The Kiwi-Indian diaspora in New Zealand is one of the most significant communities in New Zealand. And Kiwi-Indians help keep our Indian culture and traditions alive in our adopted country.
And taking this forward was the recently held Ganesha festival celebration by NZ Kannada Koota (NZKK, popularly known as “Koota”) in Auckland.
The event took place on Saturday (September 24) at Mt. Roskill War Memorial hall. It was the first cultural event by NZKK post the lockdowns and restrictions due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
NZKK members were visibly enthusiastic about participating in the gala. More than 250 people attended the event.
In commemoration of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav (platinum celebration of India’s independence and its cultural heritage), His Holiness Shri Jagadguru Rambhapuri Veerasimhasana Mahasamsthana Peetha and its educational prathistana conferred the “Swatantra Amrutha Ratna” award to 75 individuals and groups from Indian origin across the globe. Six recipients of this award are from NZ who are associated with NZ Kannada Koota and wider Indian community.
While community leader Nilima Venkat was recognised for her service and contributions towards seniors in the community and the wider community; Anuradha Ramkumar (founder and a creative director of Anuradha's School of Indian Dances) was honoured for her service and contributions to promoting and training Indian classical dance Bharathanatyam in NZ.
Feeling elated about the honour, Nilima told Indian Weekender, "It was a very proud, blessed and humbling experience to be recognised for your work by your community. As a woman, I will feel privileged if I can inspire others to do something for the community."
Sharing her sentiments Anuradha said, “It is humbling to be recognised for the work that I have been doing to promote Indian classical dance and culture for past 25 years. Recognitions and awards will come with added responsibility to serve the community. It also amplifies my commitment and accountability while serving the community especially for the younger generation.”
The first female Indian-born officer in the NZ Police, Mandeep Kaur, was also acknowledged for her contributions and service to the Indian community as Senior Sargent NZ Police. However, she was unable to attend the event.
The Kannada Koota language school team Prakash Rajarao, Vathsala Rajarao, Trupti Dev, Archana Ajay, Siddamma Chincholimath, Komala Hiremath, Shylaja Patil were recognised for their contributions toward Kannada school.
Also, Venkatachalam and Kavitha Venkat were honoured for their service and contributions towards Kannada Koota and Kannada Shale, and NZKK president Vishu Lokapal got a special mention and was honoured for his service towards Kannada Koota, Kannada shale and broader Indian community.
The event saw many energetic and vibrant dance performances, including Bharatanatyam and Kannada film songs.
The event also saw prizes being distributed to the winners of the sports day that NZKK conducted in July 2022. Interestingly, there were about 105 prizes distributed at the event,
The masters of ceremony Vikram Kashyap and Deeksha Kashyap, who anchored the program diligently, merit a special mention.
Talking about the event's success, Lokapal said, “The event was a great success with a huge turnout of NZKK members and top-notch cultural performances. The vibe was joyful. It was good to see the community member coming together and enjoying themselves after a long time."
The memorable event concluded with guest savouring delicious South Indian food.
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