Venkat Raman –
A meeting of community leaders convened to discuss the date of ‘Auckland Diwali’ organised by the Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development’ (ATEED) on Friday, August 28, 2015 failed to muster adequate support as per reports received by our newspaper.
It is understood that only 19 persons, ten of who were office-bearers of the New Zealand Indian Central Association (NZICA), Auckland Indian Association (AIA) and Manukau Indian Association (MIA) attended the meeting held at Mahatma Gandhi Centre in Central Auckland but stopped short of sending a ‘strong message’ to ATEED as claimed earlier.
Instead, the meeting is reported to have resolved to ‘write to Auckland Mayor about the need to consult in organising the event next year.’
Main Objection
The main objection of MIA President Veer Khar was that ATEED had announced that it would conduct ‘Auckland Diwali’ on October 17 and 18, 2015 at Aotea Square on Queen Street.
Mr Khar echoed the views of some sections of the community that the scheduled dates for Diwali were unacceptable since they preceded ‘Navratri,’ a nine-night festival in which the Hindu community participates in large numbers at temples and other places of congregation.
ATEED had accepted the mistake but expressed inability to reschedule but agreed to consult with community leaders from next year.
Mr Khar and his supporters were unhappy and hence had convened the meeting on August 28.
Our report, based on the opinions of a few persons who attended the meeting may be in variance to that of Mr Khar and his colleagues. We therefore sought his version.
He wrote the following piece (edited) following the meeting.
Deviation alleged
“The event has zero community consultation and the event is reduced to some Bollywood ‘entertainment’ and insidious food ‘mela.’ This practice has been on for more than a decade with some enjoying the commercial benefits with no questions asked. This year, with the advent of ‘Kiwi Indian Policy Forum,’ well supported by New Zealand Indian Association, a question was raised with regards to the lack of community consultation. ATEED found itself on back foot after realising the event date was planned before the Navratri event (totally not acceptable). Community leaders were overjoyed to see some action but some were sacred of ‘serious consequences’ for challenging the ‘masters.’ An ensuing debate with a very well timed support from the parliamentarians like Phil Goff, Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi and Mahesh Bindra added voice to the issue at hand. The support of NZICA President Harshad Patel and his bold statement clarified the community stand and finally ATEED and Mayor’s office buckled.
“The community has been consulted. Diwali will be more meaningful with people and not with the sole commercial focus. The community has shown valour with the virtues of tolerance and patience. It is up to the Council now to prove its worth.”
Hindus warn
In an earlier communication, Hindu Council of New Zealand President Vinod Kumar had said that his organisation would not be a part of any decision taken by Mr Khar and/or others in his organisation.
“We very strongly oppose the way this is going on. I can see that there is a greater unknown agenda. There is nothing wrong with commercialisation and it is not our business. Diwali has to be celebrated and money has to be collected,” he said.
According to Mr Kumar, any letter sent to Auckland Mayor Len Brown should be one of appreciation. “The community has the right to advice as to how Diwali should be celebrated but should not be involved in the financial aspects of the event,” he said.
Festival pride
Indian Weekender quoted a ‘migrant Indian’ (in its August 28 issue) as saying that he (or she) is filled with pride at the thought of his (or her) culture being celebrated by tens of thousands of people in a land away from home country.
“My heart is also filled with pride to be a part of a country that so willingly embraces the different cultures that make up the fabric of this land. Speaking to a large number of members of the community, I realied that this is exactly how most people felt. However, there seem to be certain “self-proclaimed” community leaders trying to jeopardise this for everyone.”
Although the outcome may not have been up to their expectations, Mr Khar and his team would be pleased with the fact the issue raised public awareness to a Festival which is essentially Hindu and deserves a proper revisit. We are sorry that paucity of room has precluded us from carrying the views expressed by a cross-section of the community through emails exchanged over the past four weeks.
Additional reading: ‘Let’s ignite the Diwali spirit of goodwill’ under Viewlink Page 12.
Photo :
‘Auckland Diwali’ attracts more than 140,000 people every year (File Photo of Diwali 2012)
