people!

regular power cuts, known as ‘loadshedding’, become ever more frequent. I don’t have the pathological hatred of loadshedding that most Indians possess – I actually find the unscheduled silence that graces the neighbourhood to be a rather calming experience. The frustration felt by many Indians is understandable though, because the lack of electricity is indicative of a much deeper problem. As one Chennaiker so eloquently stated; “Why should we go without electricity every time Jayalalithaa rolls over? There’s no shortage of power lines lying around the shoddily constructed footpaths!”. This anger is palpable in many conversations. The answer, perhaps, is to be found in the number of Indians who talk but don’t act. In other words, how many people complain about corruption but still pay bribes to evade traffic fines?

If corruption is as rampant as we are led to believe, and the anticorruption movement enjoys as much support as we are told, then there must be some overlap.

Conversely, there is something to be said for the corrupt justice I recently saw meted out to a neighbourhood thief. My neighbour caught the pilferer and tightened a chain around his neck. I thought he was going to lynch him, but the chain was used to restrain while an uncle threw punches and yelled obscenities. When police arrived they pulled him away from the thief, and then the policeman stepped forward and took his turn at beating up the criminal while the house owner watched on. Wrong, I agree – but I wonder if many Indian victims of crime would be satisfied with a more westernized ‘rehabilitation’ process for criminals? I doubt it – so whether it’s right or wrong, maybe Indian democracy really is more representative of the people’s will than we assume.

At the end of the day, the idea of ‘India’ always seems to prevail – the idea that everyone gets a say, that the nation is somehow, if not obviously, cohesive, and that the Indian people are free. In the battle of the rising superpowers, it’s easy to compare India’s progress with that of China. “Look at how well they’re progressing” I hear many Indians say. Suggest to these people however that they should be limited to having one child, that they should be highly taxed (or taxed at all, in many cases!), or that they should be subject to rigorous media control and a cry of protest arises. That cry is exactly why India can’t be China – and nor should it try to be.

A common stereotype of Indians is that they talk too much – and as with most stereotypes, there is an element of truth there. But this is what makes India great – let’s tackle corruption, but let’s not forget that many countries got to where they are by shutting people up. I hope the Indian people never stop talking, because without dialogue, what else could hold 1.2 billion Indians together? I love that in India I can express my views in a public forum and protest if I want, with the distinct hope that I might just change something. I can even type whatever I like on the internet, and watch whatever I want on the TV news. Except for when there’s loadshedding, of course.

Now AP GURUSWAMY captures beautiful moments in Melbourne’s Indian community!

In his 40-year career experience as a professional photographer in India Guruswamy covered news, corporate events, large scale events and celebrities.

For stunning images of your next big event, call Guruswamy on 0406 820 413.