Column

Australians are traditionally known to us as champion cricketers who are compulsive sledgers (though our younger players led by Harbhajan Singh, it must be said, have given it better than they have got), but more recently also as senseless bullies bashing up hapless, puny young Indians studying or working Down Under. This is depressing because my experience on a couple of cricket tours and meeting several Aussies over the years has been pleasantly different.

Frankly, I have had no occasion to find them racist though I must confess that their attitude towards aborigines, till a recent government apology, had been inexpicable. For the most part, though, I have found them to be hardy, blunt, obsessed by the outdoors, win-at-all-costs people, but also warm and generally free of hang-ups. Oh, and occasionally even endowed with a sense of humour.

Tony Greig tells the story of Douglas Jardine, England’s surly captain during the controversial 1932-33 Bodyline tour, being barracked while trying to swat away some pesky flies away while batting. “Hey Jardine!’’ yelled Yabba, the famous Sydney barracker, “leave our friggin’ flies alone, they are the only blimmin’ friends you have in Australia.’’

Though sublimated to a great extent by cricket, the rivalry between England and Australia has been long and harsh, and for obvious reasons. This might become clearer through an anecdote involving the renowned commentator John Arlott who went there on assignment during the 1950s. One of the queries in his immigration form was, ‘Have you got a criminal record?’ to which Arlott replied, “I didn’t know it was still necessary.’’

I have no information on what the response of the immigration official was to this, but suffice to say that Arlott was not beaten up nor deported, which suggests that the Aussies, while beleaguered of the stereotype they have had to endure for the past couple of centuries, are not as bitter a people as might appear because of what has transpired over the past few days.

But the complexities of forging an independent identity become evident through these anecdotes. I have used examples from cricket to establish that while regarded as a first world country, Australia in many ways is struggling to come to terms with being part of the modern world. Race relations is another issue that has reared its ugly head every now and then: in the past with matters pertaining to its indigenous peoples, the aborigines, and in more recent times with immigrants, mainly from Asia.

Because of its geographical location, and given its history, Australia has been insulated from the rest of the world, sometimes even discriminated against. But while the quest for a new identity has led to a culture of admirable plain-speak and tough living, this has sometimes been countermanded by acute xenophobia which in the past has led to horrific actions against aborigines, and in recent times irrational violence against Malaysians, Indonesians, Vietnamese, Chinese,and now Indians.

In a sense, the threat perception to identity, lifestyle — and more particularly jobs — from immigrants is not dissimilar to anywhere else in the world. But unlike some other first world countries, Australia still does not have an optimum population, and more particularly skilled people. Moreover, in a globalised world, transmigration of people and labour is not just inevitable but also invaulable, as is evident from the high status and rewards that cricketers like Shane Warne, Adam Gilchrist, Brett Lee, Andrew Symonds have come to find here.

In saying this, I must confess that Indians can hardly afford to be sanctimonious. We have shown strong prejudices against not just foreigners, but also our own. But in a world that is increasingly driven by a ‘give and take' philosophy, there is a need for Australia, like India, to emerge from ‘down under’ where societal changes and co-existence are concerned.