Dear Visitor ji,
Namaste!!
FINACT held its Annual General Meeting on 30 July 2023. I am honoured and grateful to the representatives of the member organisations for trusting me and the new team (given below) to take FINACT to the next level.
The new team respects elders and the past leaders who have worked hard for the community and raised FINACT’s profile. The new team will continue to make positive contributions to place FINACT strategically for collective representation among the Indian diaspora and the broader Australian society.
In addition to working with the member organisations and our stakeholders, the new team will:
- revive the constitution committee
- form sports, cultural, student welfare and Chetna sub-committees
- organise FINACT’s two main events: AusIndia Fair and Harmony Day
- work with member organisations to encourage youth to participate in FINACT activities and mentor the youth for future leadership roles
- continue advocating for a multicultural centre with a function hall sitting capacity for over 1000 people
- continue advocacy for the India Centre and culturally appropriate aged care facility.
The 2022-23 had been a busy year for FINACT and member organisations. The activities are captured in the FINACT Annual Report and available on the FINACT website.
I would like to congratulate Dr Dipti Talaulikar (FINACT Women’s Representative) and Dr Sunita Dhindsa (FINACT Past President) for being the finalist for the ACT Women of the Year 2023 and for being inducted into the ACT Roll of Honour; and Dr Sunita Dhindsa on receiving the honour of ‘the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM)’ for service to the Indian community of the ACT.
The 2023-24 is going to be another productive year of meaningful contributions to the community. We look forward to working with our members, our stakeholders and the communities towards a better future for all.
Dr Harjinder S Dhindsa PhD
FINACT President
Oneness is key to one's happiness.
Annual General Meeting & New Team
Sun 30 July 2023
FINACT Annual General Meeting was held on Sunday 30 July 2023 at Gungahlin Library.
A new FINACT Team for 2023-24 is as follows:
President: Dr Harjinder Dhindsa (CPSCA)
Vice President: Mr Roshan Menon (CMA)
Secretary: Mrs Priyanka Mishra (BJSM)
Treasurer: Mr Vaibhav Mathur (RSC)
Public Officer: Mr Praneeth Galla (HAWAII)
Ex-officio: Dr Shanti Reddy (ACTTA)
Coordinators
Cultural: Mrs Viji Santosh (KAC)
Community: Mr Venkat Gunreddy (CTL)
AusIndia Fair: Mr Tejinder Hunjon (MPDR)
Chetna: Dr Pravati Panigrahi (PUI)
Representatives
Women: Dr Dipiti Talaulikar (GSACT)
Student/Youth: Mr Viswajith Selvaraj (UCIA)
Student/Youth: Ms Brinda Murlikrishna (ISA-ANU)
Senior Citizen: Mr Vijay Puri (ISCA)
Please visit the FINACT website for more details on our volunteers.
FINACT Women's Network - Sakhi
Sun 23 July 2023
This social initiative aims to create peer networks and create new friendships, to support Indian women in Canberra across regional, professional and religious barriers.
We had women in the audience sing songs in 4 different indian languages! We celebrated the achievements of the women in our community.
Thank you Aradhna Rastogi for being such an amazing MC! Thank you Divya Ravikumar, Deepali Jain, Manina Pathak, Anuradha Thirupathy, Radha Ravi, Pravati Panigrahi, DeePti Jajee, Manasi Rai, Jennifer, Maya C, Priyanka Mishra, Subasini Shekhar, Sangeetha Raaman for all the hard work in planning this event.
FINACT thanks the wonderful sponsors - most were women enterpreneurs. Saara Holidays, Hastasi, Sandy Hair and Beauty, and others!
FINACT Member Events Calendar
KAC Elects New Executive Committee
Sat 22 July 2023
Karnataka Association of Canberra (KAC) Annual General Body meeting was held on 22 July 2023 and a new team was elected to the Executive Committee of KAC.
President - Mrs. Roopa Rao.
Vice President - Mr. JP Reddy.
Secretary - Mrs. Sneha Shurpali.
Treasurer - Mrs. Shruthi SP.
Public Relations Officer - Mrs. Deepika Ramesh.
Cultural Officer - Mrs. Shilpa Jagadish DeveGowda.
Member - Mrs Viji Santosh.
