Dear Indian Australians in Sydney
With the exposure of rorts/scams through the Australian media recently, a significant damage has happened to the image of our community. We can not be happy about it as it is about us. A beginning has to be made to mend/repair the harm to the image and standing of our community.
Recently, a fellow from our community committed suicide in Harris Park, NSW. There were some issues in regards to arranging transportation of the body to India.
Also, recently, a young man died unexpectedly in Sydney. I understand that it was due to a heart illness. The person in question was a heavy drinker and smoker. He was the only son of his parents.
Mental health and cardio-vascular health issues are significant problems in our community.
“Racism” is a much used term which gets used, rightly or wrongly, as an explanation for all sorts of problems. I know one who tried to employ this word when caught travelling on the city rail without a valid ticket!
Basically, we have issues involving health, settlement and leadership in our community which are very relevant for the new arrivals.
For obvious reasons, we will have to do something about these issues. We have to think about the best mechanism/tools to address these issues. We have to help our community where our help is needed. Our community leaders have a special responsibility in this regard.
I do not claim to be “Mr know it all” but I do not mind in speaking my mind. I recognise that others would have good ideas too.
I propose that;
1. we do not encourage the participation of those members of our community who are known to be involved in the exploitation of students or are parts of the scams/rorts, in the social functions/gatherings.
2. we do not support the business owners who fall under the category 1.
3. we have a meeting of community minded people and those who have impeccable integrity with good reputation soon. I propose the United Indian Associations [UIA] president to preside this meeting.
4. we identify those people quickly who are operating as the leaders but have a clear conflict of interest in those matters and ask them to take a back seat.
5. we help set up the system which is there to help our students and Indian Australians when they are in desperate needs for the help. This should include the establishment of a Benevolent Fund.
6. we support UIA to grow and become an effective organisation by discussing, debating, reforming by bringing out the required changes. UIA Constitutional review is long overdue.
7. we urge UIA to become a more open and inclusive organisation by co-opting well-meaning and capable people from outside UIA in its committees.
8. we think about forming a new organisation with the required goals if UIA leaders are not able/wiling to reform UIA to make it a relevant and an effective body.
9. we take a stand against the rorts/scams and ask Australian Gov authorities to stamp out these activities quickly.
10. we start identifying people with leadership qualities and help them reach the places of influences including political offices ie MLAs/MLCs/MPs.
11. we re-energize the leadership by taking a back seat voluntarily if we have been leaders for a long period and have not been contributing meaningfully and encourage others with abilities to take the leadership roles in our associations.
12. we work actively to promote the pan-Indian identity of Indians and discourage the regional identities in Australia.
13. we do everything to promote a better understanding/integration among Indian Australians with themselves and with Australian community in general. The distrust has to go.
14. we work effectively and collaboratively to encourage SBS TV to have the programmes on India/Indian people, based on our numbers, as is the case with other communities.
15. we and Indian Govt Missions work collaboratively to have a statue of Mahatma Gandhi in a prominent place in Sydney and Melbourne.
16. we network, interact, co-ordinate and execute the health education programmes which are relevant to our communities.
Until recently, our Indian Australian community has had a great reputation. We want this reputation restored to our community.
We must promote only those who have a genuine ability to lead, understand the needs of our community and also understand the meaning of “conflict of interest”.
Let the seniors guide us in our goals! Let us learn from their experience and wisdom!
The community has to grow and we have to grow with it!
Let the debate begin!
