Arts and Cultural Ganesh Festival of SA 2022
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The resounding beats of dhol-tasha, soft jingling music of lezim, powerful chants in praise of
Lord Ganesh, and women, men, and children dressed up in traditional attire and headgear
were the highlights of the vibrant procession of Lord Ganesh that marked the inauguration of
the 7th Arts and Cultural Ganesh Festival of SA, held on 3 and 4 September 2022.
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The highlight of the 7th Australia cha Raja was the beautiful and magnificent 21-foot-high
Ganesh idol, shipped from India. An estimated 12,000 visitors flocked to the two-day free
cultural event to seek the blessings of the deity and immerse themselves in the spirit of
festivity. This year, the Festival was held at AFL Max, near Adelaide Airport, to
accommodate the big idol and the growing crowd.
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After a hiatus of two years, the event once again featured a wide array of music and dance
performances by 590 professional and budding artists from various linguistic, cultural, and
regional backgrounds. Some of the cultural performances that enamoured the visitors
included the Chinese lion dance, Vietnamese dance, Latin dance, Macedonian folk dance,
Garhwali dance, Marathi dance, Garba dance, Bharatnatyam dance, and contemporary dance.
A new addition this year was the rendition of Lord Ganesh Aarti and Atharvashirsha
(chanting of hymns) by children of the 6-15 age group.
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There was an exclusive Satyanarayan Puja on the morning of 4 September that was
performed by 101 couples. The UIOSA provided all the items needed for the puja.
The event was supported by the Government of South Australia, the Department of the
Premier and Cabinet, with the City of West Torrens Council being its Event Partner.
The main corporate sponsors of the event were Asia Pacific Group Education & Migration
Consultants Adelaide and Alaxia Homes. The media partners were SBS Radio, TEJJO TV,
and Nischal Plus.
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The Guest of Honour for the 2022 Festival was Hon Michael Coxon, Mayor, City of West
Torrens. Other prominent names to grace the event included:
- Mr Michael Edison Brown, MP
- Ms Catherine Louise Hutchesson, MP
- Hon Joseph Karl (Joe) Szakacs, Minister for Police, Emergency Services and Correctional Services
- Hon Jing Shyuan Lee, MLC
- Mr Surender Pal, Councillor, City of West Torrens
- Rajendra Pandey, South Australian Multicultural and Ethnic Affairs Commission (SAMEAC), Board Member
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Another new addition to the Festival was creating the background display around the Bappa
idol through a projector. The UIOSA was able to buy this projector through the grant it
received under the Expand Together Grant 22-23. The projector is with the UIOSA and can
be utilised by other community groups.
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