As part of Sydney BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir’s cultural and social activities, Independence Day 2004 was celebrated focusing on Indian Sankruti. In this two hour program, presented in Hindi and English, the audience of over 400 people was taken on a journey through the ancient priceless contributions of Bharat Mata, an emotional tribute to our freedom fighters, a quiz shedding light on interesting Indian facts and a kaleidoscope of cultures through music and dance.

At commencement, the audience were invited to ask themselves, What has India contributed to society? This was answered through a drama presented by members of the teenage group who described India’s contributions to the fields of language, education, medicine, maths and many more. All these facts came much to the amazement of the audience.

The Independence of our Cultural Millionaire would never have been achieved without the great sacrifice of our freedom fighters. A powerful presentation displayed this sentiment bringing tears of pride to many proud eyes.

‘How Well Do You Know India?’, that was the question answered after much introspection by the audience during an exciting quiz presented by the members of the youth group. It answered many unanswered questions leaving all with an understanding of our unique culture and pride.

As part of the worldwide Golden Jubilee celebrations of BAPS Bal Mandal, the children of Sydney Mandir enthralled those present through a dance – ‘Bharat Ki Ham Shaan Hai’. The audience clapped along and waved the Indian flags to show their encouragement for the future of India.

Traditional Indian music is an aspect of Indian culture that is renowned worldwide. Throughout the program, the BAPS youth group preserved this tradition through Hindi bhajans and patriotic songs.

To conclude such an enthralling inspirational program, the assembly united in one voice to sing ‘Jana Gana Mana…’ – a performance that made everyone present proud to be Indian.

All who attended the celebration were captivated by the discipline and confidence of the BAPS youths, most of whom are born and raised in Australia, for their hard work and dedication in organizing this program.

All those who witnessed the event felt an invigorating experience of Indian sanskruti and patriotism that left them with one thought in mind:

Duniya Ki Shaan - Mera Bharat Mahan