ILASA celebrates Hindi Diwas 2022
Our culture is transmitted through language. Without ongoing literary transmission and enrichment, culture cannot survive. The Indian Literary and Art Society of Australia (ILASA Inc.) has been hosting Hindi Diwas events for more than 10 years to promote Hindi language in Australia. ILASA, in collaboration with Bhartiya Vidya Bhawan, Little India Harris Park Business Association Inc. and Sydney Connexions organised Hindi Diwas 2022 on Sunday, September 4.
Hindi Diwas is celebrated every year on September 14 with great pride and vigour as Hindi was adopted as the official language of India on September 14, 1949. Now-a-days, Hindi Diwas celebrations are held all over the world to promote Hindi, the most popular language in India. On this occasion, several literary Hindi activities are organised, including poetry contests, plays, debates, and essay writing competitions, to encourage kids to use our language.
The event was attended by the dignitaries and Hindi lovers which included 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 Charles 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, Dave Passi, President of Indian Seniors Hornsby, and well-known stage, screen, and television personality Saba Zaidi Abdi received the ILASA Lifetime Achievement Awards from the Lord Mayor Donna Davis and other dignitaries. ILASA also launched Suresh Makkar’s book “How to Bring a Smile on Someone’s Face”.
Rekha Rajvanshi, of ILASA, who organised the event remarked, “Given that Parramatta is a hub for Indian immigrants and Hindi speakers, we decided to hold Hindi Diwas there so that Hindi fans could attend. I’m glad to see Sanjay Deshwal, Pankaj Tangri and his group, and Gambhir Watts working together as well as other well-known Indians. 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.”
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.
Speaking on behalf of the Consul General, Nimeesha Gupta captivated the audience with her speech on why and how we should stay connected with our roots and everyone liked her poems. The Hindi monologue, short story, and drama competition was presented in the second part of the programme. The MC for the theatre session was Sonu Sarda, and the MC for the poetry portion was Gunjan Tripathi from Hindi Samaj.
There were several outstanding performances. The winners were Manisha Belani, Akanksha Srivastava, Shweta Sharma Rai, Vaibhavi Joshi, and Ingita Thakkar. The judges were Dr. Gaytri Singh, Taufeeq Ahmed Sheikh, and Saba Zaidi Abdi. Poetry readings were given by eight talented poets, including Nimeesha Ji and Clr. Kushpinder Kaur.
The event by was supported by Bhartiya Vidya Bhawan, LIPBHA, Sydney Connexions and Shashi Lal Events. Efforts like this would definitely encourage the people to stay connected to their heritage.
Pics by Harmohan Walia
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