Let me say at the outset, that I find racism of any kind abhorrent. I am also slightly saddened and disheartened at the attacks carried out against Indians in Australia.
That said and done, I would also like to state that I am not at all surprised at these violent episodes. Behind this violence there are several questions that I would like to ask.
We have thousands of Indians who leave their nation and migrate to other countries for different reasons. Some of them want to pursue their education in these foreign lands, while others are keen on making a career in what they deem to be greener pastures. Most of them settle abroad and are proudly termed as NRIs.
Though India does not lack for opportunities especially for those with talent and brains and inspite of its enviable position among other nations as a force to be reckoned with, we Indians have somewhere along the way developed a severe inferiority complex.
Therefore, we have parents of eligible women seeking NRI grooms for their daughters. An NRI son-in-law is considered a prize catch by most Indian parents. Affluent people dream of sending their children to foreign universities for higher studies, inspite of the fact that there is no dearth of renowned educational institutions & universities in our own country. When the entire world is looking at India as a potential market & several MNCs are investing heavily in our country, young Indian professionals fantasize about landing the dream job in another country and settling there as green-card holding citizens.
Last week I read about an Indian victim of racial attacks in Australia, recounting his experiences including his Australian ex-girlfriend who used to compliment him on being the only “good-looking” Indian she had ever seen and pretending to ignore him around other people. Inspite of being at the receiving end of such insults and snubs from his firangi girl-friend, our thick-skinned friend still went around with her for six months. He concluded by saying that he would still prefer Australia over India with its corruption, pollution and other evils. Talk about being hypocritic !!!
A majority of Indians who migrate to foreign shores to lead what according to them is a life of luxury are well-educated and qualified individuals. They could have easily led comfortable lives in India, while also contributing to the nation’s growth in a positive manner. To a large extent I feel these opportunistic and selfish people get what they deserve for going around looking for greener pastures.
We Indians have worked long and hard to take our country forward and are proud of its position as a developing nation. Imagine for a second, what would be our reaction if immigrants from some third world country such as Pakistan or Bangladesh started pouring into India and competing with the local populace in all aspects of life! Wouldn’t we feel antagonized at this intrusion? Most of us might suffer in silence, but there will still be a few hot-heads amongst us who will try to take things in their hands and hit back in a violent manner.
What really irks me is the fact that that these Indians who chose to leave the country that gave them birth and languish in foreign lands are now expecting the Government of the same country to take up their cause and fight for them.
Do we lack career opportunities in India? Do we lack good universities and educational institutions?? And finally, why should India lend its support to opportunistic individuals who run away from it in search of material gains???
