Singer and song-writer Rhett May talk to Tanu about his life, music and how the two are fused
Rhett May is no stranger to fame but he has been out of the spotlight for a while – about 30 years or so. Now the talented musician is back with Calcutta Boy an album that he has created in collaboration with childhood friend and band mate James Payne.
Early musical career in Calcutta
Born in 1950 in Calcutta, his music is shaped by the Carnatic and Hindustani music and instruments. However, by the time Rhett had begun boarding school in the Himalayan foothills, Western music was also very much on the scene with cinemas featuring musical movies from The Monkees, Cream, or Jimi Hendrix. Elvis and Ricky Nelson's pop dominated the airwaves.
Rhett's formed his first band The Wooly Bullys at the age of 15 with Preston Bortello and childhood friend James Payne. Their first taste of fame came in 1966, when they won the Battle of the Bands. They performed at many of the venues that were hot at that time and The Wooly Bullys evolved into The Flint Stones. The Flint Stones became India's most successful pop group, being featured on the cover of many music magazines. They even attracted the attention of former Beatle George Harrison and Apple Records.
Rhett lived the magic of the musical melting pot, but one experience stood out. Rhett explains, “My mother and father were always playing records - no TV in those days - in particular I remember “A White Sport Coat (And a Pink Carnation)”, by Marty Robbins, and the beautiful voices and harmonies of The Ink Spots. Few, if any songwriters and musicians could grow up in such a perfect time and place of musical menagerie.”
Moving to Australia
Rhett left his native India in 1969 and started his new music career in Australia. Rhett states: “I got a totally new group of musicians together and we were doing the 'garage' thing.” This garage band would develop into a successful band which evolved from the Shakespeare Sarani to Prodigy, and eventually they changed their name to Lucifer.
Renaissance of Rhett May’s music
As the decade of the seventies progressed, Rhett's success was changed forever by the “fever” of Saturday Night Fever. With disco taking hold of the music scene in Australia, Rhett left the world of music for the corporate world. Rhett says, “Corporate life has been tough, but rewarding, but deep down, the music was still there … hibernating!” Rhett kept in touch with almost every musician he had worked with over the years. When friend and former band mate Tom Matthews had his 50th birthday party, all the musicians met up again, and had an impromptu performance. It wasn't long before the lyrics, melodies and rhythm was flowing again. James and Rhett joined forces once again and collaborated on new material.
Is the Indian musical influence still strong after all these years?
Yes it is. I listen to all types of Indian music constantly -- the rhythms, the cadence in the voices, the lyrics. I am still fascinated after all these years.
Who would you say has influenced you the most musically?
John Lennon, The Beatles, Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, Hollies, Crosby Stills Nash and Santana.
What is your schedule like for this year?
I am concentrating of a number of musical ideas and putting together songs for my new album, with a heavier feel for the Indian influence and my formative years in music.
Any plans for more albums? Are you working on anything at this point?
My next album will be called Fast Cars and Sitars with twelve to fourteen songs that will surprise a lot of people. Although I am proud of the songs in Calcutta Boy, they were written and recorded in my basement home studio within the space of a week -- raw and without the assistance of any professional recording personnel. I am spending a whole lot more time and energy on the songs for Fast Cars and Sitars but it will still have my own feel and not the slick, smooth, contrived over the top studio gunk that is so prevalent in today’s music.
What charities are you involved with or support?
Charities that actually benefit children that are disabled, intellectually disadvantaged, mentally and physically abused.
The best piece of advice you actually followed?
Be true to your music. Believe in what you are doing and persevere. Most creativity is 95% perspiration and 5% inspiration. But mostly, you must be disciplined to sit down every day and know that you are good at what you do.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Deliverance
Jason Thomas works closely with doctors in the Eastern Province of Sri Lanka and delivers aid personally. He talks about his work.
Jason Thomas is a Melbourne man with a young family who works as a communications manager in a private health firm. An ordinary man but he is on an extraordinary mission. He has found his calling in personally delivering badly needed medical aid to one of the most war-ravaged areas of the world – Sri Lanka after the Boxing Day tsunami hit.
Most NGOs or non-governmental organisations fear to tread where Jason has continued to rush back to in following his mission. He works in and around Batticaloa, a town in the Eastern Province of Sri Lanka.
His work is deceptively straightforward but incredibly difficult to execute on the ground. “Rather than imposing our generosity on them, we ask them what they need, how we can help, where the supplies are lacking, and then we'll come back and deliver the goods and work with them.” This is the key difference between Mr Thomas’ team and those of similar NGOs. They don’t collect the money, they ask people who are interested to buy the equipment from the suppliers directly and Jason then delivers this to the doctors directly.
Mr Thomas says personally delivering aid is not something that everyone can do. But he says that everyone can make a difference. “I think that the power of the individual is amazing. But it's not just the individual, it's about bringing on board the wealth of skills, energy and help that exists in our own community. There are so many people who have the sort of skills and the compassion to help out. It's a matter of bringing those people together and then executing a plan and delivering on it.”
Mr Thomas admits that working in a war-torn country is not easy but has found that the trick lies in understanding what makes the people of that particular country work the way they do. “One of the best ways to negotiate and work with any group of people is to understand their needs, understand where they're coming from and understand why they operate the way they do. You can't change it and it's no use trying to force them to change.” Mr Thomas’ determination has opened many doors and removed many obstacles. People discovered that he was not going to go away and things started to fall into place – although it did take some time. While large charities like the Red Cross complain about the red tape they have to deal with, this medical team has managed to negotiate an agreement with the authorities where their goods enter the area tariff-free. This is no mean feat in an area that has been suffering under the double whammy of the civil war as well as the tsunami.
Mr Thomas is aware that more work needs to be done. “Even after coordinating the delivery of substantial amounts of medical equipment, I feel like we have barely made an impact and there is much more we can do. That is why I am committed to assisting the Government of Sri Lanka in the Eastern Province to long term sustainable health infrastructure. For example, I am excited about establishing a teaching and exchange programme for medical students from Eastern University and the University of Melbourne. Australia also has skills in the area of agriculture, solar technology and mineral extraction that could be shared with people in the East.”
Jason Thomas is a Melbourne man with a young family who works as a communications manager in a private health firm. An ordinary man but he is on an extraordinary mission. He has found his calling in personally delivering badly needed medical aid to one of the most war-ravaged areas of the world – Sri Lanka after the Boxing Day tsunami hit.
Most NGOs or non-governmental organisations fear to tread where Jason has continued to rush back to in following his mission. He works in and around Batticaloa, a town in the Eastern Province of Sri Lanka.
His work is deceptively straightforward but incredibly difficult to execute on the ground. “Rather than imposing our generosity on them, we ask them what they need, how we can help, where the supplies are lacking, and then we'll come back and deliver the goods and work with them.” This is the key difference between Mr Thomas’ team and those of similar NGOs. They don’t collect the money, they ask people who are interested to buy the equipment from the suppliers directly and Jason then delivers this to the doctors directly.
Mr Thomas says personally delivering aid is not something that everyone can do. But he says that everyone can make a difference. “I think that the power of the individual is amazing. But it's not just the individual, it's about bringing on board the wealth of skills, energy and help that exists in our own community. There are so many people who have the sort of skills and the compassion to help out. It's a matter of bringing those people together and then executing a plan and delivering on it.”
Mr Thomas admits that working in a war-torn country is not easy but has found that the trick lies in understanding what makes the people of that particular country work the way they do. “One of the best ways to negotiate and work with any group of people is to understand their needs, understand where they're coming from and understand why they operate the way they do. You can't change it and it's no use trying to force them to change.” Mr Thomas’ determination has opened many doors and removed many obstacles. People discovered that he was not going to go away and things started to fall into place – although it did take some time. While large charities like the Red Cross complain about the red tape they have to deal with, this medical team has managed to negotiate an agreement with the authorities where their goods enter the area tariff-free. This is no mean feat in an area that has been suffering under the double whammy of the civil war as well as the tsunami.
Mr Thomas is aware that more work needs to be done. “Even after coordinating the delivery of substantial amounts of medical equipment, I feel like we have barely made an impact and there is much more we can do. That is why I am committed to assisting the Government of Sri Lanka in the Eastern Province to long term sustainable health infrastructure. For example, I am excited about establishing a teaching and exchange programme for medical students from Eastern University and the University of Melbourne. Australia also has skills in the area of agriculture, solar technology and mineral extraction that could be shared with people in the East.”
Giving Sita a Voice
Nina Paley talks about her revolutionary film Sita Sings the Blues
Jazz singer of the 1920s Annette Hanshaw and her works have been given a new lease of life by a most unexpected person – Sita from the Ramayana fame.
In a creative production that is genius and very telling of our times (in that it involves the East and the West almost seamlessly) Annette Hanshaw is the voice of Sita in Sita Sings the Blues a film by Nina Paley. In a wonderful re-telling of the Ramayana, Sita is the protagonist and her story is told from a perspective that is at once unique and universal.
Set in a cartoon format, the full length feature film has also become famous for the stand that film-maker Nina Paley has taken against copyright issues. The film is free to watch. A search on Google will provide you with a very high resolution format. So basically, this film is free to watch, free to distribute and free to air, yes, even commercially. You may or may not share the proceeds with Nina Paley.
Nina Paley, America’s Best-Loved Unknown Cartoonist, as www.blog.ninapaley.com calls her, found time in her very busy schedule to share her thoughts about various aspects of the movie with Tanu.
The new distribution model is revolutionary. But how will you make money?
The same way most artists have always made money: by depending on the generosity of friends and strangers, and (where appropriate) by providing my official endorsement to particular distributions, namely those that share some of their profits with me.
But there's an assumption in your question: that before now, copyright funded most art. It didn't, actually. Copyright was designed in the first place to subsidize distribution, and that's primarily what it has always done. So this model isn't really as revolutionary as it might seem. What's revolutionary is that it's gotten so much easier to do what artists have been doing all along -- get support from their fans.
You’ve said that you just had to do this film in this particular way although you were aware of the rights issues. Tell us a bit about that creative process which you embarked on anyway.
As trite as it sounds, the film wanted to be made. I was the only one who could see it (in my head), so it was my job to make it real. While working on the film I thought this a lot:
Inspiration
Our Idea
Which art in the Ether
That cannot be named;
Thy Vision come
Thy Will be done
On Earth, as it is in Abstraction.
Give us this day our daily Spark
And forgive us our criticisms
As we forgive those who critique against us;
And lead us not into stagnation
But deliver us from Ego;
For Thine is the Vision
And the Power
And the Glory forever.
Amen.
What market do you have in mind for this film?
The nice thing about releasing a film to the entire world is that I don't have to think about markets. The markets will self-organize; the film will find them, and they will find the film. All I have to do is release it. The Internet does the rest.
Many will be seeing Sita in a new light. How do you feel about that?
Sita is already seen in a billion lights, because every interpretation of the Ramayana is slightly different. There have been feminist retellings in India for ages, but they've remained localized. An example is Nabaneeta Dev Sen’s article about certain women's retellings in India. The main thing that's new in Sita Sings the Blues, other than my own individual perspective which is neither more nor less important than any other individual's, is the medium. Film is a mass medium, and since I've made it available digitally, it's able to spread much farther than older versions.
You’ve mentioned being harassed by Hindu fundamentalists. What kind of interference did you get from them?
No interference, just some online harassment.
The film hasn't screened in any major Indian film festivals, even though several expressly wanted it at first. I assume this is because the fear of controversy made certain individuals on the programming committees pull back. The great thing about the free release is, no one can censor the film now. People are free to share it with each other, and neither protestors nor bureaucrats can stop it.
Fundamentalists and other tyrants wouldn't have any power if people didn't give it to them through fear. They want people to be afraid, it helps them control. Don't assist them.
Tell us about your time in Trivandrum which partly inspired this story of Sita?
I've travelled a lot, and Trivandrum was more different from the US than anything I'd ever experienced. I had some Malayali friends in San Francisco, and had read a lot about Kerala due to its high literacy and relatively low fertility rates, but actually living there I experienced huge culture shock. On the one hand, I made friends there with some of the coolest, brightest, feistiest women I'd ever met. On the other hand, I could never meet up with them after work, because single women simply didn't go out at night. This was in 2002, and things were already changing fast there, so that may not be the case anymore. We had friends from Mumbai who were living in Trivandrum who also said Mumbai was quite different. Even Kochi was said to be much more liberal. I also remember the men mostly wore Western clothes - button-down shirts and trousers - and the women almost exclusively wore "traditional" clothes, saris and salwar suits. It was quite striking in the workplace, like men and women were from different eras.
The food was fabulous. I developed a dosa addiction there that plagues me to this day. In fact today I'm walking across town to get a dosa at Saravanaas here in New York. Dosas are expensive here, but what else can I do?
The land around Trivandrum was stunningly beautiful, but it was hard for me to enjoy since my marriage was collapsing.
Where would you say copyright laws (which in many instances protect the rights of the artists) have gone wrong?
Well, do those laws really protect the "rights" of the artists? The effect the laws had on me was precisely the opposite: they nearly prevented me from making my art.
Most artists care a lot about attribution, and sometimes copyright is held up as a way to protect that right. But copyright is just about restricting copying, not about guaranteeing accurate attribution. If we want separate laws to protect attribution, we can easily have that without restricting sharing. (And copyright laws actually make attribution less likely: someone who, say, copies a passage is often afraid they'll be accused of copyright infringement, so they often strip
out the crediting they otherwise would have happily included.) So attribution isn't protected by copyright, and is often harmed by it.
