at the Indian Experience Gala Dinner, Southern Sun, Elangeni Hotel
14 November 2006
Programme Director
His Worship, Mayor Councillor Obed Mlaba
Deputy Mayor, Councillor Logie Naidoo
Judge President Vuka Tshabalala
Indian Consul-General Harsh Vardhan Shringla
Ms Weziwe Thusi, MEC for Arts, Culture and Tourism
Mrs Ina Cronje, MEC for Education
Mr Amichand Rajbansi, MEC for Sports and Recreation
His Excellency Mr Ugo Ciarlatani, Consul of Italy
Members of the KZN Provincial Legislature
Good evening friends of KwaZulu-Natal
What I have experienced so far is a spectacular display of the fusion of
India and South Africa. The dances, food, culture and the overall Indian
Experience showcased here tonight is breathtaking. I wish to take this
opportunity to congratulate and thank the Consul General of India, Harsh Vardan
Shringla and his colleagues for their efforts in promoting and strengthening
the close ties between India and this part of South Africa.
Land of seven sisters
'The Indian Experience' which started from Tuesday, 9 November 2006 to
Wednesday, 22 November 2006 highlighting the rich and vibrant cultural heritage
of North Eastern States of India is a bonus for the people of South Africa. I
had the opportunity of visiting India recently but had not experienced the
hospitality of the North Eastern parts in places like Manipur, Assam and
Tripura, among others.
This 'Indian Experience,' hosted by the Consul in Durban provides an
opportunity for us to see India beyond Bollywood, Delhi and Goa. You have
opened other doors of interest to us � the North Eastern parts of India. I
looked up the North Eastern States in my readings. The region is also known as
the land of seven sisters.
The north eastern states are very different in many ways from the other
parts of India. These States have the maximum number of tribes living within.
Many tribal languages are spoken throughout these seven states. The north
eastern states have the highest percentage of Christians. Territory wise this
region is the most sensitive region touching many countries like China, Tibet,
Bhutan, Myanmar and Bangladesh. And today we celebrate this region. It has come
to us in KwaZulu-Natal.
This is a novel way of increasing interest among the people of this province
in India and the immense cultural diversity it represents. I have already tried
some of the delicious cuisine from northeast India and find it exquisite. I
wish to thank Chef Ms Hoihnu Hoizel, who I am told is also a journalist in
India. I hope she will use her visit to write about this part of South Africa,
its people, cuisine and scenic beauty.
I also wish to congratulate the dance troupes from the Indian states of
Assam and Manipur whose enthralling performances in different parts of our
province have been so well received. I am told that these dances had some Zulu
elements in it and I am therefore not surprised at the reception they received
from our audiences.
The master craftsmen from India, I have been told will work with our own
traditional crafters and this can only benefit the work and appreciation of
both groups of highly accomplished artisans. The fashion show that has both
Zulu and north-east Indian designs will serve to highlight the commonality of
tribal cultures and traditions. I congratulate designer Nadia Meer, our very
own struggle stalwart Professor Fatima Meer's daughter, who put this show
together as a symbol of the closeness of our two cultures. Allow me ladies and
gentlemen to talk about our relations with India.
Indian Diaspora
It is in this province that the overwhelming majority of Indian South
Africans live. A million people most of whose descendants arrived here as
indentured labourers. Ripped from the familiarity of their village, quarantined
in the then Calcutta and Madras; packed into ships and landing in an alien
environment only to be dragooned onto plantations; these were the new slaves of
the mid nineteenth century. They resisted, preserved and their history stands
tall in our province.
Look around you and you will see the minarets of the Grey Street mosque, the
little Baptist Church in KwaDukuza, the Lord Shiva standing guard over the
Umgeni Road Temple and if you drive past Blue Lagoon on a Friday afternoon
people eating a mutton bunny on the bonnet of their cars. Despite the best
efforts of colonialism and apartheid, this is a legacy that could never be
erased and never will be. The visit of the Indian Prime Minister renews a long
relationship with India.
Through trade, through cultural interchanges, through our common vision for
a more democratic global order, the knot that is Indian-South African relations
gets bound even more tightly. And here in this province, Indian-African
relations quickly overcome the divisions and suspicion that is the legacy of
apartheid.
Our communities have spilled too much blood in the struggle for freedom,
shared so much through the philosophies of Mahatma Gandhi's Saytagraha and our
own Ubuntu. To paraphrase the first Prime Minster of India Jahwarlal Nehru, we
share a common tryst with destiny. And that notion of a common destiny was put
succinctly by President Thabo Mbeki: "Outwardly we are people of many colours,
races, cultures, languages and ancient origins. Yet we are tied to one another
by a million visible and invisible threads. We share a common destiny from
which none of us can escape because together we are human, we are South
African, we are African."
Building bonds, building relations
The relations between India and South Africa are historical and traditional.
Today, these relations have found a contemporary basis in the close political,
economic, cultural and social ties that the two countries enjoy. It was
apparent to me during the Prime Minister's visit that His Excellency attached
great importance to the accelerated development of economic and commercial ties
between our two countries.
During my visit to India last year, I personally witnessed the vast
development that India has achieved in the years since its independence. Its
rapid economic growth, and positioning as an Information Technology superpower,
has transformed the global economic landscape.
At the same time, India has made rapid strides in agricultural development
moving from a food deficit to a food surplus nation. During that visit we
signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Punjab on trade, economic, cultural,
scientific and technical co-operation; the ruralness of Punjab, the Land of
Five Rivers, makes for common ground in addressing the developmental challenges
of our people.
KwaZulu-Natal therefore commends Punjab for the remarkable achievement in
turning the similar plight of the rural poor into a thriving and growing state
economy that has become known as the "food basket of India. "KwaZulu-Natal has
much to offer in return. Trade and tourism links offer great potential and need
to be exploited fully. We have a lot to gain from increasing our engagement
with India. Already, a number of KZN based companies and entities are investing
in India. South African companies from KZN have interests in Indian roads,
bridges and airports; are supplying high technology products to the Indian
market and investing in real estate, shopping malls and tourism infrastructure.
I am sure many of our enterprising businesspersons engaged in such ventures are
among us this evening.
The Indian side has been equally focused on opportunities in the KZN
province. Indian companies have invested in hotels and tourism, steel,
automobiles and busses, tyres, cosmetics, engineering and a wide variety of
other areas that could enhance our technological and financial base and create
employment opportunities for our skilled and semi-skilled labour.
In closing, let me thank all those of you who are here this evening for your
interest in maintaining the closest of relations between our country and India.
We hope the Consulate General of India will continue to arrange many more such
events that do so much to bring our countries closer together at a popular
level.
Thank you
Issued: KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government
14 November 2006
Source: KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government (http://www.kwazulunatal.gov.za)
