can be valid arguments. But what is not ok is to call Osama Bin Laden a ‘Muslim activist’ and make it seem that President Obama was a far-right Christian fanatic turning US into a fascist state and hence gunning for Osama. What is not ok is to do a one-sided propaganda which endangers the people of Australia.

‘Electoral autocracy’

India has one of the most dynamic and vibrant press in the world with over 146,000 newspapers and periodicals in over 200 languages. India also has over 350 News and Current Affairs TV channels and innumerable news websites in various languages. The daily readership of Newspapers in India is around 400 million. Hence, when the so called ‘World Press Freedom Index’ ranked India below Taliban ruled Afghanistan in 2023 in its rankings it made a mockery of itself. It can be argued whether press freedom in India has increased or decreased or remained the same under the current government but you would have to be living on another planet to take these rankings seriously.

The recent results of the Indian General Election hopefully will also put the fake news of India turning into an ‘electoral autocracy’ to rest. Prime Minister Modi has returned to power for a third time in India as the BJP led NDA (National Democratic Alliance) got a majority. However, unlike the previous two elections his party the BJP has not secured a simple majority on its own, a result that surprised many as most opinion and exit polls were giving it a clear majority. This proved to the world just how democratic India is.

The Indian Opposition fared way better than perhaps even they expected so fortunately one has been spared of the relentless propaganda about India’s Election Commission (and other institutions) being compromised or EVMs (Electronic Voting Machines) being tampered with which happens after every election cycle where BJP wins. But neither of the above seem to be an issue when BJP loses and other parties win like in regional elections where the Trinamool Congress won in Bengal or DMK in Tamil Nadu, Congress in Telangana or the Aam Aadmi Party in Punjab. Hence it is difficult for any neutral person to take these allegations seriously.

But even if PM Modi had won with a thumping majority it would still in no way mean that India has become an ‘electoral autocracy’. People who use words like fascism, dictatorship, autocracy etc for the world’s biggest democracy do not seem to have a conscience as they are insulting the people who have lived through horrors (and millions still do) under those kind of regimes.

India is not perfect and it has many big and serious challenges. Mr Modi is also not a perfect Prime Minister, no Prime Minister is. But democracy means that you accept the verdict of the people whether you like or dislike the leaders that people elect. And India has had an impeccable history of peaceful transfer of power since its Independence. Almost a billion people were eligible to vote in the recently held Indian General elections and over 640 million people voted in the biggest democratic elections in the history of humankind. In India the election commission is required to set up a booth no more than 2kms away from every voter. This included a booth set up for just one voter.

In a world where one can see a real erosion of the values of enlightenment in the West like freedom of speech and where less then half of the countries in the world are liberal, secular, democracies, the western media’s demonisation of India in recent years does not appear above board.

India is the world’s largest secular, liberal, democracy. It is also the world’s most populous country and among the oldest surviving urban civilisations of the world. It inherited several socio-economic faultlines given the baggage of history but it has proved to the world that democracy can thrive even in the most challenging circumstances and countries can make social and economic progress even if they have suffered deep civilisational trauma.

So it does not matter whether you like or dislike the current Indian Government. The continous propaganda against India by some sections of the western establishment, which by the way did not start with PM Modi, should end. For those who don’t know, America’s former President Richard Nixon and National Security Advisor Henry Kissinger once used abusive language to describe Mrs Gandhi (Grandmother of Rahul Gandhi who is currently the Leader of Opposition in India) and Indians.

Equally dangerous are the vicious lies and racial and religious vilification of the Indian diaspora that is among the most educated, wealthiest, law-abiding and highest tax paying in Australia.

The attacks on India and particularly the Indian diaspora by some sections of the Australian media (as opposed to fair criticism and balanced reporting) don’t seem just that. In a chaotic world with unreliable partners, who would want to derail Australia’s relationship with India (a fellow secular democracy and an economic powerhouse)?

Each of us who deeply cares about Australia, must remember, that sometimes it just takes a few Trojan horses to bring down an empire.

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News.com.au reported that according to a friend, Ms Kaur reportedly “felt unwell” hours before arriving at the airport but managed to board the flight without any issues. However, when she went to put on her seatbelt, she apparently fell to the floor and “died on the spot”.

The plane was still attached to the gate in Melbourne when cabin crew and emergency services rushed to help added the report.

Her friend Gurdip Grewal told the Herald Sun that when she got on the plane, she was struggling to put her seatbelt on.

“Just before her flight started, she fell in front of her seat and died on the spot.”

According to the the Herald Sun it is understood that Ms Kaur likely died of tuberculosis.

Her roommate, Kuldeep told the Herald Sun that Ms Kaur had worked at Australia Post while studying cookery, with dreams of one day becoming a chef.

“She was kind and honest, she loved to travel with her friends around Victoria.”

