INDIAN COMMUNITY DEMOGRAPHICS IN VICTORIA
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INDIAN COMMUNITY DEMOGRAPHICS IN VICTORIA Indian Community demographics project is based on Australian Bureau of Statistics 2011 survey. These demographics cover the overall aspects of the profile of the Indian Community in Victoria, based on demographics representation , ancestry, birth place. The Demographic survey also covers representation in areas of history, business, education, employment, and community service.
Transcript of INDIAN COMMUNITY DEMOGRAPHICS IN VICTORIA
INDIAN COMMUNITY
DEMOGRAPHICS IN
VICTORIA Indian Community demographics project is based on Australian Bureau of Statistics 2011 survey.
These demographics cover the overall aspects of the profile of the Indian Community in Victoria,
based on demographics representation , ancestry, birth place. The Demographic survey also covers
representation in areas of history, business, education, employment, and community service.
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INDIAN COMMUNITY DEMOGRAPHICS IN VICTORIA FEDERATION OF INDIAN ASSOCIATIONS OF VICTORIA
DISCLAIMER
The Indian community organization herein represented by FIAV is a voluntary not-for-
profit organization with an elected committee of office bearers. To effectively run
temporary initiatives and projects, sub-committees are initiated to oversee such projects. A
Demographic project is one such initiative that has been executed with the assistance of
project consultants.
The views that the FIAV are expressing are opinions, but all facts within this report have
been thoroughly reported and documented. The FIAV and our project consultants
disclaim liability for any loss or damage which may arise as a consequence of relying on
the information contained in this report.
Any of the trademarks, service marks, collective marks, design rights, personality rights or
similar rights that are mentioned, used or cited in the articles is the property of their
respective owners.
All information in this document is provided ‘as is’ and no guarantee or warranty is given
that the information is fit for any particular purpose. The user thereof uses the information
at its sole risk and liability. For the avoidance of all doubts, the FIAV has no liability in
respect of this document, which is merely representing the information collected as part of
various means (one to one survey, online survey, ABS Population Survey 2011.
If you have any concerns or issues, please feel free to contact the FIAV through email
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Contents DISCLAIMER ............................................................................................................................. 1
FOREWORD ............................................................................................................................ 4
1 INDIAN POPULATION DEMOGRAPHIC DATA ........................................................... 6
2 HISTORY OF THE FIAV .................................................................................................. 11
3 INDIAN IMMIGRATION TO AUSTRALIA .................................................................... 18
3.1 MELBOURNE IMMIGRATION MUSEUM ....................................................... 28
4 CITIES OF CASEY AND GREATER DANDENONG ....................................................... 29
4.1 Amenities ........................................................................................................... 30
4.1.1 Health Services........................................................................................... 30
4.1.2 Education Facilities .................................................................................... 30
4.1.3 Housing and Living .................................................................................... 30
4.1.4 Transportation ........................................................................................... 30
4.2 VEGETABLES AND GROCERIES ....................................................................... 31
4.3 RESTAURANTS AND SHOPPING .................................................................... 33
4.4 RELIGIOUS AND SPIRITUAL ATTRACTIONS ............................................... 34
4.5 CULTURAL AND EVENT FACILITIES ............................................................. 36
5 INDIAN STUDENTS AND AUSTRALIAN INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION ............... 37
6 INDIAN BUSINESSES IN THE STATE OF VICTORIA ................................................. 49
6.1 INDIAN RESTAURANTS.................................................................................. 49
6.1.1 Prominent Restaurants in Dandenong .................................................... 49
6.1.2 Prominent Indian Restaurants in Melbourne CBD ................................. 49
6.1.3 Other Prominent Restaurants in Melbourne ........................................... 50
6.1.4 Overview Indian Restaurants in Victoria .................................................. 50
6.2 INDIAN GROCERY STORES ............................................................................. 52
6.2.1 Prominent stores in Dandenong ............................................................... 52
6.2.2 Prominent Stores in Melbourne CBD ....................................................... 52
6.2.3 Overview Indian Grocery Stores in Victoria ............................................. 53
6.3 INDIAN CLOTHING STORES .......................................................................... 54
6.3.1 Overview Indian Clothing Stores in Victoria ............................................ 55
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6.4 OTHER BUSINESSES CONTRIBUTING TO THE INDIAN COMMUNITY ... 56
6.4.1 Sweet Shops ............................................................................................... 56
6.4.2 Astrology ................................................................................................... 56
7 INDIAN DANCE AND MUSIC ....................................................................................... 57
7.1 INDIAN CLASSICAL DANCE ............................................................................ 57