But some people feel that artists should have this other monopoly right, unrelated to attribution: the right to control who can make copies of what, and who can make derivative works of what.
That's not any kind of natural right. There's nothing good about that right: it just breeds restriction and censorship. If I make a copy of a song, the original author doesn't lose the song, nor does she lose credit for the song, right? So why can't I do it? Why can't someone make a copy of my movie?
To answer your question: copyright law goes wrong when it starts restricting copying. So it's pretty much wrong all the time, since that's all it does.
You’ve mentioned that your next project would be about copyright laws. What do you have in mind at this stage?
I'd like to do a series of short cartoons about Free Speech. I'm working on it with Karl Fogel of QuestionCopyright.Org
Ana Tiwary: Spotlight on a story-teller
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Ana Tiwary has been in Australia for little over a year and she has already made her mark in her field.
Ana Tiwary was awarded the NSW Woman of the Year Award for setting up the Media Mentorship for Women. While this is her achievement, her career prior to her reaching Australian shores is both extraordinary and inspiring. Tanu caught up with this talented film-maker who wanted to be a doctor when she was young but decided to give it up on finding that she could not dissect even a mouse. She currently works at Distribution Co-ordinator at Goalpost Pictures.
Tell us a bit about this programme and the inspiration for starting such a scheme.
I established the Media Mentorship for Women (MMW) program in early 2008 as a major initiative for Women in Film and Television (WIFT) NSW. The program has been designed to redress the gender imbalance in the media and to encourage women from minority ethnic and indigenous groups to take advantage of this opportunity. MMW establishes one-to-one mentor relationships between industry professionals and emerging women filmmakers who are seeking to further their careers in key technical areas where women are consistently under represented.
When I first moved to Australia in 2007, I did not know where to start and felt I would greatly benefit from being mentored by a seasoned media professional. An inspiring speech by Tania Chambers, the CEO of the NSW Film and Television Office, gave me the confidence to take the initiative and set-up the program.
What kinds of women make use of this opportunity?
I was surprised to see how many mainstream women felt that they needed more support and were very thankful for the opportunity to participate in the program. Our participants come from many different backgrounds and ethnic groups. Of the 75 women who were accepted into the program in Round 1, several belonged to multi-cultural backgrounds and at least 5 had Indian heritage. We also received applications from women with disabilities, women who had recently moved to Sydney, women based in regional areas and women who were tyring to re-enter the industry after a gap.
Are there things that you would like to change or areas you would like to develop further?
The program is progressing way better than I had imagined and has generated support from numerous Government bodies, industry organizations as well as private sponsors and patrons. We have received 80 applications in Round 2 and the matching process is under way. The program also organized several workshops in areas such as scriptwriting, media law and cinematography.
The areas we would like to develop more are providing more online support to women who are not based in Sydney. We would also like to encourage more women from indigenous and minority groups to participate and, as with any non-profit run program, we would love to have more volunteers and sponsors on board.
Tell us about Goalpost Pictures and your new role as Distribution Coordinator there.
Goalpost Pictures is a dynamic independent production company that produces compelling screen stories. My role at Goalpost Pictures involves coordinating the publicity and distribution of their recent film Closed for Winter which stars Natalie Imbruglia in the lead role. I perform a whole range of tasks that range from organizing preview screenings to managing grass-roots publicity and distribution.
How did you discover your love of story-telling?
I have been involved with the media world since I was 16 and started my BA in Video Production. Before that I was leaning towards becoming a doctor, but I was not strong enough to even dissect a small mouse, so gave up that dream after studying science in High School. I always loved telling stories, photography, dance and theatre, so the media industry was the right choice. I get immense creative satisfaction from telling untold stories and collaborating with some fantastic people in the industry.
Apart from being a woman, you are also from an ethnic minority. Which do you find is a bigger challenge?
I think being a woman from an ethnic minority has its own unique set of challenges. The expectations from ethnic women from within their own culture are enormous and they find it harder to find a work-life balance. Being in a new country adds another layer of difficulty. It is important to seek out the smallest doors of opportunity rather than be overwhelmed by the thick walls of prejudice surrounding us. My advice to women who are in a similar situation is that every challenge is an opportunity in disguise -- all you need is an open and positive attitude. It is extremely important to be involved in mainstream society but instead of wasting a lot of time in trying to fit in, my advice would be to focus on what unique ideas you are able to bring to the table to enrich your adopted country.
How long have you been in Australia? What were your first impressions?
I have been in Australia about one and a half years. I moved here from Washington DC, where I was based for 4 years. My first impressions were that the weather is lovely and I was glad that it did not snow here. It was hard starting from scratch in a new country but now I feel that I belong here. My friends at Women in Film and Television NSW have been extremely helpful and have made the transition much easier.
What advice would you give to new arrivals from a media background?
The media industry is very different from any other field of work in that it is inherently deeply rooted in the culture, language, society, politics and history of the country. Also in every country the culture within the media industry is different, so it will take a couple of years to understand the subtleties about how networking works and how projects get made. My advice to new arrivals would be to join non-profits organizations and guilds to network, attend events and get to know people in your area of interest. The best way to achieve this is to volunteer. You could always create opportunities for yourself by establishing your own company. Set clear goals but remember it is important not to be too pushy and to have the patience and determination to stay in this tough industry.
Where did you grow up? What place do you call home today?
I grew up mostly in India but have lived in many parts of the world such as Germany, the US and now Australia. In India I have lived most of my life in Shillong, the capital of Meghalaya and a part of me is always haunted by its memories. I also love Lucknow and miss Mumbai all the time. My home is where my mother is and at the moment she lives in Delhi. I have very strong roots in India but I am aware of the contrast in my life and can never take any of the opportunities offered by Australia for granted.
Have you picked up any particular Aussie habit?
Of late I have noticed that I have started to say ‘no worries’ a few times!
Friday, April 3, 2009
‘Being someone else is a thrill in itself’: Pranam Janney
Pranam Janney is a role model for all struggling actors with his ready wit, optimism and willingness to work hard. He talks about his experiences in Australia and overseas
Pranam Janney is undoubtedly a brave soul. Coming from a middle-class background, he admits that his passion for acting is not considered much of a profession by his family. However, he discovered his love of acting and being in front of a camera at an early age and has managed to follow it in spite of many diversions along the way.
He started off with acting in commercials and has since managed to get a few meaty roles. He recently acted in a supporting role for the film Smoke alongside Kym Jackson (Criminal Minds, Scooby Doo). He has been offered the lead role in Purchase, (pre-production, 2009) to be directed by Oscar Nicholson, DOP- Geoffrey Simpsons (Romulus: My Father).
He is positive about the developments in Australian media saying the new serials that are being produced here will not only give jobs to South Asian actors but technicians as well. He spoke of his first experiences while looking for an acting job in Australia and asks that those who are starting out be wary of conmen willing to squeeze your purse dry. Excerpts:
Just to get a background, what made you go into acting? Where are you based now?
I am very comfortable acting in front of a camera. The adrenalin rush of getting into character and being someone else is a thrill in itself. I was involved in theatre till I was 13 years old, but stopped after that due to a number of different reasons.
By chance, I got in front of the camera for an advertisement when I was 20 years old. I then realised what I had missing and so decided to pursue acting seriously. I was always interested in exploring new horizons and that is how I reached Australia as a student of electronic engineering when I was 22.
Tell us about your first experiences as an actor starting out.
One of my first commercial ventures was an advertisement for a South Indian newspaper called Maatrubhoomi. That was in India. In Australia, the first break was in a short film by Alex Cuttleback. It was a small venture but a nice experience for me as I got to understand the inner workings of the industry. This proved invaluable for me as I went about looking for a job. Being a stranger in a strange country, it’s difficult to know who’s who and what is happening where. This was a small inroad into that industry.
Can you tell me a bit more about your work in London and how you got there?
I travel for personal and work. Being a struggling actor, it’s hard to differentiate between work and personal life. I’m in India now for personal reasons but I keep meeting with producers and such people to keep networking. I was in London before I travelled to India and although I went there for personal reasons, I managed to meet a few people. I met Irfaan Khan’s manager which was nice. In that sense, while I am based in Sydney, I do travel around and make sure that I keep meeting people.
There are a lot of new Aussie dramas coming out now? Do you think South Asians could play a role here?
Absolutely. People from South Asians backgrounds are contributing to Australian society in numerous ways. Hence, I believe South Asians could play a role in future productions in various capacities (Production, cast, crew etc).
What is your advice to someone looking to enter this field in Australia? Would you suggest they move to London, New York etc?
For someone entering this field in Australia, my advice would be that they should believe in themselves, work hard and persevere. Perseverance and hard work always pays. I have already mentioned before that Australian film industry is not as big as some of the other film industries. Obviously, for someone looking to enter the film industry, a move to London/New York/Los Angeles will certainly boost their chances of landing a role. But a sincere advice from me would be to build a profile here in Australia and then try your luck elsewhere. You would have a better chance of landing a role that way.
Another word of caution: keep a look out for all those scammers who are looking to squeeze your purse dry.
What are the chances of someone from a South Asian background getting a good role in an Australian production?
Australian Film Industry is not as big as Hollywood or Bollywood and it predominantly requires actors with Caucasian looks. However, there are roles that do pop-up which require actors from an Indian background but these are very few and rare. In future, I see more productions in/from Australia involving actors from more diverse ethnic backgrounds.
I was called for an audition for Sea Patrol (an Aussie drama) but I could not join them on the set as I was in London at the time. So that was a lost opportunity.
I know of a few others. There is this friend of mine who is of Sri Lankan origin. He was doing quite well in Tamil movies. However, here he could only pick up roles of taxi-driver, security guy etc. Then one day after playing the role of a dead body in All Saints, he packed his bags and left for New York.
Do you think it’s going to get better in Australia and how does UK and the US compare?
I see a change but it’s very slow. I feel it is going to get better here. Maybe not in the next couple of years but I would say in the next say six-seven years, I hope to see a change.
It’s also got to do with the nature of the industry. In a year maybe there are castings for 100 roles and out of them five may be for actors of South Asian background. So that’s five percent. In the US or the UK, there will be a thousand roles up for audition and maybe only five per cent of that will be for a South Asians; that percentage is a substantial number.
Tell us some anecdotes from your early days
I had never been outside India till I was 22 and I had not been exposed to any other accents. It was hard to convince people that I could do anything as I did not speak like them. I decided to give myself some accent training.
I remember this one instance very clearly and it has stayed with me: There was a big Hollywood production that was casting about two years ago and they were interested in my profile. I was really excited as it was a Hollywood casting. I went to Fox Studios for the audition. The director wanted me to do a Hell's kitchen accent and I had no idea what it was at the time (Hell’s Kitchen is in the Bronx area of New York City). He told me I would be a Puerto Rican immigrant. I told him I could not do that accent so he told me to do whatever accent I could. I tried what I knew and they all fell about laughing like they had gone nuts.
That was a good lesson. I realised right away that I needed professional accent training. I went to the guy who taught accents to Hugh Jackson, Nicole Kidman and Russell Crowe. He was really helpful but he told me that while he could convert an Australian accent to an American or English accent, he did not know what to do with the Indian tongue. While I can’t do an accent simultaneously, I can talk in almost any accent now if I’m given a script.
He started off with acting in commercials and has since managed to get a few meaty roles. He recently acted in a supporting role for the film Smoke alongside Kym Jackson (Criminal Minds, Scooby Doo). He has been offered the lead role in Purchase, (pre-production, 2009) to be directed by Oscar Nicholson, DOP- Geoffrey Simpsons (Romulus: My Father).
He is positive about the developments in Australian media saying the new serials that are being produced here will not only give jobs to South Asian actors but technicians as well. He spoke of his first experiences while looking for an acting job in Australia and asks that those who are starting out be wary of conmen willing to squeeze your purse dry. Excerpts:
Just to get a background, what made you go into acting? Where are you based now?
I am very comfortable acting in front of a camera. The adrenalin rush of getting into character and being someone else is a thrill in itself. I was involved in theatre till I was 13 years old, but stopped after that due to a number of different reasons.
By chance, I got in front of the camera for an advertisement when I was 20 years old. I then realised what I had missing and so decided to pursue acting seriously. I was always interested in exploring new horizons and that is how I reached Australia as a student of electronic engineering when I was 22.
Tell us about your first experiences as an actor starting out.
One of my first commercial ventures was an advertisement for a South Indian newspaper called Maatrubhoomi. That was in India. In Australia, the first break was in a short film by Alex Cuttleback. It was a small venture but a nice experience for me as I got to understand the inner workings of the industry. This proved invaluable for me as I went about looking for a job. Being a stranger in a strange country, it’s difficult to know who’s who and what is happening where. This was a small inroad into that industry.
Can you tell me a bit more about your work in London and how you got there?
I travel for personal and work. Being a struggling actor, it’s hard to differentiate between work and personal life. I’m in India now for personal reasons but I keep meeting with producers and such people to keep networking. I was in London before I travelled to India and although I went there for personal reasons, I managed to meet a few people. I met Irfaan Khan’s manager which was nice. In that sense, while I am based in Sydney, I do travel around and make sure that I keep meeting people.
There are a lot of new Aussie dramas coming out now? Do you think South Asians could play a role here?
Absolutely. People from South Asians backgrounds are contributing to Australian society in numerous ways. Hence, I believe South Asians could play a role in future productions in various capacities (Production, cast, crew etc).
