The Kiwi Indian community in Waikato came together in full force to celebrate Diwali – the festival of lights.
The event - Unified Diwali - took place on Saturday (November 5) at Waikato Indian Association Hall in Hamilton and had more than 500 people in attendance.
Interestingly, it was for the first time in the Waikato region that several associations joined hands to celebrate Diwali under the Waikato Indian Diaspora banner. The associations organising the celebration included the Indian Cultural Society (Waikato), Waikato Indian Association, Tamil Society Waikato, Waikato Senior Citizens Association, Waikato Multicultural Council, Hamilton Kerala Samajam, along with support from Hamilton City Council and High Commission of India.
Many dignitaries such as the newly appointed High commissioner of India to NZ, HE Neeta Bhushan; Mayor of Hamilton Paula Southgate; Deputy Mayor of Hamilton Angela O'Leary; former MP Dr Gaurav Sharma; CEO of Trust Waikato Dennis Turton; Chair of Trust Waikato Vicky McLennan and various community leaders from Waikato Indian diaspora graced the occasion, which celebrated unity in diversity and multiculturalism.
It was the first official visit of Ms Bhushan outside Wellington since she was appointed as the Indian High Commissioner in NZ (the first woman High Commissioner of India in NZ) in October this year. Talking about being part of the event, she said, “It is a matter of great pride that all the Indian Associations in Waikato have come together to celebrate the festival of Diwali. I am overwhelmed by the warmth and affection shown by the people of the Indian diaspora in Waikato. Such celebrations go a long way in strengthening the bonds of brotherhood and fraternity. I also took this opportunity to Interact with Indian community members and assured them of our continuous support to them.”
Dressed in ethnic sea-green coloured Indian attire, Southgate seems visibly excited to be part of the Diwali celebration after the Covid pandemic-induced break. She said, "Diwali is a special time of the year. It is great to be able to come together and celebrate the festival. I love the cultural richness and diversity, and since Hamilton is home to 160 different ethnic groups, it is great to see members of the Indian communities coming together in large numbers.”
The event saw some enthralling cultural performances, including dance performances from different parts of India – from Punjab's Bhangra and Ghiddha to Gujarat's Garba, apart from Bollywood dance and beyond.
Sharing his thoughts on organising Unified Diwali in Waikato, Tarun Kumar Pragji, President, Waikato Indian Association, told Indian Weekender, “It was a dream come true to be able to have different associations in Waikato coming together to celebrate Unified Diwali. The overwhelming response that we got this year has certainly encouraged us to do a much bigger and better event next year. I thank all the organisations for their support and making this event a grand success”
Talking about the event, Jujhar Singh Randhawa, President of Indian Cultural Society Waikato Inc, said, "The event was very well received. It was great that we could attract audiences from different corners of Waikato. We are overwhelmed by the event's success and hope to have a grander event next year. It was seeing our community members enjoying themselves and soaking up in the festivities.”
Senior Hamilton Councilor Ryan Hamilton, too, shared his thoughts about the festivities and posted on his social media, "It was wonderful celebrating Diwali 2022 with Indian Cultural Society - Waikato Inc. I also had my first Laddu or Laddoo, which was a very tasty sweet treat.”
Another Hamilton City Councillor, Kesh Naidoo-Rauf, praised the organisers for putting up a great show. She said, "I felt proud to attend the Unified Waikato Diwali celebrations where the new High Commissioner of India was in attendance, as well as many other community leaders. The amazing performances had us wanting to get off our seats as well. Thank you to all the organisations who came together and worked tirelessly to pull off a fabulous Diwali event!
Guests, who were mostly dressed in Indian ethnic wear, were seen enjoying authentic Indian food, sweets, and tea.
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