Speeches

Transcribed from the recording, with names checked by hand. Times are minutes and seconds into the clip.

1. 00:00Thank you, Boaz, for that beautiful, warm introduction.
2. 00:04Can I thank you to the musicians for that wonderful fusion
3. 00:10of Hindu and Jewish music? It was simply wonderful.
4. 00:15And Philip Zajac leading the clapping, please.
5. 00:17Well done, Phil.
6. 00:20Can I thank David Southwick, the Deputy Leader of the Opposition, for being here?
7. 00:25And I know equally David is a very big supporter of our Hindu and Jewish community.
8. 00:30To the Lord Mayor, Nick Reece, thank you for being here, Nick, and for being such a
9. 00:35wonderful part of this festival. Because Diwali does tell us something very
10. 00:41important. It is light over darkness, but more than that,
11. 00:47it's making sure that we celebrate our beautiful communities
12. 00:53coming together.
13. 00:56Victoria's secret sauce is our diversity.
14. 01:00It is our multiculturalism. I was the Education Minister for three years,
15. 01:06and I used to say very clearly, Victoria would not be the education state
16. 01:12without our Indian community.
17. 01:18Your focus on education,
18. 01:24your focus on aspiration, delivers dividends every day.
19. 01:29Our most important resource is our young people and we need to focus on them every
20. 01:35single day. Can I also say to our Jewish community, and I've known Boaz
21. 01:41for many years, thank you. I know life and times have not been easy, but we do
22. 01:47stand with you. I made it very clear when I became Premier that integrity
23. 01:52would be first and foremost. Also security, and I called the Chief Commissioner as
24. 01:58soon as I was sworn in. I also said we need to be a government that's pro-business
25. 02:03and pro-aspiration. That's why I'll cut land tax in my very first budget next
26. 02:08year, making sure every family member, every community member can succeed.
27. 02:14Happy Diwali and have a wonderful day.
28. 02:16Thank you very much.

Transcribed from the recording, with names checked by hand. Times are minutes and seconds into the clip.

1. 00:00Namaste, everybody. Happy Melbourne Diwali.
2. 00:05It is a pleasure to be here with you this afternoon, representing Jess Wilson, the
3. 00:11Leader of the Opposition, in what is such a beautiful celebration, light over
4. 00:17evil, goodness over evil, where the lights should shine on this beautiful city and
5. 00:23this wonderful state. And can I say to all of you, what Melbourne Diwali
6. 00:28brings is the colour, the movement, the dance, the food, but the kids.
7. 00:34And I wanted to give a big round of applause to all of those kids that came up here
8. 00:38and did unbelievable performances once again at Melbourne Diwali.
9. 00:43To the Premier, Ben Carroll, thank you very much for being here.
10. 00:47To Nicholas Reece, the Lord Mayor. To Philip Zajac, the President of the Jewish
11. 00:52Community Council, and especially to our Deputy Ambassador of Israel, Mr
12. 00:58Meron, Amir Meron, thank you for coming here.
13. 01:02Ladies and gentlemen, and also City of Melbourne Councillor, also Rafael Camillo,
14. 01:08and also our Liberal candidate for Melbourne too.
15. 01:10Could I say, this is really important for so many different ways.
16. 01:15You've heard the Premier mention about the importance of multiculturalism as we come
17. 01:19together. This is the best place in the world that brings those from different
18. 01:24cultures together to learn to share and to ensure that we
19. 01:30are the best place to live. But we have been challenged.
20. 01:34We have been challenged in recent years.
21. 01:36And particularly the Jewish community, since 2023 of October 7, we saw
22. 01:42probably the worst time for Jews around the world and especially we saw that here in
23. 01:47Melbourne. More recently, we saw that with the Bondi attack.
24. 01:51The first community that stood up and reached out to the Jewish community
25. 01:57were the Hindu community. They came out and hugged and gave love and
26. 02:02kindness to the Jewish community. You are our brothers and sisters, and we thank you
27. 02:07for that. And what Gautam and Anu have done in Melbourne Diwali
28. 02:13over years, whether it be bringing Israel and the Indian commercial and
29. 02:19business community together to learn from one another and also the Australian
30. 02:23business community, whether it be these events, they are ways of friendship, they
31. 02:29are ways to actually ensure that the community understands it is not hate, it's
32. 02:34love. Because during Diwali, we talk about it, we celebrate
33. 02:39it, but what Melbourne Diwali is, is living it.
34. 02:44It's breathing it. It's doing it. And so what I wanted to say to you, Gautam, and to
35. 02:50Anu, where's Anu? She's running around organising everything, and your children too,
36. 02:55because they're up here. Thank you, because you are living it every day.
37. 03:00You are building the bridge and sharing the love and making sure Victoria continues
38. 03:05to be the best place it needs to be to welcome people from all cultures, from all
39. 03:10countries to celebrate. Thank you everybody.
40. 03:14May you continue to have success, a beautiful time during these Diwali festivals and
41. 03:18happy Diwali, thank you.

