Light & Hope 10th Anniversary Harman Foundation

By: Aannya Bandaru

The 10th anniversary light and hope festival and celebration run by the Harman foundation gives insight into how as one we can make a huge positive impact and society and help those in need. The festival not only engages the community to come together but consists of speeches and cultural events to bring people from many communities together to share values showing audiences that we need to create light and hope together to bring peace to our society and help those in need.

The Beginning

The event starts of with an aboriginal enlightenment which shares insight on the aboriginal faith and how Australia’s foundation was made upon its values, of courage, kinship and friendship.

Our amazing master of ceremonies, Kala, starts of the tenth-anniversary celebartion with a ‘rich blend’ of traditions and cultures of two worlds. the one we now live in and the one we came from’. She explains how throughout the ceremony we will find a connection with our first nations people , family, land, language and culture and their acceptance of people from different countries and traditions that are actually gathered at the ceremony.

After this the event kicks off into a cultural event showing bharthanatyam and the its culture while expressing the story pf Krishna, a god and faith.

The lavender symbolises hope and growth

Inspiring Speeches

An important speech from Manu Preet Singh was delivered, explaining the importance of coming together and the difference it makes. His speech shows the true values of the Harman foundation such as empathy and community that really help sustain positive empowerment in our society. Manu Preet’s speech really moved the festival, motivating everyone to join hands for positivity and community growth.

The festival continued with many speeches, including the mayor, Dr. Peter Gangemi, and NSW Premier The Hon Dominic Perrottet which brought the community together and spread togetherness throughout the audience.

The Youth Perspective

The youth even joined in on the celebration expressing their opinions on community service and the Harman foundation.

They ended with expressing Harman Foundation in one word, such as community, empathy and compassionate.

Alone we can do so little but together we can do so much. It is explained by these youth how the values of the harman foundation such as empathy and humanity that has pushed them forward to make such a difference in society. The youth has pitched in to show how the harman foundation has motivated them to also contribute to community and our growth.

Celebrations

The festival continued on with auctions and cultural events such as dances showing the diversity within our community and the harmony that we present.

Awards were also given to many deserving people bringing audiences together more in celebration. A dance was also held, involving everyone to get up and celebrate the 10th anniversary with cheers and bhangra! The audience in the event were definitely were engaged and motivated to start the year with a fresh slate of positivity and happiness.

The 10th anniversary was a blast with inspiration, enlightenment of faiths, audience involvement and celebrations. the Harman Foundation has presented in the event the importance of community service while bringing our diverse community together.

TO CONCLUDE…

To end of this article on Harmans foundations 10th anniversary celebration, here is some background on The harman foundation and its upbringing.

Maninder Singh and Harinder Kaur were devastated by the tragic death of their young and loving son, Harman. Even though they received encouraging words from friends and family, they were overcome with grief. They attempted to overcome these traumatic times with the assistance of trained grief counsellors but soon discovered that there was no organization to turn to when their grief reared its ugly head. As a result, they believed that establishing an organization that provides assistance and counseling to individuals and families would alleviate their own grief. Thus, the Harman Foundation was established in 2013. It is a non-profit charitable organization that is open to all members of the community, regardless of race or religion.

Harman Preet Singh was a devotee in the truest form. His mission was straightforward: to serve those closest to him, and he knew that he could only truly serve if he first became the shining pillar of his family. In our hearts, a pure soul, humble in his speech and actions, lives on. Continuing to give us the strength and passion to live life through humility, obedience, will, selfless love, and gratitude, which he demonstrated every day. Harman’s parents and the community as a whole have come together to pay true ‘tribute to Harman Preet Singh and keep his legacy alive.’