‘Let noble thoughts come to us from all sides’ - Rig Veda

Launch in Sydney, Australia 30 August 2003

Bharatiya Vidya

Bhavan

Let me set forth the Bhavan’s faith for the benefit of new students and members, for it is necessary that they should understand it clearly and imbibe its spirit. The Bhavan stands for the reintegration of Indian Culture. In a world falling to pieces under the impact of an amoral technological avalanche, it tries to hold fast to the fundamental values for which our culture stands – Rita, Satya, Yagna and Tapas. FAITH (Rita) in God Who in-forms the Cosmic Order;

TRUTH (Satya) which is accord between mind, word and deed;

DEDICATION (Yagna) which offers all movements of life as an

offering to God;

SUBLIMATION (Tapas) which purifies the body and mind and transmutes

instincts, passions and emotions into things of beauty.

This, regardless of forms and doctrines, is Dharma, the three-fold aspects of which are Satyam, Shivam, Sundaram – Truth, Love and Beauty. For these values our forefathers lived and died. So did Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, Swami Dayananda, Swami Vivekanda, Gandhiji and Sri Aurobindo, among the moderns. These values are embedded in our national outlook. We command the respect of the world because of them. We can look forward to the future with confidence only because they have the vitality which gives the power to vindicate their validity even in this fear-and-avarice-ridden age of ours. We, the Bhavan’s family, whether it is the smaller one or the larger one, must make every effort in restoring an awareness of their values in personal and collective life.

Dr. K M Munshi Founder, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan

President’s Mission Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan has been playing a crucial role in educational and cultural interactions in the world, holding aloft the best of Indian traditions and at the same time meeting the needs of modernity and multiculturalism. Its cultural centres around the world facilitate intercultural activities and provide a forum for true understanding of Indian culture, multiculturalism and knowledge and foster closer cultural ties among individuals, Governments and institutions in those countries. The Bhavan also runs excellent schools and universities to provide quality, accessible, secular education to young people. The objective of the Bhavan is to advance the education of the public in literature, music, the dance, the arts, philosophy and the culture (both spiritual and temporal) of the world and the languages of the world generally (and in particular Sanskrit). Bhavan’s first Australian Centre in Sydney will offer a permanent focal point for the Australian people interested in the Indian culture and the published literature related that culture. This centre will also liaise with the various public libraries and negotiate with them to offer the Bhavan’s books and periodicals from their library facilities. Bhavan’s publications such as the periodicals Bhavan’s Journal (English fortnightly), Navneet (Hindi monthly) and Navneet - Samarpan (Gujurati monthly) and books pertaining to Indian scriptures, epics, religions, philosophy, history, culture and heritage brought out by the Bhavan and a few other major publishers in India will be made available to interested Australian people. The Sydney Centre of the Bhavan proposes to acquire its own building latest by December 2006.

Gambhir Watts President,

Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Australia

Australia (ABN: 13 105 362

LAURIE FERGUSON MP SHADOW MINISTER FOR CITIZENSHIP AND MULTICULTURAL AFFAIRS

FEDERAL MEMBER FOR REID

Electorate Office: Level 3, Granville Towers, 10 Bridge St, Granville NSW 2142 Ph (02) 9637 4713 Fax (02) 9682 6320

Canberra: Parliament House, Canberra, ACT, 2600

Ph (02) 6277 4920 Fax (02) 6277 8507

E-mail Laurie.Ferguson.MP@aph.gov.au

Launch of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Sydney Centre

30 August 2003 I am delighted to have this opportunity to welcome today’s launch of the Bhavan’s Sydney Centre, which is a significant step forward for Australia’s growing Indian community and for people to people links between our two countries. While there was Indian migration to all Australia for all of the 19th Century, it was heavily curtailed from Federation until 1966 during the period of the White Australia Policy. Since then Indian migration has continued to increase, with the latest Census recording more than 95,000 Indian-born Australians and almost 160,000 of Indian ancestry. It is telling that Councils in my region of Western Sydney are particularly characterised by high Indian settlement. The Indian community tends to be younger and better educated than the population as a whole, and more likely to work in a skilled occupation. At the same time it also reflects the linguistic, ethnic and religious diversity that is apparent in India itself. People to people links must of course complement political and economic links between Australia and India as well. I am sure the Bhavan’s Sydney Centre will play an important role in fostering closer cultural ties between individuals, Governments, corporations and community organisations in our two countries. It will operate as an important public resource point for those seeking an increased understanding of Indian studies, languages and cultures, and of current issues involving India. I am pleased that the Bhavan has chosen Sydney as the base for its seventh overseas cultural centre, and I wish it every success in its future endeavours.

