Events

Featuring Bollywood dancing, dhol drumming and DJ sets, the NGV’s hugely popular Indian Community Day returns on Sunday 13 October 2024 at NGV International from 11am to 5pm. Celebrating the creativity and diversity of Victoria’s Indian community, this annual free event features art, food, performance, dance, music and more for audiences of all ages.

Highlights for the 2024 Indian Community Day include a vibrant and high impact drumming performance. Beginning on the NGV forecourt, the group of Indian dholis will conduct an exhilarating and high-energy roving performance into the Great Hall.

Inside, visitors can enjoy performances and workshops showcasing Indian dance styles, including Kathak, one of the eight forms of Indian classical dance, as well as folk dances from Gujrat and Rajasthan. There will also be an interactive Bollywood performance and workshop by Ignite Bollywood in the Great Hall. ​

The event will be hosted by Sharon Johal, celebrated Indian-Australian actor, writer and human rights advocate. Johal is best known for her work in Australia’s longest-running TV series Neighbours, the TV adaptation of Shantaram (2022) and starring opposite Zac Efron in Ricky Stanicky (2024), as well as competing as a contestant on the renovation TV series The Block.

Melbourne-based visual artist Bushra Hasan will teach children about the rickshaw, an iconic mode of transport in India, in the hands-on creative workshop Let’s Drive. Drawing inspiration from how owners decorate their real-life rickshaws, children can draw boldly coloured and patterned rickshaw. Born in Lucknow, India, Hasan works across painting, large scale murals, mosaic floors and community garden installations.​

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Revealing the influence of traditional Indian garments on contemporary fashion design, SBS Radio host Preeti Jabal moderates a panel discussion with Melbourne designers, Abha Gupta and Kudrat Makkar, alongside Sunita Lewis, Project Officer, Asian Art at the NGV. The conversation will also explore the influence of family on their designs and invite audiences to share their favourite fashion moments from their own upbringings.

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Transforming the Great Hall into a dance floor for all ages,​ DJ and music producer Pradip Sarkar, also known as Sikander, presents an exhilarating voyage across diverse musical horizons with an electrifying DJ set. ​Sakar is a founding member of the Sikander Band and hosts the popular radio show Tiger Beats Elephant Grooves on PBS FM.

Especially for Indian Community Day, chef Helly Raichura of Carlton North’s sought-after Indian diner, Enter via Laundry, will create a bespoke menu of Indian dishes and snacks served throughout the Great Hall and Gallery Kitchen. Raichura has appeared as a guest judge on Masterchef Australia, co-hosted the TV cooking series India Unplated alongside Adam D’Sylva and Sandeep Pandit, and appears regularly as a guest chef for The Cook Up with Adam Liaw.

Visitors can also tour the NGV Collection, including highlight works from the NGV Collection of Asian art, presented by Sunita Lewis, Project Officer, Asian Art.

Colin Brooks, Minister for Creative Industries said: ‘It’s the people and diverse cultures that make Victoria such an exciting place to live, work and visit. NGV’s Indian Community Day is set to be an epic celebration of Indian culture and creativity and what’s more, it’s all free. The Allan Labor Government is proud to back Indian Community Day. It’s a chance for all Victorians to come together at Australia’s most popular gallery to have a whole lot of fun while learning more about one of the biggest diaspora communities in our state.’

Tony Ellwood AM, Director, NGV said: ‘Indian Community Day is a vibrant and joyful celebration of one of Victoria’s largest diaspora communities. The NGV prides itself on being a universal civic space where members from all segments of our diverse community feel welcome and represented. Nearly 8,500 visitors attended Indian Community Day in 2023 – and we look forward to welcoming even more in 2024.’