Indian origin Australian senator Varun Ghosh made history on Tuesday by being the first senator to take his oath on the Bhagavad Gita. He was sworn into Australian Parliament representing western Australia as Senator, and would be filling in the senate seat vacated by Pat Dodson. Though the first Australian, he is not the first Indian-origin foreign political figure to represent his Indian roots in foreign parliament. British PM Rishi Sunak also took his oath on the Bhagavad Gita when he was sworn in as Prime Minister. He was lauded on the internet for staying true to his roots and flaunting his Indian Heritage.
He is a member of Australia’s Labor Party. Australia’s Prime Minister, Anthony Albanes announced his welcome on X saying that Varun Ghosh will be a “great voice” for western Australia. Senatory Penny Wong also expressed her pleasure posting on X, “Senator Ghosh is the first ever Australian Senator sworn in on the Bhagavad Gita. I have often said, when you're the first at something, you've got to make sure you're not the last.”
Who is Varun Ghosh?
Ghosh was born in Canberra on 30 August 1985. He is the son of Indian-born bengali parents who were both neurologists by profession. He moved to Perth with his parents in 1997, where he attended Christ Church Grammar School. He went on to study arts and law at the University of Western Australia, and later studied at Darwin College, Cambridge on the Frank Downing Law Scholarship.
Prior to his appointment as Senator, Ghosh was a barrister (lawyer) and joined the Australian Labor Party at the age of 17. He is a member of the Labor Right faction and has been described as having "longstanding political connections" in the Western Australian branch of the Labor Party, having previously served as the state president of Young Labor in the mid-2000s.
On Tuesday, he was sworn into Parliament as senator for Western Australia, representing the Australian Labor Party (ALP). He was nominated by the ALP to fill a casual vacancy caused by the retirement of Pat Dodson. He is aligned with the Western Australian Right faction.