Christchurch round-up: the week that was
Annakut celebrations in Christchurch by BAPS and YDS
The day following Diwali marks the beginning of the Hindu New Year and is traditionally celebrated with the Annakut. In Christchurch, two Annakut celebrations were organised by the Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) and Yogi Divine Society (YDS), which were attended by more than a thousand devotees.
Sanjay Patel, secretary of BAPS in Christchurch, said, “Annakut is a grand offering of hundreds of different vegetarian food items to thank Swaminarayan for his providence over the past year and to seek his blessings for the year ahead. Similar to what Lord Krishna did when he lifted Govardhan Parvat and urged the people of Gokul to offer thanksgiving to nature for all its gracious bounty.”
Ashok Rohit, who works in the retail business and is the secretary of YDS, New Zealand Chapter, added, “This being one of the most auspicious days of the Hindu calendar, we had invited Indian High Commission chargé d’ affaires Sandeep Sood from Wellington, as well as Sarvatit Swami and Anand Mangal Swami from YDS Auckland, to take part in our celebrations. It was our 25th Annakut celebration in Christchurch for which devotees had made [more than] 300 different food items as offering to the God.”
A treat for the kids on Indian Children’s Day
To mark the Children's Day (November 14—the birth anniversary of India's first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru) celebrations in Christchurch, the 400-member Indian Cultural Group (ICG) of the city organised a Creative Kids Fest. Attended by more than 60 children from the Indian community and managed by events co-ordinator Sitara Nagesh, the fest saw competitions in arts and colouring, vegetables carvings and flower arrangements.
Sandeep Sachdev, president of ICG, said, “To add to it, we also had something called Spin a Yarn, where children had to make up stories or write poems, and Make and Model, where they were encouraged to design their own dresses and wear those during the fest. The idea was to provide an encouraging and nurturing environment for our young talents. Next in line is our annual flagship event—the Summer Fest in December, followed by Lohri and Makar Sankranti celebrations in January next year.”
Apna Christchurch Radio organises fund raising events
Apna Radio Christchurch, which is an initiative by few Indian students of Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology (CPIT), and runs a half-an-hour weekly Punjabi music programme every Saturday at Plains FM 96.9, will be organising a series of events in the coming month to raise funds for the charity Child Cancer Foundation.
Rajwinder Singh, who is one of the team members at the radio station, said, “The first event, held on November 14, was the charity cricket match between two teams from the Sydenham Cricket Club— Sydenham Goats and Sydenham Blues. The coming Saturday, we are organising a car wash event at the Z petrol pump in Riccarton. This will be followed by the Big Bollywood Summer Party at Sandridge Hotel on November 28, which is being organised by Chilando Boyzz and for which DJ Avi and DJ Desi will be managing the music. The fund raising event will end on December 5 with a special barbecue.”
Annakut celebrations in Christchurch by BAPS and YDS
The day following Diwali marks the beginning of the Hindu New Year and is traditionally celebrated with the Annakut. In Christchurch, two Annakut celebrations were organised by the Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha...
Annakut celebrations in Christchurch by BAPS and YDS
The day following Diwali marks the beginning of the Hindu New Year and is traditionally celebrated with the Annakut. In Christchurch, two Annakut celebrations were organised by the Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) and Yogi Divine Society (YDS), which were attended by more than a thousand devotees.
Sanjay Patel, secretary of BAPS in Christchurch, said, “Annakut is a grand offering of hundreds of different vegetarian food items to thank Swaminarayan for his providence over the past year and to seek his blessings for the year ahead. Similar to what Lord Krishna did when he lifted Govardhan Parvat and urged the people of Gokul to offer thanksgiving to nature for all its gracious bounty.”
Ashok Rohit, who works in the retail business and is the secretary of YDS, New Zealand Chapter, added, “This being one of the most auspicious days of the Hindu calendar, we had invited Indian High Commission chargé d’ affaires Sandeep Sood from Wellington, as well as Sarvatit Swami and Anand Mangal Swami from YDS Auckland, to take part in our celebrations. It was our 25th Annakut celebration in Christchurch for which devotees had made [more than] 300 different food items as offering to the God.”
A treat for the kids on Indian Children’s Day
To mark the Children's Day (November 14—the birth anniversary of India's first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru) celebrations in Christchurch, the 400-member Indian Cultural Group (ICG) of the city organised a Creative Kids Fest. Attended by more than 60 children from the Indian community and managed by events co-ordinator Sitara Nagesh, the fest saw competitions in arts and colouring, vegetables carvings and flower arrangements.
Sandeep Sachdev, president of ICG, said, “To add to it, we also had something called Spin a Yarn, where children had to make up stories or write poems, and Make and Model, where they were encouraged to design their own dresses and wear those during the fest. The idea was to provide an encouraging and nurturing environment for our young talents. Next in line is our annual flagship event—the Summer Fest in December, followed by Lohri and Makar Sankranti celebrations in January next year.”
Apna Christchurch Radio organises fund raising events
Apna Radio Christchurch, which is an initiative by few Indian students of Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology (CPIT), and runs a half-an-hour weekly Punjabi music programme every Saturday at Plains FM 96.9, will be organising a series of events in the coming month to raise funds for the charity Child Cancer Foundation.
Rajwinder Singh, who is one of the team members at the radio station, said, “The first event, held on November 14, was the charity cricket match between two teams from the Sydenham Cricket Club— Sydenham Goats and Sydenham Blues. The coming Saturday, we are organising a car wash event at the Z petrol pump in Riccarton. This will be followed by the Big Bollywood Summer Party at Sandridge Hotel on November 28, which is being organised by Chilando Boyzz and for which DJ Avi and DJ Desi will be managing the music. The fund raising event will end on December 5 with a special barbecue.”
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