{"id":19498,"date":"2019-10-26T15:45:35","date_gmt":"2019-10-26T04:45:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wwwip.com.au\/hcaold\/?p=19498"},"modified":"2023-10-06T00:06:42","modified_gmt":"2023-10-05T13:06:42","slug":"hindu-councils-massive-deepavali-festival-celebrations-at-bella-vista-farms-sydney","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wwwip.com.au\/hcaold\/hindu-councils-massive-deepavali-festival-celebrations-at-bella-vista-farms-sydney\/","title":{"rendered":"Hindu Council\u2019s massive Deepavali festival celebrations at Bella Vista Farms, Sydney"},"content":{"rendered":"

By: Gayatri Nair.<\/p>\n

Hindu Council\u2019s massive Deepavali festival celebrations at Bella Vista Farms, Sydney<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Late American Composer John Milton Cage had once said, \u201c<\/span>We carry our homes within us which enables us to fly\u201d; a sentiment that succinctly encapsulates the immigrant experience worldwide. For we carry within us a home not built of bricks and stones but values, traditions and our culture, empowering us to set new roots and prosper in lands far away. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

However, some days the call from our homeland is too strong for our hearts to ignore; especially during festivals. Occasions like Deepavali acutely remind us how far some of us are from our country. The smell of smoky <\/span><\/span>diyas<\/i><\/span><\/span>, enticing sounds of late evening <\/span><\/span>aartis<\/i><\/span><\/span>, and glorious fireworks are terribly missed, and suddenly the gap between our memories and immediate surroundings becomes wider. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

It is this gap that Hindu Council of Australia has been trying to bridge since its inception in 1998 through various initiatives including their mega Deepavali festival. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

On most days, Bella Vista Farms located on <\/span><\/span>Elizabeth MacArthur Drive, Sydney <\/span><\/span>looks like a typical suburban Australian farm complete with farm animals. But on October 20, it took on an Indian hue. The farm was the venue for Hindu Council\u2019s 21<\/span><\/span>st<\/span><\/sup><\/span> Deepavali celebrations, which was a sight to behold. The gala comprised various activities, including colourful <\/span><\/span>Rangolis<\/i><\/span><\/span>, dance competitions, lip-smacking food, and massive fireworks, among others. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

<\/a>As one entered the venue, smells of familiar and much love Indian food wafted in- <\/span><\/span>pav bhaji<\/i><\/span><\/span>, various mouth-watering <\/span><\/span>chaats,<\/i><\/span><\/span> dabeli, pani puri<\/i><\/span><\/span>, South Indian filter coffee, and even Mango <\/span><\/span>Lassi<\/i><\/span><\/span>! Though there were many other stalls \u2013 those selling sarees, bags with intricate designs, and paintings \u2013 it were the food stalls that got everyone excited! <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Attendees were not only treated to food and goodies, but also some amazing dance performances. Talented dancers displaying an array of genres – contemporary, Bollywood, and traditional- entertained everyone. A special performance by a Burmese dance group enthralled the audience with their use of traditional garb and folk music. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The festival was graced by numerous dignitaries including MP <\/span><\/span>Jodi McKay<\/span><\/span> <\/b>NSW Labor Leader and Member for Strathfield, and <\/span><\/span>State Member for Granville and former Lord Mayor Julia Finn, both of whom dazzled in beautiful Kanchipuram sarees. The loudest cheers, however, were reserved for Julian Leeser, <\/span><\/span>Member for Berowra, whose flawless speech in Hindi took everyone in the audience by surprise. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

By nightfall, Bella Vista Farm had morphed into a vibrant festive hub \u2013 reminiscent of Deepavali celebrations back in India. Hordes of Indian-Australians, dressed in their finest, came together to observe the festival of lights. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The night concluded with Ravan Dahan (burning of Ravan\u2019s effigy) and a fabulous display of fireworks; a true manifestation of Deepavali\u2019s message \u2013 the ultimate triumph of good over evil, light over darkness. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The smells, tastes, sounds and colours of Bella Vista Farms on October 20 transported some of us, for a brief period, back to India; a home that we carry in our hearts even as we fly far and wide. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Wish you all a very happy Deepavali. Hope the light of the festival kills the darkness that exists both outside and within us. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SBSHindi\/videos\/533297767464989\/<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Related Images:<\/h3>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By: Gayatri Nair. Hindu Council\u2019s massive Deepavali festival celebrations at Bella Vista Farms, Sydney Late American Composer John Milton Cage had once said, \u201cWe carry our homes within us which […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":19500,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_price":"","_stock":"","_tribe_ticket_header":"","_tribe_default_ticket_provider":"","_tribe_ticket_capacity":"0","_ticket_start_date":"","_ticket_end_date":"","_tribe_ticket_show_description":"","_tribe_ticket_show_not_going":false,"_tribe_ticket_use_global_stock":"","_tribe_ticket_global_stock_level":"","_global_stock_mode":"","_global_stock_cap":"","_tribe_rsvp_for_event":"","_tribe_ticket_going_count":"","_tribe_ticket_not_going_count":"","_tribe_tickets_list":"[]","_tribe_ticket_has_attendee_info_fields":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[7,56,9,64,238,45],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19498","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community-engagement","category-deepavali","category-events-programs","category-festivals","category-news-from-hindu-council","category-nsw","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wwwip.com.au\/hcaold\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19498"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wwwip.com.au\/hcaold\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wwwip.com.au\/hcaold\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wwwip.com.au\/hcaold\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wwwip.com.au\/hcaold\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19498"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/wwwip.com.au\/hcaold\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19498\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19519,"href":"https:\/\/wwwip.com.au\/hcaold\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19498\/revisions\/19519"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wwwip.com.au\/hcaold\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/19500"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wwwip.com.au\/hcaold\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19498"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wwwip.com.au\/hcaold\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19498"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wwwip.com.au\/hcaold\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19498"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}