Community members belonging to the Bihar and Jharkhand states of India gathered on Saturday, May 13 at Sangam Indian Restaurant in Kumeu to launch the Auckland chapter of the two states. The Bihar-Jharkhand Sabha Milan of Australia and New Zealand (BJSM) aims to bring together the people from the two northern states of India in New Zealand and celebrate the cultural diversity of India. BJSM was founded by Mr Sanjay Pandey of Australia in 1994. BJSM has got chapters in all the Australian states and New Zealand.
Mr Sanjeev Prasad, a prominent businessman and a former official of the High Commission of India, in Wellington, presided over the meeting. In his inaugural address to the members, he accentuated the contribution of people from Bihar and Jharkhand to the success of India and proving their worth in various countries including New Zealand.
“There are good numbers of people from Bihar and Jharkhand who are doing extremely well in their profession in New Zealand,” Mr Prasad added.
Attended by 30 Bihar-Jharkhand non-residents living in North Island, the event was supported by Bihar Foundation, the recognised body of the Bihar government. Ms Ragini Sinha, the chairperson of the Bihar Foundation NZ, addressed and commended the efforts of the new members of the Sabha. She welcomed the formation of this Sabha and assured full cooperation from the Bihar Foundation.
“We should increase the number of members of this group, there are much more people from Bihar and Jharkhand residing in New Zealand, and we should ask them to join BJSNZ and Bihar Foundation,” Ms Sinha said.
The event commenced with electing the Chairperson of the Sabha, Mr Birendra Mishra, an IITian, a civil engineer in Auckland. Arati Prasad was elected as the Cultural Secretary, Mr Rajnish Rai, Secretary for Public Relations, and Mr Rakesh Jaiswal as the treasurer of the Sabha.
Members of the Bihar and Jharkhand community travelled from Tauranga, Wellington, Hamilton and Auckland to attend the inaugural event.
Members and Office bearers of the Bihar-Jharkhand Sabha at Sangam Indian Restaurant in Kumeu
The Sabha plans to organise different events for the Bihar and Jharkhand community in New Zealand such as Diwali, Chhatth Puja, Holi, Bihar Diwas, Independence Day, Buddha and Mahavir Jayanti amongst other community festivals and national events.
While appreciating the contribution of the people of Bihar and Jharkhand in New Zealand, Mr Mishra assured his all possible efforts in making the Bihar-Jharkhand Sabha, a grand success in New Zealand.
“We have proved our worth and made a name for ourselves in the whole world; we should try to showcase our culture to the New Zealanders now, using this Sabha as a platform,” Mr Mishra said.
One of the important goals of the Sabha is also to contribute towards the betterment of the New Zealand society and contribute towards the development of the villages and schools in the state of Bihar and Jharkhand.
“We owe an obligation to our home state Bihar and Jharkhand, and we should try to contribute financially to the development of villages and schools,” Mr Rai added.
The very first goal of the group is to look for an opportunity to put a stall at the Auckland Diwali celebrations held on Queen Street in Auckland CBD.
“We need to showcase the culture and delicacies of Bihar-Jharkhand, Ms Arati Prasad, the Cultural Secretary said.
Mr Rakesh Jaiswal expressed his desire make yoga more popular in New Zealand as it has its roots in Bihar, the Land of Buddha. He also suggested building a Sun Temple in New Zealand as the festival of Chhatt is dedicated to Surya Dev.
“We also need to raise fund and donate to help build toilets, schools and provide amenities in Bihar and Jharkhand. We have the ability to bring significant changes back in our hometowns by making small yet collective contributions here,” Mr Jaiswal said.
The members also iterated that the Bihar and Jharkhand Sabha should be incorporated as a society as the Sabha would hold a ceremony in collaboration with Bihar Foundation to honour any dignitaries from Bihar and Jharkhand on their official visit to New Zealand.
The Sabha will schedule a meeting soon to discuss strategies and plan the activities for the upcoming national and cultural festivals of India in New Zealand.
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