Indians win honour in Holland
As many as 7 Indians from the Arts and Entertainment industry have been chosen by Holland to be the Hindustanis of the year
TV personality Reshma Roopram, musicalstar Anil Jagdewsing, dance guru Sandhya Manniesingh, singer Oemar Wagid Hosain, newsreporter Perdiep Ramesar, taekwondo champion Soebhaash Dihal, Dj Prako and businessman Virindra Kalika are chosen to be the ‘Hindustani’s of the year’ in Holland.
This was the choice of more than 6000 visitors who voted on the website of Sanoja Entertainment Magazine. There were 40 nominees divided over 8 categories. Main goal of the election was to enlarge the perceptible of the Hindustani’s in the media, to stimulate new talent and to force acknowledgement of our own community. From the community; there were lots of heated discussions through the project, and even dead threats.
Therefore, the organization decided to cancel this years event. At the end of 2007 there will be a new election in The Hague, the presidential capital of the Netherlands where the largest group Dutch Indian’s are residential: approximately 65.000. ‘Dutch Indian’s, especially the new generation are suffering of a mentality crisis that goes deep down to our roots in India and Surinam.
Most of them are fans of amateur actors somewhere in India, then of stars and icons from the country where they live in. This has to be changed’. – Shashi Bharos, CEO Sanoja Networks. The community of Hindustani’s are based in Surinam and the Netherlands with their roots in South Asia. They came in 1873 from British India to live and work in Suriname.
When Suriname became independent, a lot of Hindustani’s came to the Netherlands. This project also supports the Dutch ‘Vrindavan foundation’. At the moment the foundation tries to build a shelter for young women and girls in Vrindavan.
