Festival Time

Almost all of Canberra is at the 'MultiCulti', the National Multicultural Festival, this afternoon and the Indian community is no exception. Not only was I reminded about the wide range of Indian food available, but there was a treat in store with one stage devoted to a range of Indian performances. Happily it was also in the shade, so on a 34C day it was a appreciated.

The fact that the Canberra India Council was prominently supporting the stage points to the increasing connections between India and Australia. This is something that has me thinking about the plot for my story. What are these connections? Who is involved? What sorts of relationships occur? Can there be complete understanding between cultures, and if not, what are the touchpoint and areas where they collide?

Max Weber suggested that  'all knowledge of cultural reality...is always knowledge from particular points of view,' so I am also thinking about the values, perceptions and points of view that are brought to those interactions as Indians and Australians come to know each other better.