Transcribed from the recording, with names checked by hand. Times are minutes and seconds into the clip.

1. 00:00Thank you. Thank you to all the politicians from all sides to making the trip
2. 00:06here, to my Jewish friends, especially the Deputy Ambassador, to come and join us
3. 00:12and all of you. Please understand that when people are making commitments, it's
4. 00:18really, really appreciated because this year, it's really funded by the community.
5. 00:24We have got zero dollar funding from any level of government.
6. 00:27So when we invite the politicians, when we have invited the Lord Mayor, it is
7. 00:31basically a civic engagement. There should not be any confusion.
8. 00:36People say things, it's very difficult when they follow up.
9. 00:40And I'm just saying it because all the politicians from all sides are sitting here
10. 00:43this community deserves better, right?
11. 00:50We are the highest tax paying community, right? We pay the highest tax when it comes
12. 00:55to June, everyone is under stress, but when it comes to Diwali events, when it comes to
13. 00:59our cultural events, we pay another tax, right? I think our taxes should work better.
14. 01:05What do you think?
15. 01:07where people are under attack, where our
16. 01:10communities are paying a lot more for everyday things.
17. 01:15And now we also have to pay for safety and security.
18. 01:18We are really scared. So to the Premier and to the Deputy, please make sure that we
19. 01:24remain a multicultural city. No one should be telling us, go back to where you come
20. 01:29from. Unacceptable.
21. 01:34And when people tell that to my Jewish friends, I'll tell them the same thing.
22. 01:39This is their stage as much as it is a Hindu stage. You are welcome here.
23. 01:46You will be safe. Please wear your identity when you come to Diwali events. And
24. 01:51next year my vision and I share this with Boaz my very good friend.
25. 01:56This will be the biggest Hindu-Jewish celebration, I think, in the world.
26. 02:06And to the Lord Mayor, thank you for announcing funding.
27. 02:09We did not get anything as of now. Hopefully we'll get in the future.
28. 02:13But if you fund it or not, it doesn't matter.
29. 02:17This will still happen. This will still go ahead.
30. 02:19We will still be the biggest event.
31. 02:26Every performer who is on the stage today has volunteered to do that, has put in
32. 02:31their time, money, energy. Thank you for that.
33. 02:34To all the judges, I can name everyone but the reality is they are all contributing.
34. 02:41Thank you to all the judges.
35. 02:45There are over 1,000 people who have worked behind the scenes to do that.
36. 02:50There are over 250 volunteers. There are about seven universities and institutes who
37. 02:55have partnered with us to bring this on, so thank you to all of them, right? Especially
38. 03:01to Brahma Kumaris, who have been with us from the beginning. We have celebrated Diwali
39. 03:06at Temple Beth Israel, it's a Jewish temple. Thank you for hosting us
40. 03:12there. Thank you for taking Diwali there, and you're all welcome when we will be
41. 03:16taking Hanukkah in the Hindu temple later this year.
42. 03:20So our friendship is going to grow, our relationship is going to grow, and we will
43. 03:26make sure that at least our community welcomes every of my Jewish friends with open
44. 03:31arms. Thank you.

Transcribed from the recording, with names checked by hand. Times are minutes and seconds into the clip.

