On 30 June, 2012, the children of Taarana had the chance to celebrate diversity while learning about the different cultures in Malaysia through MaDFest. The purpose of this event funded by Vijayaratnam Foundation, among other organisations, was to engage Malaysians of all ages to unite under the umbrella of cultural diversity.

MaDFest is a free walk-in concert staged at the Civic Centre in Petaling Jaya and the event included exciting and colourful performances by the Regal Orchestra (Chinese culture), Nadi Tradisi (Kedah Malay), Malaysian Apna Punjab Bhangra (folk dance), AuCapoeira (Afro-Brazilian martial art and music), a Mah Meri performance (Carey Island Orang Asli), the 1,000 hands performance (Acheh, Indonesia) and also a special performance of Qawwali by the Persatuan Penganut Viswa Nirmala Dharma.

Each piece performed was followed by a one-minute presentation on its cultural significance within its respective society.

The children of Taarana enjoyed themselves thoroughly, especially at the end of the show, where the audience got on their feet and danced to the music regardless of age or culture. It was a pleasure to see some of our children from Taarana dancing independently on the dance floor and even up on the stage.

All in all, the event was a success and the organisers achieved their objective, which is to promote and share the beauty and diversity of our nation through music and dance.