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Part 1: Commemorating Mahātmā Gandhījī Warm greetings to you all on this very important occasion: the acknowledgement of the birth of Mahātmā Gandhījī. It is an important occasion because of the legacy he left for all of us who have followed behind—not in his distinguished footsteps, but nonetheless taught by him through the many lessons he gave. I want to particularly welcome some people here. I acknowledge the Minister, the Honourable Sam Lotu-I’iga. Thank you very much, Minister, for joining us this evening. The MP who is our host this evening, Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi—thank you very much, and thank you for hosting this occasion. I might add, without any qualification, that the member has often hosted functions across a wide range of ethnic communities, and we thank you for doing so again. Just as we are honoured by the presence of the Minister and Mr. Bakshi, we are also honoured by Mr. Naginbhai Neil Patel, who chairs the association behind this event. I make particular mention, of course, of the Mayor of Wellington, His Worship Justin Lester. He probably hasn’t been described as "His Worship" before, but I’m a traditionalist. I’ve known Justin for a long time. Why don’t we welcome and congratulate the new Mayor of Wellington? Viśvaguru Gurujī Swāmī, thank you very much for being again at another occasion in Wellington. We are always honoured with your presence in Wellington and New Zealand. We know the demands on your time; the fact that you can spend time in Wellington and honour these occasions with your presence means a great deal to us all in this city. Thank you very much. There are a number of other distinguished guests present tonight. In fact, ladies and gentlemen, you are all distinguished. It is, in my opinion, a warm occasion, and it is right and proper that it should be so well supported. Thank you for being here. Why do we commemorate Mahātmā Gandhījī’s birthday from 147 years ago? One of the legacies he left us was, in my opinion, so many pearls of wonderful quotations. I give you one now: "Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever." I think those words alone carry a message that will resonate down through the ages forever. I certainly commend this occasion tonight. We now have two ceremonies that are appropriate. For those of us who have been at the statue—Mahātmā Gāndhī’s statue by the railway station—those ceremonies have been appropriately supported by the leadership of the Wellington Indian community. But by the nature of tonight and the restrictions that obviously apply, these ceremonies will be conducted by just two or three people on behalf of us all. I ask Naginbhai Neil Patel to come forward with the Minister. I think I’m right there, Minister. It is the Dīyā ceremony, followed by the Garland ceremony. Now we move to the ceremony of the garlands. Neil Patel, thank you very much for that part of the ceremony. We now move to the speakers for this evening: the Member of Parliament and our host, Mr. Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi. Again, thank you for honouring this occasion and for speaking at it. Would you please welcome our host for this evening? [Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi speaks:] Thank you, Ian, for your kind words and acknowledgement. Can I acknowledge you for your support all these years? He deserves a round of applause. When he was the Deputy Mayor of Wellington, he always used to come and support us at the railway station. Thank you very much for being MC today; I really appreciate your support. Can I acknowledge the Minister, my good friend and brother, the Honourable Sam Lotu-I’iga? Swāmījī, can I acknowledge you and my parliamentary colleagues—Harjit Parmar, Melissa Lee—am I missing anyone else? No. Chargé d’Affaires of the Indian High Commission, Sandeep Sood, and his good wife, Anita. Kāntī Bhāī, Justin—congratulations on your election as Mayor of Wellington. We hope we will be meeting on a number of occasions to celebrate such events. As Wellington is becoming diverse, we hope that diversity is maintained, and your support is very crucial to that. Nagin Bhāī is a very passionate person and makes sure that any event he gets involved in is very articulate and very well organized. Swāmījī, you came to the office the other day, and he wished you should stay till the 12th to join us. You were supposed to go overseas, but you have extended your trip. I really appreciate your blessings. I hope all the people who have come today are esteemed people. Thanks for your support. Can