A Correspondent
Auckland, March 22, 2018
As India takes significant strides in various sectors of its fast-developing economy, the Indian Diaspora in New Zealand, especially former residents and citizens of India, should be its ambassadors and promoters, a visiting orator has said.
Ashoke Pandit, known for his inspiring oratory, was in Auckland last week to participate in the first in a series of ‘Indi Talks’ (an acronym for India New Zealand Diversity) organised by the Indian Association of New Zealand (IANZ), formerly known as Manukau Indian Association.
The event, held at the Vodafone Events Centre in Manukau on Sunday, March 18, 2018, also witnessed a panel discussion and a Sufi music concert by Neerja Pandit.
Paradigm Shift
IANZ Vice-President Ram Lingam described the Programme as a ‘Red Letter Day’ for the Association since “it marked a marked a change in the thought paradigm for the Indian community.”
“The Indian community is known for its business acumen, for its resilience, work ethos and education. But the reality is that we want to be recognised as thought leaders. Real empowerment lies in thought leadership,” he said.
He said that as a social activist, Mr Pandit’s views on the ‘New India’ was thought-provoking.
Speaking about the rapid transformation of India under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he extolled the achievements of his government.
His address was followed by a panel discussion chaired by Veer Khar, the Chair of the ‘Diversity Centre (of IANZ), Communications Manager Roy Kaunds and Mr Lingam.
The Panel discussed how a change in narrative is happening at the macro level by the Indian government and how we could rise up at a ground-up community level.
Eclectic Mix
“IANZ continues to be a trailblazer in thought leadership; and the ‘India Rising’ event was one those pioneering activities that defines the Association,” Mr Lingam said.
IANZ President Suresh Ramji said that as a part of the ‘Indi Talks Series,’ the Association will invite thought leaders, who have an opinion and a viewpoint, to share it with the wider community.
“This, we hope, will spark debate and discussion on topics that affect the community and which in turn will empower the community,” he said.
According to Mr Khar, the Indian diaspora in New Zealand is an eclectic mix, and hence cannot be slotted into pre-defined political, social or economic groupings.
“Due to this diversity of opinion, we need a consensus and a collegial approach to confront issues that affect us. The ‘Indi Talk Series’ is one of those efforts to bring various viewpoints on a common platform,” he said.
Mr Kaunds said, “India is a Continent disguised as a Nation and our Association represents the largest number of the various cultures that are called by the generic term ‘Indian’. In the last five years, we have broad-based our membership and welcomed younger and talented professionals to join our team.”
Diversity Centre
The ‘Indi Talk Series’ compliments the ‘Diversity Centre,’ currently under construction in the South Auckland suburb of Papatoetoe.
The $5 million initiative of IANZ, the multi-storey edifice to diversity is in its final stages of completion and is expected to become operational by the end of the year.
“The Diversity Centre will be the cauldron in which the rich ethos of Indian values will meld with the diversity of Aotearoa,” Mr Lingam said.
Stating that IANZ has moved on from the ‘migrant’ mindset, he said that Indians are well represented in business, industry, academia, research, finance, the public sector, politics, spirituality and other areas.
“We make up a little over 4% of the New Zealand population but we contribute 8% to the country’s GDP. While only 7% of all New Zealanders have a university degree, 50% of Indians have a tertiary degree,” he said.
The music concert by Neerja was supported by Manjit Singh on Tabla, Navneel Prasad on Dholak and Hemant Thaker on Keyboard.
Neerja’s rendition of the Sufi songs using classical ragas and popular songs took the mood of the audience to a sublime level.
-With Reporting by Ram Lingam
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Photo Caption:
- Ashoke Pandit speaking at the Indi Talk Series
- Panel Discussion with (from left) Roy Kaunds, Veer Khar, Ashoke Pandit and Ram Lingam
- Neera Pandit in Concert with (from left) Navneel Prasad, Manjit Singh and Hemant Thaker
(Pictures Supplied)
