OCHS Annual-Report-2019

Development Planning Committee
The Development Planning Committee supplies planning and operational support to the OCHS through
charting the development agenda of the Centre and overseeing operational matters. It meets monthly as a
PMO (Project Management Office) by teleconference and in person.
The Committee has taken a leading role in establishing the OCHS on a firm footing both financially
and structurally.
Activities include:
• focussing energies on the Continuing Education Department (CED) as an income source;
• clarifying and establishing partnerships with other institutions and scholars;
• funding academic staff positions;
• clarifying the Centre’s budgeting and financial reporting;
• and identifying other ways to fund the Centre’s operational costs.
With these interim goals achieved, the OCHS will be in a much better position to continue its endowment
campaign and its effort to establish the Centre’s finances on a permanent basis.
Outreach
House of Lords Event
In March, the OCHS celebrated its 20th
anniversary at the House of Lords. The
event was hosted by Lord Dholakia, a
longstanding supporter and OCHS Board
member. The event was aimed at Hindu
temples and organisations from around
the UK.
Prominent attendees included Lord
Popat, Virendra Sharma MP, and C.B.
Patel, Chairman of Asian Voice Publishing.
Lord Dholakia highlighted the need to
create a bridge between Hindu communities
and the OCHS. Suggested partnerships include establishing a think-tank to address the concerns of
Hindu communities, providing tailored courses for Hindu communities, promoting Hindu Studies online,
working on new research projects, and generally working together to provide neutral, well-researched
information and opinion to the public and media.
Media
OCHS Director Shaunaka Rishi Das’s media output this year included recording six ‘Prayer for the Day’
broadcasts for BBC Radio 4. He also appeared on Doordarshan TV in India.
Speaking Engagements
• Speaking at Bradford Literary festival on the
Bhagavad Gita;
• Speaking at Ahimsa Day at the House of
Commons;
• Sessions on Leadership for Avicenna, with Dr
Jessica Frazier and Anuradha Dooney;
• Speaking to sixth form students at
Wimbledon High School;
• Speaking at Oxford’s Student Ministry Forum;
• Speaking on education at the Institute for Soft
Power in Delhi;
• Speaking at the St Philip’s Centre, Leicester.
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