More than 200 people from Wellington’s Courts and Ministry of Justice offices gathered together on Friday, October 13, to celebrate Diwali, the annual Hindu ‘festival of lights,’ and enjoy an authentic Indian lunch.
The lunch event that had started casually a few years ago by a group of enthusiastic staffers at the Ministry office had also involved some voluntary donations going toward a chosen charity.
The celebrations and the event have grown since then, involving larger participation and gathering of funds for a worthy cause.
Every year, a separate cause and charity are chosen by the event organisers in a bid to support as wide a range of charitable causes as possible.
This year the chosen charity was Wellington Hospitals.
Wellington Hospitals Foundation Chairman, Bill Day attended the event and thanked everyone for their generosity.
The event raised $2400.00, which will be donated to the Wellington Hospitals Foundation and the Wellington Children’s Hospital.
People donate $10 to attend, and previous recipients have included Wellington Free Ambulance and KidsCan.
In 2016 $1800.00 was raised for the Mary Potter Hospice.
“As more and more people attend, what started out as some snacks in the atrium a few years back has grown into this great opportunity to support worthy causes,” Mr Ramasami, one of the organisers of the event told The Indian Weekender.
“People are really generous, and we simply facilitate that,” Mr Ramasami further added.
This year the event was organised by Rashmi Nandita, Sourirajan Venkatachari, Srijanani Panda and Selva Ramasami who welcomed people to the event.
A classical Indian dance performance of Pushpanjali by Sharanya Panda, a 12-year-old daughter of one of the organisers of the event was the main cultural element of the luncheon event.
Tania Ott, Director Senior Courts, lit the Diya to signify the start of the festival.
“It’s important that we as leaders support these cultural events,” Ms Ott said.
“Our people reflect our communities and the public we serve, so taking part in fantastic cultural events like Diwali recognises and celebrate this diversity,” Ms Ott further added.
Andy Fulbrook, Acting Deputy Secretary Corporate, thanked everyone involved and acknowledged the chance to socialise at such events.
“The renewal of life symbolic to Diwali is a great opportunity for a lively get-together – to share a meal with our colleagues, and to raise funds for a worthy cause,” Mr Fulbrook said.