Auckland celebrated Janmasthami, the birth anniversary of Lord Krishna, with music and dance in different Hindu temples.
The ISSO Auckland Swaminarayan Mandir celebrated Janmasthami with grandeur. Prime Minisiter John Key was the guest of honor along with MP Kanwalji Bakshi, Melissa Lee and Jami lee Ross and Tow aspiring candidates Parmarjit Parmar and Misa Fia Turner and other distinguished members of the Auckland community.
This was the Prime Minister’s first visit to the Mandir since its inauguration in April 2008. He started his speech acknowledging that “this Mandir is undoubtedly the best temple in New Zealand and he felt calmness as soon as he walked into the temple”. In his speech, he briefly touched upon the focus of his Government’s policies over the next few years with emphasis on the economy, safety & security of Indian population, education and the upcoming Cricket World Cup 2015, which is jointly hosted by New Zealand.
Member of Parliament, Mr. Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi greeted the gathering on the event of Janmasthami and echoed the feeling of calmness experienced in the Mandir. He expressed that the Satsangis here are his extended family and attributed the success over the last 6 years to the hard work of the Satsangis along with the graciousness of Dr. Kanti & Mrs. Ranjna Patel.
The Prime Minister spent about an hour and half at the Mandir interacting with the Satsangis before relishing the Mahaprasad prepared by the Satsangis. More than 800 people attended the event which started off at 6pm and went past midnight.