7.1.1 Bharatanatyam ........................................................................................... 57
7.1.2 Kathak ........................................................................................................ 58
7.1.3 Kathakali .................................................................................................... 58
7.1.4 Kuchipudi .................................................................................................. 58
7.1.5 Manipuri .................................................................................................... 59
7.1.6 Odissi ......................................................................................................... 59
7.1.7 Mohiniattam .............................................................................................. 59
7.1.8 Sattriya ....................................................................................................... 60
7.2 FOLK DANCES OF INDIA ............................................................................... 60
7.3 INDIAN CLASSICAL MUSIC ............................................................................. 61
7.4 THE FIAV’S ROLE IN PERFORMING ARTS ................................................... 62
8 INDIAN RELIGIONS AND RELIGIOUS ORGANISATIONS IN VICTORIA ................. 65
8.1 HINDUISM ....................................................................................................... 65
8.2 HARE KRISHNAS ............................................................................................. 67
8.3 SIKHISM ........................................................................................................... 68
9 YOGA AND MEDITATION IN VICTORIA .................................................................... 70
9.1 Yoga ................................................................................................................... 70
9.2 MEDITATION .................................................................................................... 72
10 LITTLE INDIA DANDENONG ....................................................................................... 75
11 CONTACT INFORMATION ........................................................................................... 78
11.1 INDIAN RESTAURANTS .................................................................................. 78
Ph: 03 9793 8101 ........................................................................................................ 78
Ph: 03 9629 6484 ...................................................................................................... 79
11.2 INDIAN GROCERY STORES ............................................................................. 81
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11.3 INDIAN CLOTHING STORES .......................................................................... 82
11.4 HINDU TEMPLES ............................................................................................. 83
11.5 GURDWARA .....................................................................................................84
11.6 YOGA AND MEDITATION CENTRES ............................................................. 85
12 FIAV EXECUTIVE TEAM CONTACT INFORMATION ................................................. 87
13 FIAV DOMESTIC VIOLENCE VICTIM PANEL CONTACT INFORMATION ............. 88
Community Volunteers ............................................................................................... 89
14 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .............................................................................................. 90
FOREWORD
As of 2011, the Indian community is the second fastest growing community in the state of
Victoria. 2.1% of the Victorian population was born in India. 2.7% of the total Indian
origins population resides within the suburbs of Melbourne.
The 2006 and 2011 census data shows that since 2006, the highest percentages of migratory
individuals are those who are born in India. This is 13.1% of the total migratory population.
The number of Indians in Australia has increased by 148,261 individuals since 2006.
The number of individuals who speak Indian Languages has been growing continuously
since 2006. Hindi and Punjabi are amongst the top 20 languages spoken at home in
Australia. 0.5% of the population speak Hindi, with 0.3% of the population speaking
Punjabi. Indian Religion has also been increasing since the 2006 census. 1.3% of the
population follows Hinduism, making it the fastest growing religion in Australia. The
number of Hindu’s in Australia has increased from 148,130 to 275,534 individuals. 2.5% of
the population follow Buddhism, with 2.2% following Islam and 0.3% of the population
following Sikhism.
1.8% of the country has an Indian heritage, which can be seen through many aspects of the
Australian culture. Indians have brought with them to Australia many aspects of our rich
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culture and heritage. Many Indians have contributed widely to business in Victoria with
restaurants, textile shops, spice and grocery stores and many more small businesses. The
flavours of India have crept into Australia through Religion, fashion, food and culture. The
vast number of Indian temples, established throughout Victoria has also brought about a
number of cultural advances, the latest of which is the newly built cultural centre in
Carrum Downs. “Little India” in Dandenong not only allows Indians living away from
home to buy ethnic products that would generally not be available at normal shops, but
also showcases all aspects of Indian life to the wider population. The Little India precinct
is slowly growing from the 36 currently existing specialty stores that have come up steadily
over the past 20 years.
In a recent survey conducted by the FIAV, we have found that within 20km of Little India
in Dandenong, there are approximately 85,000 persons of Indian origins living within this
radius. This area has the highest number of specialty Indian shops, mostly contained
within the precinct. The Dandenong market also houses many Indian vegetables that allow
the Indian population to feel a little closer to home.
