Sunil Kaushal –
The Annual Holi Festival of Waitakere Indian Association (WIA) will be held at the Trusts Arena, Central Park Drive, Henderson in West Auckland on Sunday, March 19, 2017.
The Festival of colours will commence at 11 am and conclude at 4 pm.
This is a community and family fun event.
Such programmes showcase the diversity of not only the Indian Community in New Zealand but also of various communities in Auckland.
Auckland is increasingly becoming multicultural with one in every four persons listed as ‘overseas born.’
The Indian population is also growing rapidly and such events provide a platform for the community to remember their childhood days of playing Holi in the company of their families, friends and neighbours and enable first-generation Kiwi Indians to discover their roots and culture.
Fun for all
Music, dance, splash of colours on people and laughter will be a part of the day-long Holi Festival of our Association.
‘Holi’ comes from the word ‘Hola,’ meaning sacrifice.
The festival is a reminder that we must live in a spirit of service and sacrifice.
At WIA, we aspire to serve our communities and have been doing so since the Association was established in 2000.
Come wearing white clothes so that the array of colours is visible to all, take selfies, post it on Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, tag your friends and families across the world – but most of all, enjoy the day and make it one to remember.
Our Association acknowledges the continued support of leading Radio Tarana, the leading Hindi Radio station, Indian Newslink, the oldest and largest circulated Indian Newspaper in New Zealand, the Henderson-Massey Local Board and the Trusts Community Foundation for making this event possible.
Sunil Kaushal is Vice-President of Waitakere Indian Association.
Our Staff Reporter adds:
WIA Past President Sunil Chandra (writing in our March 15, 2016 issue) said that
Holi at WIA also brings with it Indo-Fijian culture and Indian tradition, presenting a unique fusion of social and community values.
“Among these would be ‘Faag Gayan’ (rendition of Holy hymns), which has been a part of the Holi celebrations since we began. The mix of activities will ensure that people of all ages and ethnicity are able to come together in an amiable atmosphere to share fun and laughter” he said.
Spreading equality
Beyond all the religious and cultural manifestations, Holi is really about the inescapable truth that every person is born equal and hence has the right to be treated and provided opportunities for growth as equals.
As Mr Chandra said that India in general and Hinduism in particular has given the world a number of occasions and festivals to embrace the whole human race.
“These occasions aim to integrate and unite communities and Holi is one of them. The Festival has profound meaning for humankind and enhances race relations and integration,” he said.
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File Photo of Waitakere Holi 2016- the challenge is to identify people behind those colours!
