Sydney’s cultural season was illuminated on September 27, 2025, when the Swami Vivekananda Cultural Centre (SVCC), Sydney, in collaboration with the Consulate General of India and the Art Gallery of New South Wales, hosted Diwali at the Gallery. 

The event drew families, artists, and community leaders to an afternoon of performances and festivities that highlighted the traditions and symbolism of the Festival of Lights.

The program marked the beginning of a series of major cultural initiatives by SVCC. Later in October, celebrations will continue with a flagship Diwali event at the Powerhouse in Castle Hill, featuring visiting artists from India alongside Sydney-based collaborators across art, craft, and performance. 

Reflecting on the season’s highlights, Niyati Mehta, director of SVCC Sydney, said, “With the success of last year, we celebrated Diwali with the Art Gallery of New South Wales again. This year, we are curating a range of experiences that bring together renowned artists from India and Australian collaborators to showcase the richness of art, craft, and creativity.”

November promises further milestones. “Sculpture by the Sea, one of the largest outdoor sculpture exhibitions in the world, will again feature Indian artistic voices on Sydney’s coastal walk. We are also preparing engaging panels on Indian cuisine and cinema in Australia at the Canberra Writers Festival,” Mehta added.

She highlighted that the season’s events are designed to give families, friends, and the wider community opportunities to experience Indian culture in a multicultural setting. From visual arts and music to sculpture and literature, each program deepens the cultural connection between Australia and India. “With the wide ocean of cultural space that connects both countries, every performance, every festival, and every workshop is a unique invitation to celebrate culture, diversity, and the shared bridges that unite us all.”

A Year of Cultural Engagement

The 2025 season follows a series of significant cultural milestones, including India’s 79th Independence Day celebrations, during which the ICCR empaneled troupe, Harish–Ishu Sapera Rajasthani Folk Ensemble undertook a multi-city tour across Australia’s major cities: Canberra, Perth, Melbourne, Sydney, and Brisbane in coordination with SVCC Sydney, the High Commission of India, and Indian Consulates nationwide.

Led by renowned folk dancer Ishu Sapera of Jodhpur, the six-member troupe presented iconic Rajasthani dance traditions such as Kalbelia, Ghoomar, Chari, Bhavai, and Terah Taali. Accompanied by traditional instruments including the dholak, khartal, algoza, and sarangi, their performances brought the vibrancy of India’s folk heritage to community gatherings, official events, and cultural workshops across the country.

The tour’s Australian debut began at the Teej Festival in Perth and continued at the Independence Day reception in Melbourne. In Sydney, the troupe performed at the flag hoisting ceremony at the Consulate General of India, offering a cultural tribute to the spirit of independence through live folk music and dance, and later drew standing ovations at Sydney’s Darling Harbour Theatre, International Convention Centre, for their high-energy performance.

The tour concluded in Brisbane with an interactive folk-dance workshop led by Ishu Sapera, engaging participants from both the local and diaspora communities. The session focused on traditional dance forms, highlighting cultural context, movement vocabulary, and rhythmic interpretation. Mehta noted that the initiative “exemplified ICCR’s commitment to grassroots cultural education and cross-cultural learning.”

The tour wrapped up on a high note with a performance at the India Day Fair, organized by the Global Organization of People of Indian Origin, Queensland, leaving audiences across all cities with a vibrant celebration of Rajasthani folk traditions.

Expanding the Cultural Footprint

SVCC collaborated with leading Australian institutions on a series of cultural programs throughout August 2025. In partnership with The Indian Tearoom, it presented High Tea with a Twist: From Arunachal to Assam – A Journey Across the Seven Sisters at the Harvey Lowe Pavilion, Castle Hill Showground. 

The program celebrated the seven northeastern states of India, collectively known as the Seven Sisters, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, and Tripura, through vibrant dance performances, melodious music, and a showcase of regional cuisine and teas that reflected their distinctive cultural heritage.

As part of the SAFAL Fest: South Asian Film, Arts & Literature Festival, SVCC also celebrated Indian poetry in multiple languages, including Sindhi, Assamese, Gujarati, Maithili, Sanskrit, Tamil, Hindi, and Urdu.

Furthering its engagement with Australia’s literary and artistic communities, SVCC collaborated with The Salons and Poetry Sydney to host Vessels of Love 2025 as part of National Poetry Month, an evocative evening of poetry, film, music, and art exploring themes of love, memory, and identity.

To round off the month, SVCC joined forces with the National Gallery of Victoria and Creative Victoria for Indian Community Day 2025, a celebration featuring dance, music, food, and dialogue that reflected the vibrancy of India’s culture within Australia’s multicultural landscape.

Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR)’s Role 

Reflecting on the broader framework, Mehta highlighted that the SVCC is a part of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), founded in 1950 under the Ministry of External Affairs, and continues to be at the heart of India’s global cultural engagement. 

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