In a first, Indian-origin Australian Senator Varun Ghosh takes oath on 'Bhagavad Gita'

Barrister Varun Ghosh made history as he became the first India-born member of the Australian Parliament to take oath on the Bhagavad Gita. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese also wished Ghosh. "Welcome Varun Ghosh, our newest Senator from Western Australia. Fantastic to have you on the team," he posted on X.  

Varun Ghosh, an Indian-origin barrister, has become the first-ever India-born member of the Australian Parliament to take the oath on the Bhagavad Gita. The Legislative Assembly and the Legislative Council selected him to represent the Australian state in the Senate of the Federal Parliament, making him the newest senator to be appointed.

Taking to X, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong wrote: “Welcome to Varun Ghosh, our newest Senator from Western Australia. 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."

“I know Senator Ghosh will be a strong voice for his community and for West Australians. Wonderful to have you on the Labor Senate team,” she added.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese also welcomed Ghosh.  “Welcome Varun Ghosh, our newest Senator from Western Australia. Fantastic to have you on the team,” he wrote on X. 

Ghosh, a lawyer hailing from Perth, holds degrees in Arts and Law from the University of Western Australia and was a Commonwealth Scholar in Law at the University of Cambridge.

He had previously worked as a consultant for the World Bank in Washington, DC, and as a finance attorney in New York. After his parents moved to Perth, Australia, in the 1980s, Ghosh started his political career by joining the Labour Party. He was originally from India. Ghosh did not win a Senate seat in Western Australia in the 2019 federal election, despite finishing fifth on the Australian Labour Party's list.

In 2015, he went back to Australia and started working at King & Wood Mallesons, where he handled legal cases for banks, resource businesses, and building firms. Born in 1985, Ghosh attended Christ Church Grammar School in Perth after relocating there in 1997.