Indian Link is once again recognised for its long-standing contributions to the multicultural media landscape
Indian Link Team
Indian Link took home the ‘Multicultural Publication of the Year’ award at the NSW Premier’s Harmony Dinner, organised by Multicultural NSW.
It was one of several honours recognising excellence across the state’s multicultural community.
Young journalist Khushee Gupta also won the ‘Best Report in Multicultural Media,’ award for her Indian Link podcast Don’t Talk Back and her work across a wide range of platforms in the print and digital space.
The Multicultural Publication of the Year award was presented to Rajni and Pawan Luthra by the Treasurer of NSW Daniel Mookhey himself of Indian origin and a longtime supporter of Indian Link.
Khushee Gupta
Reflecting on the collective effort behind the publication, Rajni Luthra expressed, “It was a proud moment to be up there with Pawan receiving the award - though we truly wished the whole team could have been beside us. We did it together - Charu Vij, Lakshmi Ganapathy, Torrsha Sen, Sruthi Sajeev, Ash Reynolds, Apoorva Tandon, Khushee Gupta, Shailesh Tinker, Harini Sridhar, Sagar Mehrotra - each of you go above and beyond, often quietly, but always with purpose. Thank you for your commitment, care, and excellence.”
She also acknowledged the regular contributors whose industry insights and experience have greatly informed Indian Link’s stories through the years.
“Prutha Chakraborty, Darshak Mehta, Ritam Mitra, Manan Luthra, Khushaal Vyas, Sydney Srinivas, Tarini Puri, Ekta Sharma, Neeru Saluja, Sandip Hor, Charmaine O’Brien, Auntyji, and so many others, your outstanding work has played a valuable role in shaping and elevating our publication. We deeply appreciate your contribution.”
Over the past year, Indian Link has upheld its commitment to reporting on the vital stories at the heart of the Indian-Australian community. Its balanced and varied reportage of major events such as the anti-immigration and anti-Indian protests and the 2025 Bondi attack offered great insight into the attitudes of the community at large.
Rajni and Pawan Luthra
Rajni credited founder Pawan Luthra for his advice in navigating through this period.
“Pawan has been the perfect partner-in-chief,” she noted. “He brings to this endeavour deep insight into the community we serve, along with foresight and the courage to take risks. I especially value his ability to cut through the noise and offer thoughtful, dispassionate advice that is firmly rooted in principle. Our entire team - core and extended - has come to rely on him for that.”
Pawan Luthra’s reflections on multicultural storytelling were, characteristically, macro in outlook. He noted, “To the Indian community in Australia - whom we seek to understand, engage with, and represent with care - thank you for your dynamism and for being such a rich source of stories. It is your diversity that ensures our storytelling continues to have depth.”
He added, “To the wider community in which we live and work, our growing interactions have revealed shared strengths. It has been heartening to see that there is far more that unites us than divides us - giving us even more stories to tell.”
Indian Link’s win was part of a greater celebration of harmony and unity. These messages were echoed by Ahmad Al Ahmad, hero of the Bondi terror incident, who shared his thoughts with Joseph La Posta, CEO of Multicultural NSW.
“We should celebrate multiculturalism every day,” he emphasised. “Australia is a country that is known for its unity and harmony – it’s the reason why everyone wants to come here.”
Earlier in the evening, the Premier of NSW Chris Minns commended the state’s multicultural community for coming together in support of the Jewish community in the wake of the Bondi tragedy.
The night also included a posthumous salute for those who dedicated their lives to serving the multicultural community. Those recognised came from a broad cross section of society, from not-for-profit founders to language school teachers.
This year’s win brings Indian Link’s total tally of awards to 33, cementing its place as a stalwart for Australia’s multicultural groups and as one of the most influential voices in the broader community.
