Netherlands - India Association

Netherlands - India Association

News and Events

Activities of NIA in 2009

Date		Activity
1-Feb-2009 21-Feb-2009 10-May-2009 15-Aug-2009 19-Sep-2009 18-Oct-2009 01-Nov-2009		The Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Netherlands-India Association took place on Sunday, the 1st February 2009 at the Mayur Indian Restaurant, Amsterdam. On this occasion the newly elected board of the Association was presented and installed. The board consists of the following elected and co-opted member ........................................................Drs. Badri N. Madan ........................................................Drs. Ronald W. Bolhuis ........................................................Drs. Marianne S. Oort ........................................................Mr. R.D.D. Gurnani ........................................................Dr. Gopi Menon ........................................................Mr. Pramod Sharma ........................................................Mr. Adriaan L.C.M. Oomen ........................................................Mr. Rajiv Rai Mehra Co-opted Member During the AGM a decision was taken to simplify the fees structure of the Association. The Association will have only two categories of membership as mentioned in our Constitution: A Single Membership and A Family Membership. A unanimous decision was taken at this AGM to increase the fee of the Single Membership from Euro 18 to Euro 30 and the Family Membership from Euro 30 to Euro 50. This decision will be effective from January 2010. The AGM was followed by an informal reception. We thank Mr. Pramod Sharma for the drinks and delicious snacks. Drs. Ronald W. Bolhuis, an active member of our Association for many years and recently elected as Vice-President of our Association, passed away on the 21st February 2009. The Board along with the members of the Association deeply mourns his sudden and unexpected death at a very young age. Our President, Secretary and Mr. Adrian Oomen attended the funeral. The President gave a speech. An obituary message was placed in the newspaper Telegraaf on the 7th March 2009 on behalf of the Association. After a long and dark winter the NIA started the year with a cultural programme to welcome the new Indian Ambassador to The Netherlands H.E. Mr. Manbir Singh and his wife Mrs. Jaspal Singh. This is also the occasion for the Spring Festival. The function started with a minute silence for the departed soul of our Vice-President Drs. Ronald W. Bolhuis. The Indian Ambassador praised the good work of the Association and emphasized the importance of the cultural associations such as the Netherlands-India Association. The well-known choreographer and Indian classical dancer Ms. Kalpana Raghuraman and her group gave a splendid performance intermingling Indian and African rhythms. This enjoyable Spring Festival was attended by 92 members and their guests. The cultural programme was followed by a buffet dinner catered by India Palace, Scheveningen. Many of our members attended the Indian Independence Day celebration at the Embassy of India in The Hague, which started with the flag hoisting. The Association also celebrated it on the same day at the India Palace Restaurant, Scheveningen. The weather was pleasant. In spite of the usual parking problems a great number of our members attended this function. The restaurant was fully occupied by our members and their guests. The Association is proud to mention that 139 people attended this programme. The Indian Ambassador H.E. Mr. Manbir Singh and his wife Mrs. Jaspal Singh were the main guests. The President of our Association Drs. Badri N. Madan invited the members and their guests to join him in singing the national anthem of India. This was followed by the address of the Indian Ambassador who conveyed the Independence Day message of the President of India. Ms. Greeshma Nair, an Indian classical dancer working in The Netherlands, entertained the audience with some beautiful performances. The evening concluded with a wonderful buffet dinner catered by the restaurant. The Pravasi Bharatiya Divas - Europe was held on the 19th September 2009 at The World Forum in The Hague. The Secretary of our Association sent invitations to all the members and took an active role in the organization of this event by getting the beautiful banners printed and helped to get the other printed materials ready. He also headed the team, which was responsible for the registration of the distinguished speakers, guests and delegates. Along with others he looked after the smooth flow of the event. For more details of this event please visit the website of PBD Europa Diwali, one of the most important and colourful festivals of India, was celebrated on the 18th October 2009 at the Curtureel Centrum Sportfondsen, Voorschoten. 121 members and their guests attended this function. The Association arranged three cultural items for this evening. The Dutch flutist Ms. Cora Greevenbosch and the tabla player Mr. Rupak opened the cultural evening. After their outstanding performance Ms. Surila van Dijk, the dancer, was on the stage. Her subtle classical and powerful Bollywood dances were always a feast for the eyes of our audience. Thanks to Mrs. Naznin Mogrilia who not only guided the charming group of Mastimakers but also a la moment trained some of our members to dance on the same stage, we witnessed a unique cultural programme. The cultural programme was followed by a very well decorated buffet dinner catered by the Tagore Restaurant, Amsterdam. Our Association cooperated with the Indian Ladies Club in sending out the flyers announcing the Diwali Festival 2009 organised by the Club on the 1st November 2009. Our Secretary sent the digital version of this flyer to all the members of our Association and later sent also the reminders.