I acknowledge Rakesh and Mr. Suri, who is the chair of Global Indians in the Wellington region? He’s also present here. And everyone—if I want to take names—Taruna is the president of the Wellington Indian Association; thanks for your support. Ratī Bhāī has been the president of NZICA and is present here today. All of you have come to celebrate the birth anniversary of Gandhījī. As Ian mentioned, Gandhījī is a mentor to many of us. His legacy has been followed by many, many leaders around the world. It’s my pleasure to host it today. This is the first time we are celebrating the anniversary of Gandhījī’s birth in Parliament, and we hope we will continue to celebrate this event. With these words, I welcome you all. I would like to acknowledge Apurva for her work—my parliamentary staff. She has really put a lot of effort into ensuring this event is successful, along with Nagin Bhāī. I hope her effort will be well acknowledged. Thank you very much once again, and I hope you will enjoy today’s event. Namaskar. [Ian McKelvie resumes:] Thank you very much, Mr. Bakshi. I now call upon Naginbhai Neil Patel. Let me tell you a bit about this person. I thought Mr. Bakshi was very kind to him. Mr. Patel has only rung me five times in the last hour. I’ve got a lot of lines here, but I think it’s absolutely correct: he is very, very passionate about the role he plays, supported by a number of members of his committee, to ensure that the Wellington Indian community and broader Wellingtonians acknowledge this birth date of Mahātmā Gāndhījī. A lot of credit goes to you for exactly that, Neil. So thank you very much. Now, with no further instructions to me, my instruction to you: come and address us. [Naginbhai Neil Patel speaks:] Thank you, Ian, for the introduction. Salutation to cosmic energies. Namaste. Greetings. Greetings of all cultures and religions. Honourable Minister—as hard as pronouncing my name to you—Viśvaguru Mahāmaṇḍaleśvara Paramahaṁsawāmī Maheśwānandajī, Master of Ceremony and Wellington Regional Councillor. He’s a first-time regional councillor, being elected in the last election. So let’s thank him for it. Kapiti Coast Mayor K. Gurunathan was to be here, probably running late. Honourable Pūjya Mahātmā Gandhi Committee members: Kāntī Bhāī, Ratī Bhāī, Vāmrat Bhāī Rāmā, Suresh Jī. Dennis Taylor is absent; he’s in Auckland. Gandhījī’s lovers, loving audience, and all: good evening. Welcome, welcome, welcome to all ladies and gentlemen, artists, Deepak Bhāī Thanawala, staff, technicians, to this celebration at Parliament House. On behalf of the PMGBCC Committee, it is my pleasure to welcome you all to the first-ever celebration of Mahātmājī’s birthday in this Parliament—an observation of the International Day of Nonviolence. I’m humbled that we have eight Members of Parliament who volunteered to host this function at Parliament. I’m grateful, and on behalf of the PMGBCC Committee, to Mr. Kanwaljit Bakshi, my old friend and old supporter of Mahatma Gandhi’s statue and celebration at the railway station for the last 10 years. Being the leading MP and organizing our Minister to come, we really thank you. You told me that I’m articulate, but in fact, I found you extra articulate. I was quite impressed when I was asking you to bring a budget, and he says, "Naginbhai, let’s call it a day, let’s not have it," because we’re all organized in such rules that they are in Parliament, and we need to follow. We are pleased that Wellington’s new Mayor, Justin Lester, is attending, along with the Kapiti Coast Mayor and the Minister of Ethnic Affairs. Justin has, and the Wellington City Council has been supporting these Gandhījī’s principles for more than 10 years. When Rajiv Gandhījī, the Prime Minister, and David Lange decided to have a statue in New Zealand on my request, the Wellington City Council took the issue up—Cary Pendergast—and the Indian High Commission acknowledged and supported it, and the ICCR, to have a Gandhījī statue at our Wellington railway station. So let’s thank the Wellington City Council for that. Justin—and I need to speak about Justin because Justin is our man; he’s a Gandhījī’s man. So Celia, and so Cary Pendergast, supported without any conditions. Whatever we asked, we got it. I’m very grateful to the City of Wellington and to you. Ian, at that time, deputized the event, and Ian supported that event as well. We do thank you, Ian, for your support. Let’s talk about my staff. They say to me that it’s all about you. It’s all about commitment. It’s all about everybody else, but except for Gandhījī. I said, "Oh, that’s a good point." And that’s