Dare to dream, and then work to make that dream a reality – that was the underlying message delivered to participants at the inaugural Hindu Youth Conference held in Auckland at the weekend.
More than 100 delegates, community leaders, MPs, Government ministers met for the day-long conference at the Hindu Heritage Centre in Mangere. The Hindu Youth Foundation is a subsidiary of the Hindu Council of New Zealand.
The call to dream was brought up by Minister for Ethnic Affairs Pansy Wong who told of her own experiences as a migrant more than 40 years ago and how she adhered to her belief to serve the community.
Wong told the attendees that she had never dreamt that she would be a minister in the Government, and how it all came to her because of the opportunities available.
“This is the land of opportunities, and those who dare to dream will be able to realize their aspirations.
“Dream, and then work hard to make those dreams into reality,” Wong said.
Vinod Kumar, the president of the Hindu Council of New Zealand, started the conference, but the conference proper only got underway after invited guests and dignitaries were welcomed with tilak and the lighting of the lamps.
Other speakers included Opposition leader Phil Goff, former Ethnic Affairs Minister Chris Carter, MPs Su’a William Sio, Dr Rajen Prasad, Kanwal Singh Bakshi, and veteran Maori broadcaster Haare Williams.
Contributions by youth leaders Meena Lakshmanan and Nikita Sharma also drew enthusiastic applause.
The theme of the conference was Living in Modern New Zealand with Traditional Values.
Organiser Pritika Sharma said the aim of the conference was to ensure that Hindu youth develop into productive citizens and to create awareness about opportunities to channel their energy in a constructive way for the betterment of New Zealand.
All speakers praised the efforts of the organizers in putting the conference together and also spoke highly of the positive contributions Hindus had made towards the overall development of the country.
Dr Guna Magesan, general secretary of the Hindu Council of New Zealand, said that as cultural ambassadors of Bharat, Hindus living in New Zealand had a significant role to play in sharing the fundamental universal principles of dharma, and in promoting the right perspective of our cultural heritage.
The conference also provide the platform for the launch of the New Zealand Hindu Students Forum. The dates for the third New Zealand Hindu Conference was also announced - May 1-2, next year - with the theme Sustaining New Zealand through strengthening bond amongst Communities.
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