Best wishes on Diwali from Victor Dominello

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Minister Dominello, Premier Mike Baird, Dr Harinath and Hakan Harman

 

Deepavali (Diwali), or the Festival of Lights, represents thousands of years of Hindu tradition and is celebrated by Indian communities across the world to coincide with autumn in the northern hemisphere.

The festival is a firm fixture on our State’s annual calendar of multicultural community events. It offers an opportunity for all Australians to learn more about the diverse cultures and customs of the Indian diaspora.

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The NSW Government is proud to once again embrace this celebration. With the strong support of Premier Mike Baird we were able to light up the sails of Opera House with a golden hue to mark the occasion for the first time on 21 October.

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Macquarie Street will also be colourfully lit-up on 5 November to coincide withthe Premier’s Deepavali reception.

NSW is proudly home to 100,000 Indian-born residents and an additional 130,000 residents with Indian heritage. They form a vibrant segment of our community, which has made an enduring contribution to the development of our harmonious multicultural society.

Deepavali, which embodies all the passion, colour and light of the Indian sub-continent, symbolises a time of new beginnings. It promotes a simple message of peace, social harmony and unity in diversity.

Each year, family and community celebrations focus on the lighting of lamps, which represents the lifting of spiritual darkness and the renewal of life.

The ongoing success of celebrations like Deepavali reminds us all of the social and economic value of our cultural and linguistic diversity.

We should all be proud of the dynamic and harmonious multicultural society we enjoy in NSW and I thank everyone involved in this year’s Deepavali festival for their contribution.

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