What is your advice to someone looking to enter this field in Australia? Would you suggest they move to London, New York etc?
For someone entering this field in Australia, my advice would be that they should believe in themselves, work hard and persevere. Perseverance and hard work always pays. I have already mentioned before that Australian film industry is not as big as some of the other film industries. Obviously, for someone looking to enter the film industry, a move to London/New York/Los Angeles will certainly boost their chances of landing a role. But a sincere advice from me would be to build a profile here in Australia and then try your luck elsewhere. You would have a better chance of landing a role that way.
Another word of caution: keep a look out for all those scammers who are looking to squeeze your purse dry.
What are the chances of someone from a South Asian background getting a good role in an Australian production?
Australian Film Industry is not as big as Hollywood or Bollywood and it predominantly requires actors with Caucasian looks. However, there are roles that do pop-up which require actors from an Indian background but these are very few and rare. In future, I see more productions in/from Australia involving actors from more diverse ethnic backgrounds.
I was called for an audition for Sea Patrol (an Aussie drama) but I could not join them on the set as I was in London at the time. So that was a lost opportunity.
I know of a few others. There is this friend of mine who is of Sri Lankan origin. He was doing quite well in Tamil movies. However, here he could only pick up roles of taxi-driver, security guy etc. Then one day after playing the role of a dead body in All Saints, he packed his bags and left for New York.
Do you think it’s going to get better in Australia and how does UK and the US compare?
I see a change but it’s very slow. I feel it is going to get better here. Maybe not in the next couple of years but I would say in the next say six-seven years, I hope to see a change.
It’s also got to do with the nature of the industry. In a year maybe there are castings for 100 roles and out of them five may be for actors of South Asian background. So that’s five percent. In the US or the UK, there will be a thousand roles up for audition and maybe only five per cent of that will be for a South Asians; that percentage is a substantial number.
Tell us some anecdotes from your early days
I had never been outside India till I was 22 and I had not been exposed to any other accents. It was hard to convince people that I could do anything as I did not speak like them. I decided to give myself some accent training.
I remember this one instance very clearly and it has stayed with me: There was a big Hollywood production that was casting about two years ago and they were interested in my profile. I was really excited as it was a Hollywood casting. I went to Fox Studios for the audition. The director wanted me to do a Hell's kitchen accent and I had no idea what it was at the time (Hell’s Kitchen is in the Bronx area of New York City). He told me I would be a Puerto Rican immigrant. I told him I could not do that accent so he told me to do whatever accent I could. I tried what I knew and they all fell about laughing like they had gone nuts.
That was a good lesson. I realised right away that I needed professional accent training. I went to the guy who taught accents to Hugh Jackson, Nicole Kidman and Russell Crowe. He was really helpful but he told me that while he could convert an Australian accent to an American or English accent, he did not know what to do with the Indian tongue. While I can’t do an accent simultaneously, I can talk in almost any accent now if I’m given a script.
No trouble on my watch
Rakesh Raju talks about the unenviable job of making sure people have a good time and we get home safe after a night out
Rakesh Raju talks to Tanu about the unenviable job of making sure people have a good time and we get home safe after a night out
Story: “It’s a family tradition,” Rakesh Raju says. “One person in the family has to go into the police force, although my parents are farmers back home in Fiji.” So that is how Raj -- as he is known to all his friends – took the first step towards starting his own successful international security company.
Raj moved to New Zealand from Fiji and soon found a niche for himself in the force there. “They were short of officers and they were looking for someone to fill in the multicultural posts. They wanted people from different backgrounds to join the force and that’s where I came in,” he says.
He was in New Zealand for 9 years and that’s where he met his wife Anita. “She was an engineer and her profession was quite sought after in Australia.” Raj and family landed in Townsville, Queensland. “It was shock! There was nothing there. It’s a beautiful place. I thought I was back in Fiji but I loved it. It’s a tropical climate, warm all the time.”
Raj spent five years in Townsville where he worked with ATSIC or Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander Commission (This was later scrapped by John Howard when he was Prime Minister) “I joined the ATSI C. Never knew much about Torres Straight Islanders but in Townsville there were just three Indian families,” Raj says laughing. There was one doctor from India, a Fiji-Indian lawyer from Brisbane and myself.
While Raj was working here, he kept thinking of ideas to do something different. That is when 9/11 happened. It actually worked in his favour as there was great demand for security at that stage. “When you work in the industry (police) you know about the gaps in the security arrangement. A lawyer friend of mine also saw the potential and we started the company together.”
He was doing alright in Townsville but the weather did not agree with his younger son Kaushik, 11, who was just six months at the time. “He got this fever which became very serious and we had to move to Melbourne to be closer to the hospital here,” he said. His older son Krishna is now 15.
“I quit everything and moved here. Anita was able to get a job while I looked after my son.”
It was around this time that he thought of setting up a security business here and he got his licence. “It was easy enough to open the second operation once you had the first one going on,” he said.
But it was not always that easy. “I went and worked for another company first and the manager was so impressed with me that I was quickly promoted from bodyguard to head of security and then security manager.”
His company now handles 28 nightclubs in Victoria all the way from Ballarat to Melbourne. “We are pretty strong in the regional areas.” His company also specializes in personal protection, alarms, response and consultancy services.
“I was getting a lot of enquiries in Queensland as ours was an alternative security agency as my partner was half Aboriginal. And also, we ran a very honest and professional operation.” However, he has now managed to move away from his Queensland operation in such a way that he does not need to be there all the time. He goes there occasionally.
He has recently opened a new operation in New Zealand which is all set to take off by Christmas.
“We are have about 111 full time guards and on the weekends, that goes up to 170 guards,” says Raj.
There is a reason why his guards are so sought after. “Our security guards are fully trained. We are associated with a training school, there is an interview process, we try them for two weeks in different venues. We make sure they can work with us. Ninety percent of the time the managers of the venue we are dealing with like them. A lot of them have been with me since the day I started. It’s like one big family,” says Raj, obviously proud of his retention rate.
Its hard to avoid trouble when you are working with nightclubs. It can be in the form of a nasty fight, run in with the law or the main problem – drugs.
“I see some pretty bad things out there. I hope my elder son Krishna, 15, steers clear of things like that,” Raj says on a somber note. “In all our venues, there is a zero tolerance to drugs. However, we can only do so much. Most of the time, they do it somewhere else and then get to the club. In that case, we are helpless.” Raj has links with some the policemen in the areas that he works in and helps them occasionally. So if Raj finds someone doing drugs, they are taken straight to the police.
So does he like the nightclub and events circuit? “I do a lot of events with Yogesh Sharma who runs Cinestar. He is one of the most honest people I know and I’ve collaborated with him a few times.” But that is a different ball game altogether and Raj prefers sticking to what he knows.
Indian nights are often derided for the lack of crowd control and Raj sheds some lights on this. He finds that most Indian promoters forsake crowd control in favour of money and this translates to fights and brawls later in the night. “In my experience, there are not too many Indian ladies at these nights and the fights may have something to do with it,” he says, stressing that it is only his private opinion.
With his company growing so fast, Raj considers himself a lucky man. “I like being my own boss. And the guards are a key factor in the company doing so well.”
The only drawback is that his business eats into his time with the family. “I am away a lot, even if I’m home, I’m tired. I away at night time too. But that is part of the game isn’t it?”
Story: “It’s a family tradition,” Rakesh Raju says. “One person in the family has to go into the police force, although my parents are farmers back home in Fiji.” So that is how Raj -- as he is known to all his friends – took the first step towards starting his own successful international security company.
Raj moved to New Zealand from Fiji and soon found a niche for himself in the force there. “They were short of officers and they were looking for someone to fill in the multicultural posts. They wanted people from different backgrounds to join the force and that’s where I came in,” he says.
He was in New Zealand for 9 years and that’s where he met his wife Anita. “She was an engineer and her profession was quite sought after in Australia.” Raj and family landed in Townsville, Queensland. “It was shock! There was nothing there. It’s a beautiful place. I thought I was back in Fiji but I loved it. It’s a tropical climate, warm all the time.”
Raj spent five years in Townsville where he worked with ATSIC or Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander Commission (This was later scrapped by John Howard when he was Prime Minister) “I joined the ATSI C. Never knew much about Torres Straight Islanders but in Townsville there were just three Indian families,” Raj says laughing. There was one doctor from India, a Fiji-Indian lawyer from Brisbane and myself.
While Raj was working here, he kept thinking of ideas to do something different. That is when 9/11 happened. It actually worked in his favour as there was great demand for security at that stage. “When you work in the industry (police) you know about the gaps in the security arrangement. A lawyer friend of mine also saw the potential and we started the company together.”
He was doing alright in Townsville but the weather did not agree with his younger son Kaushik, 11, who was just six months at the time. “He got this fever which became very serious and we had to move to Melbourne to be closer to the hospital here,” he said. His older son Krishna is now 15.
“I quit everything and moved here. Anita was able to get a job while I looked after my son.”
It was around this time that he thought of setting up a security business here and he got his licence. “It was easy enough to open the second operation once you had the first one going on,” he said.
But it was not always that easy. “I went and worked for another company first and the manager was so impressed with me that I was quickly promoted from bodyguard to head of security and then security manager.”
His company now handles 28 nightclubs in Victoria all the way from Ballarat to Melbourne. “We are pretty strong in the regional areas.” His company also specializes in personal protection, alarms, response and consultancy services.
“I was getting a lot of enquiries in Queensland as ours was an alternative security agency as my partner was half Aboriginal. And also, we ran a very honest and professional operation.” However, he has now managed to move away from his Queensland operation in such a way that he does not need to be there all the time. He goes there occasionally.
He has recently opened a new operation in New Zealand which is all set to take off by Christmas.
“We are have about 111 full time guards and on the weekends, that goes up to 170 guards,” says Raj.
There is a reason why his guards are so sought after. “Our security guards are fully trained. We are associated with a training school, there is an interview process, we try them for two weeks in different venues. We make sure they can work with us. Ninety percent of the time the managers of the venue we are dealing with like them. A lot of them have been with me since the day I started. It’s like one big family,” says Raj, obviously proud of his retention rate.
Its hard to avoid trouble when you are working with nightclubs. It can be in the form of a nasty fight, run in with the law or the main problem – drugs.
“I see some pretty bad things out there. I hope my elder son Krishna, 15, steers clear of things like that,” Raj says on a somber note. “In all our venues, there is a zero tolerance to drugs. However, we can only do so much. Most of the time, they do it somewhere else and then get to the club. In that case, we are helpless.” Raj has links with some the policemen in the areas that he works in and helps them occasionally. So if Raj finds someone doing drugs, they are taken straight to the police.
So does he like the nightclub and events circuit? “I do a lot of events with Yogesh Sharma who runs Cinestar. He is one of the most honest people I know and I’ve collaborated with him a few times.” But that is a different ball game altogether and Raj prefers sticking to what he knows.
Indian nights are often derided for the lack of crowd control and Raj sheds some lights on this. He finds that most Indian promoters forsake crowd control in favour of money and this translates to fights and brawls later in the night. “In my experience, there are not too many Indian ladies at these nights and the fights may have something to do with it,” he says, stressing that it is only his private opinion.
With his company growing so fast, Raj considers himself a lucky man. “I like being my own boss. And the guards are a key factor in the company doing so well.”
The only drawback is that his business eats into his time with the family. “I am away a lot, even if I’m home, I’m tired. I away at night time too. But that is part of the game isn’t it?”
Giving something back: Rajrendra and Asha Chopra
Mr Rajendra Chopra and wife Asha thank God that they have had a full life and says that they are happy to give back to a country that has been good to them
Mr Rajendra Chopra left India in 1966 when he was about 20 years old.
He did his masters in Canada and worked in senior management positions in Canada and in the States before he came to Australia in 1983.
“I’ve never really had a problem with jobs. Whenever I changed countries, it was always with employment in hand. I feel that if you are the right person, with the right qualification and attitude, you can get the job you want. This I have found to be true here, in Canada and America.”
This was at a time when there were not many Indians to be seen around Melbourne. “I remember one of the more important faculties which had thousands of students and only about eight students who were of Indian origin,” says Mr Chopra in an obvious reference to the number of international students we have here today. “In Canada, when I was there, I would lucky if I saw an Indian a week. There was only one Indian shop in all of Ontario and supermarkets did not have all these exotic vegetables.” Ontario is one of the largest states in Canada and its capital is Toronto which is a multicultural hub of Canada. One of the largest immigration groups into Ontario today are South Asians, including Indians.
However, Mr Chopra adds, “People were very receptive. Job opportunities were there for the right people. I had a job the very first day. I was mechanical engineer and had an MBA background as well.” He is a lucky man to have had a fair go in Canada as well as Australia.
He left Canada and reached Australia a married man in 1983.
“Asha is a great personality. I have three wonderful children who are all well settled,” he beams while talking about his wife and adds that his children are as proud of their Australian culture as they are of their Indian origin. “They are well-informed about both cultures.”
“I have three wonderful children and I have Asha to thank for that. I feel that is the toughest job in the world,” he says.
Mr Chopra has worked as an engineer contributing to some very high profile professors in faculties like the Yale Univesity in America. He is especially proud of his contribution to the very first baby car seat that got approval by OSHA or the Occupations Safe and Health of America.
After he retired, Mr Chopra along with a few of his friends saw that there were some things that they could do for the Indian community here in Australia.
