Dr. Gaurav Sharma defeated Tim Macindoe of the National Party this year.
Melbourne:
Dr Gaurav Sharma, one of New Zealand’s youngest and newly elected MPs, was sworn in in Sanskrit on Wednesday in the country’s Parliament.
Dr Sharma, 33, originally from Hamirpur, Himachal Pradesh, was recently elected Member of Parliament for the Labor Party for Hamilton West in New Zealand.
India’s High Commissioner for New Zealand and Samoa, Muktesh Pardeshi, said on Twitter that Sharma was sworn in first in “New Zealand’s indigenous Maori language, followed by the classical Indian language, Sanskrit, showing deep respect for the cultural traditions of India and New Zealand “.
Dr. Sharma, who did his MBBS in Auckland and his MBA in Washington, works as a general practitioner (GP) in Nawton, Hamilton. He has previously been involved in public health, policy, medicine, and consulting in New Zealand, Spain, the United States, Nepal, Vietnam, Mongolia, Switzerland, and India.
In response to a Twitter user who asked him why he did not take the oath in Hindi, Dr. Sharma said that it is difficult to keep everyone happy so he chose Sanskrit as it pays tribute to all Indian languages.
“To be honest I thought about that, but then there was the question of making it in Pahari (my first language) or Punjabi. It’s hard to keep everyone happy. Sanskrit made sense as it pays tribute to all Indian languages (including the many I can’t speak), “he tweeted.
To be honest I thought about it, but then there was the question of doing it in Pahari (my first language) or Punjabi. It’s hard to keep everyone happy. Sanskrit made sense as it pays homage to all Indian languages (including the many I can’t speak) https://t.co/q1A3eb27z3
– Dr. Gaurav Sharma MP (@gmsharmanz) November 25, 2020
Dr. Sharma, who had fought unsuccessfully in the 2017 elections, defeated Tim Macindoe of the National Party this year.
Earlier this month, Priyanca Radhakrishnan became New Zealand’s Indian-origin prime minister after Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern added five new ministers to her executive. Born in India, Radhakrishnan, 41, went to school in Singapore before moving to New Zealand to continue her education.
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