Dr. Chinmay Pandya is the grandson of Pandit Sriram Sharma Acharya, the Guru who founded Gayatri Parivar.  A spearhead of the Thought Revolution Movement, Dr. Chinmay Pandya, MRCP(UK), returned to India responding to his inner call. He quit as Consultant in West London Hospital Trust, London and  joined Dev Sanskriti University's leadership team as a Pro-Vice Chancellor. Here he  also serves as the Director for School of Yoga and Health. He is Chairperson of the world renowned International Festival of Yoga, Culture and Spirituality. He is a superb motivational speaker and youth icon. Dr. Chinmay is a direct disciple  of Acharya Shriram Sharma, the founder of All World Gayatri Pariwar and grew up under his wings at Shantikunj, a spiritual academy in Haridwar.

Dr. Pandya is a medical doctor who now has chosen the spiritual path with a focus to illuminate and educate the new generation. A young man himself Dr. Pandya comes across as a very simple person very respectful of elders who clearly states that he is not a guru. However a few minutes after we converse it is clear that this person is not ordinary by any means.   A powerful young man who revels in a spiritual glow, he has found his path and can clearly inspire others. 

What was it like to be the grandchild of an illustrious Guru? “The blood relationship does not mean much. However I was so honored to have been so close to him. Gurudev had an amazing effect on anyone who came into contact with him.  I remember meeting an MP Shivraj Chauhan who said the most influential person in his life who had the deepest impact on him was Param Pujya Gurudev.  This was a person who had met Gurudev just once. It was a great example of the effect Gurudev had on people “

Could he describe that effect of Gurudev? “ Gurudev paid intense attention to everyone and made everyone feel loved and important. As a young boy I liked to write. I thought if I wrote a book my grandfather would be impressed. Looking back at the writings they were very unimpressive and yet Gurudev used to sit and listen to my writings for 15 min everyday. That made me feel so important. This was the kind of love he showed everyone”

Why did he decide to go to medical school? Why did he decide to give up the practice of medicine? 

“I never wanted to go to medical school and I never planned on doing that. However a strange set of circumstances resulted in my going to medical school. Gurudev had predicted as a child that I would be a doctor and despite my trying to not go in that direction, I ended up becoming a doctor. It clearly proved to me that Gurudev’s predictions can never be wrong. 

My natural tendencies were definitely to following the spiritual path and hence after I completed my medicine I decided to follow my calling” says Dr. Pandya.

What does he consider  the greatest contribution of Gurudev to the world? “ He was able to make great truths accessible to common man. He was successful in building a large organization during his own lifetime. He was a prolific writer and speaker and has so much knowledge that he has shared with the world through his speeches and writings”

What was the contribution of his own mother, daughter of Gurudev to the cause? “She grew the organization and brought it to foreign lands. We have close to 60 Million people involved in the efforts.”

 Dr. Pandya has a lot of focus on providing guidance to the you. So we asked him as to what challenges he sees the youth of today face? 

“Young people have a lot of training in technical disciplines but do not often have direction to their life. This often leads to disillusionment. Living life with morals and inspiration will make for a fulfilling life. “

Path to inner refinement is not easy for there are no clear goals that one can set for oneself. Outer achievements are easy to quantify and hence people set out to work towards achieving them ” says Dr. Pandya.

What does he believe the world will look like in the future? “I am convinced we are going towards a golden age. Param Pujya Gurudev has assured us that it is coming and hence there is no doubt on that count”

As the Pro-Vice Chancellor of DSVV University what opportunities does he see for the future of DSVV?

“We are engaged in several exchange programs from around the world and thus our research and teaching standards are competing at world class levels. People from around the world are coming to DSVV to learn our holistic approach to education.  

As we move forward I look forward to using technology via MOOCs to make this exchange easier so that the world can learn from DSVV faculty and DSVV students can learn from faculty at other world class institutions.”

Spending just a few minutes with this young saint was a truly uplifting experience and the world awaits the transformation that Dr. Pandya is sure to bring.