“First of all, the people who moved here a few decades back are all retiring and they have time on their hands. Also, these people, are sometimes without their spouses and not only have time on their hands but find that they have no one to share their time with,” says Mr Chopra, “Since we have been blessed with health and we are still living, we thought that it would be a good idea to set up an association.”
That was how the Northern Region Indian Seniors Association Victoria was formed. Mr Chopra insists that he has not done anything extraordinary. It was something that came naturally to someone who feels that this country has been kind to him and wants to give something back.
“We have a working committee of five people. It was a legal requirement to have a working committee. It was formed in early 2008 and the main purpose is to have a place where the seniors could meet and greet. They meet people of their own age group once a month where there will be subsidized food and some sort of entertainment.”
“I have found that as you get older, you want to go back to your roots some more. You feel like speaking your language and getting involved in cultural activities. This is especially true of those who have been here for only one generation,” says Mr Chopra stressing that these meetings is a good way for those who have come here to help their children meet new people their own age and make new friends.
Apart from entertainment like music and dance, there are also information sessions organized. “Health, fitness and well being are some of the things we cover. There are sessions on yoga, Centerlink presentations where they advise us of benefits available from government and there are seminars on super management. Primarily, it allows us to spread awareness among the community about the problems that affect seniors. We also have generic sessions on topics like how to stay fit and active, diabetes, heart attack and strokes. These are all things that affect the elderly.”
“If they feel like calling in any distress situation they can do so. We can get them in touch with the right people,” says Mr Chopra.
Mr Chopra along with other members of the community work with Darebin Coucil. “They have provided us access to Senior Citizen’s hall in Northcote and the Mayor and staff of Darebin Council have been helping us in any way they can.”
Bothe Mr and Mrs Chopra are a very creative couple as well. While Mr Chopra’s hobby is writing poetry in Hindi, Punjabi and English, Mrs Chopra has a great love for music and loves to perform on stage. Mrs Chopra has learnt singing from Indian music teachers based in Australia. “She sings on stage whever she gets a chance.”
“In my teenage years, I used to write poetry and some have been published in the magazine that they used to have at that time called Sarita,” says Mr Chopra referring to his early days in Delhi. “I have had a few Hindi poems published here as well.”
“We have a recital once in two months at a specified venue. It’s a free event that is open to the public. They can come and share their thoughts and poetry with us.”
At the end of the day Mr and Mrs Chopra have two things to say: “One, as I always tell people, God has been good. Second, I feel that if I can put a smile on a person’s face, then I thank God for that ability.”
“I have to stress again and again that I am not doing anything extraordinary. I’m just trying to do something for the community.I am just doing my best, making a living, bringing up children and now we would like to give back to a country that has been good to us.”
He did his masters in Canada and worked in senior management positions in Canada and in the States before he came to Australia in 1983.
“I’ve never really had a problem with jobs. Whenever I changed countries, it was always with employment in hand. I feel that if you are the right person, with the right qualification and attitude, you can get the job you want. This I have found to be true here, in Canada and America.”
This was at a time when there were not many Indians to be seen around Melbourne. “I remember one of the more important faculties which had thousands of students and only about eight students who were of Indian origin,” says Mr Chopra in an obvious reference to the number of international students we have here today. “In Canada, when I was there, I would lucky if I saw an Indian a week. There was only one Indian shop in all of Ontario and supermarkets did not have all these exotic vegetables.” Ontario is one of the largest states in Canada and its capital is Toronto which is a multicultural hub of Canada. One of the largest immigration groups into Ontario today are South Asians, including Indians.
However, Mr Chopra adds, “People were very receptive. Job opportunities were there for the right people. I had a job the very first day. I was mechanical engineer and had an MBA background as well.” He is a lucky man to have had a fair go in Canada as well as Australia.
He left Canada and reached Australia a married man in 1983.
“Asha is a great personality. I have three wonderful children who are all well settled,” he beams while talking about his wife and adds that his children are as proud of their Australian culture as they are of their Indian origin. “They are well-informed about both cultures.”
“I have three wonderful children and I have Asha to thank for that. I feel that is the toughest job in the world,” he says.
Mr Chopra has worked as an engineer contributing to some very high profile professors in faculties like the Yale Univesity in America. He is especially proud of his contribution to the very first baby car seat that got approval by OSHA or the Occupations Safe and Health of America.
After he retired, Mr Chopra along with a few of his friends saw that there were some things that they could do for the Indian community here in Australia.
“First of all, the people who moved here a few decades back are all retiring and they have time on their hands. Also, these people, are sometimes without their spouses and not only have time on their hands but find that they have no one to share their time with,” says Mr Chopra, “Since we have been blessed with health and we are still living, we thought that it would be a good idea to set up an association.”
That was how the Northern Region Indian Seniors Association Victoria was formed. Mr Chopra insists that he has not done anything extraordinary. It was something that came naturally to someone who feels that this country has been kind to him and wants to give something back.
“We have a working committee of five people. It was a legal requirement to have a working committee. It was formed in early 2008 and the main purpose is to have a place where the seniors could meet and greet. They meet people of their own age group once a month where there will be subsidized food and some sort of entertainment.”
“I have found that as you get older, you want to go back to your roots some more. You feel like speaking your language and getting involved in cultural activities. This is especially true of those who have been here for only one generation,” says Mr Chopra stressing that these meetings is a good way for those who have come here to help their children meet new people their own age and make new friends.
Apart from entertainment like music and dance, there are also information sessions organized. “Health, fitness and well being are some of the things we cover. There are sessions on yoga, Centerlink presentations where they advise us of benefits available from government and there are seminars on super management. Primarily, it allows us to spread awareness among the community about the problems that affect seniors. We also have generic sessions on topics like how to stay fit and active, diabetes, heart attack and strokes. These are all things that affect the elderly.”
“If they feel like calling in any distress situation they can do so. We can get them in touch with the right people,” says Mr Chopra.
Mr Chopra along with other members of the community work with Darebin Coucil. “They have provided us access to Senior Citizen’s hall in Northcote and the Mayor and staff of Darebin Council have been helping us in any way they can.”
Bothe Mr and Mrs Chopra are a very creative couple as well. While Mr Chopra’s hobby is writing poetry in Hindi, Punjabi and English, Mrs Chopra has a great love for music and loves to perform on stage. Mrs Chopra has learnt singing from Indian music teachers based in Australia. “She sings on stage whever she gets a chance.”
“In my teenage years, I used to write poetry and some have been published in the magazine that they used to have at that time called Sarita,” says Mr Chopra referring to his early days in Delhi. “I have had a few Hindi poems published here as well.”
“We have a recital once in two months at a specified venue. It’s a free event that is open to the public. They can come and share their thoughts and poetry with us.”
At the end of the day Mr and Mrs Chopra have two things to say: “One, as I always tell people, God has been good. Second, I feel that if I can put a smile on a person’s face, then I thank God for that ability.”
“I have to stress again and again that I am not doing anything extraordinary. I’m just trying to do something for the community.I am just doing my best, making a living, bringing up children and now we would like to give back to a country that has been good to us.”
Badshaah BABA
Baadsha was music watches over an impossibly large collection of music and movies
Location. Location. Location. That’s the mantra in business or is that real estate? Either way, Saheed, better known as Baba, could not have done better.
Ensconed in Australia’s only little India project on Foster Street in Dandenong, Baba is not just any other music shop. It is almost an institution. So much so that he is included in the Little India tours conducted here.
Are his customers his friends or his friends his customers? It’s hard to tell because almost everyone that walks into his shop gives him a nod and a wave. “I also get the people from the tour looking through the CDs and buying some music,” he Baba, insisting that we call him Baba which, incidentally, is the name of the shop.
The shop itself is pretty neatly laid out. The emphasis is on music, movies, magazines, DVDs - in that order. Baba is definitely into his music but there is a large selection of Bollywood movies. Baba claims it’s the largest selection here. You will also find here music that you will not find elsewhere. This includes Indian music that you cannot get in India. Baba has a story to prove this and it features one of his icons, Bappi Lahiri.
Bappi Lahiri had been in town shooting for a movie and happened to come into the shop. When he saw the album Ghungta, he could not believe his eyes. “He told me he had been looking for that album everywhere in India and could not find it. He was so pleased that he found it here,” says Baba from behind his imposing counter at the front of his shop from where he controls what music plays in his shop. He has a number of other Bappi Lahiri albums at the shop.
He dug deep in his stash of CDs behind the counter and came up with the CD and sure enough, there was the unmistakable scrawl of Bappi Lahiri’s autograph. “We used to meet each other almost everyday when he was filming in Melbourne.”
Like many other businesses in the area, Baba was not always this big. He ran a smaller shop at a smaller premise before he expanded. However, he has always been on Foster Street.
Originally from Fiji, Baba traces his roots to India and that probably explains his love of Bollywood and other music from the area. He came to Australia in 1989 and has been here ever since.
Ensconed in Australia’s only little India project on Foster Street in Dandenong, Baba is not just any other music shop. It is almost an institution. So much so that he is included in the Little India tours conducted here.
Are his customers his friends or his friends his customers? It’s hard to tell because almost everyone that walks into his shop gives him a nod and a wave. “I also get the people from the tour looking through the CDs and buying some music,” he Baba, insisting that we call him Baba which, incidentally, is the name of the shop.
The shop itself is pretty neatly laid out. The emphasis is on music, movies, magazines, DVDs - in that order. Baba is definitely into his music but there is a large selection of Bollywood movies. Baba claims it’s the largest selection here. You will also find here music that you will not find elsewhere. This includes Indian music that you cannot get in India. Baba has a story to prove this and it features one of his icons, Bappi Lahiri.
Bappi Lahiri had been in town shooting for a movie and happened to come into the shop. When he saw the album Ghungta, he could not believe his eyes. “He told me he had been looking for that album everywhere in India and could not find it. He was so pleased that he found it here,” says Baba from behind his imposing counter at the front of his shop from where he controls what music plays in his shop. He has a number of other Bappi Lahiri albums at the shop.
He dug deep in his stash of CDs behind the counter and came up with the CD and sure enough, there was the unmistakable scrawl of Bappi Lahiri’s autograph. “We used to meet each other almost everyday when he was filming in Melbourne.”
Like many other businesses in the area, Baba was not always this big. He ran a smaller shop at a smaller premise before he expanded. However, he has always been on Foster Street.
Originally from Fiji, Baba traces his roots to India and that probably explains his love of Bollywood and other music from the area. He came to Australia in 1989 and has been here ever since.
Politician with a difference
Harpreet Sandhu tells young people not to underestimate the value of working for an elected official
Counciller Harpreet Sandhu is a politician. He says that’s what he does. It is what he loves to do and what he has been doing for almost 30 years. He has worked out how and where he fits in the great churning of processes that is the American democracy.
He is best known in the media for his work promoting the safety of taxi-drivers in the Richmond area of California in the United States of America. He is also known for his work promoting the youth to participate in politics. He supports Democratic Presidential nominee Barack Obama.
Mr Sandhu is a deeply rooted man and very articulate. He gave me a quick run down of the Richmond area so that there would be some background to the rough nature of the neighbourhood. “Richmond is a town that is around 100 years old. It’s a port city,” says Mr Sandhu, going on to explain how it flourished during the war year when a lot of people moved into the city increasing the population to 120,000 from 40,000 because of a ship building yard that had been set up there. “When war ended, the people moved on and the population segregated into African-American, Hispanic and so on,” says Sandhu.
In a tiny area about 3 mile by 3 mile, Richmond has the sixth largest homicide rates in the country and the second largest in California “Drug dealing is rife and this leads to turf wars,” says Mr Sandhu.
It is in this context that he talks about the safety of the taxi drivers who are “99 per cent Indians and of that 80 per cent are Sikh”. There was a particularly drastic attack where a taxi-driver was caught at a dead end and shot at point blank range. This is when Mr Sandhu got involved. He was interviewed by the local press on the story. He went on record to say that this was a hate crime and as such had to be treated differently. “There was no motive to steal. The cab driver was carrying a large sum of money with him as well as a laptop and that was not stolen,” he says. However, it could not be admitted as such due to the legalities of defining a hate crime.
This took a turn for the worse when a second similar incident happened. This time, however, the cab driver managed to escape and related the incident to say the person who shot him (the bullet lodged in his jaw and did not kill him) did not attempt to rob him. Just asked him to lower the window and shot him.
In the light of these incidents, Mr Sandhu gathered the considerable might of the local Sikh community behind him to push for safer driving conditions for cab drivers. The result was that about $30,000 of public funding was to be earmarked for cameras in taxis and for protective shields for drivers.
This is a unique move in all of America as public funds were used towards safety for a private enterprise. Even more unique is the fact that there was hardly any opposition at all to this move.
Mr Sandhu who turns 50 next year started working in the system almost 30 years ago. “I remember during election time, volunteers coming to the door and asking if I would like to help. I said yes and it increased awarensess. People came to know me. I was still an oddity as most Asians were either doctors or lawyers,” says Sandhu. He explains by saying how politics does not play a very important role in the daily lives of people in the US as opposed to those in India. There is no interaction with politicians.
“Indians are very good at donations. We give a lot of money to the political party of our choice. However, we don’t know how to use that influence. It only fair that we ask for good school, road and facilities in your area. Instead they go for photo ops,” he says. However, that trend seems to be changing. “However, I find that with the new generation, they have a chance to get into these roles as they are financially secure. They realise the importance of working for an elected official and the leadership opportunity it provies. You can hardly get that kind of experience working as a doctor.”