1. 00:00Welcome everyone to the fifth Melbourne Diwali of the year.
2. 00:04I hope you're having a wonderful time.
3. 00:07Thank you Madhuri ji for bringing the kids to do such a beautiful prayer.
4. 00:11And that's what the Indians are all about, right?
5. 00:13anything we start, we start with something auspicious.
6. 00:17Now in order to continue the tradition, we are going to have a blessing ceremony via
7. 00:21Brahma Kumaris. So may I please request on the stage,
8. 00:27Rupa ji, Sister, sorry. Along with that, now I'm going to invite all the
9. 00:31dignitaries to light up the lamp, please.
10. 00:34May I please have on the stage Sarah Witty, Federal Member for Melbourne, please, to
11. 00:38come up on the stage and do the lighting.
12. 00:43Sister Rupa, could you guide her please?
13. 00:46Thank you.
14. 00:50Yes, please. Lamp-lighting.
15. 00:52May I also have on the stage Mr Amir Meron, Deputy Ambassador for Israel.
16. 00:59Welcome.
17. 01:02Next on the stage, I would have Vishwajeet Pradhan.
18. 01:07Vishwajeet ji.
19. 01:09I would also like to invite Sister Christine on the stage please.
20. 01:14Brahma Kumaris, Sister Christine.
21. 01:42I think he's on the screen. Whenever it's a good point, things always work out.

Transcribed from the recording, with names checked by hand. Times are minutes and seconds into the clip.

1. 00:00Hello, everybody. My name is Sarah Witty.
2. 00:02I'm the Federal Member for Melbourne, and it's a pleasure to be with you all here
3. 00:06today. I want to start by acknowledging the traditional owners of the land.
4. 00:12That's OK. Traditional owners of the land and pay my respects to the Wurundjeri
5. 00:17people, pay my respects to elders past, present and emerging.
6. 00:22Thank you to Anu Bhardwaj. Thank you so much, the CEO of Melbourne Diwali,
7. 00:28for inviting me here to join you and to officially open this wonderful festival.
8. 00:33I also acknowledge all of the community leaders and special guests joining us today,
9. 00:39but most importantly, welcome to everyone who has come together to celebrate.
10. 00:44It is a joy to see Melbourne come alive for Diwali.
11. 00:48The lights, the music, the food, the colour, the families, everybody coming
12. 00:52together. This celebration is just another reminder of how alive and
13. 00:58open our city really is. Diwali carries with it an idea that lasts across
14. 01:04the generations. The victory of light over darkness, good over
15. 01:10evil and knowledge over ignorance. I think that message feels especially powerful
16. 01:15right now. We live in a world that can sometimes feel uncertain and
17. 01:21divided. Diwali gives us a message of hope, that darkness does not have
18. 01:27the final word, that knowledge will push back ignorance, that hope can overcome
19. 01:33fear and that when people come together in generosity, in spirit, light grows.
20. 01:39For me, that also says something very important about Australia.
21. 01:44Diwali is celebrated by people across different faiths, traditions, communities and
22. 01:49countries, that diversity is reflected here in Melbourne and across modern
23. 01:54Australia. We have shown that sharing a country and sharing common values does not
24. 02:00mean leaving your culture, your faith and your identity at the door.
25. 02:04Australia is stronger because generations of people have brought their traditions,
26. 02:10languages, food, faith, music and ideas and stories with them.
27. 02:15They have helped us write Australia's story.
28. 02:18And I'm incredibly proud to represent Melbourne in the federal parliament because I
29. 02:23know our community shows the very best of that story.
30. 02:27You can walk down our city almost any day or night and find something happening, a
31. 02:32celebration of faith, a cultural festival, live music, art, food, science and sport.
32. 02:38Sometimes it happens in one of our grand old buildings, sometimes in parks and
33. 02:43sometimes you have to go down an alleyway to see our whole community celebrating.
34. 02:47That's Melbourne and today this festival continues that story.
35. 02:54So today across the whole Diwali Festival I hope everyone
36. 02:59takes the chance to enjoy everything, to celebrate what is offered,
37. 03:05enjoy the performances, enjoy the food, spend time with family and friends, meet
38. 03:10someone new and take a moment to appreciate the culture faith and traditions that
39. 03:15generations of people have carried forward and now sharing right here in the heart
40. 03:20of Melbourne. So thank you and happy Diwali everybody.

