"Nepal Festival" organised in Melborune
NRN-Australia and Nepalese community in Melbourne organised the Nepal Festival in Melbourne early this week with great enthusiasm and colourful participation. The second leg of this festival will be held in Sydney on Saturday, September 13th, 2008.
The festival was organised for the first time in the heart of Melbourne at Federation Square on Sunday (Sep. 7) on such a large scale. An estimated 10,000 people attended the festival enjoying the multicultural diversity of Nepal and Australia. "The Federation Square looked in a very festive mood with red Nepalese flags and flying high and musical atmosphere. Stalls of foods, handicrafts and Nepalese businesses were on display and provided an atmosphere of mini-Nepal ," said Dr. Raju Adhikari, one of the organisers of the event. The cultural program continued for the whole day and included dances representing different ethnicities of Nepal. Some of the hit popular songs such as Chyangba ho chyangba, Mero Nepal etc were performed by local artistes while Dheeraj Shrestha performed on Tabla.
A Nepali fashion parade show reflecting Nepali costumes and culture was organisd while AXA band from Nepal was one of the star attractions at the event.
The program started with national anthems of both the countries. The festival was inaugurated by Jenny Mikakos, Member of Parliament, Victoria, who emphasized on the value of Australian multicultural society. She also lauded the role Nepali community was playing in Australia. Charge d' affairs Shankar Bairagi and Consulate at the Nepali embassy, Chandra Yonzon, highlighted recent changes in Nepal and importance of Nepal Festival in fostering good linkages between the two countries and promoting tourism in Nepal.
President of NRN Australia Goba Kotwal and regional director of NRN Oceana, Ms Indra Ban, shared NRN perspective in organising such a festival in both Melbourne and Sydney. Event coordinator and vice president of NRN from Melbourne, Raju Shakya, said he felt very proud for being a Nepali and thanked all for their support and contribution. nepalnews.com Sep 11 08