Mr Sandhu was at the convention when Barack Obama made the now famous speech. “I was there when he made that speech and that’s when I got attached. In fact, even my wife said that he was a man to watch,” says Sandhu going on to explain how he was one of the highest vote gatherers for Obama.
In two years Mr Sandhu will run for Mayor. He needs $100,000 to run and he says about 60-70% of that will be raised by Sikhs all around America. Being Sikh is a large part of his identity. “I am the only baptised Sikh who is serving on the council. Visibility is greater for me.”
“When I look back, I’ve been doing this for a long time. It takes a while to build up such a career here. Many Indians come here thinking - Ok we’ve got money, now we’ll get a ticket. It does not work like that.”
Mr Sandhu moved to the Richmond area when the local gurudwara was being built there. His father was the president of the board and hence moved to the area to be closer to the gurudwara complex. Today, it is a rambling structure and has and attendance of about 1500.
Mr Sandhu’s family has been in the area since the Asian Exclusionary Act was removed. This Act meant that while some could come and live in the US, they would not be allowed to bring their families. Today he has a rambling network of cousins and relatives in the area numbering about 100. He lives here with his wife Inderpreet and three children Tanisha, 23, Hoorin, 21, and Barjodan, 20.
He is best known in the media for his work promoting the safety of taxi-drivers in the Richmond area of California in the United States of America. He is also known for his work promoting the youth to participate in politics. He supports Democratic Presidential nominee Barack Obama.
Mr Sandhu is a deeply rooted man and very articulate. He gave me a quick run down of the Richmond area so that there would be some background to the rough nature of the neighbourhood. “Richmond is a town that is around 100 years old. It’s a port city,” says Mr Sandhu, going on to explain how it flourished during the war year when a lot of people moved into the city increasing the population to 120,000 from 40,000 because of a ship building yard that had been set up there. “When war ended, the people moved on and the population segregated into African-American, Hispanic and so on,” says Sandhu.
In a tiny area about 3 mile by 3 mile, Richmond has the sixth largest homicide rates in the country and the second largest in California “Drug dealing is rife and this leads to turf wars,” says Mr Sandhu.
It is in this context that he talks about the safety of the taxi drivers who are “99 per cent Indians and of that 80 per cent are Sikh”. There was a particularly drastic attack where a taxi-driver was caught at a dead end and shot at point blank range. This is when Mr Sandhu got involved. He was interviewed by the local press on the story. He went on record to say that this was a hate crime and as such had to be treated differently. “There was no motive to steal. The cab driver was carrying a large sum of money with him as well as a laptop and that was not stolen,” he says. However, it could not be admitted as such due to the legalities of defining a hate crime.
This took a turn for the worse when a second similar incident happened. This time, however, the cab driver managed to escape and related the incident to say the person who shot him (the bullet lodged in his jaw and did not kill him) did not attempt to rob him. Just asked him to lower the window and shot him.
In the light of these incidents, Mr Sandhu gathered the considerable might of the local Sikh community behind him to push for safer driving conditions for cab drivers. The result was that about $30,000 of public funding was to be earmarked for cameras in taxis and for protective shields for drivers.
This is a unique move in all of America as public funds were used towards safety for a private enterprise. Even more unique is the fact that there was hardly any opposition at all to this move.
Mr Sandhu who turns 50 next year started working in the system almost 30 years ago. “I remember during election time, volunteers coming to the door and asking if I would like to help. I said yes and it increased awarensess. People came to know me. I was still an oddity as most Asians were either doctors or lawyers,” says Sandhu. He explains by saying how politics does not play a very important role in the daily lives of people in the US as opposed to those in India. There is no interaction with politicians.
“Indians are very good at donations. We give a lot of money to the political party of our choice. However, we don’t know how to use that influence. It only fair that we ask for good school, road and facilities in your area. Instead they go for photo ops,” he says. However, that trend seems to be changing. “However, I find that with the new generation, they have a chance to get into these roles as they are financially secure. They realise the importance of working for an elected official and the leadership opportunity it provies. You can hardly get that kind of experience working as a doctor.”
Mr Sandhu was at the convention when Barack Obama made the now famous speech. “I was there when he made that speech and that’s when I got attached. In fact, even my wife said that he was a man to watch,” says Sandhu going on to explain how he was one of the highest vote gatherers for Obama.
In two years Mr Sandhu will run for Mayor. He needs $100,000 to run and he says about 60-70% of that will be raised by Sikhs all around America. Being Sikh is a large part of his identity. “I am the only baptised Sikh who is serving on the council. Visibility is greater for me.”
“When I look back, I’ve been doing this for a long time. It takes a while to build up such a career here. Many Indians come here thinking - Ok we’ve got money, now we’ll get a ticket. It does not work like that.”
Mr Sandhu moved to the Richmond area when the local gurudwara was being built there. His father was the president of the board and hence moved to the area to be closer to the gurudwara complex. Today, it is a rambling structure and has and attendance of about 1500.
Mr Sandhu’s family has been in the area since the Asian Exclusionary Act was removed. This Act meant that while some could come and live in the US, they would not be allowed to bring their families. Today he has a rambling network of cousins and relatives in the area numbering about 100. He lives here with his wife Inderpreet and three children Tanisha, 23, Hoorin, 21, and Barjodan, 20.
Down memory lane with Dr Sinha
A love of metallurgy brought his doctor of science to Melbourne in 1953
Speaking to someone who came to Australia on a ship, as that was the only alternative at the time, is quite an enriching experience. Living in Australia, away from most of our families -- especially the older members of our families, we miss out on such narratives.
Dr Hari Narayan Sinha is a distinguished academic and specializes in the field of metallurgy. Born in 1929 in Rourkee, he speaks of the time that the government of the day set up a college for civil engineering at his hometown following the 1857 Mutiny (which is now referred to as the First War of Independence). “It is the oldest college for civil engineering. Much later, it became an IIT. They have very active research facilities there,” says Dr Sinha.
His interest in the subject was sparked when the college organized a trip to and iron and steel plant in Burnpur. “I thought at the time that this would not be a bad field to follow up on,” says Dr Sinha with a smile. He was probably smiling because that decision has guided the course of his life since.
After doing his post graduate studies at Banaras University, Dr Sinha was offered a fellowship by the Ausralian government to do a PhD at Melbourne University. This was in 1953.
So Dr Sinha set sail from Mumbai and, after touching Colombo and Perth, he docked in Melbourne. “The number of Indians here, you could count them on the fingers of one hand,” says Dr Sinha with a laugh. “Most of them were academics at the time. There were some hawkers who used to go to all these country town selling things. They used to use a horse drawn carriage. You don’t have such things now anymore.”
After his PhD, Dr Sinha went back to India as a Reader at Banaras University and later took up a position at IIT Mumbai. It was around this time that Melbourne University called him back to Australia to do a post-doctoral course. “I was involved in that work for about 3 years and that’s when I got an offer to join CSIRO.” Dr Sinha worked at the CSIRO facility for a long time and was involved in a number of other projects for many other company such are Murphy Ores. “I don’t know if you remember the Fraser Island mining issue. I was working on that when it was stopped and then I went back to CSIRO.” The facility, which is now in Clayton, used to be in Port Melbourne. “In fact, one of my last projects before I retired was the amalgamation of the two facilities in the early 1990s,” says Dr Sinha.
Dr Sinha used to go to India about two or three times a year when he was working and traveling around the world as part of work. “I haven’t been back to India since 1998 I think,” says Dr Sinha, struggling to remember when he last went there. With his two daughters and granddaughter here, it is no wonder.
Speaking about the work done by Indian organizations at the time, Dr Sinha stresses that the focus used to be very different. “When it was first set up, the Australia India Society of Victoria was meant to be a forum where people who were interested to know about the culture and philosophy of India would find information. We used to hold seminars and so on.”
Melbourne University had a department for Indian studies and it was a Professor Gibson from this department who initiated the work on the society. Dr Sinha was one of the founders and served as President on many occasions. “In fact, when the constitution of the society was written, we stipulated that half of the executive board would be composed of Australians. This was before the time when Indian would be given Australian citizenships,” says Dr Sinha, chuckling.
There used to be a lot of Indian academics at the time as many universities were being set up. La Trobe, Monash were all set up around this time and the wave of Indian arriving on Australian shore usually made their way to one of these facilities.
Melbourne University also encouraged some of the students from their department of Indian studies to travel to India and the Australia India Society of Victoria would help out with some of the logistics. Today, he has chosen to move on and leave the younger group to deal with the various Indian organizations that have come up.
One of the main problems of having such a small population is the access to Indian food. “I remember when there were no spices or anything available. Then cames Mrs Fernandes’ pickles and spices. That was from Pune.” Dr Sinha remembers the trouble hosting parties for visiting Indians like Pandit Ravi Shankar. “They would have very strict diet restrictions and we would have various Indian families pitching in with their dishes.”
Dr Sinha has been in Australia so long that he remembers the first Indian restaurant that opened on Swanston Street.
While Dr Sinha is proud of his membership of the Order of Australia for his contribution in Science and Technology and Australia India Relations, he is also keen to point out a group that he founded called IDEAS. IDEAS stands XXX. “I am not involved in it now but I believe the youngsters are still carrying on. It was set up so we could exchange ideas between India and Australia. There are obviously some knowledge that we are not free to share due to its nature but then there were others that we could.”
Nowadays, he spends his days improving his golf.
Dr Hari Narayan Sinha is a distinguished academic and specializes in the field of metallurgy. Born in 1929 in Rourkee, he speaks of the time that the government of the day set up a college for civil engineering at his hometown following the 1857 Mutiny (which is now referred to as the First War of Independence). “It is the oldest college for civil engineering. Much later, it became an IIT. They have very active research facilities there,” says Dr Sinha.
His interest in the subject was sparked when the college organized a trip to and iron and steel plant in Burnpur. “I thought at the time that this would not be a bad field to follow up on,” says Dr Sinha with a smile. He was probably smiling because that decision has guided the course of his life since.
After doing his post graduate studies at Banaras University, Dr Sinha was offered a fellowship by the Ausralian government to do a PhD at Melbourne University. This was in 1953.
So Dr Sinha set sail from Mumbai and, after touching Colombo and Perth, he docked in Melbourne. “The number of Indians here, you could count them on the fingers of one hand,” says Dr Sinha with a laugh. “Most of them were academics at the time. There were some hawkers who used to go to all these country town selling things. They used to use a horse drawn carriage. You don’t have such things now anymore.”
After his PhD, Dr Sinha went back to India as a Reader at Banaras University and later took up a position at IIT Mumbai. It was around this time that Melbourne University called him back to Australia to do a post-doctoral course. “I was involved in that work for about 3 years and that’s when I got an offer to join CSIRO.” Dr Sinha worked at the CSIRO facility for a long time and was involved in a number of other projects for many other company such are Murphy Ores. “I don’t know if you remember the Fraser Island mining issue. I was working on that when it was stopped and then I went back to CSIRO.” The facility, which is now in Clayton, used to be in Port Melbourne. “In fact, one of my last projects before I retired was the amalgamation of the two facilities in the early 1990s,” says Dr Sinha.
Dr Sinha used to go to India about two or three times a year when he was working and traveling around the world as part of work. “I haven’t been back to India since 1998 I think,” says Dr Sinha, struggling to remember when he last went there. With his two daughters and granddaughter here, it is no wonder.
Speaking about the work done by Indian organizations at the time, Dr Sinha stresses that the focus used to be very different. “When it was first set up, the Australia India Society of Victoria was meant to be a forum where people who were interested to know about the culture and philosophy of India would find information. We used to hold seminars and so on.”
Melbourne University had a department for Indian studies and it was a Professor Gibson from this department who initiated the work on the society. Dr Sinha was one of the founders and served as President on many occasions. “In fact, when the constitution of the society was written, we stipulated that half of the executive board would be composed of Australians. This was before the time when Indian would be given Australian citizenships,” says Dr Sinha, chuckling.
There used to be a lot of Indian academics at the time as many universities were being set up. La Trobe, Monash were all set up around this time and the wave of Indian arriving on Australian shore usually made their way to one of these facilities.
Melbourne University also encouraged some of the students from their department of Indian studies to travel to India and the Australia India Society of Victoria would help out with some of the logistics. Today, he has chosen to move on and leave the younger group to deal with the various Indian organizations that have come up.
One of the main problems of having such a small population is the access to Indian food. “I remember when there were no spices or anything available. Then cames Mrs Fernandes’ pickles and spices. That was from Pune.” Dr Sinha remembers the trouble hosting parties for visiting Indians like Pandit Ravi Shankar. “They would have very strict diet restrictions and we would have various Indian families pitching in with their dishes.”
Dr Sinha has been in Australia so long that he remembers the first Indian restaurant that opened on Swanston Street.
While Dr Sinha is proud of his membership of the Order of Australia for his contribution in Science and Technology and Australia India Relations, he is also keen to point out a group that he founded called IDEAS. IDEAS stands XXX. “I am not involved in it now but I believe the youngsters are still carrying on. It was set up so we could exchange ideas between India and Australia. There are obviously some knowledge that we are not free to share due to its nature but then there were others that we could.”
Nowadays, he spends his days improving his golf.
