Media Release
Sydney, Apr 12: The first day of the Hindu lunar year is celebrated as the festival of Samsaar Padvo by the Konkani community. This festival, also known as Yugadi or Gudi Padwa, is celebrated with great pomp and fervour in most Konkani households. Keeping the tradition alive, Konkani families in and around Sydney got together as one big kutumbh (family) to celebrate Samsaar Padvo and Ram Navmi on March 26.
This collective of amchigele (Konkani) families, fondly called 'Amhi EK Kutumbh' (AEK) was formed to ensure key festivals and events are celebrated following the same customs and traditions as most of them have grown up experiencing in India. It is a humble attempt to make the same experiences available to the next generation hoping to keep the culture and traditions alive in their young minds.
Amhi Ek Kutumbh conveners Kamakshi Shenoy & Hemant Nayak Benne
This year, the event was organized at the Swami Yoga Retreat in Kenthurst. This beautiful and serene venue surrounded by bushland was the perfect location to celebrate the festival in the lap of beautiful nature. Over 300 people attended the event, all dressed in colorful traditional sarees, mundo (dhoti) or salwar kurtas. The outdoor seating was organized for everyone to watch the ceremonies. All attendees were invited to offer Abhishek (holy bath) to Lord Rama before the deity was established on the sacred altar beautifully decorated by karsevaks (volunteers). Bhajan seva and ram naam chanting by some talented community members made the whole atmosphere divine. After the traditional aarti and naivedya (food offerings), all attendees were invited to enjoy the scrumptious Konkani lunch.
Food has always been the biggest highlight of the celebrations, making the AEK Samsaar Padvo function extra memorable. The traditional Konkani lunch on a banana leaf excites every true blue amchigele. Traditional Konkani dishes like khotto, gashi, batetya vaagu, tendli bibya upkari and ten other items were prepared by the volunteers. No outside caterers or professional cooks were engaged, and all preparations and cooking were completed on-site by both men and women volunteers. Over 50 volunteers joined forces to shop for cooking supplies and groceries, source banana and jackfruit leaves, arrange utensils, prep, cook and clean. This is no easy feat, and hats off to the selfless volunteers who have been tirelessly preparing for the days leading up to the event. The enthusiasm amongst the volunteers was so infectious that other community members also stepped in to lend a hand. It was great to witness the community spirit and oneness on display.
AEK is the brainchild of Kamakshi Shenoy and Hemant Nayak Benne, two individuals deeply rooted in the Konkani culture and tradition and have created opportunities to keep all engaged as a community by organizing various celebrations. They are a great combination representing the Northern and Southern regions of India's Konkan (west) coast, ensuring the festivities are relatable to all amchigeles irrespective of their origins. With active participation and support from their respective partners, Kamakshi and Hemant steer the community forward as they recreate the cultural experience of Indian festivals in Australia.
The broader Indian community in Australia also supported the event. Over 20 local businesses supported the event in various ways. Delicious breakfast (Swagath Restaurant), Indian sweets (Sweet Utsav) and idli batter (Madura foods) were provided by the renowned business, ensuring that the santharpana meal and phalahra were complete for the day-long celebration. Sunrice, Hari om Foods, Sharma's Kitchen, Chatkazz, Shri Dhaba, GuruMantra, Sydney Sports club, PAIradise and E-Gurukul were some other businesses. Stalls were set up to support small household businesses, and all attendees had a great time browsing and shopping for indian goodies.
Konkani are known for their celebrations. They have a strong sense of community; uphold their customs and traditions and are keen to continue their age old traditions well into the future. The car festivals (Teru) and the Ganeshotsav celebrations of Mumbai are a testament to that. Occasions like this strengthen the bond, giving a true sense of belonging to one huge kutumbh.
About Amhi Ek Kutumbh
Amhi Ek Kutumbh was formed in Jan 2022 with an aim to elevate the Konkani community and upcoming generations with knowledge of Konkani language, traditions, and culture. As families migrate to other parts of the world, English is adopted as the first language to communicate. Eventually, the mother tongue or original language, Konkani, is overlooked.
Similar is the case with the traditions and culture. Their only aim is to gather all aspects of the Konkani language, tradition, and culture to promote, educate and preserve for future generations of Konkani origin.
Their core vision is to establish and administer a nonprofit organization for community welfare with the foundation of Konkani language, tradition, and culture. Supported by the four pillars, such as creating an atmosphere for the community members to come together and celebrate the festivals, strengthening the bond called Amchitana and passing on the legacy to the future gems, encouraging organic and healthy food habits originated by ancestors, educating and responsibly celebrating with nature-friendly approaches, and supporting small businesses.
AEK aims to safeguard intangible language and cultural heritage. Konkani language, culture and traditional heritage will be passed on to upcoming generations and enhance awareness in future about their originality and unique identity.