Much to be proud of

Inthe backdrop of the recent ABC program Four Corners which exposed the underbelly of the Indian community in Australia with its expose on scams and rackets in the overseas student market, it needs to be pointed out that the community has in the past 25 years built up a wonderful reputation for itself.

The recent student issues have allowed a debate to rage on various websites where the theme is generally India bashing – be it the outsourcing of Australian jobs to India, Indian call centres or the loss of education places for local Australians to Indian overseas students.

Little attention has been paid to the meaningful contribution which Indians bring to the mainstream.

Indian-origin Australians are widely acknowledged as hard working, ethical, honest with strong family values. Former Premier of NSW Hon Bob Carr often recounted that at school education award presentations, the Indian community seems to be over-represented. The high academic achievement of the Indian diaspora in UAI and VCE results does not go unnoticed.

Indian Australians are well respected at their place of work as well: be it for their hard work or intelligence.

They have also been known to be good, law abiding citizens by and large. There are limited cases of involvement in drugs, alcohol-related crimes, domestic problems or general law and order breakdowns in

By Pawan Luthra

the Indian Australian community.

True, there are always exceptions to the rule, but overall, Indians in Australia prefer to enjoy the many benefits this country offers them rather than to exploit their new home.

Over the years, the community has come into its own. We may not have major politicians of Indian background at the State or Federal level. However, it is but a matter of time before one emerges –one who understands the concerns of the community and articulates them to the law makers.

And true, we do not have a sportsperson of Indian origin in any Australian sport making a name for themselves. Again, noting the passion with which Australia’s second most popular sport, cricket, is played by many young Indian Australians, it will also be a matter of time before an Aussie wicket keeper shouts out, “Well bowled, Singh/Gupta!”

Business leaders who represent the Indian Australian community have emerged prominently in the local community. Ravi Bhatia, founder of I-primus is one of them; Ashok Jacob is in the inner coterie of advisors to Australia’s billionaire James Packer, and ex-chairman of Fujitsu Neville Roach is well-known for his efforts to bring Australia closer to India. In these personalities, we certainly have a group of Indian Australians who have reached the very pinnacle in their chosen industry. Indian IT companies in Australia such as Tatas, HCL, Mphasis etc are also making a strong mark in their own industry. They meet and market to top Australian companies and take responsibility for many millions of dollars of work and investment in Australia and India.

And finally, for those detractors lamenting the loss of local jobs as work is outsourced to India, consider this: Indian holiday-makers are contributing to Australia’s tourism industry larger numbers than ever before. A vast number of these are probably call-centre workers who can now afford overseas holidays, and are choosing to bring their tourism dollar to this country. Who knows, it might be those very call-centre families that are sending their kids here as students, contributing directly to that oft-quoted number of $15 billion, and making up Australia’s thirdlargest industry.

What does ‘India’ mean to you? does it evoke images of the snow-capped himalayas, the lush green jungles of Kerala or monuments ranging from the taj Mahal to the ancient temples of Khajuraho? does it bring back happy memories of childhood and family, of places and things that made you feel proud to be Indian? or do you simply know it as the land of the Vedas and the more famous Kamasutra? celebrates its 62nd year of Independence, we look at some of the things that are, globally, distinctly ‘Indian’.

Mahatma Gandhi, the Father of the Nation, played a pivotal role in India’s fight for independence from British rule. he was undoubtedly the most important political and spiritual leader of India during the independence movement. he pioneered the concept of satyagraha, an unusual