ISSUE
Friday, August 22, 2025
Volume 16 . Issue 73
The fact that the fourth-time Kiwi-Indian MP, Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi, has quietly created history on Tuesday, November 7, when he took oath in the parliament in the Hindi language is beyond any doubt.
However, it could also be likely that this might have been the first occasion where any MP had taken oath in the Hindi language anywhere else in the global-west.
While record keepers would be busy in checking the authenticity of this record, there are sufficient reasons for the wider Kiwi-Indian community to cherish this news as another opportunity of celebrating our culture and heritage in the land of Aotearoa.
Indeed, this is an acknowledgement of the cultural diversity and the changing face of today’s New Zealand.
“It was a great honour for me to take the oath for the fourth consecutive time in New Zealand parliament.
“I wanted to use this opportunity and take oath in the Hindi language, which is the fourth most widely spoken language in New Zealand – a fact that recognises the important role of Kiwi-Indian community in NZ,” Mr Bakshi told The Indian Weekender.
The fact that the fourth-time Kiwi-Indian MP, Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi, has quietly created history on Tuesday, November 7, when he took oath in the parliament in the Hindi language is beyond any doubt.
However, it could also be likely that this might have been the first occasion where any MP had...
The fact that the fourth-time Kiwi-Indian MP, Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi, has quietly created history on Tuesday, November 7, when he took oath in the parliament in the Hindi language is beyond any doubt.
However, it could also be likely that this might have been the first occasion where any MP had taken oath in the Hindi language anywhere else in the global-west.
While record keepers would be busy in checking the authenticity of this record, there are sufficient reasons for the wider Kiwi-Indian community to cherish this news as another opportunity of celebrating our culture and heritage in the land of Aotearoa.
Indeed, this is an acknowledgement of the cultural diversity and the changing face of today’s New Zealand.
“It was a great honour for me to take the oath for the fourth consecutive time in New Zealand parliament.
“I wanted to use this opportunity and take oath in the Hindi language, which is the fourth most widely spoken language in New Zealand – a fact that recognises the important role of Kiwi-Indian community in NZ,” Mr Bakshi told The Indian Weekender.
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