With the significant increases in the Indian population in Victoria in recent years, the
Federation of Indian Associations of Victoria (FIAV) is of the opinion that this is the right
time for an Ethno-specific aged care centre. The centre will provide a place for the elderly
Indians to come together with their own culture with like-minded individuals. An Access
Economic Report done by the National Seniors Australia highlights that 74% of Senior
Citizens feel that aged care is a significant issue for them, with 14% knowing that
Government aged care policies would influence their voting, come election time. The
proposed aged care centre will allow for specialised care, tailored for the Indian senior
citizens. It will be the first Indian specific aged care facility and will provide a way to
further unify the Victorian Indian community.
Vasan Srinivasan
President FIAV
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1 INDIAN POPULATION DEMOGRAPHIC DATA
Graph 1: Population of Indians within Greater Metropolitan Melbourne (Postcodes 3000 –
3207)
103,621
1,971 1,440 824
1,835 Indian - Both Parents Born Overseas
Indian - Only Father Born Overseas
Indian - Only Mother Born Overseas
Indian - Both Parents Born in Australia
Indian - Birthplace Not Stated
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Graph 2: Population of Indians within South Eastern Melbourne (Postcodes 3141 - 3207)
Graph 3: Gender of Total Population of Indians within Greater Metropolitan Melbourne
(Postcodes 3000 – 3207) Aged 15 and above
39,930
670 579 308 666
Indian - Both Parents Born Overseas
Indian - Only Father Born Overseas
Indian - Only Mother Born Overseas
Indian - Both Parents Born in Australia
Indian - Birthplace Not Stated
53,681
40,090 Indian Males
Indian Females
Total Population: 93,771 Individuals (Aged > 15)
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Graph 4: Gender of Total Population of Indians within South Eastern Melbourne
(Postcodes 3141 - 3207) Aged 15 and above
Graph 6: Countries from where Persons of Indian Origin have Migrated from, within
Greater Metropolitan Melbourne
20,808
16,177 Indian Males
Indian Females
93,771
4,147
7,193
2,364 20,400
India
Fiji
Malaysia
Singapore
Sri Lanka
Total Population: 36,985 Individuals (Aged > 15)
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Graph 6: Countries from where Persons of Indian Origin have Migrated from, within 20km
of Dandenong
Graph 7: Religious Status of Individuals of Indian Origin as split by Council Areas
41,891 1,613
3,450
1,062
12,700 India
Fiji
Malaysia
Singapore
Sri Lanka
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Graph 8: Gender of Total Population of Indians as split by Council Areas, Aged 15 and
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2 HISTORY OF THE FIAV
For the past 23 years the Federation of Indian Associations of Victoria (FIAV) has strived to
work for the good of the Indian Community in Victoria. The FIAV was initially established
in 1989 under the leadership of Dr. T. J. Rao, the former Honorary Consul General for India
in Victoria. Dr Rao and other likeminded individuals came together to form the FIAV, as
the Indian community was slowly starting to grow at that time. The FIAV was initiated to
serve as an umbrella organisation for all the Indian community organisations in Victoria.
Twelve (12) major community organisations joined together to form the FIAV, bringing
together all the individual organisations in order to strengthen the community and
provide it with one unified voice. By establishing an organisation with unity, Local, State,
Federal and the Indian governments were able to communicate with the Australian Indian
population as a whole. The current FIAV President, Mr Vasan Srinivasan, assisted Dr Rao
when the FIAV was initially being set up.
During their time, the former FIAV presidents were all well known individuals in the
community. The former FIAV presidents; Dr B. D. Kamath, Mr Baboo Jeena, Dr Raman
Marar, Mr Peter Castelino, Mr Abul Hasnet, Mr Uday Dumaktar, Dr Virender Berara and
Mr Shabir Wahid all contributed towards the community in their own way. In recent
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years, the community has come together more often to celebrate cultural events organise
frequent community consultations on issues of community concern and to recognise
dedicated contributing individuals in the community. In 2006, the FIAV was given the
opportunity by the Indian government to assist with the Commonwealth Games Closing
Ceremony, working alongside Shiamak Davar the Bollywood choreographer and Wizcraft
Event Management. The FIAV was instrumental in bringing together 1100 dancers for 49
days of rehearsals before the closing ceremony at the MCG.
