India Weekender 23 Sep

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6 NEW ZEALAND Every Kiwi-Indian across NZ does feel pride when any Indian product makes its way to Aotearoa. And the launch of Brand Telangana’s ‘Rajanna Siri Pattu Sarees’ in Auckland made every Kiwi-Indian delighted. The event took place on Saturday (17 September) at Mt Roskill War Memorial Hall. The event was graced by the presence of New Zealand minister Priyanca Radhakrishnan and Hon Consul of India in Auckland Bhav Dhillon, who was accompanied by his wife, Ruby Dhillon. The credit for bringing Telangana’s Rajanna Sircilla district’s silk sarees, created by skilled weavers of Sircilla district of Telangana, ‘Rajanna Siri Pattu’ in NZ, goes to the Founder of ‘Brand Telangana’ Suneeta Vijay. She made it a point to take the work of Sircilla’s weavers to a global platform. Sharing her sentiments at the event, Radhakrishnan said it was commendable to introduce Rajanna Siri Pattu to the world. Assuring that all support would be extended in promoting Rajanna Sircilla weavers sarees in NZ, she said, “Telangana is one among fast progressing states in India. Initiatives and programmes like these will further strengthen the bilateral relations between the two countries.” Mr Dhillon, too, expressed his support to the indigenous weavers from Siricilla. He said, “It was an amazing showcase of pure Silk Rajanna Siri Pattu Sarees. Kudos to Telangana Diaspora led by Suneeta, Vijay Kosna and Kalyan Rao Kasuganti.” It may be noted Suneeta’s brilliant idea and vision to support the weavers in the Rajanna Sircilla inspired many of her friends from NZ, Australia, UK, USA, and Singapore to get involved, which resulted in the development of the Rajanna Siri pattu saree. Talking about the same, Suneeta, said, “It was four years back that I visited Rajanna Sircilla in Telangana and observed the techniques of saree Friday, 23 September, 2022 weaving. I was highly impressed by the same, and that’s how I decided to promote Rajanna Sircilla sarees across the globe by creating a new brand Rajanna Siri Pattu, including in NZ. “The main motto behind Brand Read online www.iwk.co.nz Rajanna Siru Pattu sarees launched in New Zealand NAVDEEP KAUR MARWAH Telangana is to ‘Help people even when you know they can’t help you back. I endeavour to empower weavers, craft makers and artists of Telangana.” Attended by over 200 guests, including Brand Telangana’s co-founders Narsinga Rao Engati and Kiran Kumar Pokala, the event saw a fashion show displaying different varieties of Sircilla collections as well as dance performances by Sushma Kuncha, Swetha Chepur, Aishwarya Koka and Bindu Dance school. The emcee of the event was Rekha Kuncha who did a marvellous job. Kalvakuntla Taraka Rama Rao, popularly known by his initials KTR, the politician serving as the Minister for Municipal Administration & Urban Development, Industries & Commerce, and Information Technology of Telangana, also extended his best wishes for the initiative. Though he could not make it to NZ, he posted a tweet saying, “My wholehearted compliments to NZ minister @ priyancanzlp Garu & Sunita Vijay Garu for launching “Rajanna Siri Pattu” Sarees in NZ. Taking Siricilla weavers’ products global through ‘Brand Telangana’ is a great step forward in helping talented weavers.” "Telangana is one among fast progressing states in India. Initiatives and programmes like these will further strengthen the bilateral relations between the two countries.” - Priyanca Radhakrishnan Engineer turned local board member vies for a third term MAHESH KUMAR A well-known and respected community member, Shirish Paranjape, has lived in Christchurch for 20 years. His passion for the community and for making a positive change to everyday lives has only grown over the years. He represents the Fendalton-Waimairi-Harewood Community Board and contesting this year to be re-elected for a third term. Paranjape grew up in Bhopal and moved to Mumbai (then Bombay) when he got a campus placement at Larsen & Toubro (L&T). He lived in Mumbai for the next 20 years. Over these years, he got married, had two daughters. In the year 2000, he applied for New Zealand Residency. Paranjape moved to Christchurch in January 2002 and worked with the city based AuCom for almost 20 years. While he loved the new job, city and life, there were times when the family missed the culture, traditions and support system that India as a society offers. Luckily, the Indian Sports and Cultural Club (ISCC), provided Paranjape’s family with an opportunity to interact with the Indian community in Christchurch, with his wife performing as a singer and his daughters giving dance performances at the occasional cultural events that the club organised. As the association grew, he was asked to take up the position of Treasurer of the club. Soon, he also officially represented the Indian community to Christchurch Ethnic Council, which gave him more exposure and helped him understand Shirish Paranjape how the Council and other ethnic organisations worked. He also began to enjoy the interactions with the wider communities. Paranjape recalls, “I took up these opportunities to understand how other ethnic communities worked and learn from their experiences.” After the 2011 Christchurch Earthquake, he attended various ethnic community meetings. It was when hearing Jimmy Chen at the Ethnic Leaders Forum that the thought of contesting for the Local Board first came to Paranjape. In 2013, he put up his hand to contest for the local board. But, he had to stand from a different ward than his home ward in the elections. Though he lost the election, the experience taught him a lot. In 2016, he contested from Fendalton- Waimairi-Harewood Community Board and won the election. He got re-elected in 2019. Paranjape says, “The last six years have been incredible, and I feel I have been able to make some difference to the lives by advocating for various causes. My role involves working on various infrastructure projects where we act as a conduit between the community and the government. We convey what the community wants and advocate to get the projects approved or executed. But the role that I cherish the most is working with people. We strive to recognise and acknowledge those in the community who normally go unsung. It means a lot to people when they get appreciated. This also inspires others