Auckland’s Diwali Festival dazzles with diverse offerings

Diwali, also known as Deepavali, is now widely recognised as one of the largest annual celebrations in New Zealand's multicultural calendar.

A prominent Hindu festival celebrating the return of Ram and Sita to the kingdom of Ayodhya, Diwali is traditionally celebrated with vibrant lights, fireworks and community fairs that include music, dance and delectable Indian cuisine.

The organisers behind the country's largest celebration, Tātaki Auckland Unlimited, have tried to expand Diwali events and activities each year.

This year, ticketed events were introduced for the first time at the Auckland Town Hall, Aotea Centre and Q Theatre from 5 October.

Diwali celebrations on 11 and 12 October were capped by a spectacular fireworks display in the city centre on Sunday.

The weekend offered a little something for everyone.

For the gastronomically inclined, there were dishes from all parts of the subcontinent.

Connoisseurs of contemporary Indian dance and music could choose from around 250 free performances.

There was also an intimate setting in the city library for classical music aficionados, where local musicians led by percussionist Basant Madhur of Sargam School of Music played Indian instruments such as tabla and sitar.

Renowned tabla player Manjit Singh and vocalist Daljeet Kaur of Rhythm School of Music performed on Queen Street, showcasing the diversity of Indian music traditions.

Yoga classes were also available as well as an introduction to Ayurveda (ancient Indian medicine based on herbs and massage).

Ethnic Indian fashion stalls were set up for anyone wanting to pick up dresses for the next Bollywood-themed party.

A saree draping workshop was offered for those who wanted to uncover the mystique behind the famous six yards of Indian clothing.

The henna tattoo corner gave ladies (and gents, if willing) a plethora of decorative choices for their hands.

And if all of this got a bit too much, the Aotea Centre provided a shanti (peace) lounge where attendees could unwind and relax.

Fresh from her re-election to the Puketāpapa Community Board, Ella Kumar was impressed by the scale and diversity of celebrations.

"It's our 23 years of celebrating Auckland Diwali," said Kumar, who has volunteered at Auckland Diwali since 2002.

"[This time] we had a few ticketed events so that people were able to enjoy the festivities above and beyond the weekend."

Kumar was referring to Kundalini, an Odissi dance production that played out on 5 October; Bollywood Meets Jazz, a musical collaboration between pianist Ben Fernandez and the Auckland Jazz Orchestra on 6 October; the Miss India NZ pageant on 10 October; Ram Leela, a dance drama depicting the life of Hindu god Ram on 11 October; and a concert by Indian singer-songwriter Lucky Ali at Aotea Centre on 12 October.

With such an impressive line-up already in place, the only way to up the game would be to bring popular Indian movie actor Shah Rukh Khan to Auckland Diwali next year, said Raeesa Dada, a South African Indian who has lived in Auckland since 1999.

Dada has been volunteering at Auckland Diwali with her husband, Umar, for the past three years.

"The whole festival is amazing because of the way it brings the entire diversity of India showcased at one place," Umar said.

Sneha Saini, who runs clothing company Desi Threads and organised a saree draping workshop at the festival, was grateful for the interest shown by non-Indian attendees in the "feminine" Indian garment.

"I told everybody about the importance of saree for an Indian woman and what regional varieties we have," Saini said. "My absolute favourites are the Banarasi and Badhni sarees [from the Indian states of Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat]."

Vinayak Lohan, who runs Mother India in Auckland, shared his goal of popularising Ayurveda in New Zealand.

"We are a small family-owned business on a mission to build deeper trust towards the healing herbs of India," Lohan said. "We source the most potent regional strains from across India, working directly with indigenous groups who use traditional farming practices."

Ragavendra Pobbathi from Naathi Aromatherapy, a four-year-old company selling natural and handmade incense sticks, soapstone holders and perfumes from India, pointed to the benefits of burning incense.

"Our Indian incense sticks are made from essential oils," Pobbathi said. "So, there is no black smoke when you burn them, which can cause irritation."

Burning incense encouraged relaxation, aided sleep and meditation, promoted concentration, reduced stress and anxiety, stimulated creativity and increased motivation, he said.

Yaohua Zuo, an international student from China studying at the University of Auckland, was a big fan of Indian street food at the festival.

"I tried the pani puri and the samosas, which were really very good," he said. "This is my second Diwali here and I enjoy it ever year."

Apart from the usual fare on offer, a stall selling "authentic" Indian kulfi (ice cream) stood out this year.

Rishi Vaswani, owner of Koolfi, explained the difference.

"Indian ice cream, or kulfi as it is called, is much denser and has a maximum of 5-10 percent air in it," Vaswani said. "It is made in a traditional way where the milk is reduced by 60 percent by boiling and continuous churning before adding pistachios, almonds, damascus rose, lychee or mango."

A marathi group called Heramb Dhol Tasha mesmerised the gathering with perfectly synchronised drumbeats that sounded as if they came from the Indian state of Maharashtra.

D4dance Dreamers, who travelled from Hamilton, performed Shiv Tandav (a dance dedicated to Hindu God Shiva), which added a spiritual and religious aspect to the celebration.

One of the weekend's cultural highlights was Ram Leela: A Timeless Tale of Valour and Devotion of Lord Rama, a dance drama directed by renowned dancer Anuradha Ramkumar that featured more than 120 artists at Auckland Town Hall on 11 October.

"There are so many life lessons one can learn from Ram's story, especially the dharma aspect," Ramkumar said. "It's truly a blessing to be able to bring [his] story to the wider community as part of Diwali celebrations."

Like previous years, one of the biggest hits of the weekend was an energetic performance by a five-member New Zealand Police dance troupe coached by Parminder Singh, district advisor at Counties Manukau Police.

"We started this initiative in 2015 as a way of bridging the gap between the community and the police," Singh said.

"New Zealand Police believes in the multiculturalism of this nation and our focus is always on community policing.

"Hence, all of us are very proud to be performing Indian dances on the biggest stage of all in New Zealand."