Celebration of Language and Literature: Hindi Diwas 2022

By: Vaibhavi Joshi

In India, there are several regional languages spoken, but Hindi is the most common. The day that Hindi was made the official language of the Union of India is known as Hindi Diwas. The Constituent Assembly of India declared Hindi, written in Devanagari script, to be the official language of the Union

Australia is a thriving, multiethnic nation that has welcomed immigrants from all over the world, resulting in a wide variety of cultures, languages, religious practises, lifestyles, and cuisine. Every immigrant who comes to Australia brings their distinct cultural beliefs and, more crucially, their native tongues.

As a result of the first generation of migrants continuing to speak their native tongues, it has been found that the second generation picks up those languages with a bit less ease. However, as the third-generation approaches, our mother tongue begins to steadily disappear. Many languages are increasingly in danger of extinction because English has taken over as the primary language of education and communication. A language vanishes every two weeks, carrying with it a complete cultural and intellectual legacy. Whenever a language disappears, a piece of the world’s intricate tapestry of cultural diversity disappears. It becomes our responsibility to preserve and pass our languages to our younger generation.

of India on September 14, 1949. Hindi lovers celebrate Hindi Diwas all around the world, and a variety of events are planned for kids and young people.

For more than ten years, the Indian Literary and Art Society of Australia (ILASA Inc.) Rekha Rajvanshi has hosted Hindi Diwas events. ILASA, in collaboration with Bhartiya Vidya Bhawan, Little India Harris Park Business Association Inc. and Sydney Connexions organised Hindi Diwas 2022 on Sunday, September 4th. The spouse of the Consul General of India in Sydney - Nimeesha Gupta, the Lord Mayor of Parramatta - Donna Davis, the Deputy Mayor - Sameer Pandey, and the Clrs. - Suman Saha, Kushpinder Kaur, and Sreeni Pillamarri were among the dignitaries present. The day’s keynote speaker, well-known media personality Charls Thomson, gave a thought provoking speech on why we need to preserve our languages and stay connected to our roots and cultural heritage.

On this occasion, the Lord Mayor Donna Davis, with other dignitaries presented the ILASA Lifetime Achievement Awards to two notable members of the community: Dave Passi, President of Indian Seniors Hornsby, and well-known theatrical, TV, and cinema star Saba Zaidi Abdi. The book “How to Bring Smile on Someone’s Face” by Suresh Makkar was also released.

“We chose to bring Hindi Diwas to the Parramatta region since it is the centre for Indian immigrants and Hindi speakers, allowing Hindi enthusiasts to take part. I’m happy to see those prominent members of the Indian community, including Sanjay Deshwal, Pankaj Tangri and his group, and Gambhir Watts, have teamed up. We also had the support of other local community members and volunteers. My humble request to all parents is to educate our children our languages.” - Rekha Rajvanshi remarked.

Nimeesha Gupta, who spoke on behalf of the Consul General, enthralled everyone with her very insightful speech and her poetry was enjoyed by all. The second segment of the show featured a competition for Hindi monologues, short stories, and skits. Sonu Sarda served as the MC for the theatre session, and Hindi Samaj’s Gunjan Tripathi served as the MC for the poetry segment.

Several great performances occurred. The winners were Akanksha Srivastava (First), Shweta Sharma Rai (First) Vaibhavi Joshi, Ingita Thakkar, and Manisha Belani. Saba Zaidi Abdi, Dr. Gaytri Singh, and Taufeeq Ahmed Sheikh served as the judges.Eight gifted poets, including Nimeesha ji and Clr. Kushpinder Kaur, performed poetry. Hearing so many excellent and moving poems read by some of the most senior poets in attendance was great. Both portions were well-liked by the audience.

Shashi Lal Events and many other community leaders supported the event. Media support was given by SBS Hindi, Desi Australia, Hindi Gaurav, Public Telegraph, The Indian Down Under, Radio Kahte Sunte, Radio Darpan, Euphony Films, Sid Photography and Fabs Media. AHIA, IABBV Hindi School, Kogra Hindi School, Hindi Samaj, Mahasangh, Sydney Connexions, Indian Seniors Hornsby. No event is possible without volunteers, kudos to them for supporting the event.

