I, Y?
PAWAN LUTHRA on a divided community
On day three of the Sydney Test between India and Australia , the Indian team had all but capitulated and was going through the motions of fighting an important cricket battle. However, near Bay 13 (or where the Hill used to be), a battle royale forged on between two groups of supporters. The newly organised Swami Army had their group of supporters and the traditional dhol player on one side of the aisle, and dividing them from the original Swamy Army were a group of amused (and yes, reasonably well imbibed) Australian supporters. Two armies for the demoralized Indian cricket team: one Swami with an ‘i’ and the other, still a Swamy Army with a ‘y’.
Why are there so many ‘I’s in anything Indian in Australia ? “I want to start an organisation”, “I want to be a leader”, “I want to represent my community” and yes, even, “I want to start a newspaper for the Indians in Australia ”.
While these questions will have many answers, ranging from ‘I can do a better job’ or ‘I can create a better environment for my fellow Indians’ or ‘I am simply better than my competition’, the question that needs to be asked is, why not? Indians as such have never been in an autocratic or a singular regime in India at least since 1947, and love their democratic traditions of having an opinion on anything and may I say, everything. It is their strong belief in themselves which often makes them arrive in their new home in Australia with little more than a few hundred dollars, and then go on to establish a rock solid base. They do have a strong opinion of themselves, often find it difficult to be accepted in the mainstream and so, they work closely with their local Indian communities.
The two leading Indian umbrella organisations, the United India Association (UIA) and the Council of Indian Australians (CIA) are both vying to gain public attention and acceptance. Yes, there is an ‘I’ in both, and the acrimony between them is an open secret. Yet, both of them are committed to serving the needs of local Indian Australians, be it through social activities such as seniors’ forums or health forums, or through celebrations of Indian milestones such as Republic or Independence Day. The two associations often mirror each other and so are able to offer the local community more.
While local Indian Australians will enjoy these offerings and those more involved with the community will have more gossip to share around, it is vitally important that organisations purporting to represent Indian Australians, be it the UIA or the CIA or even the AIBC, are open and transparent about their workings. Their management team should enunciate their vision clearly, understand that they are governed by Australian consumer laws and be open to any examination by the community, members or non-members. Their leaders need to allow new blood to take over in a transparent way; they need to table internally at least, as to any benefits or conflicts of interest they face as leaders or Presidents of their association. This will ensure respect for the voluntary positions they hold. They need to understand that they are custodians of the office which they hold for the Indian Australian community, and any misconduct not only reflects badly on them, but their associations/councils, and then to the entire Indian Australian community.
Meanwhile, may the armies of both the Swamies (the one with the ‘i’ and the one with the ‘y’) expand; the Indian cricket team needs all the help it can get.
