A glimpse into the Griffith University Cultural Gala

Coming to Australia and meeting people from different countries has changed my global perception. This insight is extended by the Cultural Gala, which was held at the Griffith University Nathan campus. As the name suggests, the event was based on the cultural theme. The participants wore their traditional country dresses. Another attraction was traditional performances given by various fellow mates proudly representing their cultures. We also presented our traditional dance ‘Bhangra’, which I will talk about later. If I have to explain this event in one line then it will be “People from different countries, representing and seeing the traditions live, which they might not have seen on the television, while enjoying themselves, eating and making new friends.”

The event started around 6:30pm. I went there before the time. I was one of the inviting members, who was going to welcome others in my regional language. It was such an honoured experience when I welcomed others in my mother tongue Punjabi, while saying ‘Sat Shiri Akal’ and in return they tried to do the same in their own accent. The event was organised in front of the campus heart and library, it was indeed a great setup. Apart from the DJ, bar and food stalls, the thing I liked most was the country flags across the roof. There was literally every country’s flag there.

At around 7:30pm the performances started. The performances were from India, Philippines, Latin America, Papua New Guinea, Pacific Islands, Indonesia, Australia, Africa and Germany. There was also a best dressed competition and fashion show. The International Fashion Show had people from Korea, Thailand, Afghanistan, India, Philippines, Spain, Papua New Guinea, Pacific Islands, Indonesia, Vietnam and Africa represented their countries. Take a look at the shots from the International Fashion Show below.

Well, around 9 o’clock, the time came, when we had to perform Bhangra. Actually I was not nervous at the time or I was too nervous to not know I was nervous. During the performance, listening to the audience cheer for us was amazing and pretty distracting as well. It was so joyful that I found it quite hard to concentrate on the music to follow the steps. After the performance, a number of people came to congratulate and appreciate us. That feeling is beyond explanation.

Some moments from the various performances are below – try to find me and Bhangra :p

Overall, it was such a great and new experience for me. I had never attended any event like this in my whole life. I think, now, I can make a right guess about the different regional dances and traditional dresses, if I have to, sometime. There should be more events like this in future at the universty. These kind of events help people to forget their worries and makes them live in the moment. At last, I would like to thank Griffith University and the Cultural Gala organising committee for hosting and shaping this great event.

– Hartinder