Greetings from GOPIO Malaysia!
It is certainly been a good start to the year with a host of activities to keep us busy and connected. Here’s a quick look into what has been happening this past few months.
Pravasi Bharati Divas (PBD)
The annual Pravasi Bharati Divas (PBD) was held on the 7th January to 9th January,2013 at Kochi, Kerala, India. It was officiated by the Prime Minister of India Dr. Manmohan Singh while the closing was honoured by the President of India, Mr. Pranab Mukerji.
The Malaysian delegation constituted the largest as in previous years: a tradition well maintained. There were delegates from as far as Canada, New Zealand, United States and from the traditional Indian diaspora countries such Mauritius, Sri Lanka, Australia, Hong Kong, Singapore, South Africa, Reunion and the Caribbean Islands. In all, over 1500 PIOs and NRIs participated in the function.
The function had a dynamic array of speakers and a spectacular show of cultural events for the evenings. In summary ,it was a well organised event with tremendous opportunities to network with our counterparts from the other countries. Several union ministers were also present with some of them delivering papers on current economic and geopolitical matters.
We encourage members or Malaysian PIOs to note the date for the next PBD in 2014, which will also be held about the same time, and actively participate and leverage on the event as it provides an international platform to experience the diverse community of PIOs from all over the world. In this respect, should you be interested in the next PBD, please register your interest with the Gopio secretariat to enable us to keep you posted on the developments.
While at Kochi, Kerala, Gopio International held its 12th annual conference titled “PIOs’ Dialogue With India”. It was officiated by the President of Mauritius and graced by the Union Minister of Overseas Indian Affairs Mr. Vylar Ravi. The Union Minister acknowledged the contributions of Gopio.
During the conference all of the Gopio chapters presented a 20 minute paper on various topics, with the Malaysian chapter represented by our Mr.Ravindran Arjunan and Mr. Bala Subramaniam Rasu.
PIO International Festival 2013 (PIOFest)
Back at home, the preparation for Gopio Malaysia’s annual mega event, “PIO International Festival Kuala Lumpur (Piofest in short)”, is in progress. It will be held from 31st May to 2nd of June 2013 in Batu Caves Sri Subramaniar Temple grounds.
The PIO International Festival Kuala Lumpur 2013 is a thread of gala events celebrating the Arts and Traditions of the People of Indian Origin. The PIOFest KL 2013 is being organised to further enrich the value of unity in diversities among PIOs who are mainly residing in The United States of America, Nepal, Myanmar, Malaysia, UK, South Africa, Canada, Mauritius, Sri Lanka, Trinidad and Tobago and Singapore. Together, there are more than 30 Million PIOs living in more than 100 countries.
The 1st PIO International Festival was held from 20th to 22nd April 2012 and was attended by Delegates from Australia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, India, Mauritius, South Africa and Guadaloupe (Caribbean Island).
This 2nd PIOFest will reach out to all Malaysians and PIOs worldwide to jointly celebrate the charm of the rich Arts and Traditions of the PIOs. The Festival will have the participation of artistes and dignitaries from more than 5 countries. The Events include:
- Heritage Exhibitions
- Traditional and Modern Games
- Martial Arts and Yoga Demonstrations
- Classical and Traditional Music and Dance
- Bazaar: Textile, Handicrafts, Artifacts, Books and etc.
- Consultations: Meditation, Alternate Medicine, Astrology ad etc.
- Culinary Challenge (Cooking Contest)
- Children’s Competitions
- Rangoly Demonstration and Competition
- Archery Demonstration and Training
- Fun Games
The Festival is a perfect place to take your family out for the weekend, especially for arts and heritage enthusiasts. It is also an ideal cultural showcase and learning ground for primary and secondary school pupils and students of tertiary institutions.
We cordially invite you to PIO International Festival Kuala Lumpur 2013.
Please click on the below links to view photos and information on the Festival. Our promotional materials are enclosed.
GOPIO International Conference”Indian heritage Medicine-Sidda Ayurveda”
The 2nd annual International Conference”Indian heritage Medicine-Sidda Ayurveda” will be held from Friday 10th to Sunday 12th May 2013. This is jointly organised with the Indian Studies Department, University Malaya and with the collaboration partners Mr. MGL Velyutam of Chennai ALMAA Products and the Malaysian Society for Complimentary Medicine.
“The Gopio International Awards 2013”
“The Gopio International Award 2013”, is on Friday 6th September 2013. In this regard, should any of the members have or know of any eligible PIOs worthy of the award and who should be nominated, we shall be pleased to hear from you. This is an International award and therefore nominees could, apart from Malaysia, be from around the globe. Please send your nominations and your contact details to secretariat@gopio.org.my
The 12th Gopio International Convention, Mauritius
The 12th Gopio International Convention is scheduled to be held in Mauritius in mid October 2013. This is also a big event which is held biannually by Gopio International. The 11th Gopio International convention, themed “Partners In Nation Building”, attracted participants from Mauritius, Australia, South Africa, Reunion, Sri Lanka, United Kingdom, Singapore, Guadeloupe (Carribbean Islands) and India. As and when further details are available the Secretariat will keep you informed and look forward to your participation.