The signs at Parramatta’s Harris Street are tell-tale: with Joyalukkas on one side and Malabar Gold on the other, big Diwali streamers across the length of the Harris Park street that is dotted with Indian restaurants, even if it hadn’t announced ‘Little India’ at the outset, it was obvious that this neighbourhood was all about India and Indians.
Families are walking in and out of Mitran Da Dhaba and Adyar Ananda Bhawan, looking content, lugging groceries that many Indian stores here are selling – masala, dosa batter and bhujia. It’s the big evening of the Diljit Dosanjh concert at the CommBank Stadium in the neighbourhood – and some are walking the street sporting ‘Punjabi Aa Gaye Oye’ T-shirts, a phrase the pop star often uses in his shows, announcing the metaphorical arrival of his community to the world.
The tickets are priced anywhere between AUD 120 and 800 (Rs 8,000 to Rs 60,000), but the show is sold out. The Aura 2025 tour includes a massive scale, epic visuals, cutting-edge production, and a setlist of both new and old hits. It is being billed as a historic tour, with Dosanjh becoming the first Indian artist to headline stadiums in Australia.
People turned up at the stadium in turbans, parandas and ethnic Punjabi wear. The Indian community in Sydney and thereabouts boasts a significant Punjabi population, and Sunday evening was for them a strong reinforcement of their identity, as an international Punjabi star was the talk of the town.
The stadium, with a capacity of 30,000, was brimming. Outside the stadium was a day-long festival, with stalls selling Indian food, clothes and activities such as henna workshops. Even in other parts of the city, Dosanjh was being discussed – in bars, shopping streets and on restaurant tables.
In the middle of the two-hour-long show, when the Punjabi singer stopped to say, “whichever country or religion you belong to, you are welcome here. Hee aayan number,” it struck a chord. Australia had recently seen a spate of anti-immigration rallies, with posters and banners directed against the million-plus Indian-Australian community as well, which forms a huge chunk of the 26-million population of the country.
The Anthony Albanese government had quickly stepped in to reassure community members that they were very much a part of their country and that Australia was their home. However, some on the street have not exactly gotten over that phase.
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“Even if someone hates us, we love them,” Dosanjh said, and it elicited a huge applause. Soon, the crowd melted into song and dance as the icon enthralled them with his best numbers. It was a day of India at Parramatta.
As per official stats by the Australian government, Indians comprise the second-largest overseas-born community in Parramatta. By country of birth, Parramatta is the second largest to Blacktown’s Indian-born population. By language, Parramatta has the second-highest number of Punjabi speakers and the third-highest number of Hindi speakers.
On Sunday evening, as they walked home after the concert, music from back home seemed to have reassured some.
(The writer is in Sydney at the invitation of Destination New South Wales)