to act in similar ways.” Paranjape was also the first Indian Justice of the Peace in Christchurch and a founder member of Rotary Christchurch New Horizons club. Both these roles and his active involvement with the Indian community gave him various touchpoints to get insights into what the community needs. He is thankful to his former and current employers for supporting him and allowing him time to pursue his community work. He feels the role allows him to make a significant difference at a grassroots level that impacts everybody’s life and act as a spokesperson for the community enabling a positive change. Asked if a bigger role or more active participation in politics is on the horizon, he says, “I’m not currently thinking about it; instead, I’m concentrating on the task at hand and doing it right.” A goal-driven person, Paranjape sets a goal and works hard to achieve it. He gives an example of how he wanted to become a chartered engineer last year and set a goal of 1 year. He achieved the goal in July this year. He is following several other passion projects, like becoming a trained driver for the Christchurch peace train. He put up his hand when City council asked for volunteer drivers and is now a qualified driver. Furthermore, he wants to become the Christchurch Tram driver so that he can share his experiences and stories about living in Christchurch. The NZ Lotteries Commission selected him as a member of the Significant Projects Fund committee, providing him a front-row seat on some of the most iconic projects worth millions of dollars in funding, which he found an incredible learning experience. Paranjape says, “I want to make sure that people have a voice in the decisions that affect their lives, and we believe that by working together, we can accomplish great things. I also encourage the community to get involved at whatever level they can. You might not see it right now, but people out there need you to be involved in their lives. So, get involved!”
Read online www.iwk.co.nz Friday, 23 September, 2022 NEW ZEALAND 7 VENU MENON Hindi Divas 2022 was marked on 18 September at the Indian High Commission in Wellington. The event was conducted by the Wellington Hindi School in partnership with the High Commission, which coincided with celebrations to mark 30 years since the school opened. Staff, children and former students hosted a morning of variety entertainment, speeches and prize distribution. Mayor Andy Foster gave away the prizes. Manoj Kumar Sahu, Second Secretary, Indian High Commission, was the chief guest. Vijeshni Rattan, school principal, welcomed the gathering. A student announcer explained to the audience that he would be speaking in Fiji Hindi (and English) as that was the Hindi close to his heart. The school was founded by a group of Fiji Indians based in Newlands three decades ago. The inaugural lamp was lit by the school’s founding member and Wellington ISKCON president Jagdish Prasad and Ministry of Ethnic Communities CEO Mervin Singham, which was followed by a welcome song and a dance performance by tiny tots. Poetry recital, Hindi songs, and storytelling ensued. Dilesh Prakash, a former student, spoke in Hindi and traced the history of the school, which was followed by a Hindi play enacted by students. Ra Uniyal and Dr. Del Carlini of Health NZ addressed the audience on the need to observe Covid protocols. Jagdish Prasad spoke on the importance of going beyond language proficiency and embracing the Bhagavad Gita. While commending the teachers for their wonderful efforts, Prasad also expressed his disappointment at seeing teachers walking with their footwear on stage before the idol of Lord Ganesh, when students had removed their shoes Hindi Divas observed in Wellington out of respect. Education starts with the parents, Prasad reminded the audience. Next up, young student Samiksha Singh of the Mayur Dance Academy put on a scintillating Bharatnatyam performance, which was followed by a brief speech by chief guest Sahu who applauded the school for its yeomen service in promoting the Hindi language. Singham, who spoke next, applauded the school for its tenacity in coping with the challenges and “high expectations from families and communities” and commended Sunita Narayan, the school’s coordinator, for her inspiring efforts to preserve the mother tongue. “Learning the mother tongue was discouraged in many families for fear that it would set us back. Some people even felt ashamed speaking their own languages because people might associate [that] with being backward,” he observed. People now understand that preserving our mother tongues is critical to the formation of our identity, Singham noted. Sunita Narayan gave a pat on the back to the student announcers and declared the winners of the excellence awards. She was followed at the mike by school board chairman Kashmir Kaur who delivered the vote of thanks. The staff and dignitaries present then cut a cake to mark the school’s 30th birthday. “I joined the Wellington Hindi School 15 years ago. In a foreign country there are challenges and obstacles [ to the promotion of Hindi]. But we overcame all that. "Thirty years is a very long time for a school to exist in a foreign country, teaching language and culture. We are looking forward to the school going another 30 years. We have three branches now-in Newlands, Johnsonville and the CBD. We are very proud of this moment,” Rattan said. HOWICK WARD Maurice Williamson Sharon Stewart Maurice Williamson was the member of parliament for Pakuranga (included Howick) for 30 years. He has recently returned to New Zealand from a diplomatic posting as New Zealand’s Consul General in Los Angeles and is also standing for the Auckland Council here in the Howick Ward. Sharon Stewart QSM is standing for re-election to the Auckland Council to continue serving the community that she loves. Having lived here for most of her life, her family history within the district goes back over 100 years. Together we have serious concerns for how the Auckland Council has been managed. Rates keep rising, spending exceeds income and debt is ballooning. Of more concern is the fact the wishes of the general public are being just totally ignored. Your vote can ensure Auckland’s future. JH17538
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India Weekender 23 Sep

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