Renew and extend India-Oz cooperation, says Vic Premier

the somewhat congested hall, Mr. Baillieu could not resist some tongue-in-cheek comments on India’s dismal performance in cricket recently.

“The sun is out, the crowd is out… and I am afraid Sachin and Rahul are also out,” he said, quickly adding that Australians would also like to see Sachin make his century if not here then in another match very soon.

“There are many things that bond us together besides the cricket, our economies, our culture and our democracy; and this Republic Day and Australia Day we want to renew and extend the cooperation between the two countries,” he said.

Dr. Behera also highlighted the commonalities between the two nations and expressed his happiness at the Australian Government’s decision to sell uranium to India.

“This will result in a new chapter being scripted in the relationship between our two nations,” said Dr. Behera.

India is as busy as a beehive but sweeter than honey,” said Victorian Premier Ted Baillieu recently, much to the delight of members of the Indian community.

The Premier was speaking at a reception hosted by the Consul General of India (Melbourne) Dr. Subhakanta Behera and Mrs. Rajashree Behera. The reception was organised at the Indian Consulate in St Kilda Road, to celebrate India’s Republic Day.

“Anybody who knows India also understands the depth of passion that India holds for its tradition, history and culture. India has made enormous progress in the last 62 years and more progress will follow in the future. I am sure India will become an important part of our lives here in multicultural Victoria,” continued the Premier.

Clearly the tallest presence in

Continuing his speech the Premier conceded, “We have had some hiccups in the past, however we have addressed these issues at a state and Federal level, we had to correct them and move on from there. Next month we also have a trade commission going to India. We want people in India to know that Australia is a welcome, open and democratic country and Victoria is a safe place for Indian students.”

He concluded his speech by saying that Australia was built by people coming together, not by people who seek to divide it and we should continue to build that relationship and togetherness.

Following Mr. Baillieu’s speech,

He praised the Victorian Government for their recent initiatives with the Indian community like the proposed Bollywood Festival, scholarships for Indian students, Victorian Government’s India strategy, City of Melbourne’s India Statement under the international engagement framework, and the trade commission being led by Ted Baillieu in this month. According to Dr. Behera, all these initiatives are geared to make the relationship between India and Australia more dynamic.

Dr. Behera raised the concern that Australian universities do not offer much in the way of formal studies of India and its rich history. Understanding of Indian social studies and humanities through higher studies and scholarships is almost non-existent in Australia.

“If Australia wants to engage with India in the Asian century it is very important to restore this tradition,” said Dr. Behera. He suggested that Victorian Government should take the lead in doing so and the Indian

Government will be very happy to support them in this initiative. The formal part of the evening gave in to entertainment in the form of a patriotic composition by renowned dancer and teacher Mrs. Tara Rajkumar. Her students displayed discipline and grace in a splendid performance that was followed by some Bollywood dances. The Premier good -naturedly tried some ‘light bulb’ steps with the dancers much to the delight of the audience. The guests comprised of Indian community members, organisational heads, business owners and politicians including Opposition Leader Daniel Andrews and MLC for South Eastern Metropolitan Region Inga Peulich, with newly elected chairperson of the Victorian Multicultural Commission, Chin Tan.

The evening progressed with food, drinks, photo sessions and networking, and ended with a renewed commitment towards more meaningful engagement between India and Australia. As Dr. Behera said, Australia is not a melting pot, it is a bouquet where individual flowers retain their identity; however they make a beautiful statement only when they come together collectively. He wished that the Indian-Australian friendship continued to bloom and blossom to new heights.

Preeti Jabbal