Colourful & Glittering evening at Premier’s Harmony Dinner

Hosted by the Minister for Multiculturalism, Mark Coure in the presence of the Hon. Dominic Perrottet, MP, Premier of New South Wales, the Premier’s Harmony Dinner is a glittering gala to recognise and celebrate the significant

contributions made by our multicultural leaders.

These awards celebrate and recognise the important role journalists, editors and publishers in text, radio, television and digital media play. They also honour innovative and creative marketing campaigns that inspire social cohesion and community harmony. The NSW Government is the only state in Australia to recognise multicultural communicators with a standalone awards program..Unfortunately due to COVID-19 restrictions, an in-person

event to announce this year’s winners could not take place.

The outstanding contributions of 16 people and organisations were recognised at this colourful and glittering event.

Among who were Rosa Loria who received the SBS Lifetime Community Service Medal for her work with the Sydney Multicultural Community Services and Shubha Kumar was the winner of the National Rugby League Stepan Kerkyasharian AO Community Harmony Medal.

Attendees were treated to a sit-down meal and a variety of unique performances by Thandi Phoenix and the Matavai Pacific Cultural Arts ensemble in the Grand Ballroom of the International Convention Centre.

Catalina Florez and Ali Bahnasawy, the night’s emcees, began off the festivities.

Uncle Allan Murray was introduced to the stage for the traditional ‘Welcome to Country,’ which was followed by the Walangari Dance Group for the smoking ritual.

The Australian National Anthem and ‘Together We Are One’ were also performed by the NSW Federation of Community Languages Schools Choir.

The NSW Premier, Dominic Perrottet MP; the NSW Minister for Multiculturalism and Seniors, Mark Coure MP; the Chair of the Multicultural NSW Advisory Board, Dr G.K Harinath OAM; and the CEO of Multicultural NSW, Joseph La Posta, all delivered addresses.

The Premier welcomed everyone to the occasion and emphasised the necessity of joining together to recognise the “phenomenal efforts that our multicultural community has done throughout the previous two years [of the pandemic],” according to his remarks.

Mr Coure, who was attending the Dinner for the first time as Minister for Multiculturalism, congratulated all multicultural leaders for their achievements and thanked them for continuing to make NSW “a fantastic place to live, work and visit.”

At the conclusion of these speeches, the 2021 Premier’s Multicultural Communications Awards Winners were acknowledged in a special video presentation.

These awards celebrate and recognise the important role journalists,

editors and publishers in text, radio, television and digital media play. They also honour innovative and creative marketing campaigns that inspire social cohesion and community harmony. The NSW Government is the only state in Australia to recognise multicultural communicators with a stand-alone awards program..Unfortunately due to COVID-19 restrictions, an inperson event to announce this year’s winners could not take place

Desi Australia was named the winner of the Publication of the Year award.

AAYEE RE HOLI AAYEE

Photo credit- Balz I click

By: Sheetal Puri

Holi a festival filled with hues

The emergence of Holi festival is believed to be before the Christ. Historians also count on that the Holi was celebrated by all Aryans but more so in the eastern part of India. Although the festival is mostly celebrated in India and Nepal, it has also spread to other parts of Asia and the western world through migration from the Indian subcontinent. Holi festival is popular around the world. You can participate in this celebration in cities like New York, Sao Paulo, Hong Kong, Barcelona, Sydney, Vancouver and many others in the world.

Holi is celebrated by almost all religions in India with lots of pomp and show due to its phenomenal fun and anarchic atmosphere. It is celebrated on the Purnima of Hindu Lunar calendar in the month of Phalgun. Holi is celebrated most of the time in the end of February or early March. It foreshadows the arrival of spring season and celebrates the end of winter season. This year the festival of Holi is commencing on 18th MARCH, 2022. Looking into the present scenario let the colours of Holi spread the message of peace and happiness this year and for the coming years.

Mythological significance

Holi is not just a fiesta of colours and a feast of sweets. Holi like all other festivals also has its fair part of legendary significance. It reminds us of the divine and eternal love of Lord Krishna and Radha. Lord Krishna is associated with play of colours as he applied colour on his beloved Radha and other Gopis. Gradually, the play was vogued with the people and became a tradition. Therefore, Holi festival demands love and respect in the relationships.

It also reminds us one of the most remarked mythology characters Narashima, Prahlad, Hiranyakashyapa and demoness Holika. Hiranyakashyapa wanted everyone to worship only him and not to his brother Lord Vishnu. Unfortunately, his son Prahlad became an ardent devotee of Narashima(half man and half lion). Hiranyakashyapa commanded his sister, Holika to enter a blazing fire with Prahlad in her lap. Holika had a boon that she could enter fire without harming herself. However, she was not aware that the boon worked only if she enters alone in the fire. As the result, she paid a price for her minacious desires, while Prahlad was saved by the grace of the God for his extreme devotion. The festival, therefore, celebrates the victory of good over evil and also the triumph of devotion.

Holi Hai….

The predominantly stimulating part is how this festival is celebrated. One day prior to

AAYEE

Holi festival, people meet in open areas and gather around the Holika bonfire to welcome spring season. The other morning, people meet in the streets and throw powdered colours at each other. As the ‘battle of colours’ wrap up, everyone gets indulged in intoxicating drinks and mouth-watering delicacies. The people together dance to the rhythm of musical instruments like dhol, drums and loud music. In the later evening, people get dressed up to visit their friends and relatives and exchange sweets with each other.

Holi Colours

Holi gives the appearance of the rainbow on the Earth instead of its formation high in the sky. Let’s join hand in hand on this Holi and bring peace from the white colour; gather power from the red colour; enhance knowledge from the yellow colour; boost growth and development from the green colour; motivate ourselves to achieve success from the orange colour and spread love everywhere from the pink colour.

Holi in Australia

Being a multicultural society, we are bound to celebrate Holi. Here, many of these festivals are funded by local councils as well as state governments. Not only do people participate in the throwing of colours but there are also various food stalls and dance performance to keep everyone entertained throughout the day.

The great thing about living in a multicultural society is that all celebrations are inclusive regardless of race meaning anyone can come along and celebrate such a wonderful tradition.

Tips on going to Holi Festivals Here are a few tips to enjoy Holi to its fullest.

Wear white clothing! This has to be the most important tip. Wearing white clothing is part of the tradition and allows the colours to be shown more vividly. people and connect with your friends. Make sure you take photos and don’t be afraid to loosen up and enjoy the moment.

Holi is such a beautiful tradition Indians have and it’s absolutely amazing to see that it celebrated all around the world with many countries and regions including their own little twist. So how are you celebrating Holi this year?

Wear comfortable shoes. The only reason is that you’re most likely going to be jumping around and dancing, so you want to make sure your feet are okay so you don’t miss out on the fun.

Have fun. Holi festivals are a great way to meet new