Adopting Australia
Mukesh Garg feels getting involved in politics is the first step towards falling in love with Australia so you can make it your home
Calling Australia home is not just about watching English movies, going to the footy and having barbeques in your backyard. While all these things are good and even important, we need to do more to adopt Australia as our home mentally or emotionally. This is the message of Family First member Mukesh Garg - the only Indian member of the party in Victoria. According to him, getting involved in politics is critical to this process of emotionally adopting Australia.
“Many people have the wrong impression about politics. I have my own way of looking at it. I may not win on a Family First ticket but we should show that we are taking Australia seriously and by standing for elections we are showing that Australia needs to take South Asians seriously.”
“I know that I can make some kind of difference,” Mukesh says and explains, “When we walk into a doctor’s office and she/he is from a South Asian background, we are not shocked or particularly surprised. Why is this not the case in politics? I was to create a familiarity. I want the public to get used to seeing an Indian name on the ballot.”
Mukesh has many reasons for choosing Family First. “I’ve read what the other parties have to say about various issues and I was attracted to this party because theirs was common sense politics. This is a party that stands for ordinary Australian families and small business,” says Mukesh, admitted that while there are problems with the party and even politics, this is not a reason to stay away completely. Another reason is that he feels Australia needs a third force in politics apart from the Greens.
Politicians in Australia tend to be younger than those in India. While this is a good thing, Mukesh feels that the political scene could benefit from youth getting more involved. “Politics can be a difficult game sometimes and the young tend to stay away.” However, he sees some positive signs. “In the federal elections, there were a few South Asian faces and this is a good thing. The youth can make a difference and this will be critical in helping them assimilate into this society.”
While a lot of migrants bring their culture with them, Mukesh feels that they should try harder to assimilate. “You need to ask yourself: Am I in love with this country more than any other? I feel that a lot more should be done as there is hostility from both sides. It is a difficult process. Some say sports can bridge that gap but I feel that with sports, it can work the other way as well. Political involvement is one of the best ways that one can assimilate into this country and its processes.”
Mukesh feels that one of the major problems of the South Asian community is isolation. “We feel that we are a small community. Increased migration and population can change this but only to a certain extent. Any migrant has to change when he comes into this country,” he says. While finding a job is also a difficult process, Mukesh feels that everyone goes through this problem including the Australians although the reasons may be different.
When he is not wearing his Family First politican’s hat, Mukesh is an academic teaching accounts and finance at Monash University. “During elections its very hectic. After elections we slow down. Since no one can afford to be a full-time politician, we turn our attention to our other commitments. In between elections, we are involved in building relationships with various members of the society.”
There are some serious concerns for recent students and migrants and Mukesh is aware of this. He feels that migrants come here with a dream but realise very quickly that the land they had in mind is not the one they are living in. “Government is not doing enough to help out new migrants. They are the most vulnerable in the society. If the government did half as much for the migrant as they do for an Australian citizen, the problems could be halved and many of the societal problems diffused.”
Mukesh feels that the bad experiences that many students experience when they first get here gets in the way of them loving Australia and becoming assimilated. “With government support, this could really change.”
So what advice does this young politician have for others like him? “First of all, we need to stop thinking with our regional prejudices and think of everyone as equal - whether they are Indian, Punjabi, Bangladeshi or whatever. We are all South Asians here. Secondly, they need to be well-informed. It is very important to know what is going on around you. Finally, your motives have to be clear. You cannot get into politics for your personal gain. Getting into politics should be so you can work better for your country.”
Migrants have to play by a different set of rules in this regard. Taking the example of Sarah Hanson-Young (the youngest MP at 26 in the Federal parliament), Mukesh says that would never come easily to a first generation migrant. “New migrants need to work five or 20 times as hard as someone who was born here. We have to make a lot of sacrifices as well,” Mukesh says. This is good advice for someone looking to make it in politics.
While Mukesh sacrifices a lot of time during elections, he makes sure that he spends quality time with his wife Mridula and daughter Dishita who is now three and a half years old. He says he likes teaching because it keeps him in touch with the young and he likes it that teachers’ role makes a difference in the lives of the people they touch. He spends his free time reading for his PhD and in between his many roles, he does a lot of voluntary work.
“Many people have the wrong impression about politics. I have my own way of looking at it. I may not win on a Family First ticket but we should show that we are taking Australia seriously and by standing for elections we are showing that Australia needs to take South Asians seriously.”
“I know that I can make some kind of difference,” Mukesh says and explains, “When we walk into a doctor’s office and she/he is from a South Asian background, we are not shocked or particularly surprised. Why is this not the case in politics? I was to create a familiarity. I want the public to get used to seeing an Indian name on the ballot.”
Mukesh has many reasons for choosing Family First. “I’ve read what the other parties have to say about various issues and I was attracted to this party because theirs was common sense politics. This is a party that stands for ordinary Australian families and small business,” says Mukesh, admitted that while there are problems with the party and even politics, this is not a reason to stay away completely. Another reason is that he feels Australia needs a third force in politics apart from the Greens.
Politicians in Australia tend to be younger than those in India. While this is a good thing, Mukesh feels that the political scene could benefit from youth getting more involved. “Politics can be a difficult game sometimes and the young tend to stay away.” However, he sees some positive signs. “In the federal elections, there were a few South Asian faces and this is a good thing. The youth can make a difference and this will be critical in helping them assimilate into this society.”
While a lot of migrants bring their culture with them, Mukesh feels that they should try harder to assimilate. “You need to ask yourself: Am I in love with this country more than any other? I feel that a lot more should be done as there is hostility from both sides. It is a difficult process. Some say sports can bridge that gap but I feel that with sports, it can work the other way as well. Political involvement is one of the best ways that one can assimilate into this country and its processes.”
Mukesh feels that one of the major problems of the South Asian community is isolation. “We feel that we are a small community. Increased migration and population can change this but only to a certain extent. Any migrant has to change when he comes into this country,” he says. While finding a job is also a difficult process, Mukesh feels that everyone goes through this problem including the Australians although the reasons may be different.
When he is not wearing his Family First politican’s hat, Mukesh is an academic teaching accounts and finance at Monash University. “During elections its very hectic. After elections we slow down. Since no one can afford to be a full-time politician, we turn our attention to our other commitments. In between elections, we are involved in building relationships with various members of the society.”
There are some serious concerns for recent students and migrants and Mukesh is aware of this. He feels that migrants come here with a dream but realise very quickly that the land they had in mind is not the one they are living in. “Government is not doing enough to help out new migrants. They are the most vulnerable in the society. If the government did half as much for the migrant as they do for an Australian citizen, the problems could be halved and many of the societal problems diffused.”
Mukesh feels that the bad experiences that many students experience when they first get here gets in the way of them loving Australia and becoming assimilated. “With government support, this could really change.”
So what advice does this young politician have for others like him? “First of all, we need to stop thinking with our regional prejudices and think of everyone as equal - whether they are Indian, Punjabi, Bangladeshi or whatever. We are all South Asians here. Secondly, they need to be well-informed. It is very important to know what is going on around you. Finally, your motives have to be clear. You cannot get into politics for your personal gain. Getting into politics should be so you can work better for your country.”
Migrants have to play by a different set of rules in this regard. Taking the example of Sarah Hanson-Young (the youngest MP at 26 in the Federal parliament), Mukesh says that would never come easily to a first generation migrant. “New migrants need to work five or 20 times as hard as someone who was born here. We have to make a lot of sacrifices as well,” Mukesh says. This is good advice for someone looking to make it in politics.
While Mukesh sacrifices a lot of time during elections, he makes sure that he spends quality time with his wife Mridula and daughter Dishita who is now three and a half years old. He says he likes teaching because it keeps him in touch with the young and he likes it that teachers’ role makes a difference in the lives of the people they touch. He spends his free time reading for his PhD and in between his many roles, he does a lot of voluntary work.
Learning Curves
Arunesh Choubey’s The Migrant is timely. There are many who would like to hear this story and, after reading The Migrant, there could more who may want to tell this story – in their own way
Here’s a warning. It will be strange reading this book because a migrant rarely narrates his own story. It is fascinating to read the initial observations, fears and attitudes of someone new to Australia – something we all have been irrespective to how long ago or recent that was.
The Migrant traces the journey, escapades and adventures of a young Indian student who comes to Australia to find a new life.
The fascinating thing about Choubey’s book is that he writes without adornment. For example, speaking to a Dutch guy at an airport on his way to Australia for the first time, the un-named protagonist observes how “there would be a lot of white people without a good hold on the English language” and this gives him confidence. The migrant is aware that there is going to be a struggle but he is unaware about the extent and the nature of the struggle that we, as the readers, know.
It is also a window to the lives of the Indian students. How they struggle to pay the fees, bills, study and meet deadlines while working 20 hours a week. Those that work over 20 hours to make ends meet do so at the risk of deportation and he eloquently describes in one chapter.
The Migrant is comforting in that it touches all the familiar themes. There is the student/taxi-driver, there is the abusive passenger, the young student who gets cheated by an Indian restaurant owner, night outs and stories of relationships with white Australians. Choubey also explores themes of the restless Indo-Pakistani relationship and how it pans out in Australia.
Through his narration, Choubey manages to remove the victim tag from the migrant. By showing them as people who take charge of their lives, who make the best of very bad circumstances, Choubey empowers the migrant. This is another reason why it is so relevant coming as this does in the wake of the successful strike by taxi-drivers demanding better working conditions.
It is important for this story and stories like this too be written. This is our history. This is what four generations down, our children will want to know about when they try to discover their roots and their family trees.
The Migrant traces the journey, escapades and adventures of a young Indian student who comes to Australia to find a new life.
The fascinating thing about Choubey’s book is that he writes without adornment. For example, speaking to a Dutch guy at an airport on his way to Australia for the first time, the un-named protagonist observes how “there would be a lot of white people without a good hold on the English language” and this gives him confidence. The migrant is aware that there is going to be a struggle but he is unaware about the extent and the nature of the struggle that we, as the readers, know.
It is also a window to the lives of the Indian students. How they struggle to pay the fees, bills, study and meet deadlines while working 20 hours a week. Those that work over 20 hours to make ends meet do so at the risk of deportation and he eloquently describes in one chapter.
The Migrant is comforting in that it touches all the familiar themes. There is the student/taxi-driver, there is the abusive passenger, the young student who gets cheated by an Indian restaurant owner, night outs and stories of relationships with white Australians. Choubey also explores themes of the restless Indo-Pakistani relationship and how it pans out in Australia.
Through his narration, Choubey manages to remove the victim tag from the migrant. By showing them as people who take charge of their lives, who make the best of very bad circumstances, Choubey empowers the migrant. This is another reason why it is so relevant coming as this does in the wake of the successful strike by taxi-drivers demanding better working conditions.
It is important for this story and stories like this too be written. This is our history. This is what four generations down, our children will want to know about when they try to discover their roots and their family trees.
The Selfless Healer
Dr Rao calls Australia home. All his friends are here and a majority of his life has been spent in Australia but he does not forget his roots
Dr Janardhana Rao moved to Australia in 1968 as a young man of 29 when the White Australia Policy was on its last legs. He had completed his MBBS and Masters in Surgery from Madras and came here with qualifications that were recognized by the UK government and therefore by Australia. In this respect, he was luckier than most but how do you say that to someone who lands in a new country with less than $10, a young family and finds that his only contact is not available.
“My wife Vimala and I landed in Melbourne on a weekend and found that the person whose house I was to go to had gone for a drive. I had to spend the entire day at the airport till Dr Kishnan came back. He immediately told us to take a taxi to his house,” says Dr Rao recalling his first few days here.
“Life was not meant to be easy,” Dr Rao quotes George Bernard Shaw. “I started looking for work in all the major hospitals of the time – Royal Melbourne Hospital, Prince Henry’s Hospital, St Vincent’s Hospital but I never got past an interview with the secretary,” says Dr Rao.
Finally, as he started playing with thoughts of going back home, Dr Krishnan suggested that he try the private practices. That is how he came across a group practice that required a surgeon. Private practice meant a lot of work. “When I was not doing surgery, I was required to do a GP’s work.”
This meant that he was doing long hours. It was usual for him to leave home at 7 am and come home well past 10:30 pm. He was working such long hours that his son’s teacher expressed concern that the child only talking about his mother.
It was after this that he started looking for another job and joined the Sacred Hearts Hospital in Coburg (now known as John Fawkner hospital). In the initial stages, doctors were not referring patients to him and he had to go to the US to learn the latest technology in his field so he could get patients.
Another highlight has been his appointment as the Honorary Consul General. As the President of the Indian Association Dr Rao had interacted with the then Prime Minister of India Indira Gandhi on a few occasions. So when Melbourne required a Consul General, Dr Rao was an obvious choice.
As Honorary Consul General, he did the work of a career diplomat but without the pay. This included issuing visas (about 25,000 a year), hosting parties, meeting and entertaining visiting ministers.
When Dr Rao first came here there were around 45 families in Melbourne. “We knew everyone at the time and we used to meet every second weekend.”
Then domestic problems were a big issue. “I remember this lady who stayed with us for about three months as she had nowhere else to go. We had to contact her family and make all the arrangements.”
As the community grew, Dr Rao saw the need for an umbrella organisation that could represent the issues of the community to the government. That is how the Federation of Indian Association of Victoria or FIAV came into being in 1989.
Intially, Dr Rao and a businessman friend funded it but today it gets a certain amount as grant from the government. “That was a big step forward when we got government funding,” says Dr Rao. “I feel unity should be the ideal. There is a lot more that we can do. As Indians, we have the numbers and the money but no voice.” He looks to the structure of the Jewish community as an ideal but the Indian community has failed to replicate the model.
