New beginnings celebrated at colourful event

An Indian-themed multicultural event celebrating new beginnings at the Boyd Community Hub attracted more than 240 people, who were keen to eat and get to know each other, its organiser says.

When Preetam Nalbalwa first came to Australia, he found it hard to meet people to talk to.

The IT managing consultant, who hails from Maharashtra, in central India, is now an Australian citizen who uses his spare time to organise events that bring people together.

Particularly in Southbank, these sorts of initiatives are important, he believes.

“Everybody is from different countries, coming from different places,” he told Southbank News.

“People don’t know how to talk to each other, don’t know how to open up with each other, because they come from completely different cultures.”

“I’m trying to make things easier for newcomers.”

On Saturday, March 28, Preetam and his wife, Sabita, staged a “Happy Ugadi” celebration at the Boyd Community Hub.

Ugadi, which marks the first day of the Hindu calendar, is traditionally celebrated only in the southern states of India, Preetam said, making it a bit foreign to people from elsewhere on the continent as well as other nationalities.

“But we needed a title and a reason to get people together,” he said.

The City of Melbourne backed the initiative, signing off on a small neighbourhood grant.

With Melbourne turning on some beautiful weather, people flocked to the get-together.

“We had 240-plus people joining the event and people really wanted to get to know each other,” Preetam said.

About 70 per cent of those who came were Indian, and although it hadn’t necessarily been part of the plan, about half of them came in traditional dress, he said.

There was even a New Zealand couple who came in a sari and kurta.

“They approached me saying they wanted to be at the event and to wear our traditional dress,” Preetam said.

“I told them they could come in their own traditional dress, but they wanted to use this opportunity to go with something different.

“Sabita helped arrange the clothes and how to wear them.”

Also turning up in an eye-catching outfit was state MP Nina Taylor, who was wearing a hot pink frock.

The Member for Albert Park said it had been “fantastic” to take part in the local community event and “connect in a unified and joyful way”.

There had been some attendees from Middle Eastern countries too, Preetam said. “They were asking us what Ugadi was all about.”

Activities on the evening included drawing and painting for kids, games like musical chairs, and conversation starters – one based loosely on the spring cultural festival Gudhi Padwa, from Preetam’s part of India– as well as singing and dancing.

“Everything was planned in such a way that people talked to each other and got to know each other’s faces, Preetam said.

He himself had “met at least 100” new ones.

Meanwhile, the Indian food, chosen to appeal to as many people as possible, disappeared, with a second order needing to be placed. •