Mr Yogendra Lakshman affectionately referred to as “Yogen” by the Indian community is a Senior Quantity Surveyor and Cost Consultant with a National Builder based in Melbourne.

He was one of the founding Executive Committee members of Australian Indian Innovations Inc (AIII) involved in all the events at Sandown Race Course since inception. After working as a member of the executive and in charge of Logistics and Venue management for the Annual Events for a few years, he had been asked to take up the role of Public Officer and General Secretary. Mr. Lakshman’s passion for community has no boundaries. Yogen pioneered several activities across various Associations in the Community.

He served on several working committees of the Hindu Society of Victoria Inc (HSV) and was the chairperson of several subcommittees. He was the Hindu Society’s Vice President, representing the Indian Community, whereby he created history as the first Fiji – Indian to be accorded this high office. He is the first Fiji National to be so closely associated with several outstanding, innovative and pioneering activities. He was involved with the Kumbhabhishekam sub-committee of HSV and was part of the Board of Trustees overseeing the HSV Cultural Centre Project.

Yogen was the co-founder of the Tamil Society of Melbourne and the patron of Indian Community Association of Greater Dandenong. Yogen was the backbone of all the activities of TSM Melbourne in various capacities commencing from a committee member, its Secretary, Treasurer and Vice President. Yogen is also currently the Public Officer of Fiji Community Association. He has been associated with several subcommittees of the Federation of Indian Associations of Victoria Inc (FIAV) and has successfully steered several functions for the Federation. He is also a trustee of the Ram Mandir Society of Vic. In 2007, Yogen was instrumental in unifying the Indian community throughout the Nation as Co-founder of National Federation of Indian Associations of Australia.

Yogen is not only a singer and musician in his own right; he has also directed and co-produced two films shot in Fiji.

In 2013, he instigated ICAGD Inc., a community news channel which freely publicises community events on the YouTube channel. In October 2008, Yogen received the Victorian Parliamentary Friends of India of the Parliament of Victoria “Award of Excellence”.