Just LOOK at the list of Indian Australian events in April we’ve collated for you below.
There was a time we used to say, the Indian community comes alive after Independence Day in August. Starting then, our calendars for weekend activities are usually stacked, heading into garbas and Ganesh Festival, then Diwali and Christmas.
Perhaps we should now change ‘Independence Day’ to ‘Easter’.
There’s sport, big name music acts, stand-up comedy galore, local community events, and festivals this month (like continuing Holi celebrations).
Check out our What’s On listings for details of these and other events this month.
Oh, and if we’ve missed your event, drop us a line on editor@indianlink.com.au – we’ll be happy to add it here.
FESTIVAL
Did we just say Holi? Yup…! The Festival of Colours may have passed more than a week ago, but some of us still have that gulal handy (looking at you, Perth). The ‘Holi Festival’ event, by unnamed organiser (sponsored by a major bank is all we know), finally makes its way to the west, after going through all the major centres of the nation on the east.
Others more in tune with the times are moving on from coloured powder, and towards some Punjabi bonhomie. Australia’s Punjabis have now made Baisakhi a major enough festival to be marked in our parliaments as well as in large outdoor fairs, and there’s bound to be a celebration close to you.
Meanwhile, the Rajasthanis are marking Gangaur this month – an event which has taken off in Melbourne in recent years.
BIG TICKET SHOWS
Two major playback singers, both with massive fan followings as well as record hits, will be in Australia this month. Shaan continues his Australia tour in Melbourne, while Kumar Sanu flies in later in the month. The fans are in a tizzy – for them, it’s Deewangi Deewangi as well as Mera dil bhi kitna paagal hai…
If you’re into the indie music scene, then it’s Anuv Jain for you, the 28-year-old singer-songwriter who transformed from an internet sensation into one of the most happening stars in the country.
If you prefer the classical acts, you’re probably waiting for Pt Rajendra Gangani, one of India’s leading exponents of the Kathak style of dance. Or Ustad Usman Khan, sitar maestro. Indian Australian events in April
Punjabi readers, we know you’re looking forward to Satinder Sartaj and Bhupinder Babbal.
If you’re a consumer of popular culture, you’re in all probability relishing the torture of deciding which of your shiny saris you’re going to pick for the ‘Bollywood wives’ event. Maheep Kapoor, Seema Sajdeh, Bhavana Pandey and Neelam Kothari will grace your selfie frame as though they’re your besties – Kardashians, kindly step out of the way.
POLO
Shamsheer Ali is known as ‘The Man with the Golden Hand’. If you’ve ever seen him on the polo field, you’ll know why. If you haven’t, then he’s playing in Sydney this weekend.
Shamsheer (“Chammo”) Ali captains India’s polo team in an Aus V Ind match at Windsor on 7 April.
Riding alongside him will be H.H Maharaja Sawai Padmanabh “Pacho” Singh of Jaipur, Abhimanyu “Abby” Pathak, Siddhant “Sid” Sharma, and Naveen “Noddy” Singh.
Come along to support your team, and marvel at this fast-paced game (which, if you didn’t know already, originated in India!)
JUST FOR LAUGHS
It’s comedy time in Australia – with the Melbourne International Comedy Festival currently on, and Sydney Comedy Festival immediately after. If you’re looking for Indian acts, you won’t be disappointed, but our pick is homegrown act Brown Women Comedy, featuring desi girls from across the nation. Go get ‘em, ladies!
Amongst international acts at the two Festivals and elsewhere, we have this month stand-up comics Vivek Mahbubani, Azeem Banatwalla, Nayab Midha and Amandeep Singh, and top favourite Kanan Gill. Amongst local acts, besides Brown Women Comedy, there’s Delhi Buoy, Yash and Aditya Gautam.
Fantastic to see a long list of comedy acts this month.
ARTY-FARTY
The Biennale of Sydney continues, with some wonderful Indian links. The Sydney-based Kirtika Kain is showcasing her works which reflect her experiences in the Dalit diaspora, the India-based Mangala Bai Maravi brings us tattoo art from her native Madhya Pradesh, and the New York-based Chitra Ganesh’s giant linocuts are her take on femininity, sexuality, and power.
Meanwhile Melbourne is not far behind. Check out photo artist Sunil Gupta in ‘The New Pre-Raphaelites’, a free exhibition at the Wyndham Art Gallery as part of ‘Queer PHOTO’ – a large-scale photography festival in Melbourne’s west.
There’s also artist-curator Vishal Kumaraswamy’s two exhibitions, on the topics of solidarity, kinship and equity, as part of Dalit History Month in April – ‘Nireekshane’ (meaning ‘critical examination’) and ‘Oodalala’ (meaning ‘the depth of one’s being) – at Arts House in North Melbourne.
OTHER EVENTS
On the community scene, theatre enthusiasts can enjoy Yagnaseni in Sydney (the story of the Mahabharat through the eyes of Draupadi); indie cinema fans have a screening of award-winning Marathi film Thousand Rupee Note in Melbourne, and foodies are welcome at this year’s iteration of Indian Festival at Melbourne’s Queen Vic Markets.
And finally, as we gear up for ANZAC Day, Liverpool Regional Museum in Sydney presents a talk by distinguished military historian Prof Peter Stanley, entitled Best of Chums: Sikhs and Anzacs on Gallipoli.
To find out more about Indian Australian events in April, head to our What’s On section.
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