With the colorful and joyous festival of Diwali just around the corner, the Indian Australian community gets ready to celebrate once again. Traditional and local interpretations are infused with contemporary iterations. For most, including leading area activist Arun Sharma, the festival is known as a big cultural beacon. Equally, it’s about who they’re becoming in their own right and place within Australian society.
Arun Sharma came to Australia in the mid-1970s, and has seen Diwali celebrations change dramatically over the decades. What started as personal family celebrations has grown into major public events that celebrate the rich and diverse Indian diaspora across all of Australia. Sharma today heads Celebrate India Inc. This group holds one of the largest Diwali festivals anywhere in the country – in Melbourne’s Federation Square.
Well, this year’s celebrations promise to be even bigger and better! Thousands will descend upon Federation Square for a day full of music, markets and dazzling cultural performances. The event continues to unite the whole community. It brings together a community of all different backgrounds and cultures to recognize the joy and hopefulness of Diwali together as one.
16 years ago, Snohi Grewal immigrated to Melbourne with a suitcase packed with tools of her trade and a dream in her heart. She is the perfect representation of the kind of belonging that this festival fosters. Arriving as a student, Grewal has since settled down in Berwick, raising her two children while emphasizing the importance of cultural heritage.
“I celebrate Diwali to pass on my culture to my children,” Grewal stated. This colourful commitment reflects a broader trend with Indian Australians. They put tremendous effort into maintaining the cultural heritage from their homelands while integrating into mainstream Australian culture.
Krishita Sharma, a 20-year-old pursuing a bachelor’s degree in cybersecurity at Swinburne University of Technology, represents the next generation of Indian Australians. Having been born in India, she is now thriving as an Australian citizen. She lives and breathes the fusion of cultures that Diwali has come to represent.
James O’Donnell, a demographer focused on social cohesion, highlights the significance of this community within Australia’s demographic landscape. He points out that Indian-born Australians are just under 11 percent of the overseas born population. This number is nearly 1 million people! Yet this demographic strength amplifies the importance of events like Diwali in fostering social bonds across cultural lines.
Diwali illuminates the months of October and November. This year, it is more than an event, it is a true sign of hope to everyone who has been looking for home. The experience is not without challenges. Grewal remembers one such case, which forever changed her idea about acceptance in Australia.
I was doing my usual standing at the Donnybrook station and headed to my home. It couldn’t have been more than 9 am, but by that time a middle-aged man was already screaming at me to ‘Go home! This powerful experience reveals the stark realities that migrants continue to experience in their efforts to adapt to life in Australia.
“Such experiences scar you,” Grewal continued. For someone like me who came here knowing that moving here would be a potentially permanent decision, it gives me serious pause about my decision making. And then you start to doubt everything. If people are unwilling to love me once I’ve fully loved all of them, what kind of place is there in the world for someone like me?
In spite of these hurdles, Grewal is undeterred and firm about her long-term ambitions to stay in Australia. “We’ve built our lives here. We contribute. We belong,” she asserted. Her journey reflects the reality faced by most Indian Australians. At the same time, they express both pride and frustration about having to juggle these twin identities.
We’d like to introduce you to Preeti Nalavadi, a new national and community leader. She advocates for migration policies that are sustainable and treat migrants with dignity while recognizing their contributions to society. Sustainable migration is not only about balancing the numbers. Instead, it’s about giving migrants back their dignity and respecting their partnership,” agreed Nalavadi.
This idea rings true with Arun Sharma, too. He emphasizes that while celebrating festivals like Diwali showcases cultural richness, there is still work to be done in achieving true societal integration. “They need to balance it out with the genuine migrants here and those who are on the skills needed list, where they can provide beautiful services,” he remarked.
That demand for inclusivity has reached political leaders, too. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese too recently recognized these priceless contributions made by the Indian diaspora on Australian soil.
I just say to the Indian community: you’re valued, you’re welcome here, you make our country stronger by being here, Albanese expressed. “And thank you for everything that you do to make Australia a better place.”
As celebrations launch at Federation Square this Diwali, they won’t be only celebrations. They will powerfully reaffirm the resilience and unity of the Indian Australian community. The day serves as a reminder and invitation to all Australians to celebrate our diversity and help develop an inclusive Australia.
