Visiting Fellow on Gandhi | New Research Grants | Sikh Awards for Excellence
April 2023
From the CEO
As the UN releases data that India has become the most populous nation on the planet, our Indian diaspora in Australia also continues to grow in size and influence. The recent NSW state election saw Indian-Australian MP Daniel Mookhey elevated to Treasurer, the first MP in Australia to take the oath on the Bhagavad Gita. Pru Car, also of Indian origin, became Deputy Premier of NSW and Charishma Kaliyanda became the first Indian born Australian to be elected to the NSW Parliament’s Legislative Assembly. Read my thoughts here.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics reported that India has become the leading source country for permanent migrants, overtaking China and the United Kingdom. The latest ABS figures reveal one in five skilled migrants were born in India (20%), highlighting the strong presence of Indian skilled workers in Australia’s workforce.
The Institute is administering the new Australia-India ‘Unnati’ Research Collaboration Grants to strengthen research ties between our two nations across fields such as food, soil and water security, healthcare, environmental change and digital humanities. Unnati is a Hindi word meaning progress and these grants aim to advance the impact and outcomes of bilateral research collaborations.
As part of the Institute’s Visiting Fellows Program, we welcome Professor Bindu Puri to Australia from Jawaharlal Nehru University. I joined her in conversation for a recorded event on ‘Gandhi: on the Good Human Life’. One of the most eminent Gandhian scholars, Professor Puri shared her insights on the integrity between Gandhi’s ideas and how they relate to the world today and their continuity with classical Indian philosophy. She will provide two more lectures on Gandhi during her visiting fellowship.
Assistant Foreign Minister Tim Watts welcomed Foreign Minister Penny Wong to Melbourne for an Australia-India Business Engagement Roundtable. The discussion enabled business and community diaspora leaders to share the challenges and opportunities to advancing Australia’s relationship with India.
Finally, this ANZAC Day, I pay my respects to the Indian soldiers who were part of allied forces in Gallipoli in WWI. Their role symbolizes the long term bonds between both our nations. Lest we forget.
Best regards,
Lisa