Transcribed from the recording, with names checked by hand. Times are minutes and seconds into the clip.

1. 00:00To see such wonderful people here on this typical
2. 00:05Melbourne grey afternoon, rainy, not so rainy, sunny, not so sunny, but this is
3. 00:11Melbourne and we all make it, all multicultural people, all people from different
4. 00:16religions and sects. So such an honour to be a part of this
5. 00:22inaugural ceremony along with the honourable Sarah Witty, Mr
6. 00:28Amir,
7. 00:30the other honoured guests, Anu ji and the organisers, Gautam ji and group.
8. 00:36Diwali of course as we all know is the victory of good
9. 00:41over evil but on Diwali, we celebrate,
10. 00:47we do Lakshmi Poojan. And Lakshmiji, as we all know, is goddess of
11. 00:53money. Money, money, money. And I pray to Lakshmiji.
12. 00:58I pray to the goddess of money to bless us all with lots and lots of dollars, lots
13. 01:03and lots of prosperity and money so that we can fulfil our dreams, live happily
14. 01:09forever.
15. 01:12So thank you once again to the organisers, to Mr
16. 01:14Gautam, Mrs Gautam, to those sponsors, to each and every participant who has made
17. 01:20this event possible and all the best to you.
18. 01:25Happy Diwali once again. Jai Melbourne, Jai Bharat.
19. 01:29Namaskar.

Transcribed from the recording, with names checked by hand. Times are minutes and seconds into the clip.

1. 00:00So you heard very beautiful messages from our friends.
2. 00:05So Diwali is a festival of celebration, festival of life.
3. 00:11People say there are two important days in our life.
4. 00:15One is when we are born. And the second day is when we know why we are born.
5. 00:21So it's a celebration of life and the light.
6. 00:25We do have, whenever we mention Diwali, it comes in our minds, the childhood
7. 00:31memories comes as sweets, new clothes, sharing and everything.
8. 00:37So, it's a victory over evil. But somehow, you know, evilness
9. 00:42or the darkness has taken a very updated, upgraded one.
10. 00:47It's not just the darkness. It's about the vices.
11. 00:52It's about the addictions. It's about the terrorism.
12. 00:55It's about the war. It's about the negative thinking, digital addiction.
13. 01:02There are so many forms. The darkness has taken
14. 01:06part in our life. So you know, one of
15. 01:12our senior dadis who lived 104 years
16. 01:17as a Brahma Kumaris chief, Dadi Janki. She used to say that let's have
17. 01:22established three factories in yourself.
18. 01:25First one, have the ice factory here.
19. 01:29Let it be cool one. You know people get very hot tempered.
20. 01:35So let's have an ice factory here. And the second factory, have the sugar
21. 01:41factory here on your tongue. So say something which could make
22. 01:47someone's life. And third one, have the love factory in your
23. 01:53heart, so at least we can't give anything, happiness is the most
24. 01:58greatest of wealth of human beings. Let's just share that happiness with others
25. 02:04and we can take one little kind of a determined thought
26. 02:09to ourselves. Let's ignite the one thought for 24 years, sorry, 24
27. 02:15hours. So are you ready to do that? Just take a deep, deep
28. 02:21breath. If you possible, you can close your eyes and take a one
29. 02:27good thought for yourself, for your family, to the whole
30. 02:32world. That vibration, the power of positive thinking, will
31. 02:38vibrate the whole world. It will ignite the light in every human soul.
32. 02:43So at least we can take the 24 hours challenge.
33. 02:46I would not say that life is easy. But yeah, with these three factories, I
34. 02:52think we could survive. So Brahma Kumaris Australia.
35. 02:58Always believe in the humanity and the values,
36. 03:03in the world peace. Thank you so much for the support.

Transcribed from the recording, with names checked by hand. Times are minutes and seconds into the clip.