Laurie Ferguson MP Shadow Minister for Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs

BHARATIYA VIDYA BAVAN - formal launch of Sydney Centre on August 30, 2003 Message from Her Excellency, Professor Marie Bashir AC It is a great pleasure to send the warmest of good wishes to all on the formal launch of the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Sydney Centre. The Indian Australian community takes great pride in their rich and ancient cultural legacy, their love of family and their diverse achievements. Their contributions in the fields of academia, the commercial sector, the professions and more, are considerable in diverse ways. The Sydney Centre of the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan will have a valuable role in upholding the cultural, historical, intellectual and social cohesion of the community which it serves. It will foster a tradition of good citizenship and loyalty which enrich the multicultural fabric of Australian society. The Centre is therefore of great significance to the wider Australian community. It will promote and encourage multicultural interaction through valuable educational activities, including the organisation of intercultural activities and festivals. These are the components of a harmonious and culturally diverse society. The best wishes of my husband and myself are with you on this very auspicious occasion.

Marie R Bashir AC Governor of New South Wales 21 August 2003

PO Box E8 Kingston ACT 2604, Australia Telephone 61 2 6261 3839 Facsimile 61 2 6112 3839 Email: ausindia.council@dfat.gov.au Web: www.dfat.gov.au/aic Chairman 21 August 2003 Mr Gambhir Watts President Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Suite 100 515 Kent Street SYDNEY NSW 2000 Dear Mr Gambhir On behalf of the Australia-India Council I am delighted at the inauguration of Australia’s first Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan by the Honourable Yaswant Sinha, Minister for External Affairs of India. The Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan will provide an important public resource for sharing knowledge of India’s rich culture. The Australia-India Council looks forward to working with this new centre to promote an informed understanding of Indian society to Australians. Co-operation between the Council and the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan will foster the deepening and strengthening of relations between our two countries and peoples. With best wishes for the success of this important event.

Mr Michael Abbott QC Chairman

HISTORY OF THE BHARATIYA VIDYA BHAVAN Founded on 7 November 1938, nearly a decade before the advent of Independence, with the blessings of Mahatma Gandhi and co-operation and support of several stalwarts of India’s freedom movement, the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan has grown from small beginnings, into a comprehensive all-India intellectual, cultural and educational movement. It is totally apolitical. Its founder Kulapati Dr K M Munshi looked upon Bhavan as an “Adventure in Faith”, a faith in India’s past, present and future. It is also a faith in India’s people who have a rich and unbroken cultural heritage. True to its goal of revitalising Dharma or the Moral Law in its three-fold aspects of Truth, Love and Beauty – Satyam, Shivam, Sundaram – the Bhavan is ceaselessly striving to carry forward India’s ageless message of faith, self-discipline and dedication – Shraddha, Samyama and Samparpana. The Bhavan believes that there are elements in all cultures which transcend all barriers and knit people together. Its ideal is:

Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam:’ The World is one Family’

Its motto is: Aa no bhadraah kratavo yantu vishwatah

“Let noble thoughts come to us from every side.” During the last 65 years of its existence, the Bhavan has blossomed into an evergrowing, voluntary, apolitical national movement with an international outlook, devoted to life, literature and culture. The Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan’s multidimensional programs include:

Studies and research in Indology, Sanskrit and Indian culture; Classical languages and ancient scriptures Colleges of Arts, Science, Commerce and Engineering affiliated with various

universities Institutions for teaching modern management and research Schools from pre-primary to Std XII affiliated with the Central Board of

Secondary Education, New Delhi and State Boards all over India to instil fundamental values of Indian culture and national integration among school children;

Research in Ayurveda; Institutions for research in correlating Ancient Insights to Modern Discoveries in the fields of Science, Technology, Life and Health Science and Human Values;

