From the day I came to Australia, the one question that I have been asked over and over
again by people in India is - "How is the racism there?". I don't blame them. The news
channels and other 'information' media have shouted loud and clear that the white-skinned
people are racists in many instances.
However, I want to shed light on somethings the media, for some reason, is not interested
in projecting. I am talking about the behaviour of the brown-skinned people and the
Chinese/Vietnamese etc. I will limit my discussion to just Indians as I do not understand
the ways of the other races.
If you see a flock of people walking together blocking the way, talking loudly, cracking
jokes, you don't have to think twice about who they could be. While it is not illegal to do
this, it is considered extremely ill-mannered here. But no, "We don't care. We have friends.
We are social animals and we will live like this only. After all, I am working here and
contributing to the well-being of their economy."
The buses/trains have boards clearly stating that eating/drinking in buses/trains is
prohibited. But..."No, only I can cook the best 'smelling' food. And I don't have any other
place but the train to eat it. To hell with those who feel pukish because of the 'aroma' of
my delicious yummy food. After all, I have paid for the ticket."
Again, buses and trains have 2-3 seats reserved for the old and disabled. It is clearly
marked as "Priority Seating". But my fellow beings are least bothered. There are other seats
in the bus. But.. "I will sit here only since this is close to the entrance. So what if
someone is having to face a little more difficulty. They can always go and sit on the other
seats."
Oh! And yes, I forgot the most important time. Boarding time for a flight!!!! "I don't give
a damn if they announce that only rows 1-20 are supposed to board. Even though it is pre-
allocated seats, I will still rush in first so that I can have all the overhead luggage
space for myself"
And then there are the guided tours. Some tour guides are unnecessarily generous and decide
to distribute some goodies. Immediately, our Indian friend gets a doubt.. "Hey Mate! (Ya..
notice the way they are 'adopting' Australian culture). Is that for free?" URgghh.. I squirm
and try to hide my face. What to do, I can't change the colour of my skin. Darn! The guide
says, "Yes, Sir." Indian friend discusses with his other friend, "How many do we need? In
any case, lets take many. After all, it is free". And with that, only instant death looks
like a feasible option, not hiding my face.
I can go on and on and on.. I see such instances everyday, everywhere. Lifts, cafes, banks,
everywhere. The primary motive is: "I should get as much out of as less as possible AND Let
the rest of the world go to hell. I don't care. I will live life my way only."
Of Course, the above cannot be generalized to all Indians. There are many sensitive ones
too. But picture this: You are walking on a busy street. A lady comes running to you and
asks you for some money. You are not sure if this is a genuine cry for help or some sort of
game to trick you. In most instances, you walk past her. The white-skinned people are facing
something very similar.
They do not know which one of us is good and which one is not. They do not want to take
chances and hence simply try to avoid you. Some don't sit next to you in buses 'cause they
never know when you'll pop-out a lunch box. In some cases, they just ignore and in others,
they yell at you. All this is attributed to racism.
It reminds me of an incident I once saw on the road in Pune. There was a lot of traffic and
it is very common for a rick guy to drive perilously close to a 2-wheeler. The same thing
happened and a 2-wheeler guy lost balance. He got wild and started bashing
the rickshaw driver. A lot of people gathered and the next day I read this in the news..
"Muslim guy bashes Hindu rick driver on the road". I was speechless.
Discrimination is everywhere. In India, in Maharashtra, there is a fight to drive Biharis
out. Brahmins consider themselves superior to non-Brahmins for no apparent reason. South
Indian, North Indian. Your accent is funny. Your turban is funny. So many castes, so many
religious differences.
Having said that, I do completely agree that not all of whites are saints. Some could be
having the feeling of superiority and what not. But for one person to hurt another, there could be a million other reasons. The guy could be drunk. The other guy could have provoked him. Even
if there is no valid reason, such incidents are common and happen everywhere. Its only when
a white guy and brown guy are involved, does it become racism.
There is no end to this and no solution to this. Just don't label it as racism. Don't buy this crap that the media sells. It only makes matters worse