In 2010, the Indian Consulate was approached by Melbourne City to organise a team of
Indians, who are prominent within the community, to run alongside athletes in the
Queens Baton Relay before the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi. The Consulate
selected a team who were from all aspects of the Indian community. Mr Vasan Srinivasan,
Mr Sahil Shekhar, Mr Prakash Sankaran, Mr Arun Sharma, Mr Harvin Dhillon, Mr Rohit
Kumar, Mr Madappa Palachanda, Mr Harish Rao, Ms Manpreet Singh and Ms Chandni
Dhingra were all asked to run alongside members of the Australian Commonwealth team.
The FIAV was given an opportunity to showcase their support for the Indian community in
Victoria as well as for the Commonwealth Games team that was heading to Delhi.
In 2002, the FIAV acknowledged that there was a need for a Social Worker to help
members of the community that were affected by migration, stress, violence, domestic
disputes and depression. Dr T J Rao, Dr Raman Marar, Mr Arun Sharma, Dr Virendra K.
Berera and Mr Vasan Srinivasan were behind the FIAVs decision to employ a social worker
for the community. Mr Arun Sharma and Dr Virendra K. Berera established the Indian
Welfare Resource Centre (IWRC) and implemented the procedure for why a social worker
was needed for the community and how they would be beneficial. Mr Sharma interviewed
and employed the first social worker for the community on behalf of the FIAV. To proceed
with this employment, there was a need to raise funds. Dr Rao requested Mr Vasan
Srinivasan, the current FIAV President, to raise funds. A fundraising charity dinner was
organised under Mr Srinivasan leadership and $15,000 was contributed by the community.
Ashley Opals, Abinaya Printers, H.C. Lakhani & CO and Melbourne Opals contributed
greatly towards this project. Since then there has been a social worker available for the
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community under FIAV employment, who have been able to greatly support the
community in difficult times.
In 2008 the Consul General at the time, Ms Anita Nayar and Dr T. J. Rao wanted to bring
the community together once again to reunite and revitalise the FIAV. Both recognised
that the needs of the community were on the rise and it was felt that the FIAV as it were,
was not in a position where the needs of the community could be met. The Indian
community was looking for persons to take the FIAV to a new level, and individuals who
had a link with the local Indian and Australian communities. The FIAV committee
unanimously elected to the position of president, Vasan Srinivasan. Vasan Srinivasan has
held the office of President since 2009.
Since Mr Srinivasan has been president of the FIAV, the FIAV has changed the structure of
its operation. Over the past 3 years, the new FIAV executive team has been striving to
achieve the goals they set for the community. The aim was to develop the FIAV into a
lobby group that strives to achieve what is best for those of Indian origin in Victoria. The 5
points about the vision of the FIAV was to:
Relocate the FIAV office to a location that would better benefit the community
Provide a newsletter from the FIAV to let the community know about their
activities
Establish an Indian Aged care and a Community Centre
Further develop ‘Little India’ in Dandenong
Bring more associations to the FIAV to strengthen the Federation and unite the
community
The FIAV set up a new office in the heart of the existing “Little India” precinct, providing a
more central location for the Indian Community to congregate. Mr Srinivasan worked
alongside Mr Michael King and Mr George Lekakis (Former Chairman of the Victorian
Multicultural Commission) to set up the office in Little India. The new office allowed for
the FIAV to brand Little India with the public and provide more accessible services. With
the space that the new office provided, the FIAV was able to utilise the room for language
classes for a number of Indian languages, AGMs, community gatherings and any other
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events for up to 100 people. Little India is slowly being developed into a hub of Indian
culture within the city of Melbourne.
The ‘Voice of FIAV’ was established to interact with the community groups and the
remainder of the Indian community. 10,000 copies of the bimonthly newspaper was
printed and distributed under the editorial leadership of Dr Santhosh Kumar to over 100
outlets. After 6 issues, the newspaper was converted to an Electronic Digital Media
Newsletter and was rebranded as ‘FIAV at Work’ with the FIAV secretary Mr Subra
Ramachandran, Mr Hemanth Amin and Mr Thomas Joseph as a part of the team. With the
aid of the newsletter, the FIAV is able to communicate with almost 30,000 people within
the local Indian community, the Government and Government agencies as well as other
individuals across Australia.
During all the positivity that surrounded the new FIAV executive team, there was turmoil
within the Indian International Education Industry. After the occurrences of a number of
alleged racial attacks, the FIAV was invited to join forces with Victoria Police to form the
Victorian International Education Police Reference Group. Initiative was taken by FIAV to
establish a 24 hour helpline to assist Indian International students and violence victims.
