Saturday the 24th of April at Freemans Bay Community Centre, witnessed a special and unique gathering of invitees bringing their mind, body and heart to support the launch of an initiative for women’s well-being along with the Tamil New Year celebration.

The launch evening witnessed a large gathering representing many community organisations from different ethnicities. The chief guests of the evening Vanushi Walters (MP) Melissa Lee (MP), Kanwaljit Bakshi (Former MP) and Ranjna Patel (Founder Gandhi Niwas) unveiled the logo and praised the initiative and expressed the need to be inclusive and work together for the good of a larger purpose. Mandeep Kaur (Sr. Sgt NZ Police), Shruthi Vijayakumar (Coach and Strategist) and Namrata Kapadi ( Social worker) pledged for the initiative to inspire wellbeing!

Vai Ravindran, president ATA welcomed the guest and set the agenda for the evening with a quote “யாதும் ஊரே யாவரும் கேளிர் translated as, “To us all towns are our own, everyone is our kin” by a Tamil poet Poongunranar. Highlighting the organisations ethos to reflect an inclusive and collaborative mind set to make a good cause better.

Mallika Janakiraman (Founder Wahine) explained the passion behind the name and which is to Inspire well-being and nourish the mind, body and heart by connecting, supporting and enabling resources. The programme embraces every Aotearoa South Asian Indian Women. Mallika also explained the program is all encompassing and just the beginning to a dream nurtured over the years. Women are just a starting point in the journey as goes the African Proverb, “If you educate a man, you educate an individual. But if you educate a woman, you educate a nation.”

Therefore, the purpose behind the passion is, to be the recognised thought leaders and program partners, to serve Aotearoa South Asian Indian Women Well-being. Time is now for a new beginning to shape things before ATA and realise their dreams to action. -ATA