Daniel Reeve at the back. So I said, "Okay, let’s talk about Gandhījī." So Mahātmā Gāndhījī was a man of principle: Ahiṃsā (nonviolence); Satya (truth); Satatkām (hard work); Prem (love); and respect for other religions, beliefs, and actions. He had the seven principles for the profession that we are working in this world, and it goes like this: wealth without work, pleasure without conscience, knowledge without character, commerce without morality, science without humanity, religion without sacrifice, politics without principle. As a human—this is a quote from a New Zealand First MP who spoke at Gandhi’s statue a few years back—as human beings, we strive to achieve the highest good. As politicians, our purpose is for the good of all mankind. For Gandhījī, truth was the highest good, the natural goal of a human being’s existence. He went so far as to say, "Truth is God," to indicate that nothing is more worthy of our devotion than reality—including moral reality and our endeavors to understand it and live by it. The principle by which we ought to govern our lives, according to Gandhījī, must reflect our essence as fallible truth-seekers. I could not agree more. It is this moral principle—not for the use of some hypothetical lone or individual being. Instead, we must reflect on our status as social beings. Truth-seeking is as much a collective as an individual endeavor. While we each have our own individual method in seeking change, our purpose must remain the same. It is important to remember that we are what we do, what we say, and what we eat. That becomes in our thoughts. We also work together and show love and respect to our mankind, our community. And we use our power and authority for the goodness of the Janatā, the public, not for ourselves or for the authorities. Gandhījī said, "Be the change you want to see," and I can see that Kanwaljit Bakshi has started that. Gandhījī believed in peace; peace leads to better persons and communities, and nonviolence. Gandhījī said nonviolence is a greater weapon than mighty weapons. Barack Obama said, "Who said what about Gandhījī?" So Barack Obama, the President of the USA, said he was a great personality of the 20th century, and he’s recognized today even in the 21st century. And Barack Obama said, "In my life, I have looked to Mahatma Gandhi as an inspiration because he embodies the kind of transformation that can be when ordinary people come together to do extraordinary things." And that’s what Gandhi did. We must try to get… we must stay happy. There was an article, Ian—Ian is signaling me—there was an article that in the world, people fight for peace. But three weeks ago, the Israeli government declared that they’re going to spend 35 billion dollars to keep the peace. Now, that 35 billion dollars could be used for promoting Ahiṃsā, nonviolence, the truth. Gandhījī did exactly the same, but not with billions, millions of billions. I wish you all, on behalf of my committee, to enjoy the peace, the nonviolence, truth, love, and respect. Jai ho, Jai Hind, Jai New Zealand. Thank you all. [Ian McKelvie resumes:] Neil Patel, I’m now going to override him again. There are Members of Parliament sitting all around here, and they are to blame. I’m afraid the candles have to go. I’ve got a whole lot of security people out there just about to put me in jail, Neil, if I don’t have… The candles would normally remain, but just by the nature of the regulations of Parliament, they have to be extinguished at this stage. Thank you very much. Thank you for your words and the passion that centers behind them; we do appreciate it. I’m sorry to move alongside you, but be assured what you said was appreciated, and nothing steals in any way from your commitment to this ceremony. It now gives me great pleasure to call upon our guest of honour, the Minister, Sam Lotu-I’iga, to come and address us. Minister, thank you very much. For the Minister of the Crown to spend time here this evening is excellent; to spend time for this occasion is doubly so. We welcome you and thank you. [Hon. Sam Lotu-I’iga speaks:] Well, thank you, Ian, and thank you for your kind introduction. Can I acknowledge our host, Kanwaljit Bakshi? Thank you, my brother. And while you’re my brother, I still think Naginbhai is very articulate—probably a little bit more articulate than you—but thank you for hosting us. To my parliamentary colleagues, to Harjit, to Parmar, to Melissa who’s down the back—please come forward, Melissa—she’s shaking her head. To Swāmījī, welcome. Good to see you, sir. To Sandeep Sood and your beautiful wife, thank you for joining us here