Vishva Hindu Parishad of Australia organised the 4th Australian National Hindu Conference with the theme Organizing Community Strengthening Australia. This conference was hosted by its Victoria chapter at Bayview Eden Hotel, Melbourne, Victoria.

Ms Judith Graley, Parliamentary Secretary to the Deputy Premier and Member of Parliament from Narre Warren South, representing the Premier of Victoria, inaugurated the conference. This was followed by Buddhist and Vedic peace prayers.

Shri Subramanian Ramamoorthi, National President of VHP Australia, gave the welcome address. He shared the work done by the organisation for the benefit of Australian community. Dr Anil Kumar Asthana, Vice President VHP Australia (Victoria chapter), gave statistics of Hindu community and their contributions to Australia in terms of economy, education and professional contribution compared to other communities and Australian national average.The data showed that Hindu population is the fastest growing community in Australia (86% growth between 2006 and 2011). Hindu population had higher educational qualifications and represented in high profile professions.

Smt Geeta Devi, President VHP Australia (Victoria chapter), gave the keynote address on “Vision for Australian Hindu Society”. She said, “It is time that Hindus in Australia need to Position Hindu Society so that we can live with dignity and respect; Shape Hindu Identity so that we proudly use Hindu Australian as our common identity; Strengthen Hindu Society through our rich cultural heritage that need to practised, preserved and propagated it for the benefit of our community; and Organising Hindu Society by increasing our collaborative strength with many linguistic, social and cultural organisations and associations, and temples etc. for the benefit of our community.”

The first plenary session was on Working with Government Agencies. This was chaired by Shri Chidambaram Srinivasan, Commissioner, Victorian Multicultural Commission. The panel members included Ms Kriss Mckie, Manager of Social Development, City of Wyndham; Mr Anthony Silva, Superintendent of Victoria Police; and Shri Vasan Srinivasan, Member Australian Multicultural Commission.

HOTA Forum launched: The second plenary session was on Collaboration among Hindu Organizations, Temples and Associations (HOTA). This session was chaired by Swami Vigyananand, International Coordinator and Joint General Secretary of VHP Bharat. Ms Pritika Sharma, Joint General Secretary of VHP New Zealand, spoke about the success of organizing Hindu community through HOTA in New Zealand. Swami Vigyananand explained the purpose of HOTA in a very convincing manner.  Following his excellent discussion, 25 organisations became member organisations of HOTA, and over 20 people became volunteers of HOTA. Officially HOTA Victoria was launched by Swami Vigyananand and it was welcomed by all participants in the conference. Shri Nagabhushan Sharma Betanabhatla volunteered to shoulder the responsibility of the secretary of HOTA forum for Victoria.

The third plenary session was on Hindu Organization and Association: Serving the Society. This session was chaired by Professor Guna Magesan, Vice Chancellor, University and Institute of Advanced Research, Gujarat.

Twelve Hindu organizations such as Sankat Mochan Samiti Inc., Amma Ashram, Hindu Society of Victoria, IndianCare, Arya Prathinidhi Sabha and Arya Samaj of Melbourne, Brahma Kumaris Australia, ISKCON Melbourne, JET Australia Foundation, Wyndham Diwali Inc, Kerala Hindu Society of Melbourne, VHP Australia and Sewa Australia.

The fourth plenary session was on bridging the gap among the Hindus coming from different countries. This session was chaired by Dr Jayant Bapat OAM. The panel members include Yogacharya Devidasan, Vedic Friends Association; Shri Perambalam Senthooran of Melbourne Vinayagar Hindu Sangam; Shri Raju Adhekari, Nepalese Association of Victoria; Shri Rama Prasad Vemula, Chairman of Hindu Society of Victoria Cultural & Heritage Centre Trust.

This conference provided a platform for various community groups and volunteers to come together and feel a sense of bonding, sharing, sustaining, networking, collaborating, and organizing in the spirit of strengthening Australia.

For further information contact:

Mrs Geeta Devi Email: geeta.devi@vhp.org.au

Phone: 0423 297 666

Web:  www.vhp.org.au/www.vhpvic.org.au