Waitakere Indian Association celebrated its 15th Diwali last Saturday at the Trusts Arena in Henderson. Thanks to the Trusts being the largest Diwali Indoor Arena in Auckland, the show was well sheltered from the pelting rain that set in as the day progressed.
The programme started off at 11am with a Hawan Pooja on stage to bless the occasion followed by Kirtan and Bhajan by Auckland’s budding talents which set the tone for the rest of the day. The Bollyworx crew from Mount Roskill got the crowd on their feet with their energetic dance aerobics and the School Dance competition that followed signified one why we have been holding Diwali for all these years. The groups representing their Schools put on some magical performances and it was wonderful to see the large number of non-Indian participants encouraging their parents and peers to a get involved with the Indian culture.
In the mean time, the craft and food stalls were also busy attending to their customers which also stretched beyond Indian community. Waitakere’s publicity machine has been working hard to bring other communities to the Diwali festival to share our culture with and to educate about the Universal message of Diwali and it was refreshing see these communities represented well amongst all our traditional Diwali goers.
As the chief guest, the official programme was kicked off by Mayor Len Brown and the distinguished guests and newly elected MP’s were treated to a stunning performance of the Ganesh dance by the Indianz troupe. The distinguished guests also took part in the traditional singing of the National Anthem and Aarti along with the students of the Waitakere Hindi School which was a testament to this Diwali’s focus on balancing the modern with the traditional aspects of Diwali.
Continuing with this tradition, the evening programme began with Hare Krishna’s group ISCKON who performed an English depiction of the story of Diwali in the Ramayan. This item kept its audience spellbound and was a great reminder to the younger generations about the story of Diwali and why it is celebrated.
The crowd who had battled the rains to celebrate Diwali were not disappointed and the rest of the night continued with a number of amazing Bollywood items including displays by Aaja Nachle, Indianz, A Touch of Bollywood , Trinity dance group and Azhar’s dance Troup. Being an indoor show, the crowd was treated to a seated display of some of the best acts in Auckland.
The stage performances finished up with the energetic crew from Nachda Punjab, who as usual had the crowd on their feet and ready to dance the night away. They had to be coaxed outside in time for the Fireworks extravaganza which included some Diwali designs that have never been seen in Auckland and a finale that left the audience cheering. The drizzle didn’t dampen anyone’s spirit and the warmth of the Diwali spirit ensured the crowd had a fantastic time and went away smiling.