tonight. And to everyone here, it’s an honour and a privilege to be here to celebrate Mahātmā Gandhi’s birthday. Can I also acknowledge, finally and especially, our Mayor, our new Mayor? Mr. Mayor, it’s great to see you here. I look forward to working with you as the Minister of Local Government. The relationship between central and local government should be strong; I know it will be strong under your leadership. Welcome and congratulations once again. So commemorating Gandhi’s birthday is special. For those that grew up watching—I grew up watching the Gandhi movie as a 13-year-old. I remember, recall very well, Ben Kingsley’s portrayal of this great man. It was watching someone who is revered not just in India—I understand he also spent time in South Africa—but people around the world, of any religion, of any creed, of any race, of any ethnicity, can admire and take hold of the principles and the values that he espoused and he epitomized. I think that’s why we come here today. In that movie, you saw a number of things that he… He led the non-violent marches. For me, it stood out against the violence by authorities, but to meet that with non-violence, with integrity and honesty… I’ve been looking at that chart there with all the things that he represents. I think if you haven’t seen it, please take time to look at the values that he represented. Of course, he led that movement. The sad thing for me is that he didn’t see the ultimate goal of independence in 1947. Independence was a great thing for the nation of India, for the people of India. Sometimes that happens when someone who leads a mission, who leads a vision for something better in this world, doesn’t get to see the ultimate result of that. Since then, I suppose, we’re celebrating it here in Parliament. I think it’s an important thing that we’re celebrating this special man and the culture and the heritage. It also reflects, I suppose, the strong relationship that has built up over time between New Zealand and India. I could talk about the trade statistics that are going up. I could talk about the tourism numbers. I could talk about the cricket as well, but I’ve been told not to. And when I think of the cricket in the last two weeks, I think of that word charity. I think the New Zealand cricket team have been charitable to the Indian cricket team, so they have learnt something in their trip to India. But, look, it is about a relationship. It is about people and relationships. I know part of that relationship is to see our Prime Minister, John Key, go up there with various business people, with our MPs, and to broaden that relationship. That’s what it’s about: broadening a relationship that is forged through history, through sport, through trade, through commerce, and through people-to-people relationships. I just want to end, as many others have spoken here today. I think of a great man that I grew up watching in a movie. He was a small man in stature, but he had a great soul. The quote that I want to leave with you—and you’ve probably already heard of it, and I think it’s appropriate in this building, this Parliament building—is: "The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others." In a place where we value public service, I think to serve others and to lose yourself in the service of others is something that we should all remember. I just want to acknowledge the Mayor again. Remember that in your mayoral leadership. Remember that in Parliament. Remember that in your businesses, in your families, in your communities, and wherever you’ve come from and wherever you’ll go back tonight. Thank you very much. All the best. [Ian McKelvie resumes:] Jahan, thank you very much. We’re very grateful and thankful for that further quotation from Mahātmā Gandhījī. So thank you very much indeed. The one you gave, which is written here as well, is one that certainly applies in a parliament such as this, applies in council rooms, etc., and that is service. So thank you very much. Ladies and gentlemen, would you please thank again the Honourable Sam Lotu-I’iga for honouring this occasion and for speaking. Now, on the program is the presentation of some awards. I’m going to ask Naginbhai Neil Patel to come forward and give me my instructions. And Minister, could you come forward as well, please? Alright, we have a number of awards that are given to people who have served the community in various ways over time. These awards are now going to be presented by Naginbhai Neil Patel and the Minister, the Honourable Sam Lotu-I’iga, who will present these awards to these people. Part 2: Awards and Reflections