A community man through and through, Indian-born Deepak-Raj Gupta is a strong voice for Canberra’s multicultural community. The creator of the World Curry Festival, President of the India–Australia Association of Canberra and organiser of the National Multicultural Festival for 10 years, Mr Gupta’s service to the community was recognised in 2012 with an ACT Community Advocate award and in 2015 he received a Community Service Excellence award. From July 2019 until the October 2020 ACT election, the Gungahlin resident became the first Indian-born person to hold the position of MLA in the ACT Legislative Assembly, when he represented the electorate of Yerrabi for the Labor party. Mr Gupta said his favourite part of the job was meeting people.
COOKING
My best pastime is to try different kinds of cuisines for my family and friends. I think we all enjoy food, but cooking is a particular love of mine. I have worked as a professional chef in the past, and it’s stuck with me. I do most of the cooking at home, although I am very lucky that my wife and two children share my passion, and we often share the work of making a meal.
WATCHING MOVIES
I enjoy watching movies and relaxing with my family. Mostly Hollywood and Bollywood, but lately we have been watching television serials like Designated Survivor.
SPORTS
I like playing and watching all kinds of sports. But I’d be betraying both my countries if I didn’t love cricket, so it’s fortunate that it’s one of my favourite pastimes. In fact, I have a cricket bat signed by the entire 2015 touring India cricket team. I used to be a nationally ranked butterfly swimmer, which is something not a lot of people know about me.
PETS
I love pets and my family boasts four of the cutest dogs you’ve ever seen: Jimmy, Sky, Tank, and the latest addition is Timmy. Sky and Tank are cheeky, but we love them for it. Walking them each day is a wonderful way to unwind; it gets me out into nature, and they are so energetic that I almost have to jog to keep up.
WALKS
Canberra has so many beautiful walking tracks. I enjoy going with friends and family, four times a week for a healthy lifestyle!
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