CQUniversity Australia mourns the passing of its trusted adviser and friend Dr Martand Joshi, former Honorary Consul of India, honorary Doctor of CQUniversity and most recently International Cultural Adviser for CQUniversity's Melbourne and Sydney international campuses.

Dr Joshi died on Monday May 25 in his sleep. He had a massive heart attack. He had just returned from India where he had been honoured for his support of education.

Dr Martand JoshiAn award-winning academic, well regarded for his work in the fields of geochemistry, mineralogy, crystallography and petrology, Martand - as he preferred  to be called - was equally comfortable around students as he was around academics, government representatives and dignitaries. CQUniversity and its students benefited from Martand's extensive research and academic background as well his understanding of and associations with numerous cultural, religious, professional and community organisations.

"He gave down to earth advice to students and insight to our staff," said CQUniversity Vice-Chancellor John Rickard.

In this role at CQUniversity he helped international students from all countries manage their transition to a university environment and Australian culture. He also mentored and coached staff on the importance of teaching and learning within different cultural contexts and encouraged wide appreciation for how students' ethnicity and cultural background contribute to their learning experience.

He was passionate about acknowledging the hard work and success of students, attending graduations and numerous academic ceremonies since his formal association with the University in 2006.

Following the completion of his Bachelor of Science (with Honours) in Bombay, Dr Joshi -- a native of Mumbai -- went on to receive a Government of India Scholarship and obtained his Master of Science in 1959. He was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship at Princeton University and, with his research on the petrology and geochemistry of the Box Springs Mountains, received his PhD from the University of California in 1967. Dr Joshi worked as an Assistant Professor at The University of Georgia and The University of California Riverside in the United States before moving to Australia in 1970. He took up a lecturing position at RMIT where he was appointed a Professor before retiring in 1999.

Political activism and social unrest characterised his time in the United States. While studying for his doctorate in the late 1960s Dr Joshi was the victim of racial discrimination in America's deep south. In the States of Alabama and Georgia race segregation laws were enforced, he says, and black people were often thrown out of bars, restaurants, motels or forced off public buses.

Martand was active in establishing a number of cultural and professional organisations in Melbourne, including the Australia-Indian Society of Victoria. In 1987 the Chancellor of Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology awarded him the Centenary Medallion for his services to the promotion of education. In September, 2008 he was conferred with CQUniversity's highest award for recognition of service, the honorary degree of Doctor of the University.

International students frequently sought advice about affordable suburban accommodation, employment opportunities, the public transport system, immigration problems and issues of public safety and security. As a Hindu priest he also found time to officiate over the blessing of children, new home sites and marriage ceremonies. 

Colleague and friend, Professor Ken Hawkins, Chief Executive Officer, C Management Services Pty. Ltd. remembers when Dr Joshi remarked that he was asked by other colleagues why he would work with CQUniversity when he could work, and had been invited to work with  more prestigious universities.  Dr. Joshi's response was always the same, "because I know how fine an institution CQUniversity is in how it treats its students which is far more important than prestige alone".   This humility was the epitome of Dr Martand Joshi.  He believed that "fortunate indeed, is the man who takes exactly the right measure of himself and holds a just balance between what he can acquire and what he can use, be it great or be it small".

Dr Joshi also believed "there is little doubt that those that get the most from life are those who look for the wonder in even the smallest things that they do."  He advised those who came in contact with him to "cultivate this skill and you will find peace and satisfaction as well."

Martand's family requests no flowers but that a donation to the Australian Heart Association be made in remembrance of Dr Joshi.  Condolences may be sent to:

Mrs Zofia Joshi
109 Park Street
Moonee Ponds  Victoria