Guests relished the Tamil culture and cuisine at Auckland Kari Virunthu, or Auckland curry lunch, that was organised on April 22, 2023.
The event was put together by Tamil Association of New Zealand (TANZI) and Arasan NZ Trust, a Tamil organisation working towards social cohesion and inclusion among South Asians and the wider ethnic communities.
‘Kari’ refers to meat or curry, while ‘virunthu’ means a feast or a meal. It is a term used in Tamil cuisine to refer to a traditional meal served on a banana leaf. The dishes are served in a specific order, with each dish complementing the others. Kari Virunthu is organised during the Tamil month of Chithirai, from mid-April to mid-May, to mark the beginning of Tamil New Year.
The event took place at Bruce Pulman Park in Takanini, with more than 1,200 people attending it. It featured 30 different varieties of food cooked and served on banana leaf. About 60 volunteers were involved in coordinating and executing the event. Dance group ‘Chennai City Gangsta’ enthralled the guests with an uplifting and energetic performance.
Among the guests were Hon Consul of India in Auckland Bhav Dhillon, Honorary Consulate of Nepal for Auckland Dinesh Khadka, ACT Party MP Damien Smith, Tamil Society Waikato President Srinivasan Jaganathan and Waitakere Indian Association President Sunil Kaushal.
Dhillon described the event as highly successful. "I enjoyed the hearty feast with 20 items each in the veg and non-veg sections during the day-long food festival, which attracted an amazing turnout of participants,” he said.
Karunanidhi (Karuna) Muthu, Wellington Mutamizh Sangam President and National Party’s candidate from Rongotai for this year’s general elections, said, "It was a delectable feast organised by TANZI and Arasan in Auckland to celebrate the Tamil New Year. The love and care taken to cook for so many people is mind-boggling and evokes memories of days past in Madurai, Tamil Nadu in India.”
Labour Party MP Anahila Kanongata'a-Suisuiki called it “an afternoon of feasting village style”. She said, “It was so good to join the TANZI, Arasan NZ Trust, and the Tamil community for their Kari Virunthu. There were so many yummy spicy dishes. Although I was perspiring, I enjoyed the atmosphere, music, smiling faces and the delicious food."
Bala Venugopal Reddy Beeram, one of the attendees, said, “The Auckland Kari Virunthu 2023 provided an opportunity not only for the Tamil community, but for all wider ethnic communities to come together to connect, share, celebrate and enjoy the richness of Tamil culture and identity and share cultural experiences.”
According to the organiser, more than 300 people were on the waiting list to attend the event but could not get tickets due to the high demand.
"We are thrilled and overwhelmed with the success of the event," said Chairman of Arasan New Zealand, Dr Luxmanan (Lux) Selvanesan, adding, "It was wonderful to see so many members of the Tamil community come together to celebrate our culture and traditions. For the first time, we invited the full team of volunteers to share the same stage as our VIPs to pay respects. To us volunteers are the power that sustain and empower the community and are behind the success of grand community events like this. We were overwhelmed by the ticket demand and are sorry we could not accommodate everyone who wanted to attend."
Thanking the volunteers and the team behind the event, Sowndra Palanisamy, President of TANZI, said, "Without the help from our amazing volunteers who worked tirelessly for weeks leading up to the event, we couldn't have pulled off an event of this scale. The event was a testament to the vibrancy and diversity of the Tamil community in New Zealand. It strengthened cultural ties between the Tamil and wider New Zealand communities."