The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) Brisbane Chapter Inauguration BRISBANE Chapter of ICAI was officially inaugurated on Thursday 19 September by Mr Subodh Agrawal, President of ICAI and Mr. K.Raghu, Vice-President of ICAI, who were invited to Brisbane for this historic event by Vineet Aggarwal, Chairman of the Chapter and others in the management committee – Surender Sharma (Secretary), Hitesh Mehta (Treasurer), Mahadevan Shankar (Vice-Chairman), Vardhini Ramanathan (Asst. Secretary), Durga Karra (PRO) and Suresh Ramamurthy (the key man behind this event). Durga Karra from the management committee kicked off the event with a profound verse on importance of teachers in our lives in front of room full of dignitaries from various walks of life and the Indian chartered accountants living in Queensland. The room was totally packed even during the middle of working hours as the official program started sharp at 12:30pm. Penny Ellenger, Queensland General Manager of the Institute of Chartered Accountants Australia (ICAA), welcomed all the dignitaries and was overwhelmed by the enthusiasm of the attendees. Besides representation of leaders and senior people from ICAA, ICPA, Brisbane City Council, Trade and Investment Queensland, FICQ, AIBC and GOPIO, the event was also graced by Hon. Consul of India Mrs. Archana Singh and Hon. Mr. Robert Cavallucci MP, Assistant Minister of Multicultural Affairs, who was also repre-
• Assistant Minister for Multicultural affairs Queensland lighting the lamp during the Inauguration.
senting Hon. Mr. Tim Nicholls MP, Treasurer and Minister for Trade. Vineet Aggarwal shared his experience of the bumpy ride during the initial formation of the Chapter and spoke about 4 key objectives of the Chapter: 1. Networking opportunities for members 2. Knowledge sharing and enhancement 3. Assisting newly migrant members 4. Building brand of Indian CAs in Australia “The regular monthly meetings are a con-
venient platform for members to come together, share knowledge and build their network. With a formal recognition from ICAI and their continued support, the Chapter would build stronger relationships with ICAA and ICPA and achieve even greater success”, said Vineet Aggarwal. It was also highlighted how Chapter is assisting its members to find the opportunities of interest to them. A role of Sydney Chapter and its leader Mr. Yateender Gupta was also highlighted in the formation of the
Brisbane Chapter.Vice-President K. Raghu proudly mentioned that ICAI is the second largest accounting body in the world with more than 220,000 members across the world. It was moving to learn about the journey of President Subodh Agrawal from humble background to the role of utmost responsibilities. He mixed humour well along with his encouraging words. In addition to the three commonalities between Australia and India – Cricket, Curry and Commonwealth – he stressed upon Chartered Accountants being the fourth one. The attendees were also addressed by Mr Robert Cavallucci and Mrs Archana Singh, and both spoke about importance of trade and business between India and Australia, specifically Queensland. “It is particularly pleasing to get blessings from the government representatives of both countries”, said Hitesh Mehta, Treasurer of the newly formed Chapter. Durga Karra thanked all the dignitaries, guests and the Chapter members. A special thank was given to ICAA and Penny Ellenger for sponsoring the event. The colourful pictures of the various activities and the social event running on the backdrop engaged interest of the attendees long after official program was finished. The attendees continued to network over the delicious food and picturesque venue at the city centre overlooking the Brisbane River.
World sport, political and religious leaders come together for the third annual ‘unity of faiths festival’ MONDAY, 30th September, London: London stood united when a series of events brought individuals from all backgrounds together, as world sport, religious and political leaders joined hands to pledge their support for the launch of The Unity of Faiths Foundation (TUFF), a UK based non-profit, secular organisation that recognises the importance of inter-community dialogue and acceptance as the bedrock of community cohesion and understanding. A response to the increased dissonance, cultural and religious divide that has estranged communities, nationally and globally, TUFF, acknowledged by President Barack Obama and HRH The Queen, was launched with the mission to UNITE people and communities through the common factor of Faith, irrespective of religious belief, cultural or social backgrounds, and to subsequently create a more stable, tolerant and cooperative future for all. In attendance were an array of dignitaries and public figures, including: the equivalent of the Sikh Pope who was in Britain for his first public visit, Akal Takth Jathedaar ji, Giani Gurbachan Singh ji Golden Temple Amritsar, India, Mr M N Khrisnamani, President of the Bar Association – Supreme Court of India, Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdel Salam Mraish Former Grand Mufti, Palestine, and Master Venerable Ji Xiu, Senior Master Buddhist Monk from China. A unique ‘Torch of Unity’ procession began on Friday 27th September 2013, featuring 100 young adults from London schools, travelling on open-top Unity buses through Southall. The event reflected TUFF’s 2013 focus on Youth, the core belief being that in order to sow the seeds of respect and mutual understanding for each other early, it is vital to connect with the younger generation - the ‘voices of tomorrow’.
