A short profile of Sudheendra Kulkarni
Sudheendra Kulkarni is an independent socio-political activist, media commentator and writer in India. He is the founder of the FORUM FOR A NEW SOUTH ASIA in Mumbai, which seeks normalisation of India-Pakistan relations and closer ties between India and China. He believes that a triangular India-Pakistan-China relationship of friendship and cooperation is indispensable for a peaceful and prosperous South Asia, which is home to over 1.7 billion people. He is a strong proponent of inter-faith harmony around the world, especially Hindu-Muslim peace and fraternity in India. He is closely associated with several Gandhian organisations, especially HarijanSevak Sangh, which was founded by Mahatma Gandhi in 1932 to remove untouchability and all other caste-related injustices, and establish a society based on equality and harmony.
He was Chairman of the Observer Research Foundation (ORF) Mumbai, a leading Indian think tank, for many years. Among his many initiatives at ORF, he tried to promote stronger India-Africa relations.
A firm believer in Mahatma Gandhi’s philosophy of Truth and Nonviolence, Kulkarni is the author of Music of the Spinning Wheel: Mahatma Gandhi’s Manifesto for the Internet Age. His forthcoming book August Voices – What They Said on 14-15 August 1947 and Its Relevance for India-Pakistan Rapprochement explores the remarkable convergence in the ideas and Ideals of Mahatma Gandhi, Mohammed Ali Jinnah and other leaders of India’s Partition era. He has authored two books on Swami Vivekananda, a great Hindu monk who advocated a mutually respectful dialogue between Hinduism and Islam ─ and also among all the other religions of the world. He has spoken on the imperative of inter-religious and inter-cultural dialogue and cooperation on many global forums, especially as a regular speaker at the annual conferences held by the Community of Sant’Egidio, Rome.
An alumnus of the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay, he started his political career with the Communist Party of India (Marxist), but later joined the Bharatiya Janata Party in 1996. Between 1998 and 2004, he served as a close aide to former Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO). He also worked as a secretary to Lal Krishna Advani, India’s former Deputy Prime Minister. He lives in Mumbai with his wife DrKamaxiBhate and daughter Tapas. His email address is: sudheenkulkarni@gmail.com.
Watch the conversation at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9TLzd84hC0&t=25s