at the Gandhi Jayanti Commemoration The first person is Khandebar Patel, better known as Ken Patel, one of the real stalwarts of Wellington, who is receiving the Best Work Karma Award. You should have your photograph taken with them both. Ken is about to go to India next week, so he has timed it well. Likewise, Mr. Sandeep Sood is being awarded, on behalf of the High Commissioner, the Best Work Karma Award as well. Thank you very much. I think you should stand between the two of them once you get the award. The former mayor, Celia Wade-Brown, is not here. Would you please acknowledge that she is being awarded the Truth Satya Award in her absence? Also, are there any representatives of the family of David Long here to receive the Peace Śānti Award? They are not. Could we acknowledge them in their absence all the same? Thank you very much, Minister. Thank you very much to the current mayor of Wellington, Justin Lester, for the peace award. He will reign over peace in the council. One of his councillors is back there. We are going to retrieve the award for Mr. Peace. Your Worship, would you please welcome His Worship Justin Lester for the Śānti Award? Amīra Aribar Rāma Peter is also receiving the Peace Śānti Award, a person who is a member of the committee and a long-serving servant of the Indian community in Wellington. Peter, in the middle there. The next one is Tirata Lal Shambarane. Would he come forward, please? Also the Peace Award. He is another member of the committee, and the committee does so much work to ensure these commemorations. Appropriately, Kanwaljeet Bakshi, our host tonight, who, as with the Minister, gives such service to the various communities that exist throughout New Zealand. Please, who is going to do that, Swāmījī? Would you come forward, please? It is most appropriate that the Minister would like to make an award to you. You have done a lot and honoured the occasion. Please congratulate Swāmījī for peace and non-violence. If you could stand between them, we will get rid of the box. A further committee member, new committee member Sudhā Sureśvarī, where is he? He is hiding down there in the second row. Another member of the committee, please congratulate him. Now the next award is a very special award to Nalinī Patel, who is known to many of us as Neil’s wife and as a person who does so much good. Are you collecting it for her? Okay. Those of you who know the dairy in Aro Street will know the one person who is always there is Nalini, who enables Nāgāmbāī to do all sorts of other things around the city by keeping the dairy going, and it is very successful. Well done. Thank you. We have done Swāmījī, haven’t we? So we have done a lot. Now, then there is yourself. So if you want to do that, you can. Who is doing the Swāmījī or the Minister? All right. Minister and Swāmījī, both coming up. Swāmījī, could you come forward as well? And Minister, can you stay there, please? Basically, the award we have now—there are two awards. They are both to Nāgāmbāī Nīl Paṭel. One is the World Viśva Award, and the other is the Śrī Swāmī Peace Award, both going to Neil Patel, both well-deserved. The Minister will present one, and Swāmījī will present the other, both going to the committee leader and a strong leader of this commemoration for over 10 years, Nāgāmbāī Neil Patel. Please congratulate him. Just some background to this award. The Śrī Swāmī Mādhavānanda World Peace Council was founded by Viśvagurujī Mahāmaṇḍaleśvara Paramahaṁsa Swāmī Māheśvarānanda in commemoration of his master, His Holiness, Hindu Dharmasārathi Paramahaṁsa Śrī Swāmī Mādhavānandajī. The World Peace Council is established as a non-governmental, humanitarian, charitable society pursuing the betterment of humanity’s welfare. It is an instrument to advance unity and peace by disseminating the key messages both of Swāmījī’s master, Swāmī Mādhavānanda, and also of Mahātmā Gāndhī. These are two guiding figures for the council. Its central aim is to support international forums for dialogue between individuals, nations, cultures, and religions on topics of peace, ethics, spirituality, education, health, youth, and environmental sustainability. Each year it holds an annual World Peace Summit to raise global awareness, as well as spiritual, social, and political resolve, to secure lasting world peace and to demonstrate tolerance, respect, and understanding by acknowledging unity in diversity. The Council works to promote and support the realization of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals and the values in the Earth Charter Initiative. Viśvagurujī has been recognized