The FIAV also set up a 24 hour toll free line to help victims report crimes. Victoria Police
trained the operators of the phone line, with guidelines on how to assist and talk to the
victims. The FIAV also assisted the families of a number of victims with financial and
emotional aid. 350 Indian international students were brought together by the FIAV to
better understand their feelings and help them disregard their animosity towards
continuing their studies in Victoria. A survey with 500 Indian students was completed and
a safety report was released. 87% of the students believed that they were safe in Victoria.
The FIAV also initiated a number of sessions with Victorian CRICOS providers along with
Victoria Police to help them to communicate and support Indian International students.
The Federation also worked closely with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and
the Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs, as well as taking a leading role
in communicating with the media in both Australia and India and show that the FIAV was
standing alongside the Indian students to show that they were safe in Melbourne. With all
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the issues that followed, the FIAV contributed towards the formation of the Racial Hatred
Law along with the Victorian Government.
In order to assist and support victims of domestic violence within Indian families, the
FIAV set up a domestic violence victim support panel with professionals. The panel
consists of psychiatrists, psychologists, general practitioners, legal professionals and a
social worker. Many of the Indian Seniors work along with the panel to provide emotional
support for the victims. The cases are referred to the FIAV by the Indian Consulate, the
Magistrate and Family courts, Victoria Police, Community organisations as well as from
the community itself. Over the last 3 years, almost 30 victims have been supported with
legal, financial and emotional matters. They have also received emergency accommodation
if they require it.
Since 2010, all the Indian organisations, including religious organisations and music
organisations, have all come together to March on the 26th of January for both Australia
Day and Indian Republic Day. The FIAV organised the march alongside Mrs Anita Nayar,
the former Consul General. The community marches alongside Shiamak Bollywood
dancers and musicians to showcase the united Indian community. Everyone marched
together under the one FIAV banner instead of as segregated Indian groups. In 2012, 350
people joined the march as the joint FIAV. The march was concluded at the Indian
Consulate with lunch, with Dr Subhakanta Behara as the Consul General.
Over time, the FIAV has worked closely alongside the Indian Consul General’s office.
Previously the FIAV has had many dealings with Mrs Anita Nayar, who held the Consul
General position for 3 years. Through the FIAV, the Consulate is able to communicate with
the Indian community more clearly. The FIAV is also been able to strengthen its bond with
the Indian government with the aid of Consulate. Since Dr Subhakanta Behera has taken
over the Consul General position in Melbourne, this bond has been further strengthened.
The FIAV has also been able to work closely with Mr Rakesh Kawra, from the Indian
Consulate, to help the victims of domestic violence, provide legal support to international
students as well as provide emergency visas to members of the community. Through the
Consulate, the FIAV has also been able to work more closely with the Indian High
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Commission. Mr Sumit Chaudhry from VFS Global has greatly aided and supported the
FIAV and the community with visa help for Australian passport holders.
Since the new executive team has been in office, they have worked tirelessly to put
together plans to fulfil the goals they set. The FIAV has been pushing to setup a
multicultural hub in order to strengthen the bond between the communities. The FIAV
worked alongside the Iranian and Chinese community groups to set up a Multicultural
Centre with Manningham City Council. A feasibility study was conducted and 10 places
were deemed as appropriate for such a centre. The study was co-funded by the
Manningham City Council and the Victorian Government. The FIAV is still lobbying the
State and Local Government to establish the Silk Road precinct.
Following the plans for a multicultural precinct, the FIAV has put into motion the
development plans for an Indian ethno-specific Aged Care facility. The FIAV is working
alongside Australian Unity to develop this aged care facility which will specially designed
keeping the needs of Indian Seniors in mind. The centre will have a multi faith hall, a
vegetarian kitchen and staff who are able to communicate in a variety of languages. The
FIAV is working alongside a great number of government officials to bring this project into
fruition. With the aid of the Indian media and Senator Kate Lundy, the FIAV was able to
go to Canberra in 2010 to lobby the Prime Minister and her Ministers. The FIAV also
organised a meeting with Hon. Mark Butler, Minister for Health and Aging to discuss this
project in detail.
In 2010, 24 Indian, Sri Lanka and Fijian Music and Dance schools came together to form
the Federation of Indian Music and Dance Victoria (FIMDV). The organisation is under
the leadership of Mr Murali Kumar. Since the inception, a number of festivals have been
celebrated with the FIMDV as the entertainment organisers. The formation of the FIMDV
stemmed from the Unity in Diversity function, which brought together 52 community
groups to showcase their own cultural music and dance items.
