Local Indian leaders: Lack of vision and drive causes fear of the unknown

BT has raised the issue on a number of occasions before – Indian community in Victoria desperately needs fresh faces, young blood and new ideas – more debate, and a willingness to engage in the main game. After all we have all decided to call this place home and should no longer behave like guests whose actions always centre on the periphery as if they’d offend the landlord if they trespass into the front or back yard or “dare” participate in the main game.

It goes without saying – if you think something is yours as a matter of right, before you can expect others to concede that to you, you first have to convince yourself and begin to behave and act accordingly. It was a breath of fresh air, meeting and listening to Conrad D’Souza, the defeated Liberal Candidate for Jagajaga (November 2007 election) who told the audience, “… Then one day I decided to stop complaining and begin my pursuit to reach the place where decisions are made…”. Such was his conviction that he belonged where he could entertain such thoughts that he did not even consider himself as “Indian Australian”. “the party knew me as Australian” he said.

Conrad is certainly an exception if one were to scan the crop of “leaders” Indian community in Victoria throws up. Not only did he carry self belief which is a positive must, his vision where the main game was, is also unique. For most of our “leaders” who claim to have worked so hard for decades “for” their community, as their testimonials staking their “very real” and “very genuine” claim for an OAM, would show, all that has changed in the last two decades or so are the songs and dances in the “cultural” segment of their very “astutely planned” evenings to celebrate our main days when they have had local politicians as guests showing them off their “hard work” and showing off their closeness with those local politicians to their community. One must not just begin giving credit to them for their innovation in changing the songs and dances, that change has been engineered in Bollywood by the trendsetters there and not here in Melbourne. India is not just Bollywood, is it?

Our leaders did what they thought was right back in the early 1960s when they came and the circumstances they found themselves in when they came. It seems, although a lot has changed in the world, really a lot, not much has changed on that score.

BT has also observed that some parents in leadership positions even tried to mimic the Gandhi Nehru family’s actions and have endeavoured very hard to promote their own children, in some cases (perhaps) imposing them on the group they were heading. And the groups have been thereby deprived of the talent other youngsters could have come forward with, had they not seen such unfair moves at the top. Thank God we have not seen them succeeding on that front.

It is sad we are missing out on the immense talent of our youngsters many of whom simply do not see themselves engaged in their communities. But it is tragic and horrifying to observe a very clear and obstinate resistance to fresh and new ideas and initiatives.

When BT came up with the idea of promoting debates face to face on issues concerning our community and joined hands with the newly constituted Australia India Solidarity Group Inc. (AISG Inc.), it was labelled by some as “divisive”. They failed to understand what the new, unknown initiative will deliver. It is understandable such new initiatives are foreign to them. Such was the fear in those puerile minds that rather than welcoming the initiative, they closed their eyes and refused to acknowledge the fact that the group was not a splinter group of any pre-existing organisation. One cannot help but feel sorry for them.

With or without an OAM, they’ll be gone soon. Then fresh blood we have been all waiting for,  will come to the fore and take control. As  P. B. Shelley said, “If winter comes, can spring be far behind?