The third Rotorua Deepawali Festival was celebrated with great vigour and enthusiasm on Saturday, October 2, at the the city’s beautifully designed Rotorua Energy Events Centre. It was the first time ever in New Zealand, that the Maori community was a key contributor to a Hindu Festival.
The festival, for which preparations began nine months ago, was celebrated in smoke-free, alcohol-free and vegetarian environment.
The formal opening was conducted with Maori and Hindu ceremonies (a powhiri and the lighting of the lamp by the chief guest, Member of Parliament Todd McClay).
The cultural fest began soon afterward with colourfully memorable performances by groups of children, youngsters and the young at heart that had gathered in Rotorua from as far afield as Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch.
In the foyer of the venue was an array of stalls selling Indian stuff – including delectable vegetarian dishes, clothes, fashion accessories as well as cooking and other crafts demonstrations.
The morning’s proceedings were a fitting curtain raiser to the blockbuster fare that followed in the evening. Beginning with a Maori Haka by young students from the Mokoia Intermediate School, the evening proceeded with a series of classical, folk and fusion dances by children from all over New Zealand.
The evening began with an address from Dr Meeta Patel, the secretary of the Rotorua Deepawali festival.
One of the highlights of the evening that successfully portrayed the Maori-Hindu theme of the celebrations was the Maori-South Indian fusion dance by the Anujay School of Dance in Auckland. The effort was as innovative as it was absorbing.
Nardhana Vidyalaya, also of Auckland and Nataraj Dance School of Wellington also presented colourful and memorable dance items that regaled the auditorium that was chock a block with spectators. The seats had been booked months in advance – that’s a measure of how popular the event has become in a such a short time.
Auckland’s Padma School of Classical Dance presented a dance drama while the Rotorua Chinese Dance group performed the beautiful “Walk on Spring” item.
Other performances came from the Probasi Bengali Association, the Bellyvegas Community Dance Group of Rotorua, the Soul of Punjab group from the town which presented a soulful Bhangra to loud cheers from the audience and a high energy solo Rajasthani dance performance by Minal Raj of Rotorua. The tourist city’s Ramandeep Kaur sang the evening’s only solo number, a popular Hindi film song, with great skill.
The two major highlights of the evening were the two items each presented by Auckland’s well-known Indiance Dance Group, which presented a contemporary Indian dance item and a Garba dance and the two fashion parades choreographed by Rhythm House of Auckland.
The evening ended with a fire dance in the foyer of the venue and the grand finale was the ten-minute fireworks display that virtually stopped the tourist town in its tracks, with everyone looking skywards at the fantastic display that lit up the clear night sky with the colours and the spirit of Deepawali.
The committee thanked all who helped put the festival together and specially honoured one senior volunteer – something which the committee said it would do every year, beginning this year.
Three Maori community members took key responsibilities in the festival organising committee: Shaloh Mitchell as the co-ordinator of Maori relations – who also did the honours as a fantastic master of ceremonies with co-host Nitika Sharma – Gina Wright as the co-ordinator of art workshops, and Georgianne Crawford as the joint co-ordinator of cultural programmes.
Shaloh Mitchell, of Te Arawa (Ngati Whakaue) descent, is a young and upcoming Maori leader, the managing director of a tourism business. His ancestors were among the founding fathers of the Rotorua Township. He was born and raised in the lake side village of Ohinemutu and has been one of the Rotorua’s Young Achievers.
Earlier this year, Shaloh volunteered to help organise the Rotorua Holi Festival at Ohinemutu Village, to celebrate the Race Relations Day. It was a great event with Hindu, Maori and Europeans and overseas visitors to Rotorua partaking in the festivities
It was in 2008 during a powhiri for Hindu community at Apumoana Marae when Shaloh met Dr Guna Magesan and organisers of Rotorua Deepawali Festival. Since then his relationship with the Hindu community has grown, hosting distinguished guests of the Hindu community, from the USA and India.
Gina Wright, a Maori artist of Tainui (Ngati Naho) descent, organised “Mehndi Moko” and “Rangoli Art for Kids” workshops at the Rotorua Arts Village on October 1 as part of the Rotorua Deepawali Festival. Both these workshops were fully booked by a mix of people of a range of ethnicities – South African, Indian, Maori and Kiwi.
Georgianne Crawford, of Tainui (Ngati Mahanga), a nursing student and director of a community belly dance group in Rotorua. She has Indian connections as her great grandfather was from Gujarat.
“It is really exciting to work along with these talented people. They bring so many new ideas and also make us think beyond the traditional celebrations of the Hindu festival,” said Dr Magesan, Festival co-ordinator and the General Secretary of Hindu Council of New Zealand.
Riria McDonald conducted Poi demonstration during the festival. Natanahira Pona and Tane Singh-Lagah did Whakairo demonstrations.
Rotorua Deepawali Festival 2010 was a free community event and people from various cultures, nationalities, ethnic groups, faiths, and belonging to various organisations attended, partaking of the vibrant flavours of Deepawali, which is now being celebrated around the world with great enthusiasm.
Indian Weekender was proud to be associated with the Rotorua Deepawali Festival and appreciates the work put in by its committee in putting together such a successful programme that is destined to grow in size and popularity in coming years.
Photos: Dev Nadkarni