Nandan NZ, a Bengali cultural and community organisation, held its inaugural Milan Mela event in Auckland on Sunday (September 11) at the Ceramco Park Function Centre, in Glen Eden.
The event saw families getting together, enjoying great food, and shopping at the venue.
There were 23 stalls selling varied items like food (from across all parts of India like West Bengal, Assam, Gujarat, Maharashtra, South India and North India), jewellery, accessories, apparel, paintings and home decoratives, among others.
Talking about the event, one of Nandan NZ's General Secretaries Swastika Ganguly said, “With more than 250 footfalls, our event had an overwhelming response. We nailed it in our first year. It was an initiative we mainly took as the Executive Committee to promote local and small businesses in and around Auckland and give back to the community in our way.”
Ganguly expressed her gratitude to all the stall-bearers, members and non-members of Nandan NZ for their participation and blessings.
The guests, too, couldn't stop gushing about the initiative: Pooja Shanbhag said, “I had a fun time. All stalls were awesome. Some stalls, like the Parsi food stall, were an unexpected delight. Great job Swastika Ganguly and the organising team.”
Mohammed Islam Shakhu said, "It was fantastic to see many Bengali people come together to participate in the event. I enjoyed it a lot!”
Another attendee, Ataur Rahman, revealed that he is already looking forward to the next Milan Mela: “It was a very successful mela. I loved all the street food snacks. Well done. I am already looking forward to the next one."
Ganguly revealed that Nandan NZ, which is committed to making homesick Kiwi Bengalis feel at home in NZ, is now ready for their upcoming Durga Puja at Blockhouse Bay Community Centre from September 30 till October 2.
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