Hailing Haryana’s heritage

India is perhaps the only nation in the world that has its unique identity as a cultural nation. 

And talking about the rich culture of North India, one state that deserves mention is Haryana.

Talking about Haryana’s heritage, Dr Hari Ram Gupta, an eminent historian, said, “Heaven and earth seldom combined, and God rarely agreed to create a better habitation for a man than ancient Haryana.”

The Vedic land of Haryana has been the cradle of ancient Indian culture and civilisation. Popularly known as 'The Home of Gods', Haryana has a bountiful culture, heritage, festivals, folklores and a vibrant landscape.

Haryana, which used to be characterised by charpoys, vivid fairs and swaying paddy fields, has become a name synonymous with development.

While the city of Gurugram in Haryana is considered as one of the significant information technology and automobile hubs of India, Faridabad is a major industrial hub of Haryana.

Whether Bollywood or sports, Haryanvis are making their presence felt. From wrestlers such as Sakshi Malik, Babita Kumari and Yogeshwar Dutt to boxer Vijendra Singh and cricketers Kapil Dev and Yuzvender Chahal and from Randeep Hooda to Manushi Chiilar and Mallika Sherawat, among others, have made India and the state of Haryana proud globally.

And when one talks about famous personalities from Haryana, how can one not mention Karnal-born American astronaut and mechanical engineer Kalpana Chawla who was the first woman of Indian origin to go to space.

Regarding eating habits, there is an idiom that says Hara-Bhara Haryana, Jit Doodh-Dahi ka Khana (meaning a lush-green state where milk and curd are the food). 

The Haryana Federation New Zealand (HFNZ), a secular, non-political and not-for-profit organisation representing Indians from Haryana, is doing its bit to keep the Haryanvi culture alive in Aotearoa.

In this nineteenth part of our series on cultural Indian associations in New Zealand, we look at HFNZ, which was founded by Gurbaj Singh Mall and Karanjeet Singh Cheema.

Talking about the idea behind starting this organisation, Cheema says, “There were many organisations in NZ from different parts of India but none from Haryana, so I, along with Gurbaj Singh Mall, decided to create one to connect to people from Haryana in 2019. It was on 7th Jan 2019 that our organisation came into being."

The organisation has members from all over New Zealand. It endeavours to connect people from Haryana in New Zealand, promote Haryanvi culture, and celebrate brotherhood.

“We want to bring together migrants from the Indian state of Haryana to allow them to socialise and network in a culturally appropriate manner,” explains Mall.  

In its nearly four years of existence, HFNZ  has been actively working in community service, especially in sports and cultural activities, blood donation camps, and free food banks. It has organised many blood donation camps to serve humanity and free food camps during the covid pandemic to help and serve the community.

Revealing more about their upcoming event, Mall says, “ We will organise more cultural and charitable events in future to connect and serve more people. We are organising a blood donation camp on 10th Sept in Hamilton and planning to celebrate Diwali and Haryana Day and other cultural festivals later this year. We want to initiate more community activities that further deepen social cohesion and interconnectedness within different communities in New Zealand.”

Lastly, on being asked where they see the organisation heading in the next five years, Cheema says, " In the next five years, we aim to grow this organisation by leaps and bounds.”