Queenstown celebrates festival of lights

The picturesque Queenstown celebrated Diwali on 29th October at the Queenstown Events Centre.

The event was organised by the Bhartiya Samaj Charitable Trust and the Bhartiya Samaj Queenstown Charitable Trust.

Queenstown Mayor Glyn Lewers lit the traditional lamp, along with Jeet Suchdev, Founder and Chairperson of the Bhartiya Samaj as well as  Mangal Behal and Poonam Sethi of the Bhartiya Samaj Queenstown Charitable Trust.

The cultural programme that followed began with the Ganesh vandana performed  by Megha Mewara.  This was followed by a range of folk dances covering Bhangra , Kapa Haka, Salsa, an aerial cabaret and Nepalese dance. In the show's highlights, Nisha Mehrotra and Simran Chadha, who travelled all the way from Auckland, dazzled the audience with their Indian classical and Bollywood dance performance. The audience particularly enjoyed Punjab's traditional women's Gidda. Miss NZ Nationwide 2022 Harshdeep Kaur and Davinder Kaur's performances also set the stage on fire.

Among the notables present on the occasion were, Mayor Lewers, National Party MP Joseph Mooney, Labour Party MP Rachel Brooking, Sergeant Steve Watt from Queenstown Police, Welcome Communities Coordinator Silvia Dancose, and media guest Phillip Chandler. Bhartiya Samaj Charitable Trust's Founder and Chairman, Jeet Suchdev, Trusts co-founder Roopa Suchdev and Roopa Aur Aap's Chairperson, Roshni Chadha travelled from Auckland to attend the event.

The dignitaries addressed the gathering, wishing them for Diwali and highlighting the country's cultural diversity.

Bhartiya Samaj Charitable Trusts founder and chairperson Jeet Suchdev said, "Queenstown Diwali is one of the biggest celebrations of the Festival of Lights. It is not just about lighting lamps in our homes. It is an occasion to light our hearts with love and compassion. It is a festival that reinstates Indian values to light lives with truth, divinity and peace in the world."

Queenstown Mayor Lewers said it was so nice to see everyone together again [after two and a half years] and celebrate Diwali with the wider communities once again. "Diwali is such a great occasion to celebrate, the victory of good over evil, which gives a nice feeling after stressful [times] we all have had over the past two and a half years. Community connection and social cohesion will make our life a lot easier after these tough times."

Bhartiya Samaj Queenstown Charitable Trust President Mangal Behal and Vice President Poonam Sethi said the celebration of the Festival of Lights was a perfect opportunity for all the communities to come together and celebrate under one roof.

"Diwali is now celebrated not just in India, but across the world. It is an important festival that brings together many communities. The Queenstown Diwali celebrations have always been something several communities wait for. Bhartiya Samaj makes sure to live upto the expectations of the communities and make a difference by connecting communities and serving people in Aotearoa."    

The organising team thanked their supporters, namely, Pub Charity, Ministry of Ethnic Communities, Queenstown Lakes District Council, Lottery Grants Board, BNZ, Give Give, Tom Tom, Super Liquor, Bombay Palace, Central Lakes Trust, iFly, Latin Soul, VR Hotels, and Novelty.