I would not have known Brisbane to the extent I did before visiting the great city. Ever since I moved to Brisbane five years ago, I have found it to be a city full of multicultural ethos. It is hard to discern the nature of this city unless you start living here. To be more precise, Brisbane is a city well-known for its diverse and vibrant culture. The culture is a composite one with all the colours of various cultures that the migrant populations from different nations of the world bring here. The music and dance that are showcased on the occasion of various cultural festivals here in Brisbane have become the soul of this city.
In search of better opportunities I came to Brisbane five years ago from India. Being born and brought up in a country that celebrates many festivals and cultures, I was pleasantly surprised to see that Brisbane reflects India’s zeal to celebrate festivals. In fact, Brisbane can rightly be said to be a melting pot of cultures and traditions. For me, my first experience of Brisbane’s multicultural celebration was during a community festival in the South Bank Parklands. When you are in the midst of these multicultural festivals, for a few hours you are transformed as you find yourself completely immersed in the experience. The music, the dance, the buzz, and the excitement of the crowd that gathers in the arena of the festival, all have an impact on you as much as they have an impact on others.
In that community festival, I still distinctly remember, were heard the rhythmic beats of African drums, the melody of Chinese erhu, the traditional Filipino dances, and many other music and dance forms that mesmerized me. One of the performances was the Bharatnatyam, an Indian dance form that I was familiar with. But this was the first time I watched Bharatnatyam with the kind of attention that I had never given in India. It is a dance form that stands out as it starts from a mundane level and reaches the sublime level of a spiritual experience. You are instantly lost in the intricate hand and body movements of the dancers as if the cosmic vibrations are being unfolded before you. The dancers presented a remarkable performance and the large crowd that had gathered to watch their performance said it all.
On another occasion I had attended a Maori cultural event. It showcased the powerful haka dance and it left me mesmerized. The intensity and passion of the performers were transferred to those who watched them perform. The atmosphere was surcharged with the kind of energy I had never experienced before.
I also had the opportunity to attend an event that showcased Persian classical music. It was an exhibition of a soulful melody which was played on the tar and the santur, as the audience watched the show with awe and appreciation.
Dance and music have always been part of any multicultural society, and Brisbane is a good example. It is not just about entertainment, it is about the strength of dance and music to bind people from different cultures together in a unity that transcends diversity. Brisbane shows that the real strength of unity lies in diversity. Multicultural ethos does not let society divide itself; it keeps the society together and brings an understanding that underneath all diversities, the women and the men who represent them are all one and united by a common purpose, and that purpose is to serve the larger community to which we all belong. Brisbane stands for that unity amidst diversity.
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