By Rebecca Skilton
Having found few opportunities to immerse herself within Indian culture throughout the south eastern suburbs of Melbourne, mother of two, Aanchal Meshram has worked tirelessly to bring Indian culture to both the Casey and Cardinia region.
Now, a year after its birth, the Indian Association Casey Cardinia spearheaded by Aanchal is preparing for its first appearance at the 2017 Parklea Pakenham Show.
“We will be doing Bollywood dance workshops, and there will be a food store (at the show),” president of the Indian Association Casey Cardinia, Aanchal explained. “People can come in, and we’ll show them some moves. We are planning to do the workshop every half an hour to build momentum in the crowd.”
For Aanchal and the Indian Association Casey Cardinia, the introduction of their organisation to the Pakenham show is a welcome event; their presence at the annual show provides the opportunity to create a stronger standing within the community.
“We haven’t been to a Pakenham show before, so we don’t know how we’re going to fit in,” Aanchal admitted. “But we are excited because it’s a bigger platform that we can show what Indian culture is all about.”
“The Pakenham Show gives us an opportunity to relate to the broader community and not just Indians,” Aanchal said.
“Our (organisation) started by bringing all Indians together, and then to start relating to other groups and to promote multiculturalism on a higher level… (Because) when you understand the cultural background of people and what their culture is about, it becomes much easier to relate and understand people.”
Noticing a lack of Indian festivals within the region, Aanchal’s endeavor to promote the Indian culture to both shires came after the birth of her second child.
Aware of the possibility her children could grow up without knowing their roots, Aanchal set out to create an alternative path to the one they were set to travel.
“The Indian Association Casey Cardinia started last year because we wanted to bring multicultural living in Cardinia and Casey together,” Aanchal explained.
“A lot of Indian festivals happen in the west (of Melbourne) but nothing happens in south east … that was the biggest challenge (because) travelling over one hour to the west doesn’t fit everyone’s schedules.”
“Our main idea was to showcase Indian festivities to the communities and our own kids because they had nowhere to go and see our culture,” Aanchal said.
“Our kids haven’t seen what happens in India. This is the best we can provide … I want them to have a taste of everything.”
While support from local Indian groups such as the Sikh Temple has helped to expand the Indian Association Casey Cardinia, Aanchal admits the group hasn’t been without hard times. She elects to view troubles faced as mere stepping stones in the organisation’s overall journey.
“We have been discouraged quite a few times … there are challenges,” Aanchal admitted. “Sometimes people didn’t turn out to events, but it’s a stepping stone and slowly people will get to know us.”
“When you have a good team like ours, we support each other and things become easier,” Aanchal explained. “I want (my kids) to learn we can do what we wish to and if we set our minds there’s nothing that stops us.”
The Parklea Pakenham Show will take place at P.B Ronald Reserve in Pakenham on Saturday 18 March. To find out more, visit www.pakenhamshow.org.au.
To find out more about the Indian Association Casey Cardinia, visit www.iacc.org.au
