'We Indians are movers and Shakers'
I stand before you today as a very proud - Kiwi Indian. Not just because, I come from the Country where Sachin Tendulkar lives - but also because - it is one of the oldest civilisations and now one of the fastest - growing - economies in the World.
And then, as if this wasn’t enough, the Indian diaspora is a great contributor to the world economy - whether it’s the Mittals in the UK or the spectacular resurgence of the age old Land Rover/Jaguar brand brought about by some sharp brains in the TATA empire – we now cannot go unnoticed on the global corporate stage. The Indian origin CEO’s of top fortune 500 companies like Pepsi, Citibank, Microsoft, Mastercard are surely making us all proud. Then whether we talk about Mahatma Gandhi who taught the world the power of Ahimsa or be Rakesh Khuranna the current Dean of Howard University. We all hear of the glitz and glamour of Hollywood and India has it own unparalleled - Bollywood.
And well - anything will be incomplete without the acknowledgment of the gorgeous Indian women!! Women - who are looked upon for their strength - tenacity - beauty - business acumen and intellect. Then whether it is Indira Nooyi the CEO of PEpsico who is regularly ranked by Forbes on the 100 most powerful women in the world. Or Kalpana Chawla our very own woman astronaut who broke the final frontier!!!
Well - the long and the short of it is that by creed - we Indians are "movers and Shakers", so naturally the Kiwi Indians cannot be too far behind. Then - whether it is Sir Anand Satyanand - who became the first Kiwi Indian Governor General, - or Sir Roger Batnagar - who is considered a stalwart of business acumen.
The one thing that we however don’t do very well is - celebrate our achievements. Even though it is good to get on with it and carry your accolades in stride - its even better - to take a moment and celebrate our successes. The Kiwi Indian Hall of Fame endeavours to do just that. The Kiwi Indian Hall of Fame acknowledges and recognizes the success of Kiwi Indians. Especially those amidst us who are trail-blazers and who show the way and thus inspire others to succeed.
The trust put in the Kiwi Indian Hall of Fame to highlight the successes of the leaders in our community is showcased by the fact that we had 31 nominations for this years award. The involvement of the community in honouring their fellow kiwi Indians is commendable. This widespread community involvement gives us our strength. I have to mention that even though there may be just-one- person who is inducted to the hall of fame, it does not in any way mean that the others - many of whom are amongst the distinguished guests here today, are in anyway unequal. Our Jury had a very difficult challenge at hand and I have to extend my heartfelt thanks to them.
There are many Kiwi Indians who continue to make their presence felt in every field – Arts, Government, Politics, Business, Medicine, Law etc - and through their successes, they contribute to New Zealand everyday. I again emphasize that we are now 155,000 strong, just look around us, and we can see the tangible contribution of hard working, law abiding and tax paying Kiwi Indians. I am tempted to take a few names but I am mindful of the fact that I due to paucity of time – I cannot do justice to all those who deserve a mention.
I would however like to say here specially to the political leaders here, that even though we may make up only 5% of the Kiwi head count, we make up for over 8% in economic contribution to the country. We are an untapped resource waiting to be harnessed.
As we look forward to many more opportunities to celebrate the achievements that Kiwi Indians are making to this beautiful country we proudly call home - I wish them more success - let even the skies not limit your dreams and may you have the strength to achieve your dreams and may we - at the Hall Of Fame celebrate your success - year - after – year and create role models for our coming generations and thus make a tangible impression on the wider NZ society.
In the end – I wish to congratulate each and every person in this room as you all are trail blazers in your own fields – keep aiming high – be positive – don’t give up and have a strong belief in yourself.
I stand before you today as a very proud - Kiwi Indian. Not just because, I come from the Country where Sachin Tendulkar lives - but also because - it is one of the oldest civilisations and now one of the fastest - growing - economies in the World. And then, as if this wasn’t enough, the Indian...
I stand before you today as a very proud - Kiwi Indian. Not just because, I come from the Country where Sachin Tendulkar lives - but also because - it is one of the oldest civilisations and now one of the fastest - growing - economies in the World.
And then, as if this wasn’t enough, the Indian diaspora is a great contributor to the world economy - whether it’s the Mittals in the UK or the spectacular resurgence of the age old Land Rover/Jaguar brand brought about by some sharp brains in the TATA empire – we now cannot go unnoticed on the global corporate stage. The Indian origin CEO’s of top fortune 500 companies like Pepsi, Citibank, Microsoft, Mastercard are surely making us all proud. Then whether we talk about Mahatma Gandhi who taught the world the power of Ahimsa or be Rakesh Khuranna the current Dean of Howard University. We all hear of the glitz and glamour of Hollywood and India has it own unparalleled - Bollywood.
And well - anything will be incomplete without the acknowledgment of the gorgeous Indian women!! Women - who are looked upon for their strength - tenacity - beauty - business acumen and intellect. Then whether it is Indira Nooyi the CEO of PEpsico who is regularly ranked by Forbes on the 100 most powerful women in the world. Or Kalpana Chawla our very own woman astronaut who broke the final frontier!!!
Well - the long and the short of it is that by creed - we Indians are "movers and Shakers", so naturally the Kiwi Indians cannot be too far behind. Then - whether it is Sir Anand Satyanand - who became the first Kiwi Indian Governor General, - or Sir Roger Batnagar - who is considered a stalwart of business acumen.
The one thing that we however don’t do very well is - celebrate our achievements. Even though it is good to get on with it and carry your accolades in stride - its even better - to take a moment and celebrate our successes. The Kiwi Indian Hall of Fame endeavours to do just that. The Kiwi Indian Hall of Fame acknowledges and recognizes the success of Kiwi Indians. Especially those amidst us who are trail-blazers and who show the way and thus inspire others to succeed.
The trust put in the Kiwi Indian Hall of Fame to highlight the successes of the leaders in our community is showcased by the fact that we had 31 nominations for this years award. The involvement of the community in honouring their fellow kiwi Indians is commendable. This widespread community involvement gives us our strength. I have to mention that even though there may be just-one- person who is inducted to the hall of fame, it does not in any way mean that the others - many of whom are amongst the distinguished guests here today, are in anyway unequal. Our Jury had a very difficult challenge at hand and I have to extend my heartfelt thanks to them.
There are many Kiwi Indians who continue to make their presence felt in every field – Arts, Government, Politics, Business, Medicine, Law etc - and through their successes, they contribute to New Zealand everyday. I again emphasize that we are now 155,000 strong, just look around us, and we can see the tangible contribution of hard working, law abiding and tax paying Kiwi Indians. I am tempted to take a few names but I am mindful of the fact that I due to paucity of time – I cannot do justice to all those who deserve a mention.
I would however like to say here specially to the political leaders here, that even though we may make up only 5% of the Kiwi head count, we make up for over 8% in economic contribution to the country. We are an untapped resource waiting to be harnessed.
As we look forward to many more opportunities to celebrate the achievements that Kiwi Indians are making to this beautiful country we proudly call home - I wish them more success - let even the skies not limit your dreams and may you have the strength to achieve your dreams and may we - at the Hall Of Fame celebrate your success - year - after – year and create role models for our coming generations and thus make a tangible impression on the wider NZ society.
In the end – I wish to congratulate each and every person in this room as you all are trail blazers in your own fields – keep aiming high – be positive – don’t give up and have a strong belief in yourself.
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