When people think of Pune, they should think of PIC: Dr. Raghunath Mashelkar
Panchvati, 27th January 2025: The new campus of Pune International Centre (PIC) was inaugurated in Pashan, Pune, on January 26, 2025, on the occasion of India’s 76th Republic Day. The new facility was symbolically inaugurated by His Holiness The Dalai Lama, whose message was read out by Dr. Raghunath Mashelkar, FRS, President, PIC.
In his message, His Holiness The Dalai Lama highlighted Pune’s “vibrant intellectual environment”, which, he said, is being leveraged by PIC as a platform for discussions on issues affecting both regional and national policies. Commending PIC’s efforts to involve youths to help build future leadership and to inspire a new generation to create positive social change, he said the 21st century belongs to the young and that including this aspect in PIC’s discussions can help create a better future for India and the world.
Emphasising the “contemporary relevance of ancient Indian wisdom”, its techniques of mental training like meditation, and India’s tremendous economic development, The Dalai Lama said, together, these can create an ethically grounded way of being in the world. The new PIC campus will contribute more effectively in promoting positive developments in India, now and for the future, he added.
While extending his wishes on the occasion of Republic Day, Dr. Mashelkar said the PIC campus was a dream come true. He said Dalai Lama’s blessings and message will continue to breathe life into the campus, ensuring that it stands not just as a physical space but as an eternal beacon of wisdom, compassion and harmony. He reflected on the journey of PIC over the past 14 years, highlighting the contribution of its founders, including the late Dilip Padgaonkar (journalist), the late B G Deshmukh (ex-bureaucrat), and the late Mohan Dharia (former Union minister and deputy chairman of the Planning Commission), he said PIC would continue to be a torchbearer and melting pot of transformative ideas. “When people think of Pune, they should think of PIC,” he said.
The programme was held at the Amphitheatre of the new campus—which is equipped with state-of-the-art facilities including the Main Administrative Building, Research Wing, Auditorium, Convention Hall, Art Gallery, and other facilities that can host world-class events—in the presence of PIC Trustees, Members, and other distinguished personalities, including former Union Minister Prakash Javadekar.
The day’s proceedings began with the unveiling of the Buddha statue by PIC executive committee members Dr. Raghunath Mashelkar; Dr. Vijay Kelkar (ex-bureaucrat and Vice President, PIC); Dr. Ravi Pandit (Treasurer, PIC); and Prashant Girbane (General Secretary, PIC); along with Maj Gen Nitin Gadkari, Director, PIC, followed by a campus tour for the guests by Col. Rajendra Kenjalkar, Project Manager of the PIC Campus, Neeraj Thakur, Head, PIC’s Social Innovation Lab, and Maj Gen Nitin Gadkari.
The ceremony, anchored by Ms Lisa Pingale, Member, PIC, began with the singing of the National Anthem by students of Jnana Prabodhini, and some PIC staff.
Speaking on PIC’s role in shaping public policy, Dr. Vijay Kelkar said PIC is one of the first fully independent think tanks and challenges the monopoly of Delhi in policy research. For good policies, he said, they must be knowledge-based and driven by consensus. He listed the various initiatives and verticals of PIC such as in areas of national security; environment; cooperative federalism; the flagship Asia Economic Dialogue (AED); science, technology and innovation; and social innovation. He said the research papers and four books published by PIC have found a place in government policy. Explaining the PIC logo created by Ms. Falguni Pathak, he said it represented “churn of ideas”.
Dr. Ravi Pandit, Treasurer, PIC, spoke about PIC 2.0 and its Vision, emphasising that it reflects the spirit of things to be done in the coming years. He said the focus of PIC 2.0 would be on independent, objective, fact-based, and practically implementable policy research that provides unique insights and touches everything related to individual and society. The vision is to be able to attract 20 research fellows and produce 100 research papers every year, he added.
Prashant Girbane traced PIC’s growth from small beginnings to the infrastructure it has today, highlighting the support received from the late Ratan Tata and the funding support from Tata Trusts, and the inspiration from Dr. Mashelkar and Dr. Kelkar.
Delivering the vote of thanks, Maj Gen Nitin Gadkari said PIC’s achievements would not have been possible without the contribution of the many people associated with it. The consultants, architects, and others who contributed to the construction of the campus were felicitated at the hands of Dr. Mashelkar.
The event concluded with an enlightening explanation of Pasaydan by PIC Member Devdutt Modak, and rendition of Lata Mangeshkar’s recorded version of Pasaydan. Explaining Pasaydan as a prayer by Jnaneshwar Maharaj asking for “divine grace” for the entire universe, Modak said PIC will become a ‘mandiali’, or town whose citizens are people of consciousness.
