It was September 14th, 2025 when something exciting and long awaited was going to be unfolded.
Not an organisation, not a professional group, not a group of experienced event planners, but a group of four friends, with a will power to do something, with a passion for making their dreams come true, was the power behind it.
The “Diwali and Garba Night 2025” was celebrated at West Pennant Hills Valley Community Centre, 42 Hill Road, West Pennant Hills in the evening.
“Embracing multiculturalism is the essence of Indian values. “वसुधैव कुटुम्बकम्”, with a strong belief in this we wanted to extend the essence of a celebration to all the parts of India and Diwali coming in next few weeks is the most appropriate occasion to start this”, says Riju Bhargava.
Hence the idea of having a musical and dance evening to welcome Diwali where everyone has something to enjoy and dance. Not just limited to a part or region but respecting the music from all across India…an event for entire community where India comes together.
As the doors opened, the selected stall holders began setting up their products, and a team of young volunteers took over the administration and security responsibilities.
The organisers Riju Bhargava, Neetika Bhargava, Hariharan Vellingiri and Lavanya Ravikumar welcomed the guests. The vibrant Diwali backdrop was setup by Decorama, courtesy Vrushali Vaidya and it became one of the hotspots of the event.
The display of handmade paintings by V-Creations, from a 78 year old artist welcomed the guests as they entered only to meet the vibrant display of products by Paniga Craftz, Blissful Wishes, Coobee, Bedazzled Jewellery and Books. There was a complimentary entertainment for children by Monty Entertainer.
Prestigious organisations like India Club, Sydney Connexions, Indian Literary and Arts Society of Australia (ILASA), Womeyn, Hindu Federation Of Australia and Binno8ive Property Solutions provided huge support to this multicultural Diwali celebration with music.
After acknowledging the traditional owners of the land, the lamp lighting was done by Councillor Sreeni Pillamarri, Rekha Rajvanshi, Shubha Kumar, Pankaj Tangri, Narendra Kulkarni and Dr Naveen Shukla with chants performance by Shobha Ingleshwar. This was followed by a thanks giving to the VIP guests and supporters who stood by the event.
Emcee Sonika Madan engaged the audience from the beginning and called on the spot prize winners, followed by the DJ starting the music on which every guest tapped rhythmically.
During a short break the stage was shared with ILASA for prize distribution to the Hindi Day winners who were available in Sydney. Anu Shivaram and Dr Shailaja Chaturvedi were present on this occasion.
The music resumed only to finish with a raffle draw, the prizes for which were sponsored by C3 Photography and Video, Womeyn and India Club.
The food stalls by Mani Malar foodhouse and the snack counter managed by teenagers provided a variety of mouth watering options to the guests.
Despite challenges, it turned out to be super successful just because we believed in our tribe and that everything will go ahead well.
We cannot express our gratitude to everyone for their love and support, without which we couldn’t have pulled it.
The final say is, “You don’t have to be perfectionist to make something successful. Just feel it within heart and go with the flow❤️ .”
– Riju B
