Festival to curry favour with India

PARRAMATTA will host a new festival, Parramasala, to celebrate the colour and flair of India in November.

The Australian Festival of South Asian Arts will be held from November 4 to 10.

Western Sydney Minister and Granville MP David Borger said Parramatta and the northern district had the biggest population of Indian and South Asian communities and was the perfect location for a colourful Bollywood-style festival.

The festival will offer a diverse multi-arts and cultural event with the highest quality of professional content, curated by the festival’s inaugural chief executive officer and artistic director, Philip Rolfe.

Premier Kristina Keneally said Parramasala would demonstrate NSW’s rich cultural heritage and be a premier arts event for Australia and the Asia-Pacific region.

“It embraces the cultural diversity of western Sydney and sends a clear message about the importance of Indian culture to the state,” she said.

The festival announcement followed the government’s plan to establish a round-table meeting of ministers, agencies and Indian leaders to address the safety concerns of international students and the Indian community.

The first meeting with Indian community leaders will be held on Wednesday, February 10.