Robert Khan: MNZM
Robert Khan, the man behind Radio Tarana, has been appointed as a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit (MNZM).
The List of Honours for 2017 was announced on the occasion of the Queen’s 91st Birthday and recognising the contributions of Mr Khan in the field of broadcasting and his services to the Indian community, he has been honoured with this title.
Mr Khan started Radio Tarana, the AM radio channel in Auckland in 1996 and soon it became the radio station of the Indian, Fiji-Indian and the Hindi speaking audience of the city.
Mr Khan is also an elected member of the New Zealand Radio Broadcasters Association and has played an integral role towards the development of the new 2016 New Zealand Radio Research Model.
Mr Khan made Radio Tarana a one-stop station not just for music but also orchestrated the frequency to deliver news, views, opinions and the medium to connect to the large Indian and Fiji-Indian community of New Zealand.
Mr Khan also won a special award for Outstanding Contribution to Radio at the Annual Radio New Zealand Awards in 2016 and was distinguished for his contribution to the Radio media in New Zealand.
The station is due to celebrate its 22nd anniversary on Thursday, June 15.
Prabha Ravi: QSM
Classical Indian dancer Prabha Ravi from Wellington has been honoured with the Queen’s Service Medal. Mrs Ravi is a Justice of the Peace, founder, director, choreographer, teacher and Project Manager of Natraj School of Dance that was established in 1999.
Mrs Ravi has been honoured for her contribution to the ethnic communities and dance in New Zealand.
Her school in Wellington specialises in teaching Bharatanatyam, one of the oldest classical dance forms of India. Mrs Ravi has been performing since the age of five and has enacted various characters in dance dramas and ballets. She has given more than 100 solo performances to her credit, with reputed sabhas in Chennai, India apart from several group ballet performances. She has also performed solo in Canada, the USA, Sri Lanka and New Zealand.
Her successful career as a dance teacher and choreographer has spanned more than two decades. She has trained over 600 students in New Zealand over the past 18 years. She was also conferred the Civic Honour Award for her contribution to art and culture by Hutt City Council in 2011 and in 2012 she received a Community Group Cultural Award from Upper Hutt Multi-Ethnic Council for contributions to art and culture in Upper Hutt. She was also the Finalist for Wellingtonian of the Year in 2017 in the education category.
Kulwinder Singh Jhamat: QSM
Kulwinder Singh Jhamat from Pokeno has been honoured with the Queen’s Service Medal (QSM) for his services to the Indian community in New Zealand.
Mr Singh has rendered his services toward the welfare of the Indian community in New Zealand and is associated with the Guru Ravidas Temple group in Bombay Hills.