and acknowledged worldwide by statesmen, scientists, doctors, and dignitaries from many religions for his untiring, selfless, humanitarian, and spiritual service, his efforts for physical, mental, social, and spiritual health, the betterment of society, peace and harmony on earth, as well as for the protection of living creatures and the natural environment. Through the World Peace Council and related organizations, he has initiated numerous activities, including the planting of hundreds of peace trees, peace prayer ceremonies throughout the world, international interfaith conferences, and the founding of the Śrī Mādhavānanda Austria Hospital in India, providing medical services to villages that would not otherwise receive such services; a rainwater harvesting project providing drinking water to drought-stricken villages; and the Gyān Putra project to provide education to children from underprivileged families. There are also education programs for women, establishment of a university for Āyurveda, naturopathy, yoga, and reforestation programs to save bees, wildlife, and birds. Those of you who were present on the 2nd of October will have seen a slideshow giving some idea and a visual presentation of the breadth and scope of these works. And Swāmījī, of course, works through the organization Yoga in Daily Life, the World Peace Council, and local representatives. In New Zealand here, we have Nāgāmbāī, who has been working over many years to try and realize some of these projects. He has been against all obstacles, and potential problems have arisen. His persistence and the enthusiasm that he has brought to it, not only to the planting of peace trees and this commemoration but also to other activities, has been recognized with the Śrī Swāmī Mādhavānanda Peace Award, recognizing him as an ambassador of non-violence and peace. The last award is for the man who is behind this lectern, who is behind the PMGBCC, behind the council, and now behind the regional council. With his wish and with his help, we may be able to spread more in the Wellington region as well as other regions. That is Ian McKinnon. Ian has been very, very helpful. At the last minute he will come, at the last minute he will take instructions to even change the programs, at the last minute he will turn up. I can rely on him without any question. We do not speak to each other for days, weeks and weeks, and months and months. Time comes, Ian is there. Ian, it is my pleasure to give you a Sevā Award. Sevā is service to the grand indigenous. I think Neil has had his turn at talking. I think we move on now. We now have some further speakers, and one is, of course, Mr. Sandeep Sood, who is representing the High Commissioner of India here. Thank you very much for coming, sir, and if you could address the gathering, please. Honorable Minister, honorable members of Parliament, Dr. Parmar, Melissa, Your Worship, the Mayor of Wellington, Swāmījī, Aginbhai, and members of the Mahātmā Gāndhī Committee. First of all, I would like to acknowledge and thank Mr. Bakshi, the Honorable Minister, and the members of the committee for holding the first-ever celebrations of the Gandhi Jayanti in the New Zealand Parliament. Thank you so much. It is an honor and a privilege to be here and to represent His Excellency, the High Commissioner. I personally would like to share one thing: when I was in school, we had a competition about Gandhījī. We were supposed to read his autobiography and answer some questions. Initially, frankly speaking, when something is imposed upon you, you feel very resistant. But my parents convinced me to read the book, and as I read the book—I was in my early teenage years—I found that a person who can reveal everything about himself, who can reveal everything about his life, whose innermost thoughts he can put on paper for the world to read—I cannot even imagine the level, the highest level that person can achieve. It is very difficult for each of us to, you know, even share our most innocent thoughts, let alone everything. So that really had an effect on me personally, and I think that had an effect on the psyche of India at that time, and that legacy has continued till today. We have heard some quotes about Mahātmā Gandhījī. One of them is that an ounce of patience is greater than a ton of preaching. So I will not take much of your time, but I am reminded of one more quote about Gandhījī: continue to grow and evolve. And I stand here representing my country, India. I feel very proud that my country has grown and evolved to such an extent that my countrymen all over India are acknowledged, they