In the last two years, there has been a lot of unrest within the FIAV and the courts have been involved. “Parliamentarians are saying that India is important to Victoria but they have no one to deal with.”
One suggestion has been that all people involved in the current structure step aside and a new group start things again on a clean slate. Another has been that a steering committee be formed which will guide the association through this difficult time. However, finding a solution has not been easy and negotiations are still on. “I am hoping that common sense will prevail,” says Dr Rao, sounding a little disheartened.
As an elder in the community, what are the problems that they face? “I feel that the Indians should get together to form retirement communities the way the Maltese and the Italian have done. These are independent units within a community. That way, we can meet up with friends, have some Indian food and maybe watch an Indian movie. That is how I would like to live. The next step can be a nursing home.” Right now there are many Indians who are forced to live in nursing homes with Anglo-centric culture.
Another problem that Dr Rao is concerned about is the community’s lack of access qualified Indian counselors to help with troubled marriages. “I feel that within a cultural context, such counselors would try to make the marriage work.”
Dr Rao is aware of the different issues faced by the community. “No one wants to do selfless work,” says Dr Rao, a believer in the saying “Service to humanity is service to God”. Dr Rao does extensive charity work in India – donating both time and skills. He spends a good part of the year working at the Sir Ivan Steadfast Hospital run by the AMM charities.
But his heart lies in Australia. “I keep going back to India but I feel I am a stranger there. All my friends are here. My home is here,” Dr Rao says, upbeat while contemplating his retirement when he can spend some quality time with his three grandchildren. However, there is little doubt that he will continue to play a big role in shaping the community leadership.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Not a café, not a newsagent
Mag Nation is something in the middle. It offers services of both but is neither. Which is probably why it won the Innovative Retailer Award.
Ravi, a pathologist from Mumbai moved to New Zealand with his wife Suchi in the 70s. However, the government at the time did not recognize his medical qualifications and Ravi looked for other employment opportunities. He dabbled in a number of businesses and finally stumbled on an opportunity to buy a small convenience store.
The story is familiar and common so far but now comes the twist in the tale.
This small and unassuming convenience store had such a strong focus on magazines that tourists, especially from Australia, commented on what a good collection he had.
This led to Ravi and his family to think that they could make something out of this concept. That is how Mag Nation came about.
It really took off and soon his nephew Sahil Merchant joined the company. Sahil had been working on his own career till then. In 1997, he took the big leap and left a very promising career and decided to work full time for Mag nation. “Everyone thought I was crazy,” Sahil says with a smile, adding: “Being and entrepreneur is hard work.”
Mag Nation as a concept is simple. Their logo says it all: Everything in this store can be browsed, touched and felt except for our staff. The idea is simple. “It’s a very basic retail idea.” The idea is to give as much exposure as possible so that they keep coming back and some day they will buy it. “The more you touch, the more you are likely to come back. The more likely you are to come by the more time you spend and the more likely you are to buy.”
“There are essentially three tiers: Publishing, Distribution and Retailers,” says Sahil who looked happiest when answering the structure of this venture.
Magazine industry is a really low-margin industry. Publishers depend on the strength of their distribution to increase the reach of the magazine so they can charge higher rates for advertisement. “We do have links with some of the publishers so we can deal with them directly. But with some of the others, we have a stock risk arrangement. This means that we can send back the magazines that we haven’t been able to sell and they will pay us for those,” says Sahil. This means that even if its been thumbed, flipped and looked through by the 2000 odd people that come through Mag Nation each day, it can still be returned and money claimed.
Through this and a number of other arrangements Mag Nation maintains their profits.
If you sit in Mag Nation for ten minutes, it’s easy to see at least 20 people walk in and use their various facilities without buying a single magazine. So what bring in the money? “No. Magazines are doing that. One hundred percent,” says Sahil. The café, the free internet, the comfortable seating, the music and all the rest of it is just designed to enhance the experience of being surrounded by magazines of every kind.
Mag Nation displays and sells around 4,000 magazines. Some of them are your stock standard ones that you would find at any newsagent. What sets Mag Nation apart are the magazines that most haven’t heard of, but which have a dedicated following.
“There’s this magazine Curvy (a magazine for artists, designers and illustrators) which is one of our niche magazine. And then there is T, a journal of T-shirt culture. Wooden Toy and Dumbo Feather, pass it on are other fantastic but niche market magazines.” Dumbo feather, pass it on is a fantastic concept. Each magazine profiles five people who are inspirational in their own way and its been called a mook (a cross between a book and a magazine).
So what kind of demographic do you cater to? Sahil looks around at a grandfatherly-looking character ensconced with a fishing magazine and at the young student using the free wireless and grins “All kinds.” And then elaborates: “Everyone really. Anyone who is passionate about it. We do tend to attract what we call the Urban Savvy who are tuned in to fashion, arts and culture.”
So here’s the inevitable question. From a tiny convenience store in New Zealand, Mag Nation now has five stores – 3 in Auckland and 2 in Melbourne so what’s next. Sahil has no hesitation: “Global magazine domination,” he says wide grin.
The story is familiar and common so far but now comes the twist in the tale.
This small and unassuming convenience store had such a strong focus on magazines that tourists, especially from Australia, commented on what a good collection he had.
This led to Ravi and his family to think that they could make something out of this concept. That is how Mag Nation came about.
It really took off and soon his nephew Sahil Merchant joined the company. Sahil had been working on his own career till then. In 1997, he took the big leap and left a very promising career and decided to work full time for Mag nation. “Everyone thought I was crazy,” Sahil says with a smile, adding: “Being and entrepreneur is hard work.”
Mag Nation as a concept is simple. Their logo says it all: Everything in this store can be browsed, touched and felt except for our staff. The idea is simple. “It’s a very basic retail idea.” The idea is to give as much exposure as possible so that they keep coming back and some day they will buy it. “The more you touch, the more you are likely to come back. The more likely you are to come by the more time you spend and the more likely you are to buy.”
“There are essentially three tiers: Publishing, Distribution and Retailers,” says Sahil who looked happiest when answering the structure of this venture.
Magazine industry is a really low-margin industry. Publishers depend on the strength of their distribution to increase the reach of the magazine so they can charge higher rates for advertisement. “We do have links with some of the publishers so we can deal with them directly. But with some of the others, we have a stock risk arrangement. This means that we can send back the magazines that we haven’t been able to sell and they will pay us for those,” says Sahil. This means that even if its been thumbed, flipped and looked through by the 2000 odd people that come through Mag Nation each day, it can still be returned and money claimed.
Through this and a number of other arrangements Mag Nation maintains their profits.
If you sit in Mag Nation for ten minutes, it’s easy to see at least 20 people walk in and use their various facilities without buying a single magazine. So what bring in the money? “No. Magazines are doing that. One hundred percent,” says Sahil. The café, the free internet, the comfortable seating, the music and all the rest of it is just designed to enhance the experience of being surrounded by magazines of every kind.
Mag Nation displays and sells around 4,000 magazines. Some of them are your stock standard ones that you would find at any newsagent. What sets Mag Nation apart are the magazines that most haven’t heard of, but which have a dedicated following.
“There’s this magazine Curvy (a magazine for artists, designers and illustrators) which is one of our niche magazine. And then there is T, a journal of T-shirt culture. Wooden Toy and Dumbo Feather, pass it on are other fantastic but niche market magazines.” Dumbo feather, pass it on is a fantastic concept. Each magazine profiles five people who are inspirational in their own way and its been called a mook (a cross between a book and a magazine).
So what kind of demographic do you cater to? Sahil looks around at a grandfatherly-looking character ensconced with a fishing magazine and at the young student using the free wireless and grins “All kinds.” And then elaborates: “Everyone really. Anyone who is passionate about it. We do tend to attract what we call the Urban Savvy who are tuned in to fashion, arts and culture.”
So here’s the inevitable question. From a tiny convenience store in New Zealand, Mag Nation now has five stores – 3 in Auckland and 2 in Melbourne so what’s next. Sahil has no hesitation: “Global magazine domination,” he says wide grin.
Wrestling Opportunities
We had only prepared for only 2 minutes as per the rules but but for some reason we were allowed more time and no one else was allowed more time
On 25th June 2008 Amandeep Singh won the Sydney Open Australasian Natural Bodybuilding Competition with his unique routine. Friend and staunch supporter Rupi accompanied Amandeep on stage with his dhol. Here is the story of that day in his words - the first Indian student to ever take part in such a competition.
On 25th I was very nervous I had never in my life competed with other nationalities. Rupi kept telling me I had nothing to worry about. We had been practicing a routine where Rupi played dhol and I would perform with him. The President of the Australasian Natural Bodybuilding (ANB) allowed us to do this although it had never been done before.
As I did the first round with other bodybuilders, I was very nervous. I could hear the crowd cheering the other bodybuilders but the more the crowd shouted, the louder Rupi got which really encouraged me and I gave it my all. The next round was an individual one. When Rupi blasted the dhol, the crowd was in shock. I grew more and more confident with each dhol beat and the crowd joined in my clapping and cheered me on. We went on for 5 minutes with our routine. We had only prepared for only 2 minutes as per the rules but for some reason, we were allowed more time and no one else was allowed this. After everyone had done their routine, we went backstage. Then they called me and five others to the front of the stage and one by one my competitors were told to take a step back and my name was called. I was in shock and all I heard was a big shout from Rupi. I was presented 1st Place Mr Sydney Title. Three judges came up to me and said I had a bright future in this sport. This had never happened to me before. After the competition and the big win, it was back to work as I had to work weekends.
Amandeep came to Australia in 2007 to take care of his sister after his mother passed away. There are other people who have made this journey possible and each one of them is important to Amandeep. “I got support from my friends Ramakant, my farther SH. Surinder Singh, Rupi Hothi of Platinum Dholis, my sister, Hothi family who runs Hothi’s Indian Cuisine, Manpreet, Happy Harpreet Singh Khabra, Anthony Passarelli (www.sydneynaturopath.info), Mr. Bajwa of Austech Institute of Further Education, Michaeal Sookaloo and Dhaya Moodley from Coles Express and my class mate Anokh. My mother, of course, supported me from the very beginning and all this hard work is in her memory.”
Rupi was behind him 100 per cent. “It was like Rupi and I were competing together because both of us dieted and trained every day for months.”
Other supporters are rooting for Amandeep now. He is getting sponsored by Vital Health. Owner Sean Crossan approached him after the competition and asked him to join the team/company. “What Sean didn’t know was that I was already using his supplements in preparation to the competition.”
But where did it all start? “I entered the district competition in 2005 in Punjab and I was told by a lot of people I had a very good body and my coach (Ramakant bhaji) told me I had a very good structure. It’s because of him that I started training professionally.”
Amandeep is aware that he has a long way to go and is keen to get started. “My next step is to compete for the Mr. Australia Title. It’s going to take a lot of money to buy supplements and food. So I would like the public to support me in any way they can because I want everyone to see Indians can go far in bodybuilding where we are virtually unknown.”
Also, if he does win, he will be representing Australia for Mr World in America which is very important for him.
He has settled down well in Australia though he misses his home, friends and his fiancée Manpreet. “I like the rules and regulations here because when you work hard, you get the credit you deserve.”
Anyone interested in taking part in bodybuilding can email Rupi Hothi at platinum_dholis@hotmail.com. Rupi is an official member of the Australasian Natural Bodybuilding (ANB) Team
Gay and Happy
Roopali Pandey (centre) talks about how she just wants everyone to know there is nothing queer about being homosexual
Did anyone notice a small South Asian representation at the Sydney Mardi Gras?
Chances are you may have missed it like many others. Although exact numbers are hard to come by, reliable sources say there is a large number of South Asians that are gay but are yet to come out to their friends and family. This renders them almost invisible in the community – both the larger gay community as well as the South Asian community.
There is one person who is out to change that. Meet Roopali Pandey. She is determined to provide support to this group and also to ensure that they be portrayed as normal people within the community.
“We are trying to raise awareness about the gay and lesbian communities. I want to tell everyone that we are normal. Just like anyone else, we are professionals. We have a life,” says Roopali.
She is taking her cue from Trikone in San Francisco. Trikone is a non-profit organization for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people of South Asian descent. Founded in 1986 in the San Francisco Bay Area, Trikone is the first group of its kind in the world. South Asians affiliated with Trikone trace their ethnicities to one of the following places: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Myanmar (Burma), Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Tibet.
“In terms of structure, we are using the same as this has been successful.”
The official launch of Trikone Australasia was with the South Asian Queer Film Festival which will screen such movies as Nikhil, My Brother and XXX.
The film festival went from 15-19 August at the Metropolitan community Church of Petersham which has a history of working with gay and lesbian groups.
SBS newsreader Anton Enus attended the inauguration along with Mayor of c.
Trikone Australasia is run by Roopali along with four other directors. While anyone can be a member, the directors would need to be South Asian. “There is a sub-section called Friends of Trikone where your partner can join if he/she happens to be from a non South Asian background,” says Roopali explaining the structure.
While gays and lesbians face a number of problems, Roopali feels that the problems faced by South Asian gays are unique to themselves. Firstly, the law in India and many other South Asian countries state that homosexuality, or 'carnal intercourse against the order of nature' as it is described, is an offence punishable with arrest. For this reason, many do not come out to their friends and family.
Another reason is the close-knit nature of the community that does not take kindly to such a revelation from the children. Mostly they are unaware how to deal with it.
