Where is Gandhi-giri Now?

Australia is fast becoming the latest hotbed of racial tension when it comes to the Indian community. Over the past several weeks tensions have been mounting in the capital city of Sydney as Indian students gather to protest the apparent racially motivated attacks on Indian students. In some of these incidents, students have been stabbed or attacked physically and it has led to many to demand action from the Australian government whom many Indians believe to be not taking strong enough action. It's not the first time when the specter of racism against Indians has been raised and it probably won't be the last but the furor erupting in the public is what is dangerous and what could make the situation that is already bad even worse.

Earlier this week approximately 200 students gathered together in the Harris Park area of Sydney to protest additional attacks on Indian students. The protest got so loud and vocal that riot police were called out to take action and calm the crowd before the violence turned into something more dangerous than raised voices. The Indian government has been in constant touch with the Australian government and specifically those in the Sydney region but to limited avail. Although police in Sydney have been taking action in an effort to curb violence and stop attacks on Indian students, many believe that it isn't enough and lump complaints against Australians as being simply a matter of racist actions but of hatred.

Now I am the last person who would condone racism but in all honesty, are we people of Indian origin any different? It would be a simple exercise to ask the question of racism in India and point to the caste system but that would be too easy. It would also spark the typical knee-jerk reaction from most Indians which is to imply that a comment against Casteism or racism in India is a slight against our culture. I don't agree. Other arguments are that a North Indian may have a low opinion of a South Indian but we are all Indians so it doesn't matter. But isn't that racism as well? If it isn't then why is it so uncommon for Indians of different backgrounds to mix in their own country? As an Indian haven't you hear Punjabis talk about Mallus and vice versa?

Maybe because we are all Indians it doesn't seem like a racial action but why isn't it any different? To be treated differently because of our regional origins in India is just another form of racism but because it is practiced internally is it acceptable? We people of Indian origin will point out that "sure racism occurs but we don't target specific groups like the Australians" but then what about when Christians are attacked in India or when riots occur between Hindus and Muslims? Isn't that part and parcel of racist actions because of differences in backgrounds or is it acceptable again because of the long standing history and bad blood between religion in India? Certainly violence of any sort is bad when the motivating factor is something like race or religion but to use that as a justification is bad. Certainly the history of India and the rest of the world is full of problems but do we need to perpetuate the problem so many years on?

Indians in Australia will write about how they themselves have experienced racism and acts of violence (or near-violence) and that those of us outside Australia don't know how tense a situation it is. Is that so? Well I've lived in America my whole life and I have yet to have experienced racism so bad that it will lead me to violence. I admit that I have lived in areas where racial understanding is probably better but I honestly have not experienced hatred and discrimination that many people seem to imply is so rampant. But then again I also ask these same Indians who live in other countries, are you so free of racism while living there as well? Let me ask you then what your impressions of native Australians or Americans are?

I can tell you from experience here in America that many Indians who come here from India have a very low opinion of Americans and I would imagine the same cases occuring in Australia as well. I was having a conversation one time with a group of Indians who had come here during the IT boom of the late 1990's and the earlier part of this decade and they universally seemed to have a low opinion of Americans. They cursed them out and called them stupid and always talked about how useless people in this country are. My question back to them was then why were they even here? If you are that frustrated or that angry about the working conditions or situation in this country then why stay? Go back to India. I'm sure there are people here and in Australia who would also agree to that.

Again, I'm not trying to justify the acts against Indians in Australia and while the situation may be different out there than it is here in America I don't think turning to violence and accusing the government and the people of racism. A few years ago after the film "Lage Raho Munna Bhai" came out there was a sudden outpouring of support for so called 'Gandhi-giri' which is basically non-violent opposition to something. Indians proudly stood up and showed their moral superiority by embracing this ideal but somewhere along the way it seems to have suddenly been forgotten. What about when Shilpa Shetty was treated to racism by the late Jade Goodey on the show 'Big Brother' in Britain? Suddenly there too were accusations about British racism and how it is actually more of a widespread problem than people want to admit. Honestly in England, Australia, America and virtually any other part of the world there is some racial tension and there most likely always will be.

While the Indian public likes to point out that this racial violence is a widespread problem that demands immediate action I don't think turning violent against the government, any government, is the way to go about effecting change. Racial incidents throughout history have called for violence in the past and if attacked I think any rational person has the right to defend themselves but if people feel that by violently protesting the government of Australia and picketing in the streets of Sydney with baseball bats and hockey sticks during rush hour is the way to gain support I don't think it's going to work. Others have said turn the mirror inwards before making accusations against others. I say that in this case there is the right to protest these acts of violence but I would also encourage these same people to practice what they preach.