1. 00:00One at 4pm and one at 6pm at the back there
2. 00:05where MasterChef finalist, Ms
3. 00:11Kishwar Chowdhury, she's from a Bengali origin,
4. 00:17she's basically from India and Bengal, she's going to conduct two sessions, one at 4
5. 00:23p.m. and the other at 6 p.m. at the back there and she is going to showcase how
6. 00:28a master chef cooks a simple dish, a simple rice dish, a simple
7. 00:34atta flour dish right in front of you today.
8. 00:38So be a part of that show, encourage her, encourage us and see where a
9. 00:44simple ingredient like rice, atta flour and oils can make a difference if handled by a
10. 00:49master chef and tomorrow you all become master chefs.
11. 00:54Congrats. Thanks.

Transcribed from the recording, with names checked by hand. Times are minutes and seconds into the clip.

1. 00:00So, having listened to all these wonderful speakers here, one word
2. 00:06I have in my mind right now is Lakshmi, Sri
3. 00:11Lakshmi. And what is she renowned for is wealth.
4. 00:15But what is the wealth that Lakshmi had that we would really like to have?
5. 00:21The wealth of Lakshmi is and was and will be again
6. 00:27the wealth of all purity and virtues.
7. 00:33And this is what makes her the goddess that she was and will be again.
8. 00:39So this is my blessing to everyone, is that you too, we can all become
9. 00:45like goddess Lakshmi as well, filled with the wealth of all virtues.
10. 00:51And all beautiful values, and let purity shine.
11. 00:57Om Shanti.

Transcribed from the recording, with names checked by hand. Times are minutes and seconds into the clip.

1. 00:00Thank you, Anu, and a thank you to all our speakers.
2. 00:03And a special thanks to our sponsor, Fortune Foods.
3. 00:07A quick question. Kyra, what is Diwali all about?
4. 00:12Diwali comes from the Sanskrit word Deepavali.
5. 00:15Two words, deepa meaning lamp, and avali meaning a row.
6. 00:21So a row of lamps. Are we relying on the dictionary today, Kyra?
7. 00:25The dictionary gives us the word. Life gives us the meaning.
8. 00:30And life is sensory. So Melbourne, let's discover Diwali through all your senses.
9. 00:35Lead the way. Sense number one, what you see. Long ago, before electricity,
10. 00:41a small clay diya was the light of every home. Once the sun went down, that diya was
11. 00:47more than a decoration, it was hope. Exactly, one lamp lights a doorway, a whole
12. 00:53row of them lights the way home. Picture it, every house on
13. 00:59the street, a diya in every doorway. I was going to ask everyone to hold up their phone
14. 01:04torches, but it's broad daylight. The sun is doing a great job today.
15. 01:09Very supportive of Diwali. Sense number two, what you hear, the ring of the bell
16. 01:14during an aarti. And the shankh, the conch shell, blown at the start of prayers.
17. 01:19In our tradition, that sound marks a new beginning and welcomes the goodness into
18. 01:24our home. Just like Ayodhya welcomed Ram, Sita, and Lakshman home after 14 years.
19. 01:31And these days, every Indian home has one more Diwali sound, the pressure cooker
20. 01:36whistle. Three whistles means the dal is ready.
21. 01:40Four means Mum is stuck on Candy Crush level 300.
22. 01:44But every one of those sounds says the same thing.
23. 01:47Melbourne Diwali is telling you, you are home.
24. 01:50Sense number three, what you smell. Ghee, incense, and fresh sweets frying in a
25. 01:56kadai at sunrise.

Transcribed from the recording, with names checked by hand. Times are minutes and seconds into the clip.