Every 6 months since 2009, the FIAV has brought the community together to see how they
can fix the issues and problems faced by the members. These community consultation
sessions assisted the FIAV in communication with the community in a more proficient
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way. The FIAV further strengthened its bond with the community by hosting the 2011
AGM in Traralgon. The regional Indian community organisations are a part of FIAV. The
executive team felt that it was necessary to reach out to those communities that are
further away from us.
The FIAV has brought together the Indian television, radio and print media together to
communicate with them more clearly about what the FIAV has been and will be doing.
Over the past 3 years, all aspects of the media have worked closely with the FIAV to prove
a unified platform for the Indian community.
The FIAV has also worked to help those who are not a part of the organisation. In 2010, the
Victorian Government contributed $500,000 towards the Pakistani Flood Appeal. The
FIAV organised a function to help victims of the flood through fundraising. The FIAV was
also invited to be a part of the Australian Chapter of the United Nations Alliance of
Civilisations. The FIAV is one of 5 community groups that have been presented with the
honour. In October 2011, Jorge Sampaio, former United Nations Secretary General and
former President of Portugal, came to Australia as the High Representative for the
UNAOC, where he shared the podium with the FIAV President Mr Vasan Srinivasan. This
event showed 135 community groups coming together for the UNAOC. Mr Srinivasan was
invited by the UNAOC, along with 8 other individuals to chair the Australian Chapter of
the UNAOC. In December 2011, Mr Srinivasan attended the UNAOC conference in Qatar,
promoting Australian multiculturalism and Unity in Diversity.
In 2010, the FIAV was able to bestow a great honour onto one of its members. Mrs Krishna
Arora was the first Indian lady to receive Shilling Wall Tribute Award for her outstanding
contribution towards the community. Mrs Arora’s name was engraved on to the Queen
Victoria’s Women Centre Wall, where she joins the list of many inspiring women who
have made a difference to the community.
Since 2009, the FIAV has made a splash in the media, in the community and with the
wider community as well. Once when a search on the Indian Community in Melbourne
was done, the FIAV was existent only within the back pages of Google. Nowadays it can be
seen all throughout the first few pages. There a many articles and websites which make
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reference to the FIAV and all they have done in the community. The FIAV has now
become an organisation that matches the ability of the Victorian Indian community.
3 INDIAN IMMIGRATION TO AUSTRALIA
Historically, immigration has been a sensitive issue in Australian-Asian relations. On the
one hand, there was a national necessity for an increase in the Australian population,
reflected in the slogan "populate or perish" that came about after the World War II. At the
same time, from the beginning of the Federation in 1901 until the 1970s, Australia
maintained a series of restrictions known collectively as the "White Australia" policies.1
There were mainly three periods of Indian immigration to Australia: 1800 to the 1850s;
1860s to 1901; and from 1950 to the present which is the major growth phase with a marked
change in characteristics of immigrants.
Indians were present among the so-called “first fleeters”, those who arrived between 1788
and 1820s, and are regarded as the Australia’s first settlers.2
1 Australia and the principal-agent problem. The Economist. May 23
rd, 2011. http:/economist.com
2 Lovat T. Multifaith Religious and Values Education: Apparent or Real? Religious Education. 1995.
Summer/Fall. P. 412
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The first Indians in Australia arrived in the first half of the 19th century, working as
agricultural labourers and hawkers. Another group from Hyderabad Sindh set up an
import-export business in Melbourne which formed the basis for today’s Sindhi
community.3 The community should be perceived as a collection of people who share
certain ideals – the solidity of behaviour between kin, particular notions of honour – and
who practise certain customs.4
While a few Indians arrived in Australia as convicts or free labourers between 1810 and
1816, the first significant number were hill tribesmen from north-east India between 1837
and 1844.
Despite an anti-Asian sentiment in the second half of the nineteenth century, the number
of Indian immigrants, especially those who were Punjabi Sikhs or Punjabi Muslims,
increased between 1880 and 1890.5
Since the end of the White Australia Policy in the early 1970s, Punjabis of an urban
professional background have arrived in Australia and have settled in cities. In 1996, 4,107
of the 10,874 Punjabis in Australia lived in Sydney, and they represented more diversity in
terms of religion, caste and country of birth comparing to their rural counterparts, most of
whom are Sikhs of the land-holding Jat caste from Doaba district.6 At around the same
time that Punjabi pioneers started arriving g in Australia, Indians from Uttar Pradesh,
Bihar, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh moved to Fiji. Postcolonial politics and economics
have turned Fiji into what is presently the most problematic node of the Indian Diaspora.
