National Conference on Ethics and the World of Finance at the Sri Sathya Sai University (A Photo Feature)

From left to right: Prof. Vishwanath Pandit, Vice-Chancellor; Dr. Y.V. Reddy, Former Governor, Reserve Bank of India; Sri Sathya Sai, Revered Founder Chancellor; Dr. Duvvuri Subbarao, Governor, Reserve Bank of India; Mrs. Subbarao

Friday, August 28, 2009 and Saturday, August 29, 2009

A two-day Conference on ‘Ethics and the world of Finance’ was organised by Sri Sathya Sai University at Prasanthi Nilayam on 28th and 29th August, 2009. Besides the Governor of Reserve Bank of India, Dr. Duvvuri Subba Rao and former Governor, Sri Y. Venugopal Reddy, about 25 chiefs from the world of finance participated in the Conference. They represented regulatory institutions, commercial banks, insurance companies and investment agencies. These included Reserve Bank of India, SEBI, ICICI Bank, State Bank of India, Kotak Mahindra, HDFC Bank, Andhra Bank, Canara Bank, ING Vysya Bank, Deutsch Bank, Royal Bank of Scotland, JP Morgan, Barclays, AR Birla Financial Services, IRDA, ICICI Prudential, Allahabad Bank, IFFCO Tokyo General Insurance and Birla Sun Life. The students and staff of Sri Sathya Sai University played an important role in the conference.


A distinguished audience consisting of top bankers and financial experts for the Inaugural Session of the Conference at the Prasanthi Nilayam Campus of the
Sri Sathya Sai University



On the morning of 28th August, 2009, the Revered Chancellor of Sri Sathya Sai University, Sri Sathya Sai Baba inaugurated the Conference by lighting the sacred lamp at 10.00 am in the University Auditorium. Professor Vishwanath Pandit, Vice-Chancellor, Sri Sathya Sai University welcomed the gathering expressing gratitude to Bhagavan for His blessings in convening such an event. He highlighted the relevance of the conference to the current financial situation in the world. 


Dr. Duvvuri Subbarao, Governor, RBI, delivering the Keynote Address
Dr. Duvvuri Subbarao with Sri Sathya Sai

In his keynote address, the RBI Governor, Dr. Duvvuri Subba Rao thanked Bhagavan for the opportunity to participate in this conference and observed that ethics in the finance sector could be brought by fostering a value system in society at large since the finance sector was a reflection of society. 


Dr. Y.V. Reddy, Former RBI Governor, delivering the Special Address 


Dr. Y. V. Reddy with Sri Sathya Sai
The next speaker, Dr. Venugopal Reddy, former Governor of RBI said that there was enough in the world to meet the needs of everybody but not enough to satisfy the greed of even a single person. The last speaker of the morning was Sri S. V. Giri, former Vice-Chancellor of Sri Sathya Sai University, who highlighted the human values for the welfare of the individual, the society and the world.

The Special Evening Session of the Conference in the Sai Kulwant Hall. 
Mr. K. V. Kamath, Chairman, ICICI Bank, addressing the gathering.
On the evening of 28th August, 2009, the plenary session of the Conference was held in Sai Kulwant Hall after Bhagavan’s Divine Darshan at 5.20 pm. The proceedings started with the summary of the Inaugural Session held in the morning, by Dr. Naren Ramji, Registrar, Sri Sathya Sai University. The speakers were: Sri K. V. Kamath, former Chairman of ICICI Bank; Sri Gunit Chaddha, CEO-India, Deutsche Bank; Sri K. R. Ramamoorthy, Chairman, ING Vysya Bank; Sri V. S. Das, Executive Director, Reserve Bank of India; Sri Jagadish Capoor, Chairman, HDFC Bank; and Dr. G. Venkatartaman, former Vice-Chancellor of Sri Sathya Sai University.


Sri Gunit Chadha, CEO-India, Deutsche Bank, addressing the gathering


Sri Ramamoorthy, Chairman, ING Vysya Bank, addressing the gathering

Sri V. S. Das, Executive Director, Reserve Bank of India, addressing the gathering


Sri Jagadish Capoor, Chairman, HDFC Bank, addressing the gathering

The Valedictory Session of the conference was held on the evening of 29th August, 2009, in Sai Kulwant Hall. Bhagavan granted His Divine Darshan at 5.00 pm and showered His blessings on all the participants. The Bhajans were led by the Institute students.


A distinguished audience consisting of Chairmen and Managing Directors of leading public and private sector banks in the Sai Kulwant Hall

After Bhajans, Bhagavan blessed the august gathering with His Divine Discourse, which provided a grand finale to this high-profile conference. Bhagavan said, 
“Other than the property of Love, one does not need any other property. Love all, Serve all. You should do service with the feeling, ‘Service is my God, Service is my life’. Have patience and perseverance to do all that is good. You may have come to know that America has wasted a lot of money in her wars against other countries like Iraq. Ultimately, what has America gained? Today her economy is in crisis. This applies to every individual and every country. God is all powerful. But He does not use His power in an arbitrary way. Do not waste your thoughts. You should not waste money and material. Help ever, Hurt never. This is what you have to learn. He is a blessed one who neither causes pain to anyone else nor to himself. The speakers in this conference have talked about the do’s and don’ts for the banks. These do’s and don’ts do not merely apply to the working of the banks but to ourselves also. Whatever good or bad you do, it will come back to you. Cultivate these three principles – ‘Daiva Preeti, Papa Bheeti and Sangha Neeti’ (love for God, fear of sin and morality in society). You should develop sacredness. But, sacredness today has become extinct from the heart of man. Love everybody more and more. Then love in you will also multiply and your name and fame will spread far and wide in the world.”

To Read the Full Discourse Click Here


A distinguished audience consisting of Chairmen and Managing Directors of leading public and private sector banks in the Sai Kulwant Hall
The programme came to a close offering Mangala Aarati to Bhagavan at 6.45 pm. Prasadam blessed by Bhagavan was then distributed to everyone and also the delegates.

Note:
Proceedings of this unique conference have been compiled into a special volume by Sai Publications: Ethics and the World of Finance


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