Second Maori Delegation to India getting ready

MEDIA RELEASE (26 July 2014)

Second Maori Delegation to India getting ready

Preparations for the second Maori delegation to India are underway. As part of the trip, the Maori delegation will attend the Fifth International Conference and Gathering of Elders to be held from 31st January to 5th February 2015, in Mysore, Karnataka, India.

The conference is organised by the International Centre for Cultural Studies, in collaboration with World Congress of Ethnic Religions, once in three years. The previous conferences were held at Mumbai (2003), Jaipur (2006), Nagpur (2009), and Haridwar (2012) in India.

Like the past four events, the fifth conference will bring together the leaders and scholars of 100+ living ancient cultures.

"This is one of the internationally reputed socio-cultural gatherings," said Prof Guna Magesan, coordinator of the Maori delegation to India, and also a volunteer for the conference.

The theme of the fifth conference is "Universal Wellbeing: Sustaining Nature, Culture and Communities".

The conference will deliberate on how to leverage the current globalization trend for realizing universal wellbeing through sustaining nature, culture and communities. Technology and leadership characteristics will be important tools for ancient cultures to prosper within and contribute to the society around their communities.

"Throughout the conference, various ceremonies of world culture will be performed. Workshops will be held to strengthen skills of the participants. Invited guests will be present their traditions and respective key concepts related to universal wellbeing," Prof Yashwant Pathak, key organiser of the conference.

The conferences have served the purpose of bringing together members of diverse traditions and cultures across the globe with a common thread best described by the “Mitakuye Oyasin” – We are all related.

Prof Pathak said that the organisers are keen to welcome Maori Elders from New Zealand, because the Maori community, in spite of many adversities, is socially, culturally and politically active; and at the world stage, Maori community is a role model for other ancient cultures that have struggled to maintain their identity.

In addition to the international conference, the delegation will also attend two business meetings in New Delhi and Bangalore to be organised by the World Hindu Economic Forum.

The delegates will also visit places of tourist interest in New Delhi and the Taj Mahal in Agra. In Karnataka, they will also visit places of such as Hampi, the last capital of Vijayanagar, one of the greatest Hindu empires in India’s history. It has some extremely captivating ruins. The ruins, which date back to the 14th century, stretch for just over 25 kilometers and comprise more than 500 monuments. The ruins are a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The Maori delegation is made up of people from all walks of life – academics, kaumatuas, artists, business leaders, etc. A number of Maori Indian community has also shown interest in being part of the delegation.

For further information regarding conference, please visit website of ICCS www.iccsus.org

ENDS

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