Deepawali Festival To Raise Funds For Earthquake

PRESS RELEASE (21 Sept 2010)

Rotorua Deepawali Festival aims to raise funds for Christchurch earthquake victims

Hindu Council of New Zealand intends to organise free Pranayama (Yogic techniques to regulate one’s life-force, specifically one’s breathing) and meditation sessions for Christchurch residents who have been affected by the earthquake earlier this month.

These classes will be coordinated through Aotearoa Research Organisation for Generic Yoga and Ayurveda (AROGYA), a division of Hindu Council of New Zealand.

The trauma of the earthquake and the psychological aftermath experienced by the victims is likely to last for weeks or even months after the incident, as psychologists and doctors have pointed out. Pranayama practices are widely used scientific yoga techniques that create mindfulness of the way one breathes, followed by meditation to calm the mind.

“The classes will be conducted by experienced volunteers and expert Pranayama teachers who will be able to work with the community to manage stress and anxiety” said Dr Rajiv Chaturvedi, Media & Public Relations officer of Hindu Council of New Zealand.

“These techniques will help those who have endured the recent traumatic events and will assist the victims in their recovery process”.

Organisers of Rotorua Deepawali Festival 2010 are keen to support this initiative and will be raising funds for these classes on Saturday, 2 October 2010.

The 2nd of October is also the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi who devoted his life for helping others. We invite anyone interested in helping or volunteering in any way to support this initiative for the Christchurch community to contact the Hindu Council of New Zealand (hindu.nz@gmail.com).

The Rotorua Deepawali festival is a free community event, the festival organisers are planning to place an appeal and donation boxes at the festival venue to encourage people to contribute towards this cause.

It is really heart-warming to know that people from various cultures, nationalities, ethnic groups, faiths, and belonging to various organisations will attend the Deepawali festival. The evening cultural show is now fully reserved.

The festival which started with a humble beginning in 2008 has grown and is now getting attention from not only the people of Rotorua but also from other parts of New Zealand

“We look forward to welcoming people from Auckland, Hamilton, Taupo, Tauranga, Whakatane, Taumarunui, Palmerston North and Wellington who are participating in this festival” said Dr Meeta Patel, Secretary of the Rotorua Deepawali Festival and Central Secretary of Hindu Council of New Zealand.

The focus of this year’s festival is youth leadership. To encourage youth participation and being mindful of their exam schedules, the festival has been preponed from November to the first week of October. The festival committee has identified potential youth leaders and has involved them by giving them key responsibilities in the committee.

“I enjoy working for the festival committee and also the Rotorua community” said Praneita Narayan, a young and upcoming community leader.

“Our contribution is very much appreciated. Although a new-comer, I was entrusted with the responsibility of being the Joint Secretary!”, she added.

Deepawali (Hindu Festival of Lights) is celebrated all over the world. The Rotorua Deepawali Festival is proudly sponsored by a number of charitable organisations, supported by government agencies, businesses and community organisations, and promoted by both print and electronic media.

We welcome you all to enjoy this unique festival in a smoke-free, alcohol-free and meat-free environment on Saturday, 2 October 2010, starting at 10.00 am, at the Energy Events Centre, Rotorua.

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