Kind regards
Dr Yadu Singh
Sydney/03-10-09
Yadu Singh's Blog 
Dear Dr.Singh and Mr. Nanda
Both of you have a good argumentative skill . I am not praising you
guys but please try to sit under one roof , because this is the time to
give some input ,We cant deny australian media making fun of India and Indians
We can’t the truth
Take care
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Thanks Neeraj. I am not a student which is obvious and I don’t run a students’ association unlike Gautam Gupta. Gautam has not been a student for many years [about 7 years] but he is every thing of FISA although he keeps changing his designations. I am one of the Indian Australians here and am impacted like others, with what is going on with some of students from India. You probably don’t know that I was the chair of the Consul General’s committee on students’ issues in Sydney until July last year and was very actively involved with the issues. I am still involved in their issues. I have been helping/am still helping students of a Flying school in Sydney. I have organised refunds of thousands for students and still working for the refunds/help for them. I don’t publicise every thing what I do for them obviously. I am helping a student who is a victim of assault and is in a hospital with head injury right now. I help students whenever/wherever I can but I have a capacity to judge an issue rationally. FISA has branded every thing racist without even waiting for the full facts. Please open your eyes/mind and see around you. You will find that many of students have been victims of Indian students’ actions. See my latest Blog postings. Some Indian students have brought shame to the whole Indian Australian community
with their poor manners, behaviour, crimes, rorting, poor English, scams, contract marriages and murders. FISA does not represent Indian students. I have no doubt about it. It is about time that Gautam Gupta starts thinking before he opens his mouth. Do us a favour. If Australia is nothing but a racist country, then what is Gautam Gupta doing here and why has he not returned to India? Racism is every where including India. Look at the plight of North Indians in Mumbai. Australia is not a racist country just because some people here are racist.
I have no doubt that FISA is incapable of leading Indian students. FISA’s 10 point charter is a great example of its lack of leadership.
FISA has harmed us enough and we will not tolerate it any more!
BTW, the proper way to address a doctor is calling him “Dr”, not “Mr” unless you are close enough by age/relation to call him/her with the first name!
And yes, I went to your website and have noted that FISA is listed as your newspaper’s partner. Very interesting relation between a newspaper and FISA.
I know that you have interviewed Mr Gupta but I suppose it would be hard to ask tough and the right questions when FISA is a partner of your newspaper!
Best regards
Yadu Singh
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Dr Singh,
Your reply to this comment is in line with what students in OZ say at all Universities. GG is free to air his views, the way you are I am doing it. However, we donot call ourselves FISA and in a way try to be the voice of a the student. I was a student too at one time in OZ exactly like GG but donot think that it would be right for me to give an impression to the world that I am spokesperson for any student group now.
GG and FISA have no credibility and stand exposed fully after THE AGE article. They are the ones who are solely responsible for creating a divide between two friendly nations. I tell you, if they were Indians and in India, and had tried to do something like this, they would have certainly been behind bars for being “anti Indians” almost parallel to similar outfits like SIMI in India. Our various acts allow it.
They are lucky to be in Australia and hence have been allowed so much attention.
Time for GG is over. FISA stands debunked and none of the Universities give it any importance. Even the Indian Government doesnot any more and if we see the press reports over the Gurshan’s issue, even the media has junked them in favour of FIAV.
Now is the time to start some investigations on in their agenda and also on the funding. Maybe someone will.
Ravi
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Dear Mr. Singh
You have objected that Gautam Gupta and another fellow are not students and hence should not speak on the attacks issue. My question: Are you a student? No, as your blog clearly says you are a doctor. So, why do you comment on the issue? Anyone can speak for anyone just as you are expressing your views.
Have you done any survey on the attacks in Melbourne and what are your statistics (and source) as you give many sweeping statements.
The Vic Police is reluctant to release all crime statistics in the light of the coming elections in Victoria.
Have you read the study on international students done by Victoria University?
Do you think the views of General Cosgrave on race in Indian attacks are wrong?
And there are many more reports to read!
Plus, an attack on anyone (including Indian students) whether racial, opportunistic, a mix of both or something else is basically violence on a human being.
Come and live in Melbourne and you will see it.
It has to be condemned and stopped. That has not happened and instead it is being put under the carpet by saying that there is nothing racial in them.
Attacking people who have the guts to stand up and speak will not serve any purpose. As a cardiologist you must be a moneyed man as compared to many Indian students who struggle daily for paying hefty fees and then face violence.
Take care.
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