PS: Congratulations to the new KAC Team. KAC is an important member of FINACT.
Upcoming Events
Onam by Canberra Malayalees Association
Sat 26 August 2023
KAC Invites for Trivia Night
Sat 26 August 2023
Karnataka Association of Canberra's new committee of 2023-24 is delighted to welcome all to their very first event of the year, the much-anticipated TRIVIA NIGHT!! Please see the details below:
Date: 26th August 2023
Venue: Flynn Community Hall, 21 Bingle Street – 2615
Payment Details: Adults - $10 (Members); $15 (Non-members) | Kids (10 and above) - $5 (Members); $10 (Non-members)
KAC will start the Trivia Night at 6:00 PM sharp as they are introducing some exciting new rounds and surprises. There is a special Trivia competition exclusively organised for kids so please make sure you bring them along!!
Trivia night will be followed by dinner and more chitchat.
Canberra Khed Mela by CPSCA
Sun 1 October 2023
The CKM 23 will include sports activities like kabbadi, soccer, volleyball, athletics and fun games. Free concert will be presented by a popular singer in the afternoon and cultural programs will entertain people at other times. There will be a variety of stalls including food, opportunities to meet people and network with other dignitaries and community leaders. We will provide all this free, no ticket, no entry fee.
Many local dignitaries, elected representatives and community leaders will be attending the event. The CKM will have police presence to ensure that the event is free from unsocial elements and extra security will be organised at the time of the concert.
CPSCA takes up a community cause every year. This year the CKM will promote awareness about blood donation or pain awareness.
Past Events
India's Independence Day Ceremony
Tue 15 August 2023
The 77th Independence Day of India was celebrated at the High Commission of India, Canberra. The High Commissioner HE Mr Manpreet Vohra hoisted the tricolour, followed by reading the address to the nation by the Hon. President of India, Mrs Droupadi Murmu.
Members of the Indian diaspora participated in the Flag hoisting ceremony. FINACT members recited poetry and sang songs in different Indian languages:
Dr Harjinder Dhindsa (poetry), Mrs Jayanti and Mr Arvind Gupta (poetry), Mr Mandeep Singh (song) and Mr Jai (Keyboard), Miss Sanvi Mathur and Master Riyansh Mathur (songs), and Miss Srisha Vure (song).
The HC also administered Panch Pran Pledge and paid homage by laying the wreath at the Shilaphalakam dedicated to the spirit of sacrifice of veers, followed by other members.
A digital exhibition in remembrance of horrors of partition was also put on display for the public.
FINACT T20 Cricket Tournament
Sat 12 August 2023
The FINACT’s T20 Community Cricket Competition 2023 concluded with a spectacular grand finale that marked the triumphant return of cricketing action after a hiatus of 2-3 years due to the global COVID pandemic. The event brought together four formidable teams – Rising Stars, CTL Lions, Kerala Strikers, and Canberra Masters – in a thrilling showcase of sportsmanship and talent.
The climactic final, held on Saturday 12 August 2023, witnessed an intense battle between Rising Stars and CTL Lions that had cricket enthusiasts on the edge of their seats. With passionate fans cheering from the stands, both teams displayed exceptional skill and determination, making it a memorable showdown. In the end, Rising Stars emerged victorious, clinching the title in a captivating contest. Congratulation to Rising Stars.
The success was made possible by the collective efforts of numerous individuals, including, Sanjay Sharma, President of the Indian Australian Multicultural Sports Association (IAMSA), and Sudheer Mandure, President Canberra Telgu League (CTL) who played a pivotal role in organising the event.
The closing ceremony was Attended by Ms Elizabeth Lee Opposition Leader of ACT, Mrs and Mr James Milligan MLA, Dr Krishna Nadimpalli OAM, Dr Shanti Reddy, Mr Vijay Puri JP and Dr Harjinder Dhindsa. Special thanks to Mr Roshan Menon for organising food and sound system.
Outreach by AMAN
The Australian Multicultural Action Network, led by Mrs. Radha Ravi as the Chair and Mr. Ravi Krishnamurthy as Presiding Advisor, met with the Mauritius High Commissioner & few others in a recent event.
