Friday February 23

The GSI Forum on Development and Civil Society, convened by Ralph Singh and Harvinder Singh, held its first public meeting to highlight Babaji’s landmark work in overcoming poverty. On the 23rd the roundtable discussions brought leading thinkers, academicians, policy makers and workers from Russia and India together in a cross-cultural dialogue which was marked by the contribution of Naresh Singh.

Dr. Naresh Singh
Executive Director, UNDP Commission on Legal Empowerment of the Poor

Bio and website:
Sustainable Livelihoods

Transcript of Dr. Naresh Singh's talk

One of the world’s foremost experts on poverty reduction. Naresh currently serves as Executive Director of UNDP’s High Level Commission for the Legal Empowerment of the Poor. Naresh took his inspiration from Babaji 15 years ago almost to the day when he was introduced to him while on route to India a story he shared with the audience and participants on both days.

Participants

Svetlana Smirnova
Deputy, State Duma (Russian Parliament), Committee on Federation and Regional Affairs, Member PACE

Kuldip Nayar
Eminent Journalist, fmr. Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha)

Dr. Andrei Bilyaninov
Economist and Cabinet Minister, Customs and Excise, Russian Federation

Vladimir Zakharov
Chairman, Committee on Ecological Security, People’s Chamber of Russia

Dr. Bibek Debroy
Noted economist, Contributing Editor, the Indian Express, and Professor with the International Management Institute.

Tarlochan Singh

M.P. Rajya Sabha
Former Chairman, National Commission for Minorities

Tarun Tejpal
Author and Publisher, “Tehelka, The People’s Paper”

Yury Ageshin
Pro-Rector Russian School of Private Law, Advisor to Committee on Culture, Russian Parliament (State Duma),
Coordinator “The New Country,” public movement.

D.S. Brar, Chairman
GVK Biosciences, fmr. CEO, Ranbaxy, Member, Central Board of Directors Reserve Bank of India

Ranjit Singh Kalha
Member, National Human Rights Commission, fmr. Ambassador and Secretary, Ministry of External Affairs

Dr Akhtar ul Wasey
Dean, School of Humanities and Languages, Dept of Islamic Studies, Jamiamillia Islamia Univerity

Sri Moti Lal Vora
Treasurer, National Congress Party of India, Former Governor of U.P.

Dr. Ruslan Khayrullin
Professor of Social Education (Indigenous Peoples) Russian State Social University

Larisa Aleksandrovna Trunina
Editor-in-chief "The Bulletin of HTPP" Business journal

Dr. Olga Shlykova
Professor

Sri Ashok Singhal
International President, Vishwa Hindu Parisad

Dr. Ronki Ram
Professor of Political Science, Punjab University, and Dalit rights advocate

Rais R Atnagulov
President Int’l Assoc of Charitable Funds for Protection of Family, Motherhood and childhood

Dr. Kim Ivanovich Shilin
Sociologist, Moscow State University, Chief, ”Ecology of cultures of East.”

D.S.Bains
Financial Commisioner, Punjab Dept of Animal Husbandry and Dairy Development, and Revenue Appeals

Veena Sharma
Chair, Prajna Foundation

	Following the formal session, participants gathered for a private audience with Babaji where questions ranged from the future of civilization to the status of women. Transcript including questions and answers.
Saturday the 24th
	The Saturday session was open to the public, and Gobind Sadan’s auditorium was full to listen to Babaji and the participants share their findings.
	Participants and guests were treated to a sumptuous buffet on the lawn outside the auditorium, and then were equally filled intellectually and spiritually by the speakers who followed.
Speakers
	Dr. Andrei Bilyaninov
	Yury Ageshin
	Tarlochan Singh
	Kuldip Nayar
	Bibek Debroy
	Dhanbir Singh Bain
	Surjit Jolly
	Ralph Singh