1. 00:00Please welcome our judges Nithya, Neethu, and Sachin to present the junior
2. 00:06prizes.
3. 00:26Who here has loved Diwali so far?
4. 00:29Can you put your hands up? I want to see everyone's hands up.
5. 00:33Come on, up high. To the sky. Amazing.
6. 00:37Let's give three cheers for our judges because we have three judges.
7. 00:41Woo!
8. 00:43Woo! Woo!
9. 00:47And here she comes now. Really looking really fashionable right now too.
10. 00:55Thank you gorgeous, I did my best, thank you.
11. 00:57Wow, what a crowd. Thank you all for being here, my name is Nithya.
12. 01:01I'm one of the three judges, we've got Neethu over there and we've got Sachin over
13. 01:05there as well. Thank you so much for allowing us to judge your gorgeous little
14. 01:09performers. Weren't they amazing? Yes!
15. 01:13To all their supporters, their parents, their friends and family who helped them,
16. 01:18thank you. You should give yourself a big pat on the shoulder because that was a
17. 01:22really good effort. Each and every one of you did a damn good job, so you made our
18. 01:26jobs really hard, okay? Sorry to those who don't.
19. 01:31Oh my gosh, okay, we've done it. All right.
20. 01:34Sorry. It took so long to work it out because I swear these three got the same
21. 01:38score. They've only got one prize to give away.
22. 01:41So may I please bring on stage the runner-up
23. 01:46first?
24. 01:49It's...
25. 01:53Twinkling Stars!
26. 01:58Can I just have you on stage, please, so we can acknowledge you for your wonderful
27. 02:02effort, wherever you are? Oh, my God, they're so cute.
28. 02:05Look at these guys. Can I just say, your costumes are outstanding.
29. 02:12Can you all just show everybody there?
30. 02:14Turn around. Everyone, this is what we call outstanding effort, okay?
31. 02:21It adds to your score. So next time you're competing, keep in mind, costume is
32. 02:26important. Is that right, chickies? Okay.
33. 02:29Well done. You actually came runner-up.
34. 02:31I'm going to get you to stand here on the side over here with us on stage.
35. 02:43Thank you.
36. 03:15Thank you.
37. 03:41Thank you.

Transcribed from the recording, with names checked by hand. Times are minutes and seconds into the clip.

1. 00:00So the winners are Gulaboo. Gulaboo, come here.
2. 00:19Well done, guys. Please come over.
3. 00:33Thank you.
4. 00:37Congrats, everyone. Congrats, winners, and congrats to everyone who danced on the
5. 00:41stage. It was really amazing to dance.
6. 00:42You guys. Thank you.

Transcribed from the recording, with names checked by hand. Times are minutes and seconds into the clip.

1. 00:01Well, well, well. The wait is finally over.
2. 00:04The decision is made. We kindly request our judges to come up on the stage and
3. 00:10announce the winners.
4. 00:30Happy Diwali Melbourne.
5. 00:33I hope all of you had a fantastic time as much as we've had it.
6. 00:38It was one of the most hardest things that we did today.
7. 00:43We wanted to see everybody's personality.
8. 00:46We wanted to see that energy. And we wanted to see you guys on the stage today.
9. 00:51And to every contestant, please remember getting onto the stage
10. 00:57itself was supposed to be very courageous.
11. 01:00Behind those few minutes we see today hours and hours of rehearsals.
12. 01:06And forgotten steps, sore feet, costume dramas, and probably
13. 01:12somebody always shouting, guys, from the top, one last time.
14. 01:16So anyway, we have finally made the decision
15. 01:22who our winners are today.
16. 01:26Third place, we have Team Lasya.
17. 01:38Team Lasya, Lasya, please come on stage.
18. 01:49Well done, well done. Good on you guys.
19. 01:52Congratulations.
20. 01:56Just take a good photo.
21. 02:00Back.
22. 02:09Second, Rhythm Dance Academy.
23. 02:14Rhythm Dance Academy, are you here? please come on stage
24. 02:35ladies come on congratulations
25. 02:46And the first prize, any guesses?
26. 02:52Drum rolls.
27. 02:55Nritya School of Dances.
28. 03:09Congratulations, guys. You guys did fantastic.

Transcribed from the recording, with names checked by hand. Times are minutes and seconds into the clip.

1. 00:00All right, we've just got one last announcement, everybody.
2. 00:04Can you please make some noise for Jamal from the Arab Australia Institute, please?
3. 00:10He's giving out some freebies
4. 00:14to Arush, who's been a volunteer for Melbourne Diwali for the last five years.
5. 00:18Arush works extremely hard in the background for Melbourne Diwali, so please,
6. 00:22everybody, big round of applause for Arush to make this happen.
7. 00:29And Sheba.
8. 00:33Sheba is the ex-national chair of Australia India Business Council.
9. 00:37and she's flown from Sydney to support us.
10. 00:39Thank you, Sheba.
11. 00:48Have fun. Happy Melbourne Diwali, guys.