Watch: Indian-origin MP of NZ takes the oath in Sanskrit

Dr Gaurav Sharma, a Member of Parliament in New Zealand, created history by becoming the first parliamentarian of Indian origin taking an oath in Sanskrit. Sharma hails from Hamirpur district in Himachal Pradesh.

He is Member of Parliament for Hamilton West in New Zealand. The 33 year old Dr Gaurav Sharma won the election as a Labour Party candidate.

Dr Sharma first took oath in the Maori language- the indigenous language of New Zealand- and followed by taking oath in the Sanskrit language.

The decision to take oath in Sanskrit surprised many, while others appreciated him for showing deep respect for cultural traditions of both India and New Zealand.

“To be honest I did think of that, but then there was the question of doing it in Pahari (my first language) or Punjabi. Hard to keep everyone happy. Sanskrit made sense as it pays homage to all the Indian languages (including the many I can’t speak),” he tweeted.

Mr Sharma defeated Tim Macindoe of the National Party by over 4,386 votes. This was his second attempt- he had earlier, fought the elections in 2017.

Dr Gaurav Sharma is the second political leader in the world to take an oath in Sanskrit on foreign land. The first Parliamentarian of Indian origin was Suriname President Chandrikapersad “Chan” Santokhi when he took the oath of office in Sanskrit while holding Vedas during the inauguration ceremony on July 16 2020.