How South Asians are shaping Sydney and beyond

This article was originally published on I Am Starstruck.

Last year's all-women South Asian panel at Parramasala spelled out serious #diversitygoals, and in 2018 Nautanki Theatre delivered once again.

The organisation hosted another panel event in the heart of Western Sydney last week, and this time various topics were examined through the lens of the younger generation.

"How South Asians are shaping the next great city," was in fact the name of the event, and the five guest speakers proved they're making their mark in life, all the while embracing their cultural heritage.

Some of the highlights included:

--> Actor Bali Padda highlighting the importance of more multicultural faces in the television and film industry in Australia.

--> Journalist Azal Khan encouraging more brown women to join the journalism field, because quite frankly, there's really not that many of us in Australia.

--> Osman Faruqi shedding some light on his time in politics. The Junkee journalist has since announced he's leaving the publication, which begs the question, 'Will he be returning to Parliament House'?

--> Kersherka Sivakumaran speaking of her experiences analysing demographic-based data at Woolworths. If you're seeing a larger spice and pickle section in Parramatta, it's more than likely because that area of Western Sydney has a greater percentage of South Asian residents.

--> Ishani Das sharing her thoughts on navigating a legal career in a city like Canberra, which could be argued as being 'more white'.  She also revealed she's the lead singer in a band with another South Asian chick and two caucasian guys. Girl, you are goals.

--> Roanna Gonsalves returning this year as the conductor, sharing her wise knowledge and experience of intercultural dialogue in Australia.

Well done to Nautanki Theatre for hosting a fantastic, thought-provoking discussion once again.

To read about last year's Parramasala event, check out our review on our sister site I Am Starstruck.

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