Diwali, the festival of lights, is a now rich Australian story involving culture, migration and multiculturalism
Arvind Shrivastava came to Australia in 1968. And for the handful of Indian families that he met at Monash University, Diwali provoked a bit of nostalgia and longing. “After all, it is a festival full of enjoyment and celebration,” he reflects.
The group, some eight families, he recalls, decided to celebrate Diwali in Monash. And while it was hard to wring many ingredients given the near absence of Indian grocery shops then, they made pakwans (festival snacks). “Some of them tried their hands in rasgullas, gulab jamuns and things like that. We enjoyed them among ourselves,” says Shrivastava, who after completing his Master of Engineering from the Institute of Science Bangalore (now Bengaluru), was on a research scholarship at Monash University.
As few more Indians started coming to Australia, two associations—The Australia India Society and the Indian club of Victoria—came into being of which he became the secretary for both. And as different Indian community groups emerged, the celebration of Diwali in Victoria gradually spread “but not in a big way”.
In 2002, Shrivastava became a committee member with the City of Dandenong Interfaith Network Group where he met Geraldine Gonsalvez, a councillor. She suggested they apply for funds to celebrate Diwali in a big way, and even managed a grant of 10,000 dollars.
At the same time, as secretary of the newly formed Australian Indian Innovations Inc. (AIIC), Shrivastava sensed the enthusiasm for a big Diwali project. After a lot of planning and some technical difficulties, the association pulled off its first Inaugural Diwali Festival-2002 at Sandown Racecourse on Sunday, 13 October. The event generated more than 15,000 footfalls.
“We were surprised when we saw the crowd coming. We realised it’s the people who want it—that was a big eye opener. It was a big encouragement,” he says.
That was the start. The celebration of Diwali has evolved considerably over the years.
Cut to 2006. Arun Sharma, who migrated to Australia in 1977, rolled out the first Diwali celebration in Melbourne’s iconic Federation Square.
The idea, says Arun, was conceived during his wife Jaya’s stint at the SBS office in Federation Square. Some evenings when he would pick her up, the beauty of the lights reflecting on the Yarra River just magnified. ‘Imagine a diwali here’ they mulled as they delved into long conversations about bringing Indian festivals to a wider audience.
When the Sharmas shared the idea to a few like-minded friends, it was met with instant support. The then Mayor, John So, also welcomed the idea right away. Thus was formed Celebrate India, a not for profit organisation, comprising himself, former honorary Consul General of India Dr Jana Rao and Dr Virendra Berera.
So in 2006, Celebrate India organised the first Diwali celebration at Federation Square. Over 20,000 people turned up to participate making the event a phenomenal one. Over the years, the numbers have not dwindled despite the sometimes unpredictable turn of weather.
Today the festival is picked by almost every Council and celebrated in a big way.
Musician and founder of Melbourne Tabla School Dr Sam Evans says it is indeed huge now. “Over the years I have been getting more and more phone calls about booking events during Diwali. And this year it is unbelievable.”
Of course, it is a recognition of the very fast-growing Indian population, he says. “It is great that they are now recognising this is not a fringe celebration anymore.”
This Diwali, Evans is performing at the Fusion Botanical festival at the City of Wagga Wagga in New South Wales. “After the pandemic, it is great to be playing again,” he adds.
Like many, Evans believes Diwali occupies a sweet spot even for mainstream Australians which is appealing and enjoyable. “We are in a bit of a stalemate in Australian culture because our festivals are just Easter and Christmas, both are Christian festivals, and most Australians are not Christians. I think it is great that Australians can celebrate the many festivals around the world. Holi has also come a long way as has Diwali,” he says. “Why shouldn’t we celebrate great things that are a part of our community?”
Not just Australians, Shrivastava believes the upward spiral with Diwali lies in its inter dimensional religious following as well international following now.
That the festival has transcended to become more an Australian Indian celebration is an upgrade—that is fascinating, observes Sydney-based writer and radio presenter Taufeeq Ahmed Sheikh.
Looking at the festival’s trajectory in NSW, Sheikh says, “Five years back, Diwali was about celebrating the nostalgia of missing home. Today the definition of its celebration has changed. It is about inviting others and introducing them to our culture.”
In 2014 the Sydney Opera House was lit up in golden orange for the first time on the night of Diwali. It was seen as a great gesture to recognise the diaspora and the contribution they have made. It is now a tradition followed through the years.
Drawing on his memory of celebrating Diwali in India, which was all about eating sweets and playing with firecrackers, Sheikh believes celebrating festivals like these doesn’t necessarily need one to subscribe to religion.
This year with many multicultural organisations celebrating Diwali, it is going to be a busy time for Sheikh.
Shrivastava says he has now taken a backseat because of age. But community involvement is something that is hard to dissociate from. In a fluctuating world engendered by events such as the pandemic, he and his wife Dr Sunila initiated the Bhakti Tarang (spiritual vibrations) from their Torquay home. This year they will be intoning them as part of the cultural program at the Monash Diwali celebration at Jells Park.
For Arun Sharma, the idea of sharing a culture is seeped in the philosophy of Celebrate India. This year’s Diwali celebration has, among other things, a fusion of multicultural talents from Sri Lanka, Fiji, India converging for a musical evening in The Edge auditorium.
“We feel we are part of a great movement happening in Melbourne. We feel we have done something worthwhile. It makes us feel so proud that the Diwali celebration in Melbourne is talked about as one of the best in Australia,” says Arun.
Interesting how the warm nostalgia of celebrating Diwali in India and elsewhere has evolved with enthusiasm—bringing out the vibrancy of Australia’s multiculturalism.
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