Connecting and informing communities for 32 years | Indian Link

Multicultural Publication of the Year, sponsored by Anti-Discrimination NSW

Each month, tens of thousands of readers pick up a copy of Indian Link or open the website on their phones. Some are looking for news. Others want community stories or cultural commentary.

What they find is more than a publication. It is a platform that reflects how a community lives, grows and stays connected.

When husband and wife team Pawan and Rajni Luthra launched their free monthly magazine in 1994, it was a print publication serving a growing South Asian diaspora.

They could not have predicted how much both media and community life would change over the next three decades.

Today, Indian Link reaches a 700,000-strong Indian diaspora through print and digital news, a website, social media, podcasts and an online radio station broadcasting in Hindi and English.

“When we started, Indian Link became the place people came when they had a story to tell,” Parwan said.

“As our communities and stories grew, so did we.”

As the audience expanded and platforms multiplied, the role of Indian Link also evolved.

“We are no longer simply telling community stories,” Rajni said.

“We are interpreting, contextualising, and bridging cultures.”

Based in Sydney’s CBD, the publication covers the full range of Indian Australian experiences, including complex and sensitive issues.

That included reporting on the June 2025 Air India crash, when the community’s grief was intensified by racist online abuse.

“By reporting sensitively, centering loss while exposing abuse, we highlighted the human cost of prejudice without sensationalism,” Pawan explained.

“The article gently yet firmly held the online trolls accountable, while allowing space for grief.

“It ended with calls for authorities to respond, turning outrage into a push for better moderation and community protection.”

As the South Asian population in New South Wales has grown, so has the importance of having a strong, independent community voice.

Its reach speaks for itself: a print readership of 60,000, 4.3 million people reached on Facebook, 1.2 million Instagram reach, and 2.4 million YouTube views.

For the Luthras, the work continues with a clear purpose.

“We have a responsibility to amplify our shared humanity and goals as new Australians,” Rajni said.

“We’ll do this by continuing to share these important stories and help to foster connection and harmony in our communities.”

Indian Link is the winner of the 2026 Multicultural Publication of the Year.