Ugly Indian Student===>Beat Him Up?

Amid some hysterical reporting by the Indian media, and the apparent lethargy of the Australian Police, the plight of the wronged Indian student is forgotten. The shameless capitalization of the incidents by our news channels to convert it into another TRP booster, and the disgusting manner in which the well-heeled "NRIs" in Australia have distanced themselves from the victims has not done the Australia-based Indian student any favours.

This morning I read an article in the TOI by Rakesh Ahuja, former Australian Deputy High Commissioner to India. He spoke of "Racist" Oz and the Ugly Indian student. He claimed that the disconnect between the Indian students in Australia and the natives was more because of the "appalling" behaviour of the Indian students in Australia, than the "Racism". But to be brutally frank, it was just waffle by another stuck up Indian-Australian with a pathological dislike for his native people. His opinion on the whole issue, if any, seemed to be lost in a flurry of sweeping generalizations about India and Indians. Hardly anything he said seemed relevant. To me atleast.
"Visible traits imported from home include a sullen unsmiling visage; disdain towards serving staff, lewdly ogling women;playing raucous Indian music on public transport;cooking pungent food without regard for neighbour's sensitivities;littering;spitting-and let us not even mention the unhygienic practices in (male) toilets."
This is nonsense. There are more than 94,000 Indians studying in Australia(according to Ahuja himself) Does that mean every one of them behaves as above? The true Indian is kind-hearted, tolerant and sensitive. It is highly irresponsible and immature to make stupid statements like these based on the perceived uncouthness of a section of 94,000 people.
And first and foremost, what has all this got to do with the attacks on Indians. Does Ahuja dare to give a justification for these attacks? Is "bad" behaviour an excuse for violence? Ahuja certainly seems to think so. Then what of the Westerners who visit India? What about those who dress skimpily, smoke pot in restaurants, indulge in noisy banging in hotels, enter our temples wearing footwear. Isn't that offensive to our culture?Aren't they being insensitive to our culture? A strong "Yes", in my opinion.
But does that mean we beat them up, abuse them on the road for the heck of it? Mug them violently? Certainly not. Ahuja probably has a stock incoherent diatribe ready incase an Australian woman as much as touched in a crowded Indian locality. He would, in his narrow outlook, write about "Lewd Ogling" and the "uncivilized" Indian society. I can visualize him doing the hysterical shouting just as the Indian media is about "Racist Australia".
Foreign women, no doubt, have had bad experiences in India. And I'm ashamed of the people responsible. I have no excuse, no justification. And I'm thankful for that.
I would never be able to live with myself if I justified the rape of a white woman in India by blaming her for "dressing inappropriately".

There's more . None of which has any bearing on the real issue as far as I can see.
People coming from tier-II cities like Bhopal, Ludhiana,Jalandhar,etc. have barely passable english and a "provincial mindset" and "cultural baggage" to Australia, he writes. According to him, they have no understanding of Australian culture, and despise Aborigines(blacks).
The statement in italics is probably the joke of the century. It in statements like these that the writer's prejudice is exposed. Australia is a multi-cultural society, that is why the Whites have treated Aborigines like dirt for centuries. It is only Indians who dislike Aborigines, that is why White Australians massacred Aborigines. (I'm not a history expert, I'm just trying to highlight why I disliked this statement. The author trying to make it look as if it is only Indians who ill-treat Aborigines.And even if each of the 94,000 people hates Aborigines, what has that got to do with all the violence?)

There is more about "How Indians need to refine their behaviour". He also claims another reason for the discord among Indians and Australians is that Indians are subverting an educational opportunity in the quest permanent residency. They have no commitment to Australia, yet they expect to be protected.

Okay, they don't speak good English. They may have a provincial mindset and cultural baggage.
They may not smile, they may ogle, they may play loud music. Yes, all they may want is permanent residency.
So what? Beat them up? Corner them in a shady locality and stab them?
Nothing better than some good ol' Curry Bashing, eh?
You see an Ugly Indian Student spitting on the road, so you beat him up?
Is that how Australian society is? Is violence a remedy for everything? Is brutality always excusable and justifiable?

I don't entirely disagree with what Ahuja has written. Granted, some Indians live like animals, have no regard for Australian sensitivites, spit on the roads, litter, and are unhygienic. But it is downright barbaric to give all this as an excuse for harming them physically.

The situation is quite simple. There were certain untoward incidents, some very brutal, in which Indian students were victims. Many of them probably had a racist overtone, many could have been merely opportunistic. The Indian media, in typical fashion, turned it into a "Australia is Racist" slugfest.(which only makes us look stupid, because Indian society too has its share of racist elements, just like anywhere in the world.) This probably spurred on some Indians in Australia, who then started their own shrill "Bharat Mata Ki Jai" and "India is Great" agitations, possibly incurring the resentment of the average Australian on the street, and understandably so. I don't see any disconnect or discord.

The solution, too is simple. Due diligence on the part of the Police. And that Indians should learn how to defend themselves. (The Chinese are more probably a lot more insular than we are, but one rarely hears about Chinese people getting physically assaulted. That's because they know how to hit back.) Of course, as Ahuja said, maybe Indians do need to refine their behaviour, behave properly. But I don't see how it is going to prevent them from getting stabbed. Violent muggings will always continue to happen so long as they're unpunished. "Refining" the behaviour of Indians is not going to change the fact that there are some racist elements in Australia. The racist people will be deterred only when the local Police takes concerted action to bring the perpetrators to book. And I'm sure they are, because it is a multi-million dollar education industry at stake. On the part of the Indians, maybe they do need to open up a little,mingle with the local people, respect their customs and culture. But people like Rakesh Ahuja, seem only to be trying to give excuses blaming the Indians for "bad behaviour". A crime is a crime. You can't just excuse a criminal just because his victim was "ugly" and "smelled of curry." I've read many Indian-Australians writing in the same vein.
This is in stark contrast so some opinions by native Australians, which I thought were balanced and objective.While asserting that Australia is a tolerant multi-cultural society, atleast they acknowledged that there were some racist attacks and that there is a fair amount of Police apathy(lack of Police funding is a problem, I heard,especially in Melbourne) . Atleast they apologized for the attacks and condemned those involved. Atleast they didn't blame the victims for the attacks.Atleast they didn't give ridiculous reasons like "bad behaviour'' and "Indians cook pungent food''.

I didn't quite get what Rakesh Ahuja wanted to say. But I didn't see any relation to his statements with the attacks on Indian students in Australia. He may be right, but I can't fathom how it is related to the actual issue.

PS: My first post :D
Apologies to anyone offended/unhappy/angry. If you didn't like what I wrote, why are you still here :P ?