Well-known Indian politicians, author, and thinker Dr Ram Madhav was in New Zealand recently on his mission to create a new corporation of South pacific nations. The 7^th version of Indian Ocean Conference has recently held in Perth, Australia where Foreign Ministers of 20 Indian Ocean nations met to discuss common interests in the security of the region, tackling climate change, health of our oceans, marine safety, trade, and economic development. The Indian Ocean region faces shared challenges, and the conference was aimed to find the shared solutions of these issues. Indian Foreign Minister Dr S Jaishankar and his Australian counterpart Penny Wong were part of the three-day conference and exchanged notes on important issues.

Dr Ram Madhav, who is the President of India Foundation, a Delhi based think tank, had a series of meetings with his New Zealand counterparts and academicians in Wellington to work out on common grounds for both countries. Dr Ram Madhav has been a curator of major annual global and national multilateral initiatives like Indian Ocean Conference, the Dharma-Dhamma Conference, ASEAN-India Youth Summit, and Counter Terrorism Conference. These initiatives involve heads of nations and leaders of governments besides academics, scholars, and public-spirited individuals. Most recently Dr Ram Madhav was instrumental in conceiving the Religion-20 Forum (R20) as part of G20 Summit.

A member of the National Executive of RSS, Dr Ram Madhav has served as National General Secretary of Bharatiya Janta Party during 2014-2020 where he was responsible for handling political matters of Jammu & Kashmir, Assam, and other North-Eastern states of India. The renowned thinker and writer Dr Madhav has authored several books in English and Telugu including- “The Hindutva Paradigm-integral Humanism and Quest for Non-Western Worldview”, “Because India Comes First: Reflection on Nationalism, Identity and Culture” and “Uneasy Neighbours: India and China after 50 years of war”. Dr Ram Madhav has most recently written book “Partitioned Freedom” that highlights the untold history of India’s partition and creation of Pakistan. Apart from writing regular columns in many Indian dailies Dr Madhav has been editor of Bharatiya Pragna, a monthly English magazine and associate editor of Jagrati, a Telugu weekly.

Dr Ram Madhav was in Auckland on a short visit on 13 February, and he used every minute of his stay meeting members of diaspora community and community leaders. He met members of media at Mahatma Gandhi Centre at Eden Terrace and was later accorded a civic reception by the Indian diaspora community in Auckland. At the media interaction, Dr Ram Madhav replied all questions very candidly and minced no words on being asked on geo-politics, relations with New Zealand and anti-India stance of a section of New Zealand media. Dr Ram Madhav said since the vested interests and the forces who were abusing the political situations in India before Narendra Modi came to power have been dislodged so the reprisal by such elements is bound to happen. He empathetically said these is nothing to worry about the country and the Indian government is keeping an eye on the things going in the background and is reciprocating every misadventure appropriately. On being asked about the negative portrayal of India by a section of mainstream New Zealand media, Dr Madhav said its mainly due ignorance and lack of knowledge about the country. He reiterated that as the relations between two countries enhance these wrong perceptions will go away. He also urged ethnic media to put the record straight by publishing the right facts that will be the biggest check on the disinformation about India, Hindu religion, or the Indian community. Dr Ram Madhav also advised the members of diaspora to have a stronger and assimilating approach for better integration in the mainstream community of New Zealand.

Dr Ram Madhav later attended a public reception accorded to him by the diaspora community at Balmoral Community Centre in Sandringham the same evening. Approx. 75 people were present at the event that included a question-answer session with Dr Madhav at the end of program. In his address to the august gathering Dr Ram Madhav emphasized that now India is on the right path and the diaspora community doesn’t need to worry about their motherland. He repeated it by saying ‘I assure you; India is in safe hands now and there is nothing to worry about your motherland’. He said, India has taken off the flight on the path of progress and development and it can’t be stopped now. Dr Madhav said even the world organisations like IMF and World Bank have forecasted a very positive and sustainable growth of India in coming years. He admitted though, efforts are being made by anti-India forces to derail this momentum, but Modi government will not let anything go wrong and India will soon be a world leader. Dr Ram Madhav said Prime Minister Narendra Modi is a visionary leader and when he speaks, entire world listens to him, today Narendra Modi is the most popular leader in the world for a reason.

Dr Madhav further said the rapid economic progress in the country in past 10 years is something the whole world can see. We have reached from 11^th economy in 2014 to 5^th economy in 2024 in just ten years and will be world’s third largest economy in next 3-4 years’ time. He advised the diaspora community, since you have chosen New Zealand as your new home, your loyalties should always be with your adopted country now. He said he can understand that connect with the motherland will always remain, but the priority should be your adopted country now.

After the public reception Dr Ram Madhav was taken to Bharatiya Mandir next door where he was welcomed by members of the Management Committee including Roshan Nauhria, Ambrish Gupta, Anil Sharma and Yugal Parashar. Dr Madhav later joined other devotees at Mandir for the Maha Prasad and spoke with many devotees present there. Dr Ram Madhav was scheduled to fly back to India in the afternoon of Wednesday 14^th February. –Yugal Parashar