Colourful Diwali a celebration of harmony

The South West Italian Club will be awash with excitement on Saturday afternoon, with the Bunbury Diwali 2020 Festival of Lights set to captivate our region for the ninth time.

Orchestrated by the South West Indian Group, the theme of this year’s extravaganza is “Bollyworld 2020 — cultural colours”, which was chosen to highlight the importance of multiculturalism within our population.

Ahead of the big event, SWIG president Dr Parthasarathy Ramesh told the South Western Times about the importance Diwali can play in connecting all members of the community together.

“It is an event that celebrates harmony, happiness and joy,” he said.

“Diwali symbolises victory of light over darkness, happiness over sadness. Our Diwali events have been successful in bringing the community together in a harmonious way.”

Given the stress which the COVID-19 has placed on society, Dr Ramesh is hopeful the event can provide a special event which can ensure everyone leaves with a smile on their face.

This year's Diwali event has multiple stalls — including jewellery and clothes,” he said.

“In addition, we will have fire dancers including interactive fire demos, Gharba, Bhangra, Indian folk and classical dances, along with BollyWorld fusion performances, which will depict dance journeys around the world.”

The event gets under way from 3pm.