The primary agenda of the discussion centred around two key areas: women's and seniors health challenges within the multicultural diaspora, particularly focusing on points of convergence between the two. The discussion demonstrated a proactive approach, by focusing on women's shared health challenges, the discussion underscored the commitment to nurturing health education opportunities for women and improving the well-being of seniors within the multicultural diaspora.
This exchange of insights and ideas holds the promise of yielding valuable outcomes and strengthening the bond among the Canberra community.
Cultural Night - ACT Telangana Association
Sat 5 August 2023
ACT Telangana Association hosted a fabulous event at the Kambri Theatre, ANU on Saturday night 5 August that was attended by more than 800 community members.
The event was graced by the ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr. Special highlight of the program was veena performance by Srivani who has come all the way from India to entertain the audience with outstanding melodies. Thanks to the High Commission of India, Canberra for supporting the event.
Sharad Milan (Luncheon) by BJSM
Sun 30 July 2023
The ACT Chapter of Bihar Jharkhand Sabha of Australia and New Zealand (BJSM) organises 3 get togethers every year since 2006 - Holi Milan, Sharad Milan and Diwali Milan on unwaveringly on last Sundays of March, July and October respectively.
Sharad Milan - After a long time, it was a great meeting of minds in Sharad Milan in Canberra. We all enjoyed interacting introductions and poetic duets, lots of fun, food, friends and photographs.
Shyam Sumiran - Rajasthani Samaj of Canberra
Sat 22 July 2023
It was a well attended event held at the Hindu Temple and Cultural Centre. Well done Team Rajasthani Samaj of Canberra!
Cultural Night by ATCS
Sat 8 July 2023
A fabulous celebration of Tamil arts organised by the Australian Tamil Cultural Society of ACT last night at the Mount Stromlo High School. Congratulations to the all-women, new Executive Committee who have started the year with this big bang event, attended by more than 450 people.
Congratulations to all the participants and parents for their support. What a special night it was. Well done all!
Your input/event for FINACT newsletter is appreciated and welcome
Newsletter for communities
 You will appreciate that newsletters are critical instrument and platform to meet our functional, operational and strategic communication needs. We have been using this infrastructure for long to effectively interact with you.
Funding under the digital grants from the ACT Government has further boosted our capabilities and confidence in meeting our objectives. We thank the ACT Government for their generosity that enables us to extend our tools to our member associations. Please see below for more information on how you can use this feature.
As you know FINACT newsletter is generally published once a month. If our member associations like to publish their organisation's event in the FINACT newsletter, please provide the following information:
- Event name, date, time and venue followed by text
- Text in word format (not PDF)
- Text within 150 words
- One image/picture if needed.
If you have a flyer ready for the event then FINACT can also publish the flyer in the newsletter.
You can submit this information at news@finact.org.au by the last week of month - marked as For FINACT Newsletter.
What else FINACT can do for you?
We acknowlege that not all associations can afford to have mailing lists or tools to regularly interact/communicate with their members. FINACT has tools and capacity to be of your assistance. You may subscribe your members on our subscription page.
Sponsorship Appreciated for FINACT Events
We understand that one of the main reasons to sponsor a tournament and any event could be to promote one’s business and generate goodwill in the community. Sponsoring the FINACT events will give you brand recognition among the fastest-growing community group of Indians in the ACT and increase sales or traffic to sponsor’s website through their banner on our website (www.finact.net.au ).
Indians are the fastest growing population in Australia. This has resulted in increased air traffic between India and Australia; increased telecommunication; and enhanced trade and cultural ties. For sporting events - players and their supporters make playing cricket a fiercely competitive and memorable event. They will promote the game and use your services to show their appreciation.
In addition to providing an excellent opportunity to connect with the Indian sub-continent communities, the FINACT events' sponsorship will:
- enable sponsors to reach out to wider community groups in ACT and surrounds
- fulfil sponsors business objectives and attract sizeable potential customers
- provide a lasting impression of their business
- promote sports and physical activities in the community
- motivate and assist young players participating in the tournament and community activities
- attract favourable feedback from organisers and media partners
- generate great feel-good stories in Indian community and back to India and neighbouring countries and
- fulfil sponsor’s corporate and social responsibilities
If you are willing to or interested in sponsoring our events, please contact us soon.
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