Following the ceremony, Sunil Vyas, president of the UIA, said, “Congratulations! The speakers’ and participants’ presentations, which came in a variety of formats, were of incredible quality. Events like these are highly motivating.”

I applaud Rekha Rajvanshi for promoting Hindi literature and language in Australia and hope that more combined efforts would inspire the locals to maintain ties to their roots.

SAREEING CITY2SURF

By: Poornima Menon

Indian history is a testament to ladies in sarees achieving various feats, from working in the fields to riding horses and practicing ‘Kalaripayittu’ (the traditional martial art of Kerala). More recently there have been ladies in sarees driving buses and tractors, and also performing acrobatics. This only goes to show the versatility of the saree. But all these feats have mostly happened on the home ground of the saree, India. Outside India, ladies generally drape sarees for special occasions like festivals, weddings, kitty parties, etc. And Australia has been no different till 14th August happened! On 14th August 2022 the ladies of the Saree Club in Sydney turned a page when they participated in the City2Surf draped in sarees.

Over the years City2Surf has transformed from a humble local road race in Sydney to the world’s largest fun run attracting over 85,000 participants from across the globe. People run/walk in different categories. And while there is a group of serious runners who compete for medals, there are other categories where people run/ walk at their own pace. And for the first time in the 50 years of City2Surf, a group of 11 ladies walked the 14 kilometres wearing sarees. The ladies of the Saree Club added a new chapter to the history book of this iconic event. It was a delectable and irresistible combination of the Sun, Surf, Sand and Sarees.

The Saree Club team comprised of Anjali Shah, Ashwini Salvi, Dipika Gandhi, Jesal Taneja, Kalrav Desai, Lakshmi Jadav, Poornima Menon, Punita Yadav, Rupa Parthasarathy, Sarita Tiwari and Winky Gill. This year being the first year, the saree sisters joined the Orange group. When I first floated the idea, the ladies were very excited, and the adventurous ones jumped on board without a second thought. The jitters, the butterflies and the apprehensions came in after. These were some of the questions criss-crossing through the minds of some of them,

“Will be able to walk 14 kilometres and keep pace with the rest of the group?”

“Will I be able to walk 14 kilometres in a saree and keep pace with the rest of the group?”

“Will my saree stay in place? What if I trip over the saree?”

“What if I am not able to complete the 14 kilometres and let my team down?”

But the combined energy of the sisterhood put all these qualms to rest. We were in it together and would be looking out for each other. Since we all had different fitness levels, we decided to have a planned approach to the walk. We set ourselves out in two categories, each with a category leader. We stayed as close together as possible to ensure we don’t lose each other among the thousands of participants on the road. We cheered each other up and amongst the exuberant cheers we received from the other participants and by-standers, we ladies not only walked/jogged easily in the sarees, but also successfully completed the 14 kilometres, creating waves and ripples along the way. We conquered the ‘Heartbreak Hill’ quite effortlessly. It was very heart-warming to see the response we received from other members of the Indian diaspora, some of them participants and others volunteers at the water stops. People came up to us for photos, we joined the dancers along the way and also danced to the rhythms of the numerous musicians who were there to entertain the participants and add more zest to this fun event.

It is very easy to let life happen. To wake up and go about your daily chores. To stay in that comfort zone. It takes courage, time, effort and determination to do something different and venture outside that comfort zone. With each decision of yours that culminates into an action, you create moments, and these moments transform themselves into memories ……. moments and memories that make your life interesting and unique. Doing something different and challenging creates sparks in your neural network that helps release endorphins, the feelgood hormone, that reduces stress and improves your sense of well-being. Draping a saree to attend a wedding, an event, a concert, a party, etc is very different from draping a saree and walking 14 kilometres!! We had such a great time that the City2Surf will now be an annual event on the Saree Club calendar. We hope to see more participants next year. We are also looking to improve our fitness levels and register in the Yellow group. And with every year we will better our performance. I am looking forward to the day when some of my saree sisters will be able to jog/ run the 14 kilometres. Let’s raise a glass to the strength, camaraderie and spirit of the Saree Sisterhood. Cheers !