are respected, and that they are held in high esteem. And I feel that there is a little bit of Gandhījī in each one of us. So, thank you for representing India. Thank you for hosting us here. Since I am here, I would also like to share with you that, as Gandhījī said, continue to grow and evolve. We are shortly going to start the construction of the new High Commission of India building, and we hope to host you at such functions in our new building very soon. Thank you very much. Thank you very much, Mr. Sood. We are going to finish this meeting with Swāmījī speaking, but before I call upon him to bring the ceremony and the meeting to a close, I am going to ask Mrs. Taranban Barna, who is the President of the Wellington Indian Association, if she would say a few words, please. Welcome, ladies and gentlemen. It is an honor and a privilege to be speaking today. One of the things about being one of the last speakers is that everything I have to say has already been said, so well done. Thank you very much for hosting this event, Minister, His Worship. Good to see you, invited guests. Thank you very much for coming today. As I look around the room, I see I think I can probably name about 80% of people who are here today, so it is lovely to see everyone at this event. When I walked in, I was not sure what to expect, but as you look at the banner, I think we all can take life’s teaching out of Mahātmājī. He has taught us so much. And like Sandeepjī said, when you are little, you are imposed at school that you have to learn the teachings of Mahātmājī. And at that time, it is a burden. It is a resistance. But over time, I have found that you get to understand what he was about. As I took over the leadership role over the last few years, patience is one of the things that comes to mind. It is something that you have to learn. Leadership comes to mind. Community comes to mind. As it says, to find yourself, you have to lose yourself in the service of others. And as I look around the room, there are a lot of people here who have just lost themselves in the service of others. I just want to congratulate all the award winners. Congratulations. Thank you for all contributions, and to Nāgāmbāī for doing what you do. Another quote comes to mind: "Be the change you wish to see." I must say, Nāgāmbāī is very persistent. When you want something done, he will be the driving force behind it, so thank you very much. It will not take too much of your time. I hope you have had a good evening. Enjoy. Thank you. Well, I have already mentioned the honor that we have with Viśvagurujī here, and I thank him again for coming. I now ask Swāmījī if he would address us. He is the person that can take us closer to Mahātmā Gandhījī than anybody else in this room, and so it is appropriate that he is our final speaker, able to bring that linkage with Mahātmā Gandhījī. Swāmījī. Paśchantu mākachya duḥkha bhagavān oṁ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ... He asato mā sat gamaya, tamaso mā jyotir gamaya, mṛtyor mā mṛtam gamaya. Sarveṣāṁ svastir bhavatu, sarveṣāṁ śāntir bhavatu, sarveṣāṁ maṅgalam bhavatu, sarveṣāṁ pūrṇam bhavatu. Lokāḥ samastāḥ sukhino bhavantu. Oṁ Tryambakaṁ yajāmahe sugandhiṁ puṣṭi-vardhanam, urvārukam iva bandhanān mṛtyor mukṣīya māmṛtāt. Oṁ Śāntiḥ Śāntiḥ Śāntir Bhavatu. Salutation to the Cosmic Light, Lord of our Hearts, Omniscient and Omnipresent, and in the divine presence of the Holy Spirit, dear brothers and sisters, very good evening. Our adoration, respect, and admiration for the great soul, the great leader, the great personality, the father of the nation. We pay our respect and adoration. You know the name, Mahātmā Gāndhī. I feel myself very honoured to be here in the historical Parliament of New Zealand. The respected Minister, my dear brother, Bakshi Sahib, His Excellency, the Commissioner of India, and my elderly brother, whom I really, really admire and am very happy to see always, wherever he is needed. We need to say thank you, sir, very, very much. Congratulations and wishes for a bright future, good times, and happy times to our newly elected mayor of the city. Good luck, God bless you, and you know the best idea is your work, and so you will show that, yes. You can do many times. We said, Gandhījī said, "Be the change you want to see," and so you will change. Not nothing to change, everything is perfect, but you will put on as a golden crown all, my dear brothers and sisters. Yes, we all know a lot about Gandhījī. But there are two small examples. And you know, when some sādhu, some Mahātmā comes, he has no limitation of time. So please tell