Hindu community

Mr. Bapat developed an interest in Hinduism in the early 1980s. His friend’s wife was diagnosed with cancer and he needed someone to perform her last rites. As Mr. Bapat had the knowledge of Sanskrit, he agreed to perform the rituals for his friend. He then went on to learn the basics of priesthood from Mr. Datar who is currently based in Brisbane. Since then Mr. Bapat has performed more than 700 rituals for the Indian community in Melbourne. Mr. Bapat was one of the founding members of the Hindu Society in Victoria. “We used to meet in a small place in Prahran and perform poojas but there was no official priest to conduct religious ceremonies. A few of us have since volunteered to serve the community in that capacity, however given the burgeoning community there is a real need to have a person dedicated solely to conduct rituals for the community. There is so much demand that if I agreed I would be doing poojas all day, every day. It’s time for the community to get together and get a priest from India and pay him a salary,” he suggested.

Mr. Bapat retired in 1997 as senior lecturer in Organic Chemistry from the Monash University in Melbourne. Since then he has been busy with his research work and writing books. He is also an active and sought out representative on various committees including the Monash Asia Institute and Australian Indian Business and Community Welfare Trust. His first book on Goddesses of India, Nepal and Tibet was published with the support of Marica Vicziany, former director of Monash Asia Institute. It was the first book on Hinduism produced by Monash University. He is currently working on another book that is based on the Koli Fishermen community of Mumbai. He has edited another book on Indian migration to Australia that has been recently submitted for publication and approval. Mr. Bapat also writes Marathi fiction for Indian publications and is hoping to compile a book of all his published work soon.

Speaking of his nomination on this year’s Queen’s honours list and its relevance, Mr. Bapat said that he has respect for the House of Windsor. The Queen’s honour is a fitting and very public tribute and he is delighted to be recognised for his efforts. In terms of loyalty to the Royals and their debatable influence, he said he has no strong feelings either way. “I do however have strong reservations against Australian policy makers. As a scientist I feel that Australian politicians have not capitalised on Australia’s abundant resources. Given the favourable environment we have in Australia we should be world leaders in solar energy, wind energy and technology. I feel that our politicians are not far sighted enough and their laid back attitude has caused many

“We initially examined the clinical features and showed that memory impairment is not the early feature of this disorder. Rather it is the small vessel disease, even in patients with stroke. Likewise, we also showed that high homocysteine may be a risk factor in brain atrophy and small

Dr Sachdev has been heading an international effort to define the criteria for the diagnosis of vascular dementia. In this context, his team has been conducting a number of longitudinal studies to examine the development of cognitive impairment, including memory and ageing study, older Australian twins study and Sydney centenarian study.

Additionally, NPI is also working with researchers at ANU on the PATH (Personality and Total Health) through Life

Besides publishing numerous research papers and scientific texts, Sachdev has also forayed into the fascinating grey area between fact and fiction. A talented and empathetic wordsmith, his maiden literary effort, The Yipping Tiger and other Tales, won the Rotary Knowledge Dissemination award. Dr Sachdev was a special invitee at 2010 Melbourne

“On one hand we are a multicultural society, however at the same time we tend to live with ghetto mentality. I feel Indians here should make an extra effort to mix with the locals” missed opportunities,” he lamented.

Mr. Bapat will be presented with the official medal in the Government House by the Governor in the month of September. He thanked his colleagues, friends, Sanjay Bhide and his family for their ongoing support especially his wife who he has known since the time he studied with her in primary school.

“My three daughters are married to Anglo Saxons and I have two lovely granddaughters,” he said.

“I think these nominations are made for those who have mixed well and contributed to the Australian society. Something may have weighed in my favour in that sense. Besides my education and religious work I have also been involved with Toastmasters for 20 years and have taught public speaking at The Presbyterian Ladies College (PLC) and other schools. I feel by and large we Indians have been accepted by Australians despite the fact that we may have disturbed their equilibrium. They are a friendly lot and I am happy I chose Australia as my home” he said.