Hindu Festival of Raksha Bandhan

HINDU COUNCIL OF NEW ZEALAND Incorporated
(Registered with Charities Commission Regd No: CC31281; Donee organisation status from IRD)
Post Box 6240, Whakarewarewa, Rotorua 3043, New Zealand
Email: hindu.nz@gmail.com

PRESS RELEASE

HOTA Forum invites NZ public to participate in Hindu Festival of Raksha Bandhan

The Hindu Organisations, Temples and Associations (HOTA) Forum is organising a landmark cultural event for New Zealand society by celebrating the Hindu Festival of Raksha Bandhan – that promotes Universal Fellowship and venerates Womanhood. The festival will be celebrated on 29th August 2010, at the Dorothy Winstone Centre, Auckland.

Hindu Council of New Zealand is the first year host of the HOTA Forum, and will take initiative in celebrating the festival this year with support from all other Forum members. Mr Vinod Kumar and Ms Mamta Bhikha are the Chairperson and Secretary (and coordinator) of the organising committee, respectively. Mr Chandra Shekhar Monga and Mr S Subbiah are the joint coordinators.

“Hindu Mandir Executive Committee of USA has been organising their conferences since 2006. It started off with a small number but now more than 100 temples participate in such meetings. Similarly, we believe HOTA forum will have more members with time to come” said Mr Vinod Kumar, President of Hindu Council of New Zealand.

“This festival will convey the message that Hindus desire to integrate within the wider New Zealand community as a productive, law-abiding community. The HOTA forum can further enhance this integration” said Ms Mamta Bhikha, coordinator of this year’s festival.

When Hindu organisations, temples and associations start working together on a common project annually and regularly, it will develop bonding and understanding among the Forum members and will result in increased capability for large scale Hindu collaboration.

HOTA forum will meet at least once a year to discuss and deliberate the issues concerning Hindu society and collectively position Hindu society for a better future. This will also reinforce Hindu identity which accepts all like-minded communities and cultures on equal footing as one big global family.

“HOTA Forum will organise the Raksha Bandhan Festival annually to bring the Forum members closer, develop understanding and promote collaborative project based work among them on social issues in a better way” said Mr Chandra Shekhar Monga, spokesperson for the Forum.

All willing Hindu organisations, temples, associations are welcome to participate. Each one of the members in HOTA Forum will get an opportunity to host the programme on a rotation basis annually. New Zealand Hindu Temple Society will be the host of the HOTA forum in 2011.

“We invite all classical dance groups, musical groups/performer groups and some folk dances to perform in this programme” Mr Subbiah, cultural programme coordinator.

The festival will have Indian classical dances (e.g. Bharat Natyam, Kathak, Kuchipudi, Odissi, Mohiniattam, Kathakali, etc.), folk dances (Garba, Koli, Marathi, Kannada folk, Andhra, Bengali, Assami, Rajasthani, Bhangra, etc.), vocal music (e,g. Karnatic, Hindustani) and instrumental music (e.g. Mridangam, Flute, Veena) and music and dances from other cultures such as Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Thai.

The HOTA Forum was launched during the 3rd New Zealand National Hindu conference on 15th May, 2010. This was one of the milestone outcomes of the conference.

ends

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