Study In Australia: Students Celebrate Diwali At University Of Melbourne’s Parkville Campus

The University of Melbourne celebrated the Indian festival Diwali on its Parkville campus last week. Over 1000 staff and students participated in the celebrations.

Diwali, the most popular festival of Indians, is celebrated by Hindus across the globe including in Malaysia, Pakistan, Singapore, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh. Last week, the University of Melbourne celebrated this festival. The event had performances by the students based on Indian dance and entertainment. The students also enjoyed the Indian music and food.

Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Global, Culture and Engagement) Professor Michael Wesley commented on the celebration and said, “Diwali is a special occasion at our University and it brings a fantastic energy of cultural exchange to our campus. It is one of the most anticipated days of the cultural calendar and the event attracts people from all backgrounds, celebrating with our international student community, learning and sharing experiences with each other.”

Pranav Soman, Master of International Business student and President of the Bollywood Club said, “This is my first time celebrating Diwali away from family… the University of Melbourne and all the clubs and activities organised during festivals like these has definitely helped in making Melbourne my home away from home."

Arts Student Michael Gentle Won 2025 Rhodes Scholarship Australia-at-Large

Michael Gentle is an art student at the university who has won a 2025 Rhodes Scholarship Australia-at-Large. It will offer him the opportunity to study at Oxford University.

“In becoming a Rhodes Scholar, I hope to explore where the Australiana is situated on a global platform in visual and literary codes. The international forum that both the Rhodes and Oxford facilitates will push me to consider the global ramifications of Australian affairs,” Michael said.

“Within this context, I intend to bring issues relating to the First Peoples of this continent to the fore, prioritising Indigenous methodologies and knowledges in exchange with other scholars and the broader community. In exercising this dialogue, I hope to bridge the fjord between First Peoples and non-Indigenous communities, particularly through curatorial and art-historical platforms. As a man of English convict, Irish and Nyoongar ancestry - with ancestral connections to Minang Boodja - questions of national identity have had an enduring influence on my curatorial and art-historical research," added Michael.

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