The first Punjabi Heritage folk festival 2022 gave a befitting glimpse of the Punjabi cultural dances right in the heart of Auckland.
The event took place on Sunday 21 August, at the Vodafone Events Centre in Manukau.
Organised by Gurpreet Saini and his wife Reet Sandhu Saini of Punjabi Heritage Dance Academy Auckland, the sold-out event saw some 700 people in attendance.
Audiences were seen thoroughly enjoying the high energy performances which were 18 in number. Interestingly, 250 performers showcased their talent during event.
From Bhangra, Giddha, Jhoomer to Sammi and Jindua, the event showcased a number of Punjabi folk dance forms. With an aim to promote Punjabi folk dance and music in Aotearoa, the event saw participation from various dance academies across New Zealand.
“It was overwhelming to see the kind of support we got for the first Punjabi Heritage folk festival 2022. Our main idea behind organising the folk festival was to give a platform to our younger generation and keep them connected to our culturally rich Punjabi roots,” Gurpreet said.
Many dignitaries and known names from the Kiwi Indian community also supported the event with their presence. Those in attendance included Former member of the New Zealand Parliament Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi; community leaders Kharag Singh and Anne Singh; and the team of NZ Sikh Games, including Daljeet Singh Sidhu, Tara Singh Bains and Gurwinder Singh Aulakh, among others.
Praising the initiative, Bakshi said, “I feel great to see performances by talented children and youngsters. What a great idea to keep Punjabi heritage alive in NZ through its great folk dances.”
Mukesh Ghiya, Head of Chancery and acting Charge d’ Affaires of The Indian High Commission in Wellington too, showed his support for the event on social media. He wrote, "Good to see that we are preserving and promoting our culture and folk dances. Kudos to all who are involved in this.”
The audience was left asking for more. One of the audience members Harsheen Kaur said, "What an amazing way to witness the colourful folk culture of our motherland Punjab in faraway NZ. The whole vibe and feel truly transported me back to Punjab. I hope to see more such events in our Indian diaspora."
Elated by the response to the first Punjabi Heritage folk festival, the organiser plans to make it an annual event. "We are so happy to see the support of our community for this show. God willing, we will make it an annual event and come back with a much bigger and better event next year," signed off Reet.