Many families have consequently undertaken a secondary migration to the metropolitan
3 Helweg A. Indians of the professions in Australia: some theoretical and methodological
considerations./ From India to Australia. Edited by Chandrasekhar S. Population Review Books.
California. 1992. P. 77 4 Lepervanche De M. Indians in a White Australia. George Allen & Unwin. Australia Pty Ltd. 1984. P.
167 5 Wilson W. India-born immigrants in Australia and Canada: a comparison of selected characteristics.
International Migration. V. 34. N. 1. 1996. P. 120 6 Voigt-Graf C. Towards a geography of transnational spaces: Indian transnational communities in
Australia. Global networks. 2004. Vol 4 (1). P. 30
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countries of the Pacific Rim, so that Australia today hosts the largest overseas community
of Indo-Fijians.7
In 1901 the Immigration Restriction Act was passed by the newly formed Commonwealth
Government, which enshrined monoculturalism in law, preventing all non-British
immigration into Australia.8
After World War II, Australia embarked upon an immigration programme to increase its
population. While there was little or no place for non-European immigrants in the early
stages of the programme, Asians (including Indians) who had obtained certificates of
domicile after 1901 were allowed to re-enter Australia after visits to India.
Whilst these changes reflected a gradual breakdown of the White Australia policy, its
complete removal did not occur until the Gough Whitlam government rescinded the
Immigration Restriction Act of 1901 in 1973. In the decade 1975-84 Australia admitted
nearly 200,000 migrants from Asia and the South Pacific, half of them from India and
China..9
Until the end of World War II, India-born immigration had been predominantly male.
Wives and children were introduced increasingly after the early 1960s. Since then,
arranged marriages among Sikhs have contributed to the entry of many brides and grooms
from India. The growing tendency for Sikh migrants to commute between Australia and
India has meant that kin connections and traditional alliances between villages, invoked in
marriage arrangements, are maintained.10
During the 1960s the first Asian restaurant (“Khyber Restaurant”) was opened in Perth by a
Pathan family that traced its settlement in Australia to the days of the ‘Ghan railway’ in the
nineteenth century. The ‘Ghan’ received its name from the belief that the turbaned drivers
7 Voigt-Graf C. The construction of transnational spaces by Indian migrants in Australia. Journal of
Ethnic and Migration Studies. 31.2. (Mar.2005). P.365 8 Jason Y.S. Evolutionary multiculturalism and cultural diversity. New voices for social democracy.
Labour essays 1999-2000. Pluto Press Australia Ltd. 1999. P. 237 9 Reynolds D. Empire, region, world: the international context of Australian foreign policy since 1939.
The Australian Journal of Politics and History. 51.3. (Sept. 2005). P.346 10
Wilson W. India-born immigrants in Australia and Canada: a comparison of selected characteristics.
International Migration. V. 34. N. 1. 1996. P. 121
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of the camels that helped to haul construction materials were Afghans from Afghanistan.
In fact, there were Pathans from what is now north-western Pakistan.11
The composition of the Indian immigrants in Australia had changed markedly since the
early 1980s. Between the late 1940s and the early 1980s the vast majority of immigrants
from India were Anglo-Indians. However, since 1981, almost all Indian immigrants have
been of ethnic Indian origin drawn from a variety of regions.12
According to the 1961 census there were 14,000 Indians living in Australia. Most of them
were of British descent or could be considered Anglo-Indians. Only 3,184 Indians (and
Singhalese) actually fell under the category ‘overseas by race’, meaning that they had come
to Australia during their own lifetime and had neither been born there, nor previously
lived elsewhere outside India.13
The Indians, who came in from the 1970s onwards were far removed from the indentured
labourers who had once set foot on Australian shores. In the past they had come to
Australia as sugar cane cutters, camel drivers and other individuals with a labouring
background, the new arrivals included a relatively high proportion of professionals such as
doctors, engineers, university teachers and computer programmers. By 1991 only eight per
cent were living outside the major cities, and in addition, almost 85 per cent were living in
only three states: almost one third in New South Wales, an almost similar number in
Victoria and just under 19 per cent in Western Australia.14
In 1965, Dr Suresh Sharma migrated to Australia to continue his education by taking up
studies towards PhD in Organic Chemistry at the University of Sydney. He joined the
CSIRO in 1968 as a scientist to help with many projects. In 1985, Mr Sharma did research
work for New Form Chemicals, where he developed and patented a glycoside hydrolases as
a weed killer alongside his associates. Alongside his academic endeavours, Mr Sharma also
began an Indian Restaurant in Camberwell, Melbourne. His restaurant was committed to
11
Vicziany M. White Australia is No More. Australian Multiculturalism, Yesterday and Today./India
and Australia. Edited by Vohra N. Shipra Publications. 2004. P. 178 12 Immigrant Indians doing very well in Australia. The Times of India. Oct. 30. 1995 13
Baas M. Imagined mobility: migration and transnationalism among Indian students in Australia.
