The Indian Weekender, Friday 6 November 2020

The Indian Weekender Friday, November 6, 2020
NEW ZEALAND 13
Kiwi-Indian community
leader honoured
RIZWAN MOHAMMAD
Kiwi Indian community leader Paul
Patel has been named one of three
awardees of the Civic Award for 2020
by Palmerston North City Council.
Paul Patel is the president of the oldest Indian
community organisations in the country, New
Zealand Indian Central Association (NZICA)
and is the only Kiwi Indian amongst other two
names, Brian Watt and Phil Pirie to receive this
coveted title.
A resident of Palmerston North region, Paul
has been connected with the community in
serving in different capacities, such as a hockey
player, president of Central Districts Sports
Club, skipper of Manawatu Darts Association,
Central District Indian Association to name a
few.
Besides being an ardent sports enthusiast,
Paul has led several community initiatives
that have brought a unified voice for the Kiwi
Indian community for over three decades now.
As a member of an informal Whanganui/
Manawatu combined sports club, he wondered
if an official sports organisation would benefit
and encourage the sporting activities of others.
He rallied other members of the local Indian
community to create the Central Districts
Indian Sports Club in 1982 and was elected its
first president – a position he held until 1996.
Paul was also concerned that the region’s
widely scattered Indian communities lacked
a voice. The Manawatu/Hawke’s Bay Indian
Association founded by his grandfather in 1945
had all but lapsed, and Paul decided to revive it.
Elected association president in 1989, he
set about rebuilding its profile, reconstituting
the organisation as the Central Districts Indian
Association. He remained its president until
2016 and still serves the organisation as vicepresident.
This led to his involvement with the New
Zealand Indian Central Association – a national
umbrella body for regional groups.
Serving in different positions under NZICA,
Paul has worked closely with officials from the
Indian High Commission, Immigration NZ,
the Department of Internal Affairs, NZ Police
and the Office of Ethnic Affairs to represent
the interests and concerns of the wider Indian
community.
Paul also devoted his time and energy
in preparation of the national association’s
submission for the Royal Commission of
Inquiry into the Christchurch mosque attacks.
Colours of renewal light up
landmarks for Diwali Festival
IWK BUREAU
Known as the Festival of Lights, Diwali
signifies the triumph of light over
darkness, good over evil and the
renewal of life.
In celebration of this time-honoured
Indian festival, landmarks across Tamaki
Makaurau will be bathed in light during
Auckland Diwali Festival, including Rangoliinspired
lighting on Te Ara I Whiti – The
Lightpath and a special light and sound
projection on Papatoetoe Town Hall.
Delivered by Auckland Tourism, Events and
Economic Development (ATEED), Auckland
Diwali Festival will see more than 100 FREE
activities take place at 30+ community venues
across Auckland.
Joining the celebrations, Auckland’s awardwinning
cycleway and public artwork Te Ara
I Whiti will light up every evening from 27
October to 14 November in vibrant hues of
orange, yellow and fuchsia.
The lighting display created by David
Hayes, director of iion, starts by painting in the
background before rhythmic patterns of colour
move along the railing of the path, reminiscent
of the traditional art form of Rangoli.
The shifting colour combinations finish with
a washing away of colour across the length of
the 850-metre path.
Part of Auckland Council’s public art
collection, Te Ara I Whiti is an interactive
feature of Auckland›s inner city; a whimsical
and popular cycleway that cuts a path through
central Auckland.
For more information on Te Ara I Whiti,
please visit the Auckland Public Art / He
Kohinga Toi website.
The lighting of Te Ara I Whiti combines with
other Auckland landmarks at various times
throughout the festival in a glittering display of
Diwali colour:
• Tuesday 27 October – Saturday 14
November: Te Ara I Whiti - The Lightpath
• Thursday 12 to Sunday 15 November: Sky
Tower & Auckland Viaduct Harbour
• Thursday 12 to Monday 16 November:
Auckland War Memorial Museum
• Ellen Melville Centre (27 Oct – 14 Nov),
Wesley Community Centre and Nathan
Homestead (6-7 Nov) will all be lit in Diwali
colours of fuchsia and yellow.
A specially created light and sound
projection called Light Temple: A celebration
of Diwali will transform the Papatoetoe Town
Hall to tell the story of Diwali.
Light Temple can be viewed on Friday,
Saturday and Sunday nights over two weekends
(6-8 November and 13-15 November) at the
Papatoetoe Town Hall.
For the Auckland Diwali Festival 2020 lineup,
visit: Aucklandnz.com/Diwali
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