7 minute read
MY CALLING- My compass -my centreboard
Australia is a fascinating country. It’s also called the land of opportunities. For me it has been bigger than opportunities – Australia has given me an identity and purpose.
Every year many people migrate to Australia for various reasons. So did I in June 2002, holding a Permeant Residency visa close to my heart. With my husband by my side, my 8-year-old daughter holding on to me and 28 weeks baby in my womb, I landed! Excited, nervous, uncertain, homesick, culture shocked and anxious – I went through a myriad of emotions during those initial weeks on foreign soil.
While today I consider myself fairly confident, independent and outspoken, that’s not how I was raised. In fact, for most of my teen years and even into my twenties I was very timid, obedient, and gullible. I had a very protective and struggle free upbringing and was always surrounded with abundance of love and care. My parents have very high morals and lead a disciplined life. They had set the right foundation for me. During my younger years, I was a happy soul in my own shell and did not know then that in my late 40s I would grow into a very different woman and would continue to be very happy and contented, with a newfound purpose for my life.
I, like anyone else out there have had my share of failures, struggles, or hardships but this story is about a different journey, it is about me pushing myself to become the better version of myself and live a life with the purpose of spreading happiness.
I follow Jainism and a few years ago, while performing an introspection exercise, in order to understand the theory of karma, I was compelled to think about my soul, the reasons I have various people in my life and how my dealings with other people are pre-planned by the karmas of my previous lives. The simple message I took from the discourse was to make knowing myself a priority, to know what defines me as a soul, totally separate from others’ perceptions/expectations of me as a human body. Once I had figured that out, nothing seemed more valuable. Knowing who I am became the compass that guided me to unexpected opportunities and helped me sail through setbacks.
I believe that ‘knowing who you are is the centreboard that will help steady you when you’re afraid you may capsize’. I had found my motto – ‘Be kind to all souls and spread happiness’. I recall the times when it felt like everything had been taken away from me - my pride and my happiness and I was cast away, shattered into the many pieces; but I believe helped me find the energy from within to rise again. The simple fact was that I only had two options in front of me made the choice easy - one was to blame the whole universe about the fall and the other was to rise again. I always chose the latter. Life is not complicated when you have the right mentor, a sound support system and most importantly a guilt free conscious. And it must be for this reason that I have always had the people around me, both known and unknown say that I radiate happiness and positive energy.
A random question from my manager a few months ago made me realise that I react to problems differently from other people. My manager asked, “Parul, if I may ask, how do you always remain so happy? Nothing seems to agitate you. What’s the secret?” Though my answer to my manager was “I don’t know”, I knew the answer. I cannot afford to be sad or angry because there are a lot of people in my life who now depend on me being happy and me being able to transfer some happiness in their lives. I find spreading happiness therapeutic.
Recently I started a match making service called “Indian Matrimonial” – helping people find their love and a lifetime of happiness. Although it is a full functioning start up business, at its core is Community Service. It is my way of spreading happiness, hope and support. Every day I meet new people; while some call me in desperation and some others call me hoping that I would help stabilise their rocking love boats. At times a few also challenge my patience, but that’s when I go to my centreboard and read over the mounted words “Be kind to all souls and spread happiness”.
By: Parulben Mehta
Fabrics of Multicultural Australia (FOMA) supported by Department of Foreign Affairs ad Trade NSW, on Thursday 2 December 2021 witnessed one of the largest gatherings of foreign governments and artists across two major events attended by over 1000 guests at one of Australia’s premier cultural institutions, the Australian National Maritime Museum which is home to the largest tribute to Australian migration, the Welcome Wall.
FOMA, now in its 4th year, is a sustainable platform that stimulates economic growth for the creative sector and generates bilateral trading opportunities while fostering social cohesion. Annually, FOMA leverages visual arts, textile design, and visual storytelling in bringing together and sharing cultural perspectives in a way that visually depicts Australia’s uniquely diverse identity to the globe. FOMA comprises of four initiatives across a twelvemonth period.
FOMA was established in 2018 by entrepreneur Sonia Sadiq Gandhi, chief executive of multi-award-winning events enterprise, Gandhi Creations, to promote the diversity of our Australian creative industries sector, whilst providing an opportunity to connect international brands who are looking to invest and grow in the Australian market.
“The brief is to provide a collection with a sustainable angle, that is e-commerce ready, and which speaks to the designer’s journey and their heritage,” Gandhi explains.
During the day, FOMA delivered a free and publicly accessible Artistic and Cultural Exhibit, which was run in conjunction with the platform’s Foreign Government partners and their Trade Commissions, thereby enhancing bi-lateral trade between participating nations through fashion and cultural diplomacy.
2021 Foreign Government Partner Exhibitors Included: The Embassy of Israel in Australia, ProChile and The Embassy of Chile in Australia, The Embassy of Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan in Canberra, Consulate General of Ireland in Sydney, Consulate General of The Republic of Malta, China Cultural Centre Sydney, Korean Cultural Exhibit and Afghan Women on the Move.
The engaging exhibits provided a hands-on, multi-sensory experience, allowing guests to taste, smell, touch, hear and view some of the most significant items comprising the cultural and commercial identities of Australia’s most prominent communities.
The exhibit and runway hosted some key foreign government dignitaries and the who’s who of Australia’s bi-lateral trading country partners.
The evening witnessed FOMA delivering its signature Sell-Out Runway Showcase at the Lighthouse Gallery. Through a global fashion voyage, guests witnessed first-hand the creative influence of cultures across Asia, Africa, Europe, the Middle East, and Latin America.
For the first time FOMA introduced the element of Australian Wearable Art across the runway, with the closing runway piece featuring 3 x paper made garments that took over 1000 hours to produce by Australian-Chinese, Wearable Art designer and artist Cynthia Hawkins, Shih Atelier. Cynthia’s family are descended from the Yang General Family who history tells us was famous for its success in many battles. Using this history, Cynthia created a garment that retains the silhouette of the ancient army, but with a modern twist. Very deliberate, exaggerated yet fashionable.
The FOMA Runway included works of various other artists from across Australia, showcasing the interweaving threads that collectively form the unique identity of contemporary Australia. The runway shared brand stories of 12 designers and 30 of the world’s diverse cultures through the Faces of FOMA program.
2021 Artists & Designers: Amelia Jan Tahere-Angus, Cynthia Hawkins, Colleen Tighe Johnson, Eliana Gamboa-Chapman, Ilham A Ilham, Jasmine Jeong, Maryam Oria, Peter Dwyer, Wendy Scully, Zohar Edelshtein Budde
2021 Countries and Regions: Afghanistan, China, Chile, Ireland, Israel, Jordan, Korea, Malta, New Zealand, United Kingdom and Latin America.
FOMA also proudly announced their InCountry partner as National Foundation for Australia-China Relations and acknowledged the ongoing support of Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade NSW Office, TAFE NSW, Australia Fashion Council and Export Council of Australia, as well as all other supporting partners.
