Bharatiya Mandir on Saturday, August 25, hosted the community and dignitaries celebrating the auspicious occasion of Raksha Bandhan. Two separate events were held at the temple, one being the special puja and Rakhi tying ceremony and the evening session had Sister Shivani from Brahma Kumaris for a community meet and speech.
Raksha Bandhan is an auspicious festival of the Indian community where sisters tie rakhi to their brothers as a symbol of love and affection and in return receive gifts and promise that signifies both and protection for the sister. Raksha Bandhan is one of the biggest festivals of the Indian community showing the bond between a brother and a sister and is celebrated across the globe shared by people of other ethnicities as well.
This festival celebrates universal fellowship and respect of womanhood. This year, the festival was organised by Hindu Organisations, Temples & Associations (HOTA) Forum which is a collaboration of diverse Hindu organisation, temples and associations whereby each organisation takes responsibility to host the forum for 12 months. This year Bharatiya Mandir is the host of HOTA forum.
The occasion had special puja session, cultural performances by young children and dignitaries present at the event to grace community. HOTA Secretarial Vinod Kumar, National List MP Dr Parmjeet Parmar, Honorary Consul in Auckland Bhav Dhillon, and Strategic Advisor Race Relations at the New Zealand Human Rights Commission Rakesh Naidoo were among many dignitaries present at the event.
After the Raksha Bandhan celebrations, the temple hosted renowned speaker and teacher from Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University Sister Shivani which received an audience of more than 1000 to listen to her speech.
Bharatiya Mandir hosts several community initiatives and festivals for the community and has recently celebrated its Silver Jubilee in June 2018.
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