During the lighting of the Torch of Unity, Dr Sheik Ramzy, Chair of the Muslim Council of Britain said: ‘This is a unique and special organisation to bring every culture together all over the world. Let’s be united forever.’ Mr M N Krishna-mani echoed this when he said: ‘Unity and variety is the creation of God.’ The former Grand Mufti of Palestine, Sheikh Abdel Salam Mraish said: ‘Everybody must be true to each other. I am proud to be with such a young group of people who are embracing unity of faiths.” Following the torch ceremony, audiences were captivated by a series of keynote addresses by several VIPs who had flown to London especially for the launch. The event commenced with a welcome by TUFF’s Founders Ms. Anna Prior, a former art dealer from Mayfair and Dr. Shamender Talwar, a Social Psychologist from West London. Dr. Shamender Talwar said: “Unity of Faiths is a journey we all need to be a part of. During the first festival three years ago we were surprised how positive the reaction was from the general public. We had postmen, fireman, lawyers and doctors all turn up and celebrate unity in the community. Six weeks later the London riots began and Southall, which was one of the areas considered to be hit hardest was not affected. The festival grew from 8,000 to 25,000 which is testament to the fact that communities endorse the principles
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of TUFF.” Anna echoed this with, “We have lost love and care and we need to nurture it with action in the community - this is vital to achieving unity. Let’s do it together, understand and respect each other’s backgrounds in a multi-cultural Britain”. Mr G.S. Malhi, a successful entrepreneur from Southall, also joined Anna and Dr Talwar on their Unity mission. He said: “From a young age, I have had a passion for oneness. What Anna and Dr Talwar were trying to do resonated with what I felt. Unity to me means togetherness, when we are not left out and not forgotten.” Commenting on humanity, Akal Takth Jathedaar ji, Giani Gurbachan Singh Ii, said, “We may have advanced in the world in all ways of life but we are still far away from being united as humans. To achieve unity of faiths we need to first have an understanding of each other, and then we must allow each other the freedom to practice our own religions in peace.” Speaking on the occasion, the Mayor of Ealing Councillor Dhindsa, commented, “Southall is known as a very multicultural town, we have mosques, temples and churches all within 100 meters of each other. The organisers couldn’t have chosen a better location to celebrate unity between different cultures.” Reverend Derek Barnes said: “The message I want to get across is that we are all talking about one uniting www.indiantimes.com.au
factor, that sense of love. Whatever costumes we wear, underneath we are all the same, we need to break out of the traditions that we have been limited by and say to one another, we all share that unity of love.” Closing the event, Pareena Swarup, the Honorable Secretary of the Supreme Court Bar Association in India said: ‘When you were born you were born with faith, you had faith in your mother and father, you had faith in your home, you had faith in your country. You should have faith in every soul because if you are out in the street and something goes terribly wrong, you must have faith in the people around you to help you with your troubles. Believe in each other, believe in every human being no matter what race, what age and what gender.’ Speaking via Skype from New Delhi, India, the event featured a surprise interaction between the young adults and Vikas Swarup, diplomat and author of international bestseller Q & A, adapted into the multi-BAFTA and Academy Award winning film Slumdog Millionaire. Vikas Swarup said: “This is an incredible initiative bringing us all together for the common celebration of our shared humanity”. Some of the questions posed to Vikas Swarup by the young adults included “Why do religions argue with each other?” He replied with: “Because all of us believe we have a monopoly on what is deemed as the truth. It is only when we accept
that truth is not one but has many forms will we develop harmony and live together. In Jainism there is a term, conditional regulation, which states that one should never make an absolute statement since we have only grasped one path and not the whole.” When asked “What does faith mean to you”, he replied saying: “Faith is an important part of human existence as we all need to believe in something. Whether this is within us or in others.” The poignant video promoting the work of TUFF was unveiled to the audience exclusively, featuring the murder of Lee Rigby in Woolwich, recent war crimes, extracts of petitions towards the Delhi gang rape case and the London riots, reinforcing the necessity of TUFF’s vision. The landmark event concluded the third annual Unity of Faith Festival on Sunday 29th September 2013, with tens of thousands present. The festival provided London's multicultural community from all backgrounds and age groups, an opportunity to connect, break the barriers of misunderstanding and prejudice against a backdrop of free entertainment, food, drinks and social engagement. The festival built up a groundswell of support to the message of UNITY, creating ‘Awareness’ to the concept of having FAITH in each other. Youth icon and England bowler Monty Panesar joined hands with the unity team, interacting with groups of people who had congregated to see the cricketer. Commenting on the atmosphere at the Festival, Monty Panesar said: “Thank you for your positive energy and kind words. I hope to inspire the youth of the next generation” The Festival featured an eclectic array of entertainers and performances from young children to adults, from lion dancers to operatic performances, showcasing the diversity that TUFF aims to promote. Call Trudi on 07 3356 0102