May 3, 2008 Protests Apart,
India's Image Getting
a Boost Down Under By
Kul Bhushan
Protests by Indian taxi
drivers in Melbourne, Australia, have two sides. The young Indian
drivers, mostly Punjabis, have a genuine reason to be angry: one of
their mates was stabbed by an Aussie passenger and is now in a coma,
fighting for life. Every night they are taunted, insulted and
sometimes beaten by white, and usually drunk, Aussies on their way
home; and sometimes not even paid for their services.
The other side of the coin has not been reported in the Indian
media: the resentment among local Aussies against the behaviour of
these taxi drivers who are actually students trying to earn their
fees and stay on. They do not know the English language to
communicate adequately, do not know how to behave properly with
their passengers, do not know local geography before they start
working, do not dress according to Aussie norms, use unfair
practices and tricks to extort more fares, and have started touting
for passengers - a practice unknown in Australia.
These semi-educated Punjabi 'students' who cannot speak English
properly go to Australia, ostensibly to study. They enrol for TAFE
or Tertiary and Further Education - a layer between basic school and
university. Many join a TAFE college for cookery, childcare and
other basic technical courses that allow them to apply for
residency.
After paying their fees in advance and showing proof of funds for
the first year, they land in Australia. Studying part-time, most of
them work as cleaners, waiters at Indian and other restaurants or as
attendants at petrol stations. Others work in farms where there is
an acute shortage of fruit pickers; or as taxi drivers and security
staff. They generally work extra hours to pay their fees, buy food
and pay rent. Some of them end up breaking laws. Up to 10 of them
can stay in a scrappy room, share rent and live in terrible
conditions. Australians, of late, have been refusing to rent rooms
to Indians. When they talk among themselves on the streets, they
seem to be shouting.
"These uncouth students are an embarrassment to us and spoil the
name of India for professionals like my husband," says Kiran Gupta,
an Australian Indian housewife in Melbourne.
Immigration laws are not strictly followed, perhaps due to labour
shortage, and so they stay on. Now the norms for TAFE colleges and
English language requirement are being tightened.
But, clearly, the image of India and Indians is changing for the
better in Australia.
The number of Indian students in reputable Australian universities
is small. Actually, the number of the entire Indian community is
small in Australia. It is estimated at around 200,000, mainly in
Melbourne and Sydney. They originate from Punjab, Gujarat, Andhra
Pradesh and, of course, from Mumbai and Delhi. In addition, Fijians,
South Africans and Kenyans have also migrated to Australia.
Like NRIs worldwide, Aussie Indians socialise around their religion.
A sudden growth has been seen in Hindu temples and Sikh gurdwaras in
every major city. In Melbourne and Sydney, many new worship places,
including temples and gurdwaras, Sai centres, Art of Living centres
and Baba Ramdev centres, among others, have come up. In Blackburn
Gurudwara, during Wednesday evenings and Sunday lunches, sometimes
over 5,000 Indians dine. In addition, people come for Saturday and
Sunday breakfasts after the morning 'Asa di Var'. On weekdays and
all Sikh religious festivals, thousands come. Students are seen
helping out with volunteer services so that cooking and serving have
become easier. They also stay on to help in cleaning. Thus the
temples are delighted with the high growth of the Indian community.
For India-Australia business relations, India is known for its IT
services and many local companies are getting their back office
tasks done in India. Some banks and large companies have set up
their call centres in India. Infosys and Satyam are well known and
others are also in the fray. Indian sports goods and handicrafts are
popular. Indian shops import the full range of groceries and spices,
even rice and flour. More than one Indian shop is found in all major
suburbs of Sydney and Melbourne. Some Aussies also buy from there.
ANZ Bank plays 'dholak' or soothing Indian music while you wait on
the phone.
Says Shan Gupta of Melbourne, "Almost every day, all newspapers and
TV channels report IPL. Channel Ten is showing all matches live,
although in the middle of night, when not many cricket fans are
awake.
"India has never been in the news for any good reasons. Despite the
negative picture of India because of the TAFE Indian students, the
perceptions about Indians and India in Australia are changing fast.
"All along, Australians viewed India as a poor country; now this is
changing. I see more opportunities emerging for Indians and Indian
companies here. Last week, headline ABC radio news said that an
Indian company is setting up a software centre in Melbourne that
would employ 700 Australians."
He added, "Now, that makes me an Aussie-Indian, proud of my roots."
(Kul Bhushan previously worked abroad as a newspaper editor and has
travelled to over 55 countries. He lives in New Delhi and can be
contacted at: kulbhushan2040@gmail.com)
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