From one of the oldest civilisations in the world to the land of the long white cloud – it was in the late 1800s that the first Indians set foot on New Zealand. Ever since then - numbers of us have emerged to make this – the God’s own country - our home.
From the battle fields at Gallipoli to the everyday grind, we have stood shoulder to shoulder with our Kiwi brothers. Today - we are 178,000 strong and the most affluent community. We owe this to the hard work, tenacity, persistence and the values we grew up with. It is with similar values that the Indian Weekender was set up six years ago. Recession was at its peak and the more we were told that we wouldn't make it, the stronger was our determination.
It hasn't been an easy ride – we have met storms of persecutions, of opposition, of criticism, of heartbreak and pain – from without and sometimes from within. But, no matter what - we have carried on regardless. And it was amidst all this - that in October last year we took the major leap of going from being a fortnightly to being the first ever weekly publication serving the Indian community.
But that wasn't all that we got on our journey – we also got tremendous support from the community, we met people who trusted us and are our advertisers. We met extremely talented people who contributed to the paper, we made lifelong friends and over a 100,000 readers, not just in New Zealand but the world over. It is all of you people who give us our strength to breakthrough beyond our limitations.
The Kiwi Indian Hall of Fame is such an endeavour that celebrates people who have broken through their limitations and shattered all myths. It 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. This year we proudly introduced two new honours – The Kiwi Indian Young Achiever and the Kiwi Indian unsung hero. This was just another endeavour to honour the achievements of more Kiwi Indians who make New Zealand proud just by being here , by being that face in the crowd , by shining with pure strength of being the best. I would like to congratulate the winners. They truly deserve the honours.
The trust put in the Kiwi Indian Hall of Fame to highlight the successes of these leaders in our community is showcased by the fact that we had numerous nominations this year. The involvement of the community in honouring their fellow kiwi Indians is commendable. Our Jury had a very difficult challenge at hand and I have to extend my heartfelt thanks to them for making the hardest decisions for us.
There are numerous other 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 every day.
As we look forward to many more opportunities to celebrate the achievements and contributions 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 after year and create role models for our coming generations and thus make a tangible impression on the wider NZ society.
Giri Gupta