Ms Kaur first moved to Australia in March 2020 and was returning to India for the first time in four years to see her parents.

Ms Kaur’s friend Gurdip Grewal has created a GoFundMe page for her family after her sudden demise.

“Hi, my name is Gurdip Grewal and I’m fundraising for Manpreet Kaur. She was student from my village and going to home. She died in a plane during take off at Melbourne Airport.

Our dear friend Manpreet left us too soon, leaving a void in our lives that can never be filled. As we grieve her passing, we want to come together to honor her memory and support her family in their time of need.

As we say our final goodbyes, Every contribution, big or small, brings us closer to our goal. Your support means the world to us and Manpreet’s family.”

A Qantas spokesperson told news.com.au that their “thoughts are with her family and loved ones”.

Indian Railways recently conducted train trials on the bridge.

Several netizens shared their excitement at the breathtaking videos of the trial train crossing the world’s highest railway bridge.

The Indian Ministry of Railways recently said in a statement “After an extensive inspection of the newly constructed Chenab Bridge by senior officers from Railway Board, Northern Railway and Konkan Railway, a trial run was conducted on a 46-km-long electrified line section between Sangaldan in Ramban district and Reasi at a speed of 40 kmph,”

According to the ministry this marked the inaugural full train crossing on the iconic bridge between Dugga and Bakkal stations over the Chenab river, the highest arch railway bridge globally.

“After conduction of a series of such tests, this bridge would be open to run all train services which will be a monumental stride towards the seamless integration of the Kashmir valley with Jammu and the broader Indian landscape,” said the ministry.

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The incumbent Prime Minister Narendra Modi also made history as he became only the second PM of India to lead a Government for the third straight time. The only other PM who achieved this feat was India’s first, Jawaharlal Nehru, in 1962, over half a century ago.

India is the world’s largest secular, liberal, democracy and in Indian elections till the votes are counted no one can say with certainty who will win. We at The Australia Today kept reiterating this fact in our coverage of the elections.

Most opinion and exit polls were giving the ruling BJP a majority on their own comfortably like in 2014 and 2019, which would be well over 272 seats in the 543 seat Parliament, and the BJP led National Democratic alliance (NDA) a thumping majority (average of around 350 seats). In short it was estimated that Mr Modi will be back as the PM of India.

And that is what has happened. Prime Minister Modi is back. The results were not as great for the BJP as the polls indicated but nevertheless they were good enough for them to get back in power. The BJP finally got 240 seats, 32 shy of a majority on its own. The NDA got 293.

While this number may not look that great compared to the BJPs’ last two performances in general elections but if you were to really analyse these figures this is the third best performance for any party in Indian General elections in 40 years.

The opposition I.N.D.I alliance, which comprised of many regional parties and the principle opposition party Congress, got 234 seats. So the BJP has gotten more seats on its own then the entire opposition put together. No doubt the Congress has done way better than anyone expected but at 99 seats this is the third worst performance by the Congress since India’s independence and the third straight loss for the grand old party of India in general elections

However, in what may be an unprecedented event since the dawn of human civilisation, after a hat-trick of wins, there was a sense of doom and gloom among supporters of Mr Modi and the BJP while there was a triumphant and jubilant mood in the Congress camp after a hat-trick of losses!

This tweet by BJP National Spokesperson Shezad Poonawalla sums up the sentiment at the BJP camp.

While this is a tweet from the Congress party.

Stretching the theory of half glass full optimism to extreme proportions, the Congress really has set an example of how not to let any number of defeats pull you down. There is something for all of us to learn here. On the other hand BJP and its supporters must give up their, if I don’t score a 100%, I am a loser syndrome (a common syndrome found in very high performing students in India).

These reactions could potentially pose a challenge for any AI programme that were to analyse data on Indian elections in the digital space and surely Schrödinger’s cat would be as confused about these reactions as it would be about its own existence.

One positive outcome of these elections though is that EVMs (Electronic Voting Machine) have performed to perfection. Before these elections whenever the BJP won the EVMs were accused of not working properly or being hacked and when the opposition parties won they apparently worked perfectly all right. But in these elections even though the BJP has won it seems the EVMs have worked without a hitch. The opposition has not yet made an issue of it. Such is their sense of joy.

What remains to be seen is who has the last laugh given these election results, Prime Minister Modi, de facto leader of the Congress party Rahul Gandhi or Schrödinger’s cat!

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Global Indian Diaspora and Australia’s multicultural communities need fair, non-hyphenated, and questioning journalism, packed with on-ground reporting. The Australia Today – with exceptional reporters, columnists, and editors – is doing just that. Sustaining this needs support from wonderful readers like you.

Whether you live in Australia, the United Kingdom, Canada, the United States of America, or India you can take a paid subscription by clicking Patreon and support honest and fearless journalism.