VISHWAS was formally inaugurated on July 26, 2008, in a star-studded function with Mr. Kaushik Basu as the Chief Guest. Padma Bhushan Mr. Kaushik Basu is an internationally acclaimed economist, a C. Marks Professor of International Studies and Professor of Economics at Cornell University, former Chief Economist of the World Bank, former Chief Economic Adviser to the Government of India, and former President of the International Economic Association.
Kaushik Basu
Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Kaushik Basu narrated his meeting with John Nash, a mathematical genius who suffered from schizophrenia at the age of 30 and spent the next 3 decades in and out of mental hospitals. In 1994, Nash showed signs of emerging from his illness. He went on to win the Nobel Prize in economics for his dissertation “Non-Cooperative Games” written in 1950, when he was 21 years of age. The Hollywood movie “A Beautiful Mind” is based on Nash’s true story. Dr. Kaushik praised the Richmond Fellowship for working for the cause of rehabilitation of people suffering from schizophrenia, one of the most dreaded diseases.
Mr. Kaushik Basu’s written message on the inauguration of VISHWAS:
The other dignitaries who graced the occasion as Guests of Honour were Mr. V.P. Agrawal, Member (Planning) Airports Authority of India, and acclaimed filmmaker, fashion designer and social worker, Mr. Muzaffar Ali. Mr. Ali congratulated the President Dr. K.M. Khurana and his team on the occasion, praising their efforts towards the completion of this project. Mr. Agrawal appreciated the initiative of the Richmond Fellowship, and in his message mentioned, “Noble causes do not have any dearth of support. It is nice to see a humble beginning getting culminated into such a beautiful facility.”
BLAST FROM THE PAST
VISHWAS today has reached a stage where it has been able to fulfil its objectives and this has become possible due to the constant endeavours of the founding members and the efforts put in by the existing members. Here, is a message from the late Dr. K.M. Khurana, Founder President of RFSI-Delhi, in the VISHWAS Newsletter of 2009: