New Zealand is a country that proudly boasts of its multi-ethnicity and multiculturalism, which is growing stronger by the day. And without a doubt, among the many diasporas in NZ, perhaps the strongest and most visible is the Kiwi Indian diaspora and the fastest-growing Kiwi ethnic group.
People from across all the states in India have made NZ their home. However, there are times that they do feel homesick and want to be connected to their homeland, culture and roots even while in NZ. And that is where the integral role of various Indian cultural associations comes into play.
Continuing with our series on the same, we profile Haryana New Zealand Association (HNA) in this twenty-fourth part. The association caters to Haryanvis living in NZ (around 5000) who have their heart belonging to Haryana.
Asked about the inspiration for forming HNA, its President KD Chaudhary says, “Though I have been living in NZ for last several years, I felt I never got an opportunity to celebrate our culture and festivals such as Teej, Haryana Day and Diwali, in the way we use to celebrate back home in India.
“After two years of lockdown in the pandemic, we all missed our homes and loved ones, especially celebrating festivals with family and friends. We realised how important it is to get together and enjoy small things that bring us close to our culture and makes us feel like we are living in a home away from home. And that’s why we started HNA early this year.”
He adds, “The inspiration is to bring the Haryanvi community together as in today's fast-paced time, people are getting busy with their work and daily routine and have no time to socialise with their community and celebrate cultural festivals. “
Though HNA does not have any wings outside Auckland presently, according to Chaudhary, there is great interest from the Haryanvi community who wish to be part of this journey and promote Haryanvi culture and heritage.
The association has 15 committee members and over 100 active members and envisions promoting Haryanvi ethos and inheritance by organising community welfare events and services in NZ.
“Being migrants and now calling this country our home, we feel it is necessary to keep our culture alive, especially for our kids, as they are unaware of our incredible heritage, culture and ways of celebrating it. Every parent wants to showcase the rich heritage and culture of their homeland. And it has been a great inspiration to form this incorporated organisation,” says Chaudhary.
HNA endeavours to help in every possible way for the development of the community and helping hand in crucial times by doing social community services spreading happiness and celebrating festivals to bring people together while working with other Indian and NZ communities.
On a parting note, talking about the organisation's plans, he says, “We intend to spread awareness and have our wings across NZ by promoting Indian culture and heritage by working along with Indian and NZ local associations for the social welfare of our community in every possible way. We would like to see more people joining our organisation and celebrating festivals and cultural activities with us in the next five years.”