The Kiwi-Marathi diaspora in Auckland came together in full enthusiasm to celebrate the Ganapati Utsav by the Auckland Marathi Association Inc. (AMAI).
The event, which took place on Saturday (September 17) at Freemans Bay Community Centre, saw more than 350 people in attendance.
The event was graced by the presence of dignitaries, including Minister for Diversity, Inclusion and Ethnic Communities, Priyanca Radhakrishnan; Head of Chancery of Indian High Commission, Mukesh Ghiya and Leader of ACT Party, David Seymour.
Sharing his experience, Seymour said, “Sensational (covid belated) celebration of Ganesh Chaturthi. New Zealand at its finest has many strands being who they are in harmony; it was a wonderful night.”
Ghiya also called the event a wonderful program. He expressed his emotions on Facebook, “Feeling blessed and high morale booster after getting Ganapati’s blessings. Thanks to Auckland Marathi Association for the wonderful program and for inviting me.”
The whole community hall, which was artistically decorated with flowers, lights, magnificent curtains and Rangoli, created by Smita Upadhye, provided the perfect festive ambience to the event.
The puja rituals began at 3.00 pm when all the members venerated the idol of Lord Ganesha. The Lord was offered prayers and invocations, followed by Aartis and the distribution of Prasad among the members.
This was followed by cultural performances, which included various Marathi folk dances like Gondhal. There was also a classical performance which was a tribute to Late Lata Mangeshkar, a speech on Lokmanya Tilak and lastly, a Dindi performed by Committee members and volunteers.
Neha Nalawade, the President of AMAI, seemed delighted with the turnout at the event. She said, "I am overwhelmed at the support and response we got for the celebration. It was wonderful to see people singing Maha-Arti, enjoying the performances, and delighted to be able to celebrate our Bappa after a two-year break due to the Covid-19 pandemic. We hope to continue this celebration on Diwali, which will be celebrated on October 29 at Titirangi War Memorial Hall.”
Another event highlight was the launch of AMAI's initiative 'Bring a book', where community members donated notebooks and stationery. AMAI will present these to the most suitable service organisation locally or in India.
Guests, too, couldn't stop gushing about the event.
One of the attendees, Priya Kulkarni, said, "The event recreated the magic and traditions of the Ganapati festival that we used to experience back in India. It was awesome to relive that through being part of this celebration. Everything transported me back to my hometown Mumbai, from food to dance."
As no cultural celebration is complete without the local delicacies, the guests were seen relishing authentic Maharashtrian food, which included Masale Bhat, Tomato Saar and Shrikhand Puri.
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