For over forty years, Dr. Satish Gupta OAM has been a dedicated contributor to both the Indian and wider Adelaide community. A former President of the Indian Australian Association of South Australia (IAASA) and his local Rotary Club, he has also given his time and leadership across many other community initiatives.
Dr. Gupta’s involvement with the Indian community started in the way of friendships and supporting other migrants. As the community slowly grew, they came together as the Indian Club which later developed into the Indian Australian Association of South Australia (IAASA), Adelaide’s leading Indian association.
Dr. Gupta was President of IAASA from 2000–2002 and was known just as much for his wit and humour, as for his organisational and networking skills. Known as the Festival State, South Australia saw its Indian Festival flourish as Indian Mela under his leadership. He elevated the event to new heights – securing a larger venue, attracting high-profile guests including government officials and state ministers, expanding stage performances, and increasing business participation.
He also started the Australia-South Asia Regional Chamber of Commerce (now defunct) and took what was probably one of the first State trade delegations to India. He was also a board member of the International Council for Trade and Commerce for several years.
“Through these organisations we increased the business between Australia and India and now, the trade between Australia and India is over $42 billion,’’ Dr. Gupta muses. “I feel proud to have been a small part of it.”
Indeed, Dr. Satish Gupta OAM has been a “small part” of many different things in Australia, as well as in other parts of the world.
Dr. Gupta grew up in Kashmir and moved to the UK for university, ultimately ending up with a Doctor of Science from California.
He arrived in Adelaide in 1974. “We landed on a Sunday and I started work on Monday morning,” he told Indian Link. “I had been offered a job as State Planning Officer before I arrived.”
He continued, “In those days there were only 3 or 4 Indian families in Adelaide – in fact, there were more Indian families in Tasmania!”
Dr. Satish Gupta’s community work in Adelaide started with the Rotary Club, particularly Rotary International. He went on to take leadership positions like President and Assistant Governor of District 9520.
Dr. Gupta has contributed to South Australia in many ways as his interests are varied. He was Director-General of the India-Australia Policy Institute, sat on various Boards and Committees like the Active Ageing Advisory Committee of Campbelltown, the Council for International Trade and Commerce SA etc. He was also a Liberal candidate for South Australia’s Senate.
Despite all his high-level roles, he remains genuinely humble, approachable, and unfailingly respectful to everyone he meets.
“My style is to be nice to everybody,” Dr Gupta remarked. “Never be rude to anybody. Listen to what others have to say, then make a decision because everybody has a contribution towards making this world go round.”
And in his own way, Dr. Satish Gupta goes about quietly contributing to the world we live in.
Currwently, other than Rotary, writing is what keeps him going. He has published four books and is working on a fifth. They are all works of fiction but well researched and based on real life.
Of his service activities, he says, “Whether it was in the Rotary, Indian association or when I was working in the government, it was a joint effort. I just happened to be the team leader. It is all a contribution.”
Dr. Satish Gupta OAM is grateful for the opportunities he has had and his family, especially his wife Shakti who have supported him in all his activities.
“I consider myself very fortunate, yes. I did my best for the country, for the state, for the community and for the people I came across.’’
