Inside Diwali’s explosion across the suburbs – and what it tells us about a changing Sydney

Any other time of year, Phantom Street in Nirimba Fields is a picture of regular life on Sydney’s north-western fringe: houses that popped up almost overnight look onto yet to-be-developed plots of land nearby.

But this is not an ordinary street, and it is not a regular time of year. This is Diwali, when Phantom Street is transformed, with virtually all the houses on this tiny strip decked out in lights, diyas and rangolis.

As Hindus and Sikhs around the world mark Diwali, the festival of light that represents the triumph of light over darkness in each of their faiths, the occasion is increasing in popularity across Sydney, particularly in the city’s north-west, home to a large number of Indian Australians.

The growing celebration reflects a significant demographic shift: Hinduism was the fastest-growing religion in Australia between the 2016 and 2021 censuses, increasing by 243,700 adherents, mainly due to migration from India and Nepal.

The surge in interest is evident on Phantom Street, and the strip was declared the best street in Blacktown City Council’s Diwali lights competition, which has run since 2016 and offered residents the chance to win $2500.

This year’s winners, Roneel and Shiristi Kumar of Prospect, joked that the prize money wasn’t enough to cover the increase in electricity costs – but they’ll do it again anyway.

“Being able to display and showcase our culture in the midst of what’s a very multi-ethnic society around us, it’s awesome,” said Roneel, an Australian of Fijian-Indian descent.

The couple combined traditional Diwali elements such as diyas (small clay candles) and rangoli (patterned art that welcomes the goddess of wealth, Lakshmi) with Australian icons including the Sydney Opera House.

Roneel has taken leave from work to mark the week and will spend Wednesday celebrating with friends.

Mohinder Kumar, the president of the Australian Hindi Indian Association, said Diwali was “our most important festival of the year”.

“There are a couple of different faiths [which celebrate Diwali], and for the Hindu faith [it marks] Lord Rama, his wife was kidnapped by a villain called Ravana.”

As Hindi legend puts it, when Rama and his wife returned to their kingdom, there were celebrations in the street with lights put up across whole towns.

“Lord Rama is considered one of the best kings,” said Kumar. He is known for his justice, equity and fairness. “So people still follow the scriptures of what he was doing when he was a king, and how a king should perform for the benefit of the whole community.”

On Saturday and Sunday, tens of thousands gathered at the Blacktown Showgrounds for “Australia’s Biggest Deepavali,” another name for Diwali.

Waiting backstage at the event, dozens of nervous dancers and performers, including many children and teenagers, went over dance routines and last-minute costume adjustments.

While the symbolism of light and candles is similar, Sikhs mark the beginning of Diwali as the day of Bandi Chhor Divas, the day of liberation, remembering when Guru Hargobind, the sixth guru in the faith, was released from prison in 1619.

At the Gurdwara Sahib, a Sikh temple in Glenwood in Sydney’s north-west, community members have extended the hours of their usual service to the community of offering free meals.

For Roneel, the light competition winner, the season’s growing popularity has been surreal to witness.

“People say Australia is not tolerant, we’ve got these issues. You should actually come to one of the streets where Diwali lights are displayed,” he said.

“I actually have a true blue Aussie who lives across the road from me. We get along quite well. He’s super awesome. The great thing is … because we put such huge Diwali lights … people have started to decorate their houses for Christmas as well. I think that’s a great thing.”

The Sydney Morning Herald has opened a bureau in the heart of Parramatta. Email parramatta@smh.com.au with news tips.