Julian Leeser (Berowra, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

Today I rise in the chamber to acknowledge and honour Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, to be celebrated on 30 October. In my electorate of Berowra, we are blessed with a strong and active Indian community of around 5,000 people and they make a much valued contribution to our local community. The Indian community in Australia is one of great enterprise, profound culture and enormous willingness to make a contribution to our society. I greatly appreciate the support I have received from the Indian community that has helped secure my election to this House. In particular, I want to acknowledge the unstinting advice given by Parveen and Neelam Gupta, my guide in—

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As I was saying, I want to acknowledge the unstinting advice given by Parveen and Neelam Gupta, my guides in all matters in the Indian community for whom nothing has been too much including fitting me out in a beautiful achkan, or traditional Indian suit. Can I also acknowledge Dr Sreeni Pillamari, my Chief Technology Officer; Vijay, Suchitra and Shanu Rana; Padam and Gatiri, Rajeshwar and Saleshni Lala; Daveender and Veena Jain; Mahla Mehta, principal and founder of the IABBV Hindi school where I once took lessons; Dilip Chopra; Dilip Varma; Narender Bhatia; Usha Dommaraju; Aksheya and Shubha Kumar; Jagdish Chowdhary; Mr Rajashekar; and Kidnapillai Selvarajah, or Selva as he is known—a leader in the Tamil community, which also celebrates Diwali. Happy Diwali to all my friends. Can I also acknowledge Gurdeep Singh and Jaspal Rekhraj who, while they are not celebrating Diwali, as Indian Australians made a wonderful contribution to my campaign.

Diwali celebrates the victory of good over evil, light over darkness and knowledge over ignorance. While there are several stories related to Diwali, the Hindu celebrations centre on the story of Ramayana. Diwali marks the return of Lord Rama, his wife Sita and his brother Lakshmana from exile of 14 years after Rama defeated Ravana. To honour the return of Lord Rama, Sita and Lakshmana from Lanka and to illuminate their path, villagers light diyas to celebrate the triumph of good over evil. Diwali is a time of joy and a time of reflection. It is a celebration of family, friends, life and prosperity in the wake of great struggles. It is a five day festival, marked by the coming together of friends and family. People take the time to clean their homes and reflect on their lives. They buy new clothes and jewellery and decorate their homes and shops. On the third evening of Diwali, people often open their doors and windows to welcome Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth, fortune and prosperity. They light diyas and set off fireworks in celebration. Diwali is a time of hospitality and story-telling for people across India and across the Indian diaspora.

Diwali is becoming a significant event in the Australian calendar and is an opportunity for all Australians to experience the rich cultural heritage of Indian Australians. I wish all the people in the Indian Australian community a very happy Diwali.

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