Two Indians were included in the list of Queen’s Birthday honours released on January 1.
President of the Auckland Indian Association Parshotam Govind and Ray Raman Annamalai were named for the Queens Service Medal (QSM) for their services to the Indian community.
Parshotam Govind’s efforts were recognised for his contribution toward the Indian community while Ray Annamalai was honoured for his services toward the Tamil community in New Zealand.
Parshotam Govind:
Parshotam Govind joined the Association in 1989 as an Assistant Secretary and later promoted to General Secretary, Vice President and eventually as the Vice Chairman, a post he served between from 1999 to 2004.
He also served as the President of the Auckland Indian Association between 2002 and 2004.
Mr Govind shared some of the high moments serving as the President of the Association when the then Prime Minister Helen Clarke visited Mahatma Gandhi Centre for a fundraising hosted by the then MP for Mt Roskill Phil Goff.
During his tenure as the President of the Association Mr Govind also fostered the growth of community events and activities Gandhi Centre.
He represented the New Zealand Indian Central Association at community events, meetings and empowered the activities of the wider Auckland communities.
Given his community record, he was then appointed as a Justice of Peace in 2004, which was another milestone for Mr Govind.
“It is not just about our community’s interest and events, but we had to showcase our activities, events, culture and language also to make other communities understand our religion and values,” Mr Govind said emphasising the importance of sharing the values of the Indian community.
He has owned and operated various scales of business such as a dairy store, and groceries, retail, petrol pump, Lotto and stationary stores.
He helped other organisations such as Intellectually Handicapped Children NZ (IHC), RSA and schools by donating products and services as well as making financial contributions.
He has been an executive member of Auckland Regional Ethnic Council (Inc) since 2012 and served as a treasurer for one year.
In 2015 he received Minister of Health Volunteer Award (AREC) and New Zealander of The Year Local Hero Award in 2016.
Mr Govind humbly acknowledges that his work and service toward the Indian community would not have been possible without the support and dedication of the family who stood by him through thick and thin.
Ray Raman Annamalai:
Ray Raman Annamalai has his roots in Tamil Nadu, India, but was settled in Malaysia before moving to Auckland 25 years ago in 1992.
Mr Raman is known for his relentless services for over two decades towards building a strong Tamil Community in New Zealand.
Mr Raman played an integral role in making the Shri Ganesh Temple in Papakura a reality and served as the chairperson of the board of trustees of the temple for 17 years.
Mr Raman also helped build the Shri Balaji Temple in Hamilton and currently serves as the Chairman of the temple.
Mr Raman was a pioneer in bringing the Tamil community in New Zealand closer, which led to the formation of two community organisations, Muthtamil Sangam and Auckland Tamil Association. He was the first president of the then newly formed Muthtamil Sangam and is still involved supporting both the organisations’ community projects and activities.
Ray Raman Annamali felicitating a community member at an event
Mr Raman credits his father and uncle for the motivation to do more community work.
“My father and uncles were always involved with the community especially in temple works and activities, and that is where I drew my inspiration from,” Mr Raman told The Indian Weekender.
Mr Raman lives with his wife, has two daughter and four granddaughters who live in Singapore and Auckland.
Besides being involved in temple projects, Mr Raman was also involved in Rotary Clubs; he was the Chairman of CCR4U, a community group that helped new migrants in reading and conversation skills in the various libraries on the North Shore.
He was awarded the North Shore Service Award for the Shore Community is also a Justice of Peace.