Multiculturalism on display at Auckland’s Diwali celebrations

In a bid to prevent the country's largest Diwali celebration from going stale, organisers go to great lengths to introduce a new element with each new installment.

Last year, it was a rendition of ancient Indian epic "Ramayan".

This year, those who attended the celebration at Auckland's Aotea Square witnessed a live performance of a waiata titled "Whanaungatanga" that blended Tamil, English and te reo Māori.

Spearheaded by Canada-based musician Wilbur Sargunaraj and supported by the Dunedin-based Arasan New Zealand Trust, the cross-cultural song was released earlier this year and features Māori artists such as Amba Holly, Horomona Horo, Alien Weaponry bassist Turanga Morgan Edmonds and the Ngāti Awa kapa haka dancers.

"This is the first time we are performing the song in front of a crowd," said Sargunaraj, who flew in for the event and performed on stage with contemporary Māori artist Allana Goldsmith of Ngāti Porou and Ngai Tai descent.

Luxmanan Selvanesan, president of Dunedin Multicultural Council and chair of the Arasan NZ Trust, believed such collaborative projects were important.

"Multicultural New Zealand has a vision of huarahi hou, which means a new pathway for treaty-based settlement of migrants," Selvanesan said. "As part of that pathway, such collaborations depicting [an] interweaving of cultures are important.

"'Whanaungatanga' means 'interconnectedness' or 'to connect'. So, our two cultures - Māori and Indian - are connecting on stage through music. It's beautiful," said Goldsmith.

"New Zealand is a multicultural society based on te tiriti, which is the bicultural contract. Now that we are multicultural, we can only move forward with positivity."

Significance of Diwali

"Ramayan" tells the story of Ram, who is exiled from the kingdom of Ayodhya by his father for 14 years. His wife, Sita, and brother Lakshman accompany him as they wander through forests.

Sita is abducted by the 10-headed demon king Ravan, who takes her to his kingdom of Lanka.

Aided by an army of monkeys, Ram kills Ravan and rescues Sita, an occasion celebrated as Dussehra in India and Dashain in Nepal.

Ram returns to Ayodhya with Sita - the day celebrated as Diwali - and establishes a fair and just kingdom for all.

According to tradition, just as Ayodhya was lit up with bright lights to welcome the return of Ram and Sita, Hindus today light up homes, streets and markets to mark the occasion.

The Indian community in New Zealand offers prayers, exchanges sweets, lights diya (oil lamps), makes rangolis (decorative patterns created on floors with coloured rice flour) and sets off firecrackers in celebration of the occasion.

Diwali falls on 31 October this year.

The festival is also celebrated by Sikhs and Jains, and also marks the beginning of the Hindu new year.

For Sikhs, Diwali coincides with a celebration called Bandi Chhor Diwas.

On the day Diwali was celebrated in 1619, Sikh spiritual leader Guru Hargobind Singh was released from prison.

Meanwhile, Jains believe the founder of their faith, Mahavir, attained nirvana, or the ultimate liberation from the cycle of life and death, on this day.

Auckland celebrations

Apart from the festivities in Aotea Square and nearby Queen Street organised by Tātaki Auckland Unlimited over the weekend, one of the city's oldest Diwali celebrations was held Sunday in West Auckland hosted by the Waitakere Indian Association.

"Next year will be our 25th Diwali celebration in Auckland," said Sunil Kaushal, president of the Waitakere Indian Association. "Every year we aim to expand and showcase every aspect of Indian culture to the wider public. The performance of 'Ramleela' [a dramatic representation of the story of Ram], fireworks and the rangoli competition are obvious highlights."

International Society for Krishna Consciousness (Iskcon), colloquially known as the Hare Krishna movement, has been a regular participant in the Waitakere celebrations over the years.

"We come here every year to highlight the spiritual aspect of the festival and spread awareness about our scriptures, including the Bhagavad Gita," said Krishna Chandra Das, secretary of the Iskcon Temple in the West Auckland suburb of Riverhead.

Organisers of the event in the CBD believe total attendance figures may have exceeded last year's number of 65,000, "making it the biggest Auckland Diwali event ever", said Jep Savali, group manager for major events at Tātaki Auckland Unlimited.

Alongside the usual food stalls, singing, dancing and martial arts performances, new features this year included 3D projections of Indian monuments and scenery on the Town Hall, a lightbox art exhibition titled Om Namah Shivay featuring artists Tiffany Singh and Jessie Kanji, and a painting exhibition titled Colours of Diwali at the Aotea Centre.

Anju Desai, curator of the painting exhibition, said many Indian artists in New Zealand felt sidelined by the mainstream.

"Sometimes they need a little nudge, and what bigger avenue than showcasing your work at the biggest Indian celebration in New Zealand," Desai said.

"Maybe next year, we can aim for live painting demonstrations, with artists sharing their processes and motivations with the attendees, while classical music and dances are performed at the front."

Classical Indian music was a substantial part of this year's festivities, with tabla player Basant Madhur and his group entertaining audiences on the Queen Street stage over the weekend.

"Generally, classical music is associated with small, intimate gatherings," Madhur said. "It's heartening we are able to perform in front of such a large gathering, many of whom might not have listened to classical Indian music before."

The diversity of Indian food was also on display during the festival.

Apart from the usual dosa and chole bature, a big hit was a traditional dish from the northwestern Indian state of Bihar called litti chokha (smoky balls of roasted wheat flour served in a thick curry of eggplants and potatoes).

"I have lived in New Zealand for 10 years," said Shweta Jaiswal, who runs catering service Taste of Bihar. "We get almost all types of Indian cuisine here, except from my home state Bihar. I thought, 'Why not introduce our dishes to Auckland as well?'"

Ella Kumar, an Auckland Diwali Festival volunteer since 2002, said the celebration "gets bigger and better every passing year".

"This year we have expanded the area, incorporating the city library as well," Kumar said. "There is yoga happening and over 280 hours of performances on three stages."

Still to come

With the Auckland celebration finished, other cities are also preparing to celebrate Diwali over the next three weeks.

Diwali celebrations are planned at TSB Arena and Shed 6 in Wellington on 27 October, while Diwali lights will light up Christchurch's Hagley Park on 26 October. Nearby Selwyn is expected to host the last Diwali celebration in the country on 9 November.

Hamilton and Rotorua are expected to hold their Diwali events on 2 November.