Impressions: Harmony Week Program 2022 by Life Eternal Trust Australia
Australia is a vibrant and multicultural country, and the Moreton Bay Region is one of the most culturally diverse regions, with one in every four residents born overseas, representing more than 180 nationalities and speaking more than 150 different languages.
This year, Life Eternal Trust Australia [LETA], popularly known as Sahaja Yoga Meditation organised a public program on Sunday, 20th March from 12 noon to 5 pm at the Sutton’s Beach, Redcliffe to celebrate cultural diversity, and promote LETA’s 30 years of contributions to socio-cultural and economic life, encouraging social cohesion and inclusiveness within the Moreton Bay Region.
The official segment of the program started from 2 pm with Aunty Betty delivering a very insightful acknowledgement of country and Adjunct Professor Dr Sudipto Roy extending a warm welcome on behalf of LETA to all the participants, including the online participants who had tuned in from across Australia and other parts of the world.
Sudipto shared the message from Leanne Linard MP [Minister for Children and Youth Justice and Minister for Multicultural Affairs] highlighting the significance of the program and acknowledging LETA’s contribution to Queensland, Moreton Bay Region in particular. Councillor Sandra Ruck [Division 5 Moreton Bay Region], Councillor Steven Huang [The MacGregor Ward] and Brett Johnson [LETA National Coordinator] shared their wonderful messages of hope and harmony along with deep insights about the benefits of the program.
The speeches were interspersed with live music and instrumental music performances. LETA’s music group Sahaj Sangeet captivated the audience with lively music, rhythmic hand movements and clapping. Coralie Jessop on Santoor with Rudrodipto Roy on tabla thrilled the audience while Rudrodipto’s Saxophone rendition Maroon 5’s “Memories” left the audience with an invigorating experience.
In the last session, Leanne Lingard demonstrated simple meditation techniques followed by a soothing piece by Gaspar Hunt on piano to reduce stress, improve mental and physical health and wellbeing. Sudipto concluded the program with a vote of thanks, acknowledging Moreton Bay Regional Council for proudly supporting the event with generous funding, and invited the participants to join follow-up sessions and programs.
The program raised public awareness about simple methods to reduce stress, improve mental and physical health and wellbeing, and promote the benefits of living a life in harmony with nature and culture. The integration of lively music from diverse cultural background further reinforced the value of cultural diversity, equality, and inclusiveness in our culturally diverse Moreton Bay region. Overall, the program was a living demonstration of inclusiveness, respect and belonging for all Australians, regardless of cultural or linguistic background, evidenced by the following testimonials:
“Good morning, Sudipto. It was my absolute pleasure to attending your event on Sunday. I have this morning distributed your pamphlets and business cards and talked about the event with the other Councillors this morning. I am certainly looking forward to your event in 2023.”
Thank you everyone who contributed to the event yesterday and special thanks for Sudipto and Megha for organising it. I was impressed by councillors and representative of Aboriginal people speeches and their connection to the spirit of the event. The connection between everyone participating in the event felt beautiful. Music was blissful.”