“I was lucky in that my parents are quite liberal. I remember when I first told my sister, who was in UK at the time. I had just broken up with my girlfriend and realised that I needed some kind of support. She told me that they knew about it all along. My mother has never spoken to me about it any details but then she has not been against it either,” says Roopali talking about her own experiences from about 8 years ago.
What Trikone is not is a counselling service. “We are not psychologists. We don’t claim to be. We will not be able to tell you what the best way is to deal with a situation, how y should come out to your family or even if you should. We just provide support to this community,” says Roopali, adding that if someone does need help, they are referred onto the couselling services provided by the local community group.
And why call it a queer festival? “In the western context it sounds worse than it is. The intention was just to take the mickey out of the word and to embrace the difference in a way.”
Did anyone notice a small South Asian representation at the Sydney Mardi Gras?
Chances are you may have missed it like many others. Although exact numbers are hard to come by, reliable sources say there is a large number of South Asians that are gay but are yet to come out to their friends and family. This renders them almost invisible in the community – both the larger gay community as well as the South Asian community.
There is one person who is out to change that. Meet Roopali Pandey. She is determined to provide support to this group and also to ensure that they be portrayed as normal people within the community.
“We are trying to raise awareness about the gay and lesbian communities. I want to tell everyone that we are normal. Just like anyone else, we are professionals. We have a life,” says Roopali.
She is taking her cue from Trikone in San Francisco. Trikone is a non-profit organization for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people of South Asian descent. Founded in 1986 in the San Francisco Bay Area, Trikone is the first group of its kind in the world. South Asians affiliated with Trikone trace their ethnicities to one of the following places: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Myanmar (Burma), Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Tibet.
“In terms of structure, we are using the same as this has been successful.”
The official launch of Trikone Australasia was with the South Asian Queer Film Festival which will screen such movies as Nikhil, My Brother and XXX.
The film festival went from 15-19 August at the Metropolitan community Church of Petersham which has a history of working with gay and lesbian groups.
SBS newsreader Anton Enus attended the inauguration along with Mayor of c.
Trikone Australasia is run by Roopali along with four other directors. While anyone can be a member, the directors would need to be South Asian. “There is a sub-section called Friends of Trikone where your partner can join if he/she happens to be from a non South Asian background,” says Roopali explaining the structure.
While gays and lesbians face a number of problems, Roopali feels that the problems faced by South Asian gays are unique to themselves. Firstly, the law in India and many other South Asian countries state that homosexuality, or 'carnal intercourse against the order of nature' as it is described, is an offence punishable with arrest. For this reason, many do not come out to their friends and family.
Another reason is the close-knit nature of the community that does not take kindly to such a revelation from the children. Mostly they are unaware how to deal with it.
“I was lucky in that my parents are quite liberal. I remember when I first told my sister, who was in UK at the time. I had just broken up with my girlfriend and realised that I needed some kind of support. She told me that they knew about it all along. My mother has never spoken to me about it any details but then she has not been against it either,” says Roopali talking about her own experiences from about 8 years ago.
What Trikone is not is a counselling service. “We are not psychologists. We don’t claim to be. We will not be able to tell you what the best way is to deal with a situation, how y should come out to your family or even if you should. We just provide support to this community,” says Roopali, adding that if someone does need help, they are referred onto the couselling services provided by the local community group.
And why call it a queer festival? “In the western context it sounds worse than it is. The intention was just to take the mickey out of the word and to embrace the difference in a way.”
Destiny Calling
Shalini Akhil is one of the promising faces of modern Australian writing. Recently, one of her pieces — Destiny — was chosen to be part of anthology on migrant experiences
A writer of Fiji-Indian origin, Shalini Akhil has lived in Australia on and off ever since the '70s. She grew up here while her father studied law at UNSW. Once he graduated, she went back to live in Fiji and returned to Melbourne in 1990 to make it her home.
Recently, one of her pieces Destiny was chosen to be part of an anthology on migrant experiences. The book, Growing Up Asian in Australia, is edited by Alice Pung of The Unpolished Gem fame and was released in June 2008. Shalini Akhil's piece is one of her first published works and came before her more famous novel The Bollywood Beauty.
Destiny is the story of a child who wants to be Wonder Woman and is helped by her grandmother in the process. It is told with great compassion and humour and is the characteristic of all other stories in the collection. There are no traces of self-pity. It's a story of growing up, a story of living astride two cultures and finding a space for oneself in the middle.
Although Asian is not a term that Australians associate with Indians or people from the sub-continent, writers like Shalini Akhil and Tanveer Ahmed (who's parents came from Bangladesh) were happy to contribute to this volume. As they mentioned in many interviews and talks, in the US and the UK the term Asian does refer to people from the sub-continent whereas the terminology is different in Australia.
This debate does not take away from the importance of such a volume in Australia. It draws the attention away from stereotypes and tells stories of the pains of growing up. Editor Alice Pung beautifully takes ownership of terms like Battlers, Mates and Pioneers to make it part of the new Australian culture. We will all be glad that our children will have this book when they are growing up.
Although Destiny was her first published piece, her first novel is The Bollywood Beauty. Many Indians would immediately identify with the themes of arranged marriages and dual cultures. The characters of these novels will also be familiar to all Indians no matter where in the world they are.
The story revolves around Australian-born Kesh and Fiji-born Rupa. Kesh likes her drink at the pub, her cigarettes and has her “wild” ways while Rupa does not “stray” from the well-traveled path of a “good Indian girl”. So when The Bollywood Beauty (as Kesh called Rupa) comes to stay with Kesh, it's recipe for adventure – for both girls. Shalini takes us through men troubles, identity woes and life-changing decision that these two girls need to go through. It's a thoroughly enjoyable roller-coaster ride of a read.
Shalini Akhil's interest and talent goes beyond her writing. She does what only of the bravest in the entertainment industry dares to do — stand up comedy. She registered for Raw Comedy in 2003 and went on to progress till the National Finals.
Last month, Indus Age caught up with Shalini Akhil over her literary work and stand up comedy career. Excerpts from the interview:
Tell us about the journey of a self-confessed introvert going on to do stand up comedy. Also, has that experience affected your writing?
I was a massive introvert when I moved to Melbourne at 18 — I wouldn't talk to anyone and rarely left the house on my own. I think living on campus for my first year of uni was a huge learning curve for me — I had to find my feet pretty quickly. It was pretty much a crash course in learning to relate to people my own age, after years and years of sheltered upbringing. Overall, the experience was terrifying and terrific all at once. After a year and a half of full time study I decided to join the work force and this experience also helped me come out of my shell more – I learned to relate to people on different levels, and learned a lot about myself in the process. I think having a quick wit and a cheeky sense of humour helped me get through — cracking a joke is sometimes a great cover, a great way of deflecting attention from yourself.
I decided to enter Raw Comedy in 2003 because I'd always wanted to know if I could actually do stand-up comedy. As far as the experience affecting my writing, I'm not sure if it has. I am the same person on stage as I am if you're chatting to me one-on-one — maybe a little bit louder, but still the same person! So I don't think it has affected my writing as such. Though I do like to slip the occasional joke, pun, or weird scenario into my writing, I think that's more about my hyperactive imagination than about my having done stand-up.
How did you get into writing?
I am not a full-time fiction writer, though I do a bit of writing and editing in my day-job. I work as an Online Content Coordinator for VicUrban. I have always been interested in writing, but I didn't start seriously writing till the mid-nineties.
Does The Bollywood Beauty mirror your family life? How did you get started?
The story is based a lot on my own experiences, but not on my life. So an amalgamation of my own experiences, other people's experiences, and a healthy dose of my imagination. I came up with an outline to enter a pitching competition at the Melbourne Writers Festival, and over the next three years, the idea went on to become The Bollywood Beauty.
Growing up Asian in Australia has just been released and one of your stories was chosen. How did it feel?
Destiny is one of my favourite pieces — actually it was my first published piece, it debuted the year before my novel came out. So it was wonderful to see it printed again, and in such an amazing collection.
What was your families' reaction to you wanting to become a writer?
I think they're happy if I'm happy.
What advice do you have for budding writers in the wider Indian community?
Keep at it, and keep reading.
Do you think there is scope for a collection of stories of the South Asian experiences in Australia?
I think so — living in a multicultural country like Australia means that stories of different experiences should be out there as much as possible — that's why I'm really happy to be a part of Growing Up Asian in Australia.
What do you think is the future of Australian writing?
That's a tough one… but if anthologies like Growing Up Asian in Australia are anything to go by, the future's looking bright.
A writer of Fiji-Indian origin, Shalini Akhil has lived in Australia on and off ever since the '70s. She grew up here while her father studied law at UNSW. Once he graduated, she went back to live in Fiji and returned to Melbourne in 1990 to make it her home.
Recently, one of her pieces Destiny was chosen to be part of an anthology on migrant experiences. The book, Growing Up Asian in Australia, is edited by Alice Pung of The Unpolished Gem fame and was released in June 2008. Shalini Akhil's piece is one of her first published works and came before her more famous novel The Bollywood Beauty.
Destiny is the story of a child who wants to be Wonder Woman and is helped by her grandmother in the process. It is told with great compassion and humour and is the characteristic of all other stories in the collection. There are no traces of self-pity. It's a story of growing up, a story of living astride two cultures and finding a space for oneself in the middle.
Although Asian is not a term that Australians associate with Indians or people from the sub-continent, writers like Shalini Akhil and Tanveer Ahmed (who's parents came from Bangladesh) were happy to contribute to this volume. As they mentioned in many interviews and talks, in the US and the UK the term Asian does refer to people from the sub-continent whereas the terminology is different in Australia.
This debate does not take away from the importance of such a volume in Australia. It draws the attention away from stereotypes and tells stories of the pains of growing up. Editor Alice Pung beautifully takes ownership of terms like Battlers, Mates and Pioneers to make it part of the new Australian culture. We will all be glad that our children will have this book when they are growing up.
Although Destiny was her first published piece, her first novel is The Bollywood Beauty. Many Indians would immediately identify with the themes of arranged marriages and dual cultures. The characters of these novels will also be familiar to all Indians no matter where in the world they are.
The story revolves around Australian-born Kesh and Fiji-born Rupa. Kesh likes her drink at the pub, her cigarettes and has her “wild” ways while Rupa does not “stray” from the well-traveled path of a “good Indian girl”. So when The Bollywood Beauty (as Kesh called Rupa) comes to stay with Kesh, it's recipe for adventure – for both girls. Shalini takes us through men troubles, identity woes and life-changing decision that these two girls need to go through. It's a thoroughly enjoyable roller-coaster ride of a read.
Shalini Akhil's interest and talent goes beyond her writing. She does what only of the bravest in the entertainment industry dares to do — stand up comedy. She registered for Raw Comedy in 2003 and went on to progress till the National Finals.
Last month, Indus Age caught up with Shalini Akhil over her literary work and stand up comedy career. Excerpts from the interview:
Tell us about the journey of a self-confessed introvert going on to do stand up comedy. Also, has that experience affected your writing?
I was a massive introvert when I moved to Melbourne at 18 — I wouldn't talk to anyone and rarely left the house on my own. I think living on campus for my first year of uni was a huge learning curve for me — I had to find my feet pretty quickly. It was pretty much a crash course in learning to relate to people my own age, after years and years of sheltered upbringing. Overall, the experience was terrifying and terrific all at once. After a year and a half of full time study I decided to join the work force and this experience also helped me come out of my shell more – I learned to relate to people on different levels, and learned a lot about myself in the process. I think having a quick wit and a cheeky sense of humour helped me get through — cracking a joke is sometimes a great cover, a great way of deflecting attention from yourself.
I decided to enter Raw Comedy in 2003 because I'd always wanted to know if I could actually do stand-up comedy. As far as the experience affecting my writing, I'm not sure if it has. I am the same person on stage as I am if you're chatting to me one-on-one — maybe a little bit louder, but still the same person! So I don't think it has affected my writing as such. Though I do like to slip the occasional joke, pun, or weird scenario into my writing, I think that's more about my hyperactive imagination than about my having done stand-up.
How did you get into writing?
I am not a full-time fiction writer, though I do a bit of writing and editing in my day-job. I work as an Online Content Coordinator for VicUrban. I have always been interested in writing, but I didn't start seriously writing till the mid-nineties.
Does The Bollywood Beauty mirror your family life? How did you get started?
The story is based a lot on my own experiences, but not on my life. So an amalgamation of my own experiences, other people's experiences, and a healthy dose of my imagination. I came up with an outline to enter a pitching competition at the Melbourne Writers Festival, and over the next three years, the idea went on to become The Bollywood Beauty.
Growing up Asian in Australia has just been released and one of your stories was chosen. How did it feel?
Destiny is one of my favourite pieces — actually it was my first published piece, it debuted the year before my novel came out. So it was wonderful to see it printed again, and in such an amazing collection.
What was your families' reaction to you wanting to become a writer?
I think they're happy if I'm happy.
What advice do you have for budding writers in the wider Indian community?
Keep at it, and keep reading.
Do you think there is scope for a collection of stories of the South Asian experiences in Australia?
I think so — living in a multicultural country like Australia means that stories of different experiences should be out there as much as possible — that's why I'm really happy to be a part of Growing Up Asian in Australia.
What do you think is the future of Australian writing?
That's a tough one… but if anthologies like Growing Up Asian in Australia are anything to go by, the future's looking bright.
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