Racist violence against Indian students in Australia shocks the nation
"Racism is man’s gravest threat to man for a minimum of reason."
By Prof Prasanna Deshpande
Will anyone believe the Australian ambassador’s version of the mindless attacks on Indian students in Australia that those attacks were an act of burglars trying to rob off the Indian students and not racist attacks? The envoy only tried to soften the gravity and brutality of the matter. But this attempt to mollify the malicious intentions of the attackers can be clearly exposed when one considers the number, frequency and the common factors in all those brazen attacks on the Indian students in Australia or elsewhere in the world. The commonest factor is that many of those Indian victims of the atrocious treatment given by the natives belong to the Indian students’ community in Australia. It freezes the mind of any sensible human being to know that the so-called developed and progressive-minded European and American countries are still having the barbarous elements in their society like the primitive humans who killed one another when their share in the prey was threatened by the growing number of other humans. Or shall we believe that these attempts and the psychology behind them are just a physical activity of the psychological frustration that the Europeans are having owing to the growing number of Indians doing well abroad and the rapidly increasing credibility of the Indian brand across the world?
If this is the case, as it seems to be, let us not allow any of the so-called progressive-minded Europeans charge Indians for our internal provincial practices. We will sort out our own differences without their meddling. Is it not jarring to our ears to hear that the Aussie police, instead of correcting their natives of the atrocity practised against Indian students, are asking the Indian students to live there on a low profile, not to make too many friends, live at the city- outskirts, and so on as if the Indian students are involved in some anti-social activities?
Just as a man is known by his culture, so is with a country. MK Gandhi said, “A man’s character can be known by the way he treats his subordinates and his guests.” While the Indian students in the UK, Australia, America or elsewhere are being maltreated, it would be worthwhile for us and would be an eye-opening experience to those extremist elements abroad to know that Indians are still living with age-old practice of “atithi devo bhava” (guest is to be treated as God).
One instance of this warmth and practice of integration between Indian society and foreign students in India is the activities and programmes organised by the World Organization of Students and Youth (WOSY).
Established in the International Year of Youth, 1985, WOSY is an international body of the young. It strives to help humankind in its search for happiness and fulfilment. Most such ideas that saw conflict by exhorting rampant exploitation of nature, control over shared resources and unbridled consumption have failed. A new thinking towards a more harmonious and sustainable life system has become all the more necessary. The failed old order is dying; the new is yet to be born. WOSY is an effort to accelerate the process of search for a new order that unites the mankind.
WOSY is the mobilisation of the students and youth in the quest of a new—all encompassing— political, economic, social, technological- world order that is just and lasting. Therefore, WOSY promotes friendship and cooperation among the youth across the globe. WOSY supports peace and co-existence, by bringing youth from diverse civilisations and ethnic context together. Thus, WOSY fosters better international understanding. WOSY stands against discrimination. It believes in one indivisible universe and is driven by the age-old Indian precept that “the world is a family”.
WOSY was launched in New Delhi on October 29, 1985, on the occasion of the International Youth Year Conference, in the midst of 11,000 Indian and foreign students delegates. Swami Ranganathananda, president of Shri Ramakrishna Ashram, and Air Chief Marshal (Retd.) Arjan Singh participated in the inaugural conference.
The organisation has a one-word inspiration, namely, India, the country with a tremendous variety of cultural expression, which has made India the world’s great spiritual tradition. The Indian subcontinent is not that large; in order to live together in peace Indians have learned to respect each others’ deities and forms of culture. And this spirit of tolerance has made India a heaven for refugees from other spiritual faiths. When the Zoroastrians were persecuted in Iran, for example, many fled to western India. When the Vajrayana Buddhists were expelled from Tibet, they were embraced in northern India where Dalai Lama has established his new seat. When the Mandeans of Iraq, the last of an ancient Semitic sect that used to be called Nazarenes (they claim John the Baptist as one of their historical teachers), were persecuted by the Muslims, many of them moved to India. According to Mandean mythology, when Adam and Eve were thrown out of the Garden of Eden, they too fled to India. Like a mother protecting her children, India has been taking care of the foreign guests coming to India. This tremendous spirit of tolerance is a clear sign of spiritual maturity. Can one imagine how much bloodshed could have been prevented if people around the world had understood that fundamental fact?
Youth, the world over, is being aggressively wooed by the sectarian and supremacist ideologies. These ideas often define the ‘other’ as enemies and seek their elimination. Invariably, these ideologies do not mind violent and destructive means. The attacks on Indian students abroad are an outcome of such destructive ideologies. WOSY strongly condemns these attacks. WOSY is an attempt to halt, cap and reverse this trend. With this end in view, WOSY is an international effort.
Since its inception WOSY has spread up its activities in the Indian cities like, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Agra, Shimla, Jaipur, Mysore, Pune and New Delhi as its central offices. So far WOSY has organised massive conferences and seminars on many leading current international issues like terrorism, commercialisation of education, impact of globalisation on higher education, etc. Likewise, it also organises programmes of cultural integration, to name a few, the Diwali Fest that took place at the Brihan Maharashtra College of Commerce in Pune, a seminar on Tibet issue in Garware College, a tour to Mahabaleshwar, an industry tour to the KPIT company and so on.
In the current times of racial discriminations against Indian students abroad WOSY hopes the dark clouds of racial prejudice will soon pass away and in not too distant future, the radiant stars of love and brotherhood will shine over our world with all their scintillating beauty.
(The writer is president of WOSY, Pune Chapter.)
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