me, stop, I will do. So there is one story about Gandhījī. Once, a lady comes with a small boy, her son, about 12 years old, and she comes to the ashram, Sabarmati, and said, "Bāpū," we all used to say "Bāpū," the grandfather, "can you tell my child, ’Do not eat too much sweets’?" Gandhījī looked to her and to this child, and Gandhījī said he moved like this. His lips come after one month. She was disappointed, but she said, "Okay, as you wish." Just to tell this child, "Do not eat too many sweets." He could have told me and come again after one month. Well, she came back after one month. And Gandhi, she said, "Oh, how are you, my sweet child? How are you?" He said, "Yes, yes... Bāpū, yes." So he said to the child, "Do not eat too many sweets." He said, "Okay, Bāpū, I will give up." She tells, while saying these two words, "Do not eat sweets," two words. Why did I have to come after one month? Gandhījī looked to the child and smiled and said, "You know, when you asked me not to eat the sweets, I was eating a lot of sweets. So my ātmā, my inner self, does not accept that this innocent child I should not eat human sweets when I am eating human sweets." And that is what he said, that Gandhījī had a discipline. Discipline, the discipline brings the person to the success, so Gandhījī is a great ātmā. So why we call them Mahātmā? Mahātmā, ātmā. There is a soul. After the soul is ātmā, and after the ātmā is called Mahātmā, great soul. And after that comes Paramātmā, and that we say in one little song. I will not sing the whole song. So that the ātmā, our inner self, the soul, dissolves into the cosmic light. And that one becomes one with everyone, each and every entity in the whole universe. That is called Paramātmā and Mahātmā. Mahātmā, after doing such a great service, not only towards humans, but towards all creatures and our beautiful earth. So Mahātmā Gāndhījī is a great soul, he is here. He is not gone. He is always here. His words, his instructions, and his beautiful smile are always with us. So thank you. Rāghupati rāghava rājārām, patita pāvana sītārām. Īśvara allāha tere nām, sab ko sanmati de bhagavān. Īśvara allāha tere nām, sab ko sanmati de bhagavān. Gandhījī was a great bhakta of Bhagavān Śrī Rām. This was his very favorite song, which he was singing. He made "Rāghupati Rāghava Rāja Rām" about the king of the Raghu clan, the god Rāma. And the evidence of who is believing whom. Where is one’s ātmā, thoughts, feelings, desires, whatever it is, your dear one. When your dear one—who is your dear one? The last minutes of your life, when you remember that person or name, that was your dear one. So when Mahātmā Gāndhījī was unfortunately shot by someone, then Bhakti Śrī Gāndhī, he was the bhakta of the Rām. Thank you very much, and wish you all the best. Ladies and gentlemen, that brings us to a close. And on a wonderful note, Swāmījī, thank you very much for your address to bring this ceremony, which means so much to so many people, but the legacy, of course, permeates the whole world, so we are very grateful for your words there. Could I thank those people who spoke tonight? Mr. Sood, thank you very much for representing the Indian High Commission. Swāmījī, of course, it is wonderful to have you here. Thank you very much for hosting it, Sam. Thank you very much for honouring the occasion. You members of Parliament, you have a very full program, we know, but it is lovely that we could have you here tonight. Justin Lester, the new mayor of Wellington, likewise, has a very busy schedule, so we are conscious of the demands that are placed on so many people who are sitting in this front row, and there is a new councillor back there I can see as well, so the place is well staffed with people that have busy programmes. But with Mahātmā Gandhi and the lessons and the legacies they have lent us, it is worth pausing for a while and just reflecting on those, as we have done over the last hour. And thank you, Neil Patel, to you and to your committee. Warm thanks for the leadership, the efforts, and the commitment that you make to these occasions. I am bringing it all to a close now because I know people have to go. There are refreshments on the table, which you are welcome to have. You are allowed to stay in this building for, well, the Minister is nodding, midnight or something like that. That will be out by then. Thank you very much for being here. And again, could you thank our host, Kanwaljeet Singh Bakshi. Could you thank the Minister particularly for their work? Thank you very much. And thank you, ladies and gentlemen. That brings to a close the proceedings.