Institution for environmental and ecological management; Publication of books on ethical and spiritual values and research; Fine Arts such as Indian Classical Music, Dance, Drama and Theatre Promotion of Yoga and Karate Promotion of Astrology and Occult Sciences

Computer Education Foreign Languages Free Primary Health Services; and Promotion of national integration and communal harmony, purity in public life

and rural regeneration. Thus, Bhavan’s programs cover “all aspects of life from the cradle to the grave and beyond…it fills a growing vacuum in modern life” as Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru observed when he first visited the Bhavan in 1950. The Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan was given the Communal Harmony Award 1999 for its outstanding contribution to the cause of promoting communal harmony and national integration. The then President of India Shri K R Narayanan presented the Communal Harmony and National Integration Award to the Bhavan at a special function on 31 August 2000. Today, the Bhavan is one of the largest cultural organizations and Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) in the world. It has 115 centres in India and 6 centres overseas (UK, USA, Canada, Portugal, Mexico City and South Africa) and the 7th centre launched by the Hon Mr Yashwant Sinha, Minister for External Affairs of India, in Sydney Australia. To date, the Bhavan has published 1600 books on religious, philosophical, historical, literary and cultural concerns. It also publishes “Bhavan’s Journal” (English fortnightly), “Navneet” (Hindi monthly) and “Navneet Samarpan” (Gujarati monthly). The Honorary Members and Patrons of the Bhavan include all past Presidents of India, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru and all past Prime Ministers of India, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, His Holiness Dalai Lama, Prince Charles, His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales, Swami Satchidananda, Nelson Mandela, Rev Mother Teresa, Bill Gates, eminent businessmen like JRD Tata, G D Birla and other national and international leaders.’ The London Centre was opened in 1972 and has expanded substantially since then. HRH Prince Charles is Hon Life Member and the other revered patrons of the Bhavan include HE The High Commissioner of India, Lord Callaghan, Sir Richard Attenborough, Pandit Ravi Shankar, Lata Mangeshkar and others. The USA Centre of the Bhavan was opened in New York in 1981. The Honorary Patrons of the Bhavan include former US President Bill Clinton, Robert McNamara, Prof John Kenneth Galbraith, Prof Ainsle T Embree, Rev Donald S Harrington and many others. The South African Centre was opened in 1997 in Durban with the blessings of Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Tutu.

Dr K m Dr. K M Munshi with Mr S Ramakrishnan

Shri K R Narayanan, Former President Of India, Mr C Subramanian

Dr Rajendra Prasad former President of India

Shri Shankar Dayal Sharma, Former President Of India

Dr. S Radhakrishnan, Former President Of India

Dr. V V Giri, Former President Of India

Shri R Venkatraman, Former President Of India and Former President of the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan _ Worldwide

Sri K R Narayanan, Former President Of India

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Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru

Mrs Indira Gandhi, former Prime Minster of India

Hon’ble Prime Minister of India Shri Atal B Vajpayee

Former Prime Minister of India Shri P V Narsimha Rao

Honourable Mr. Yashwant Sinha, Minister for External Affairs of India

Sri C Rajagopalachari

** Front cover page Picture Strip was sourced from India Perspectices and Discover India

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Mrs Margaret Thatcher

Bhavan in the UK

HRH Prince of Wales Prince Charles

Rt Hon. Harold Macmillan, Former Prime Minister of UK

The Dalai lama

Lord Callaghan

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Mr Larsen of Larsen Toubro (L & T ) Mr J R D Tata

Mr Bill Gates

Sri S Ramakrishanan receives the ‘Padma Bushan’ from President Sri K R Narayanan

Sri Gopi Hinduja, Sri Jaginder Sangar, Sri & smt L N Mittal and Mr Prem Anand at Bhavan’s Banquet (London) Usha Saxena presenting a bouquet to Dr Deepak Chopra

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Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Australia Founder Members

President

Mr Gambhir Watts Exec. Vice President

Mr Lalli Sethuram Exec. Secretary

Mr. N Viswanathan

Treasurer & Assoc Vice President

Dr. Som Majumdar Exec. Asstistant Secretary

Dr. Rohitas Bhatta

Committee Members

Ms Moksha Watts

Mr Avajit Sarkar

Mr. Harshvadan Desai

Mr J Rao Palagummi

Mr Uday Mitra

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