Uttar Pradesh Association of Australia (QLD Chapter) inaugurated The Uttar Pradesh Association of Australia (QLD Chapter) was inaugurated on 28th Oct 2023 during their 1st Diwali Celebration as the UP Community. It was founded by Ms Tanvi Goel (Founder of AusIndia Travel, Vice President of Bharath Jagruthi Australia and part of many Indian organizations such as ICAQ, APQI to name a few and a very active community leader for the past 12 years) and Mr Gurpreet Singh(Owner- QLD Skips Hire) back in December 2022. UPAA-QLD has legends like Ms Sneha Gautam, Ms Sonam Agarwal and Mr Pasupati Nath Dwivedi, who are building the UP community with passion. In the last ten months, the team has gathered over one hundred people from the UP community with just two catchups. UPAA was first started in Victoria by Dr Santosh and the team in 2016, and together, the team is growing to another part of Australia. The event was held at Desi Junction, Logan Central and was adorned with colourful lights, rangolis, and diyas, which added to the festive atmosphere. The celebration began with a traditional Lakshmi puja, followed by a game
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performance by the Tapori Dance group, a DJ who played popular Bollywood songs. One of the most popular games was “Tambola,” similar to Bingo. The game was played
with great enthusiasm, and the winners were awarded prizes. The Brisbane Inaugural event was graced by many delegates, including a well-
known personality in the Indian Diaspora, Pinky Singh Ji(Immigration policy chair for LNP), Mr Ganesh Despande (Secretary of Indian Council of Australia, President
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of BRIMM), Mr Pankaj Agarwal(President of APQI) to name a few, they cut the ribbon to unveil the banner of UPAA (Qld Chapter) with a short speech. They congratulated
the UPAA on the chapter's launch and passed on best wishes for Diwali. The event was not only sponsored but generously supported by many sponsors including Mahindra Automotive, Education Embassy, QLD Skip hires, AusIndia Travel, Divya Jyoti Jagruti Sansthan, Northside Mechanicals & Tyres, Loaney Home loan expert, Blue Sky Solar, Customised Gifts co, Salt N Spice Indian and Islander groceries, Events by HKM, Indian Mums Connect, Priyanka Boutique, Brisbane Indian Times, and Australian Indian Radio, Parikh Digital Photography beautifully captured the event. The event was full of many prizes for kids and adults; it was fun with a sumptuous dinner and a U.P.-style DJ dance party by DJ Sandy of DesiBeats. In conclusion, the Diwali celebration in UP style was a grand success. It brought together people from different communities and cultures to celebrate this joyous occasion. The event was filled with music, dance, food, and fun games that added to the festive atmosphere. It truly captured the essence of Diwali - spreading happiness and joy.
THE BRISBANE INDIAN TIMES, December, 2023 — 41
