An icon of the hindu community

at each other’s homes to celebrate festivals. The concept for the first ever Hindu temple in the southern hemisphere was born from our keenness to preserve our culture and heritage for future generations,” Dr Bala reminisced.

The Sri Mandir Society was thus founded and the first Hindu temple in Australia was eventually built in Auburn, in New South Wales.

dr. A. Bala oam

For service to the Hindu community in Australia

BY USHA RAMANUJAM ARVIND

hindu Council of Australia’s founding chairman and the man behind the hugely popular Ganesh Visarjan and Deepavali Mela celebrations, Dr Appupillay Balasubramaniam was named in this year’s Australia Day Honours list. Dr Bala, as he is affectionately known, received the Order of Australia Medal (OAM) for his services to the Hindu community over the past finally settled in Australia. He has taught at various schools and colleges across the world. In 1975, when he and his family migrated to Australia, he recalls that there were not many Sikh families around the country. Seeking to build a strong community, he helped establish the Sikh gurdwara in Revesby – the very first gurdwara in Sydney. This was followed shortly by the Sikh Mission Centre in Austral. four decades. Talking to Indian Link, the soft-spoken and deeply religious Strathfield resident said he was honoured and humbled by the announcement.

“At that time, the community was small and didn’t have much money to purchase the property - I mortgaged my home in Matraville to help out,” he revealed.

Speaking to Indian Link about the issues Sikh migrants faced, Bawa Singh recalls, “We looked different, and new migrants were subject to various vilifications.

“The award has firmly put Hinduism on the map of Australia.

I think it is a win for our growing community, which has burgeoned dramatically over the years”.

A Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians, the Malaysia-born and UK-trained GP moved to Sydney to practice medicine in 1972, soon after the “White Australia” policy was lifted.

“Back then there was barely a handful of south Asian migrants. Homesick and missing our roots, we bonded closely together, meeting

I took up the issues with the authorities. They were harassed by the police for carrying the kirpan, as it was illegal to carry a knife with you at the time. In the 1990s when knife legislation was being discussed in Parliament, I wrote to the Community Relations minister and also raised the issue with Premier Bob Carr.

As a result, the legislation was amended - Sikhs can carry the kirpan with them for religion purposes.”

A particularly significant contribution of Bawa Singh was his part in allowing the Sikh religion to be officially recognised as a separate religion in Australia.

“If a marriage was performed in a gurdwara, the couple still had to get registered in the registry office. I wrote to the AttorneyGeneral, and ultimately the Sikh

Since 1978, when the idea for the sprawling Helensburgh temple was mooted, Dr Bala led a tight knit group to lobby not only the community, but also political groups and the government to further the interests of Hindu Australians. With this aim in mind, he started the Sri Venkateswara Temple Association.

Since its humble beginnings in 1985, the temple has undergone major expansion to become the largest temple in Australia, catering to diverse socio-cultural and religious needs.

The Hindu Council of Australia (HCA) was eventually set up in 1989 as an umbrella organisation to unite various fledgling associations and speak with one voice.

As an influential representative of the Australian Hindu community and chairman of HCA, Dr Bala has since lobbied with the federal, state and local governments, as well as lateral institutions.

Inspired by the rallying words of Lokmanya Tilak and his firebrand freedom movement in colonial India, Dr Bala was also instrumental in starting the Ganesh Visarjan celebrations in 1983.

“For Hindus, Ganesha is the auspicious god of good beginnings, and he has truly brought us together,” he proudly stated.

The annual Ganesh Visarjan

Council of Australia was allowed to nominate marriage celebrants. So in the Sikh community if someone was to become a marriage celebrant, any marriages they perform are recognised - they don’t have to go to the marriage registry,” he explained.

Bawa Singh’s work is not limited, however, to the Sikh community. “In general if any other community had any problems, I always raised my voice. Bronwyn Bishop was going to introduce a bill saying Muslim girls shouldn’t be allowed to wear their hijab in schools – I wrote against that and made a submission to the government. There were attacks on the Hindu temple in Auburn, including shootings. I took up the issue with the Premier. Internationally, there was a ‘Shoot celebration with its street procession and cultural showcase, culminating with public immersion at Stanwell Beach, attracts thousands every year. to Kill’ bill in America, and I wrote against that too. During the 2004 tsunami, as well as the floods in Pakistan, I arranged a council, collected funds and sent it to the victims. Every time there is a disaster, I think it is my duty, simply as a human being, to help as much as I can”.

Spurred by its success, Dr Bala also launched the inaugural Diwali Mela at Fairfield in 1999, attended by over 30,000 people. Since then it has been an annual feature on the Sydney calendar, relocating to the prestigious venue of Sydney Olympic Park.

“Our aim was to target a wider mainstream audience with an explosion of colour and culture. Besides being an iconic Hindu festival, Diwali has broader secular connotations as well. The concept of having stalls, live music and cross cultural performances is very inviting. And food, of course, is a major drawcard,” he explained.

Leveraging on his political connections, another watershed event Dr Bala spearheaded was the celebration of Deepavali at Federal Parliament House on November 13, 2004 for the first time ever.

“It was a memorable moment for all Hindus marking the recognition of one of our most important festivals as an important and significant event to be celebrated in multicultural Australia,” he stated.

“The Hindu Council took this initiative in 2002 when we requested Premier Bob Carr to light up exterior of the State Parliament building. He agreed immediately and we had the first Deepavali celebration in 2003, and again in 2004, with electric lights adorning the façade of our Parliament House,” recalled Dr Bala.

The next logical item on his packed agenda is to push for a public holiday on Deepavali for Hindu Australians.

Despite his success and considerable influence, Dr Bala has steered clear of political affiliations, remaining neutral.

“My focus has always been and will remain on community work,” he reiterated.

Besides running a busy practice at Homebush, Dr Bala has, over the years, helped found and presided over many cultural and religious organisations, including Dialogue on Interfaith Cooperation, Community Building and Harmony, Abayakharam Australia, Ceylon Tamil Association of NSW, Sri Lankan Association of NSW, Sydney Tamil Manram, Balar Malar, Sri Mandir Society, Carnatic Music Circle, Sydney and Rotary Club, to name a few. Dr Bala is also a founding trustee of the SVT Educational Building fund to promote Hindu education in Australia. The Trust hopes to establish a Chair for Hindu studies in one of the Universities in NSW in the future.

Personally though, Dr Bala claims he owes a lot to his wife Devi Bala.

“Without her unflinching support, I would not have achieved half of what I did,” he acknowledged. “She virtually took the responsibility of Sri Venkateshwara Temple (SVT) on her shoulders”.

“Likewise, I am also grateful to all my co-workers at the Hindu Council and my practice manager and support staff at the Homebush Medical Centre,” he added.

Dr Bala has previously received The Australian Doctor’s national GP award to recognise his achievements and work within the community.

And for Bawa Singh Jagdev, the most rewarding thing was the simple, yet powerful concept of helping others. “For me everything I have done, no matter how small or big it was, was rewarding because there was a small community and I felt like I was doing something for that community. I don’t think there is such a thing as a ‘small’ or ‘big’ contribution - for me it was my passion to help the community in any way I could,” he stated.

A particularly significant contribution of Bawa Singh was his part in allowing the Sikh religion to be officially recognised as a separate religion in Australia.