Students studying at CQUniversity Sydney and Melbourne campuses are most fortunate in having the counselling and advisory services of distinguished academic Dr Martand Shripad Joshi, Honorary Consul of India and Fellow of the Monash Asia Institute.

‘Martand', as he prefers to be called, is a most affable and charming person. He brings a wealth of personal experience and ‘down to earth' advice to students who are new to Sydney and looking for a friendly face to chat to.

Dr Martand Shripad JoshiMartand is a native of the city of Mumbai and began training as a geologist with the assistance of a government scholarship from the Indian Ministry of Education. He went on to win a Fulbright Scholarship to study in the USA and spent 2 years at the prestigious Princeton University. He subsequently took a teaching position at California University.

Political activism and social unrest characterised the times. 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 vividly recalls the political protests, the Civil Rights Movement and the assassination of its leader, Dr Martin Luther King, in 1968.

It was a chance encounter with an Australian friend which persuaded Martand to seek out the great southern land. He recalls that his only knowledge of Australia at the time was its proximity to New Zealand.

"Of course I had heard of two famous people, Sir Edmund Hillary and Sir Donald Bradman," Martand jokes.

Martand soon settled in Melbourne - his favourite city. He remains an active member in Melbourne's vibrant community and was instrumental in establishing a number of cultural and professional organisations, 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.

As International Cultural Advisor, Dr Joshi helps many students adjust to the unfamiliar demands of a foreign city and country. He also serves as a useful conduit between staff and the ethnically diverse student body. Martand's knowledge of the political, economic and cultural life of big cities like Sydney and Melbourne is often put to the test.

International students seek out his advice about affordable suburban accommodation, employment opportunities, the public transport system, immigration problems and issues of public safety and security. Occasionally, the ‘sharp' practices of unscrupulous rental property owners come to light.

Dr Joshi brings his professional and academic services to the Sydney and Melbourne campuses. As a Hindu priest he also finds time to officiate over the blessing of children, new home sites and marriage ceremonies. 

By Dr Chris Keane, Sydney International Campus