Mana Andhra Telugu Association Incorporated: popularly known as MATA in New Zealand organised a Ramadan Eid Milap event on Friday 6th May at the Mt Eden War Memorial Hall at Dominion Road at Mt Eden, Auckland. Established in year 2020, MATA is a non-for-profit organisation that promotes the vibrant and diversified multi culture in New Zealand. MATA has two-fold vision for the Telugu community in New Zealand. First is to enrich the Telugu speaking New Zealanders and visitors’ life with contribution from multiculturism and arts and second to encourage local involvement and interaction within multicultural events.

MATA promotes the best achievements of Indian-Telugu culture in New Zealand to contribute to greater diversity of New Zealand. Telugu people or Telugu vaaru are a Dravidian ethnic group who speak Telugu as their native language and or trace their ancestry to the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh or Telangana. Telugu is the third most spoken language after Hindi and Bengali in India and the principal speaking language of residents of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana states. There are approximately 3,000 Telugu speaking people in New Zealand currently.

This bond of language binds people from those parts of India here in New Zealand also and transcends the barriers of religion and faiths. The Eid Milap event was one classic example of the same, where people of different faiths joined their Muslim brothers to celebrate Eid ul Fitr with lot of joy and fervour. Many cultural programmes were organised for the event including ghazal and qawwali rendering by a famous Pakistani duo. Programme started with MATA team introduction by Dr Reginald Samuel, MATA President and then recital of Hamd by Nisar Mirza Saheb. Many political and community leaders were present at the event that included National Party MP Melissa Lee, Jeet Suchdev and Rupa Suchdev, Sayed Mujeeb Saheb, Nilima Venkat, Ibrar Sheik Saheb, and Janaab Khalid Hussein. Programme ended at around 9:30 with a sumptuous dinner, served to all the guests present at the event. -TIN Bureau