The ‘economic power’ that Hindus as a business community possess throughout the world will be the highlight of an international conference scheduled to be held in Fiji and Auckland this week.
The World Hindu Economic Forum (WHEF) will hold its first Pacific Economic Meeting at the Denarau Island Sheraton Resort in Fiji on May 4, 2013.
“Making South Pacific community prosperous” will be the theme of the conference in Fiji, with that country’s Health Minister Dr Neil Sharma as the Chief Guest.
Among the speakers are Dr Mahendra Reddy (Chairman, Fiji Commerce Commission and Dean of the College of Business, Hospitality and Tourism, Fiji National University), Dr Ganesh Chand (Vice Chancellor, FNU), Dr Gautam Sen (Retired Lecturer in Politics of the World Economy, London School of Economics and Politics) and Professor Biman Prasad (Head of Faculty & Business, University of South Pacific).
Auckland Conference
The Forum’s Auckland meeting, organised in association with the Hindu Council of New Zealand (HCNZ) and the Yogi Divine Society, will be held on May 5, 2013 at the Mahatma Gandhi Centre in Eden Terrace.
Swami Vigyananand, a graduate of the Indian Institute of Technology, Karagpur, India and Joint Secretary of the Vishva Hindu Parishad and Dr Sen will be the keynote speakers.
Vinod Kumar, a prominent New Zealand businessman and President of HCNZ told Indian Newslink that the main objective of these meetings is to address issues confronting the Hindu business community worldwide and promote the business interests of the communities in general.
He said that the meeting in Auckland would enable Hindu businesses in New Zealand in and the region to learn more about the Forum and the benefits it accrues to them through worldwide contacts.
“The chief guiding principle of the Forum is to emphasise the importance of adhering to the law of the land and the guidance of the Hindu philosophy of honesty, integrity and accountability. Every country has its rules of governance, which must be followed in letter and spirit. For instance, the ways of doing business in China would be marked different from that of India. WHEF is committed to promoting the business interests of the Hindu community within legal and moral framework,” he said.
He said that each of the meetings provide opportunities for delegates to network, exchange contacts and information and explore possibilities of business expansion.
Wider objectives
Among the wider objectives of WHEF is to examine the existing and emerging opportunities for Hindu businesses to increase their share of the world economy.
“Although Hindus constitute the sixth largest in the world population, their contribution to the global economy is no more than 4%. This is despite the fact that individually, Hindus are involved in many major industries, employ millions of people and account for billions of dollars in turnover and income. For thousands of years, the Hindu society has sustained itself due to the efforts of prior generations of Hindus in creating a great surplus of wealth,” Mr Kumar said.
He said that WHEC aimed to make the society prosperous through generation of surplus wealth and sharing of such material wealth.
Bangkok Forum
As reported in our February 1, 2013 issue, the global conference of the Forum, due to be held in Bangkok on August 10 & 11, 2013 will discuss several such issues, and how to develop solutions on issues such as eradication of poverty, education, sustainable development, infrastructure development and climate change.
Former Chairman of the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre Dr Anil Kokodkar, Heir to the Ford Motors fortune Alfred Ford (aka Ambarish Das), Indian Institute of Management (Bangalore) Professor R Vaidyanathan, Dr Sen, London Chamber of Commerce & Industry Chairman Subhash Thakrar and Investment Analyst Alpesh Patel (UK), will be the keynote speakers at the main and group sessions.
“The first Forum held in Hong Kong last year was an eye-opener, highlighting the state of the global economy, the emerging economies of Asia, the need to bring about a synergy between businesses and address the existing and emerging challenges. The need for establishing an institutional framework for the Forum was also discussed. We need to move forward with quality and progressive policies,” Mr Kumar said.
Details of the meeting in Auckland and the global conference in Bangkok can be obtained from Mahesh Bindra (021-0611905), Vinod Kumar (021-795721), Pravin Patel (021-1646468), Nitika Sharma (021-1579129) and Sonali Hegde (021-326225).
