Hindu Organisations, Temples and Associations (HOTA) Forum Victoria, BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha Australia, Melbourne, and the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP), Victoria, organised the 6th Raksha Bandhan festival.
The event on 17 September was packed with informative and cultural segments. Raksha Bandhan event is an annual gathering of community leaders to celebrate the multicultural values and the pivotal role of women in our society, a press release from the organisers said.
Those who attended included representatives of various community organisations along with eminent guests including Jason Wood, MP Shadow Minister for Community Safety, Migrant Services and Multicultural Affairs. Wood presided over the event as a chief guest and reiterated his support for the multicultural community and their wellbeing. He also commended the role and importance of Hindu community and their contributions to Australia.
Dr. Sushil Kumar, Consulate General of India in Melbourne, shared the importance of Rakhi festivals in various countries and his recent experience of festival interactions in Victoria. He also participated in the Rakhi ceremony along with Albert Fatileh and Ansam Sadik from the Victoria Police community engagement unit.
Launched at the 4th Australian Hindu national conference in 2015, HOTA Forum Victoria has been serving the Hindu community of Victoria since then. With over 60 organisations from five countries, it is setting up new standards in cooperation and collaboration, the release said.
Each year HOTA Forum Victoria brings together community leaders to preserve, share and promote Hindu culture in Victoria. Raksha Bandhan is one such program of collaborative effort of various organisations of HOTA forum Victoria.
HOTA Forum recognised the contribution of an outstanding volunteer of Hindu Community.
This year’s Tejaswini, the Woman of Substance Award, was given to Dr. Janaki Patel GP, an active volunteer of BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha Australia, for her services in the areas of health, public relations, and community engagement.
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