A close-knit community welcomed the festival of colours at Forsyth Park
The festival of colours brightens everyone’s day!
The recent Holi bash at Truganina saw hundreds of people flocking to Forsyth Park for a day full of fun and frolic. This was a relatively small event catering to the developing communities of Wyndham.
The event was the first of its kind since not only the entry was free but also the entertainment, kids’ activities, music, food, and drinks were free too! The cloudy weather did not dampen the spirit of Holi and the crowds gathered to kick off the celebrations by applying dry coloured powder and throwing water at each other.
To coincide with Easter celebrations, the organisers also handed out chocolate bunnies to jubilant kids. Dushyant Miglani, one of the organisers said, “The event has been put together to bring the local communities together. The response has been overwhelming. And all the families seem to be enjoying the event to the fullest.”
The organisers worked hand-in-hand with the Royal Children Hospital and Let’s Feed project. There were donation boxes put out to raise funds for both these charities.
The event also included brilliant performances by Bollywood dance schools in Melbourne. Dignitaries present at the event included Acting Mayor of Wyndham Gautam Gupta, Jasvinder Sidhu and Gayle Murphy, Liberal Candidate for Lalor. “This is a great event, a great initiative since it is a self- funded community event,” said Gautam Gupta. “This event has brought together a mix of people from Indian and non-Indian heritage.” People danced to the latest Bollywood tunes and the mandatory Holi numbers as DJs kept the show going.
Visitors enjoyed delicious Indian vegetarian food, a BBQ and snacks. Rutika Siddhpura, who was celebrating her little one’s first Holi, said, “It is a fantastic event. I wasn’t expecting this much of a crowd, but this has turned out to be a great family friendly event.”
The colour sessions were the highlight of the day where people applied colours to both friends and strangers to break the barriers of nationality, race, culture, and gender. Mohan Singh, another attendee said, “It’s a great day to be celebrating the festival of Holi.
Since this event isn’t commercial, the crowds that have gathered are locals which makes it very close-knit.” Though there were many events lined up across Melbourne to celebrate the festival of colours, this one seemed to be a real crowd pleaser because of its unique concept.
More photos at: https://www.facebook.com/IndianLinkAustralia/
