The High Commission of India marked the occupation of its new premises in Wellington following the completion of the Griha Pravesh (house warming) ritual today.
The pooja was conducted in the courtyard of the building, after which the guests took their seats in the auditorium to witness multi-faith groups shower blessings on the new structure.
Dr. Pushpa Wood, founder of the Inter-faith Council of Wellington, briefed the audience about the ritual that took place earlier, saying it was dedicated to Lord Ganesh, who is believed to remove all obstacles in the path of a new venture.
The inter-faith readings to bless the building were kick- started by iwi members from the local Pipitea Marae who delivered a Maori blessing. This was followed by a Christian prayer read by the acting Deacon of the Wellington Cathedral of St. Paul. The Mufti of New Zealand was up next, followed by the Wellington Gurudwara. The acting Abbot of the Thai Meditation Centre of Wellington delivered a Buddhist blessing. The prayer session culminated with a Vedic chant invoking Goddess Lakshmi.
High Commissioner Muktesh Pardeshi then unveiled the commemoration plaque before honouring the architects and contractors who executed the building project . He also presented shawls to each of the faith leaders who read the prayers.
Addressing the audience, Mr. Pardeshi said “with the Greha Pravesh and the multi- faith blessings, the new surroundings are sanctified. This formalises our occupation of the new premises.”
Mr. Pardeshi said the High Commission will be moving to its new home in Wellington in “a few days”.
“As notified, all services will resume from this office complex from June 8,” Mr. Pardeshi said.
He described the event as a milestone in the history of India-New Zealand relations. “It’s a proud day for all Indians in New Zealand.”
Mr. Pardeshi said the new High Commission is housed in an environmentally- friendly building, “allowing natural light to permeate throughout the complex.”
He informed the audience that most of the construction works were accomplished in the last two and a half years when the world was struggling with Covid -19. “We have seen all kinds of disruptions such as lock downs, supply challenges, labour shortages, Covid-19 infections, delays and huge cost overruns,” he said.
No technical team from India could travel to give on-site guidance, he added.
Mr. Pardeshi briefly recapped the history of India’s links to NZ. Indians have been visiting this country for the last 200 years. But the official presence of the Government of India began only after Independence, he noted.
The new High Commission building in Wellington has been completed in the 75th year of India’s independence.
India’s official presence in Wellington began with an office of the Trade Commissioner on 49 Willis St. Two years later, the Trade Commission was upgraded to the level of a High Commission, Mr. Pardeshi pointed out.
“Since 1952, we have maintained diplomatic relations with New Zealand at the level of High Commission,” Mr Pardeshi said, adding “So, this year we celebrate 70 years of diplomatic relations at the level of High Commission.”
Mr Pardeshi noted a special historical coincidence. “The number of our building is 72. And this year we are celebrating 72 years of the official presence of India in New Zealand.”
Mr Pardeshi enlightened the audience on the origin of the street name where the new High Commission stood. The Maoris who first arrived in the area noticed the widespread presence of the Pipi, and named their Marae after this tree. “We are proud to be in the vicinity of Pipitea Marae”, Mr Pardeshi declared.
In closing, Mr Pardeshi said the new High Commission premises is a space on which to build up the India- New Zealand relationship in the years to come.
The High Commissioner conveyed his thanks to Mr. Bhav Dhillon, Honorary Consul of India in Auckland.
” I have spent many hours on the telephone with my distinguished friend, Mr Bhav Dhillon, who is India’s Honorary Consul in Auckland, seeking his guidance when the project was ongoing,” Mr. Pardeshi said.
The function ended with the unveiling of the High Commission emblem and the hoisting of the tri-colour by the High Commissioner, followed by the national anthem.
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