Wednesday, 1 November 2023

 Luba GRIGOROVITCH (Kororoit) (10:10): I ended my weekend on an absolutely huge high, as I had the opportunity to attend the festival of Dussehra at the Sri Durga Temple in Rockbank on Sunday afternoon. This festival and celebration marks the beginning of Diwali. This is the most auspicious time in the Hindu calendar. Diwali is a celebration of the festival of lights for Hindu, Sikh and Jain communities. The festival of lights celebrates the triumph of light over darkness, good over evil and the human ability to overcome. I was joined by many colleagues from this room, along with the Minister for Multicultural Affairs Ingrid Stitt from the other place. The festival celebrates the goddess Durga. The festival was one of joy, dance, food, worship and fun, and we all got involved in it. The weekend saw over 20,000 people travel through the gates to attend the festival.

Sri Durga Temple is the largest Hindu temple in the Southern Hemisphere, and it sits in Kororoit. I could not be prouder. The executive at Sri Durga do incredible work and are there for people in their most challenging times. This was incredibly evident during COVID when the volunteers from Sri Durga cooked thousands upon thousands of meals and delivered them Victoria wide. To Joshi, Gary and the entire executive at Sri Durga, thank you for always having an open-door policy and for welcoming all visitors into your temple with open arms. This year Diwali falls on Sunday 12 November, and I look forward to more celebrations and more Indian sweets.