The Age (Melbourne)
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA, MAY 8, 2004: Victoria’s growing Indian population is making its mark on local culture. It’s an imposing landmark the locals dub “the temple.” With its flowing contours and tall towers adorned with images of Hindu Gods, the Sri Shiva Vishnu Temple – to give its official title – could hold its own on the Indian subcontinent. But, instead, any passer-by can spot it in outer suburban Carrum Downs. Surrounded by a wire-mesh fence, the temple complex – home to three priests – has become a hub for Indian migrants in Melbourne who belong to the Hindu faith. On holy days, you can’t keep count of the sea of cars that descend on the compound. The medical doctors and IT professionals who are numerous in the congregation, it is said, tend to favour European models: BMWs and Mercedes-Benzes preferably.
After New Zealand, India is now Victoria’s second-biggest source of new migrants, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics. There were 95,452 Indian-born people in Australia at the 2001 census. They made up Victoria’s seventh-largest migrant group – 33,000 But like the subcontinent itself, the growing Indian community is culturally diverse. “Each Indian state – and there are 18 of them – is like a country,” says Dr. Virendra Kumar Berera, from the Federation of Indian Associations of Victoria. This means that, apart from Hinduism, the many faiths espoused by Indians include Christianity, Islam and Sikhism. Several regional languages are also spoken – Hindi, Punjabi and Tamil being the most common.
But what distinguishes the Indian community from many other migrant groups is a fluency in English and rather more professional qualifications and skills. Dr. Berera says this means the community has dispersed throughout Melbourne. Indian migrants have followed jobs and suitable schools rather than moving to where neighbors are familiar. Dr. Gurdip Aurora, of the Australia India Society of Victoria, puts it in rather more blunt terms. “Indians don’t tend to have ghettos in Australia,” he says. Still, there are substantial Indian populations in areas such as Templestowe, Glen Waverley and Noble Park. In Victoria, most Indians live in the local government areas of Monash, Greater Dandenong and Casey. There are no less than seven clothing stores selling all manner of bridal finery, saris and beaded wear within a few kilometers of the main hub of Dandenong, where spice shops also proliferate. Amarjit Kaur, the proprietor of Shergill Fashions, says her customers are part of a broad Indian diaspora – tracing their heritage from Indian communities not just from the subcontinent, but from nations such as Malaysia, Fiji and in East Africa. Mrs. Kaur, who makes annual buying trips to Mumbai, says her customers have a rare appetite for finery. “Indians like traditional things. There are many parties and weddings,” she says with a laugh.