27 September 2024

Spend a day celebrating Punjabi culture at Khed Mela

| Jacqueline Lyons
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Women in Punjabi dress dancing

Come and learn about Punjabi culture at the Khed Mela festival. Photos: CPSCA.

Take the family out to immerse them in a free cultural experience like no other.

The 2024 Khed Mela aims to bring the Canberra community together and educate visitors about the Punjabi language, sports, culture and food.

Host Canberra Punjabi Sports and Cultural Association (CPSCA) is also supporting active community involvement and cross-cultural awareness.

Khed Mela is on Sunday 6 October at the Budawang Pavilion at EPIC ACT from 11 am to 5 pm.

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Khed Mela has been running since 2015 and CPSCA member Dr Harjinder Singh Dhindsa says the Canberra Punjabi community looks forward to the event every year.

“It’s a great day out, plenty to see and do, we’ll have multiple stalls including food, traditional clothing, footwear, jewellery, henna tattoos, face painting,” Harjinder says.

“There will also be stalls run by our sponsors giving away freebies and a workshop on turban tying.

“We are also hosting a free live concert by Nachhatar Gill and Vicky Dhaliwal, two famous Punjabi singers.”

The performance from the superstars represents the icing on the cake during a packed day of activities including famous Punjabi folk dancers Bhangra and Ghidha.

CPSCA also uses the day as an opportunity to raise awareness for a community cause every year.

This year, the Canberra Khed Mela will promote the importance of giving blood. Harjinder says it’s a cause that needs to be talked about more in the community.

“We are always looking for ways to take care of not only our community but the greater good,” she says.

“Giving blood is something that sometimes slips under the radar, so we really want to let as many people as possible know how easy it is and the difference it makes.

“If someone is hungry, we provide them a meal, and when it comes to blood giving it should be a process just as easy.”

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The organisation has previously used the event to raise awareness about the importance of other issues such as registering as an organ donor.

But when it comes to what the CPSCA wants to achieve from Khed Mela, it goes much further than raising awareness.

Harjinder says the group also wants to use the day to promote harmony and social cohesion, encourage people to focus on health and wellbeing, and support the Canberra economy by partnering with local businesses.

To find out more about Khed Mela and the contributions the group makes to the community, visit CPSCA.

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