2009. P. 68 14
Bureau of Immigration, Multicultural and Population Research. http:/multiculturalaustralia.edu.au
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promote Indian cuisine and culture within Melbourne. He began his second restaurant a
year later and also developed a bakery in 1982. Mr Sharma has more recently started a
textiles company for women’s fashion. In 1968, whilst Mr Sharma was completing his PhD,
he was heavily involved as a general secretary with the Overseas Student Council. During
this time, he was instrumental for helping organise a meeting with Former Prime Minister
of India, Mrs Indira Gandhi on her trip to Australia. He also helped organise the meetings
with two other former Prime Ministers of India, Mr Sanjeeva Reddy and Mr Atal Bihari
Vajpayee on their vsits to Australia. Mr Sharma has been a key member of the Indian
Community in Victoria since 1971. He represented settled members of the Indian
community during the time of the White Australian Policy. He recalls a note in the
migration booklet during the days of the policy, which stated that one should not be
offended if a barber refused to cut your hair. He notes those times have changed greatly
since then, and his wife and two daughters feel very at home in Melbourne.
Image 1: Former Prime Minister of India Mrs Indira Gandhi and Mr Suresh Sharma, Sydney
1968
Migration from Karnataka is closely linked to the emergence of Bangalore as a high-tech
city. The urban professional background, with a leaning towards the new economy and
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the IT sector, has made Kannadiga migrants look for places where their skills are more
highly valued than in India. At the turn of the millennium about 4000 Kannadigas lived in
Australia.15 Kannadiga migration is much more selective in terms of age and qualifications
than Punjabi and Indo-Fijian migration. It comprises mostly young couples or families or
unmarried men, who later sponsor the migration of their South Indian spouses.
The figures below indicate the extent to which the Asian-born population of Australia has
increased between the censuses of 1981, 1986, and 1991. The largest populations, in terms
of size, are from Vietnam, Malaysia, Philippines, Hong Kong, India, and Mainland China.16
Table 1: Some of the Asian birthplaces of the Australian population: 1981, 1986 and 1991
Birthplace 1981 1986 1991
China (Mainland) 26,760 37,468 77,799
Hong Kong 15,717 28,293 57,510
India 41,657 47,816 60,958
Malaysia 31,598 47,802 71,665
Philippines 15,431 33,727 73,144
Vietnam 41,097 83,048 121,813
Sources: 1981, 1986, and 1991 Census of Australia
At present, India-born residents in Australia reflect considerable diversity in terms of
language, culture and religion. The major language groups (Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi,
Konkani, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Punjabi, Tamil and Telugu) are represented, and
15
Voigt-Graf C. Towards a geography of transnational spaces: Indian transnational communities in
Australia. Global networks. 2004. Vol 4 (1). P. 33 16
Jupp J. From “White Australia” to “Part of Asia”: recent shifts in Australian immigration policy
towards the region. International Migration Review. 29.1 (Spring 1995). P. 207
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each language group has at least one regional/cultural association in each of the major
cities of Australia.17 While the majority of Indians in Australia are Hindus, some are
followers of other religious faiths, such as Christianity, Islam, Sikhism, Buddhism and
Jainism.18
More recently, there has been an influx of migration with International Students. These
individuals migrate to Australia to continue their higher education. Many of these
students hail from India. Mr Hari Shankar Thanu was born in India and brought up in the
Middle East, where he completed his high school education. In 2007, Mr Thanu migrated
to Victoria, where he began his education at RMIT University, undertaking a Diploma of
Business. After completing his diploma, Mr Thanu went on to complete a Bachelor of
Business Management and a Bachelor of Business (Honours). Mr Thanu was involved
within the RMIT International Student Groups and has been working alongside the FIAV,
to assist in various means with a number of community projects. Mr Thanu is a
representation of the wave of International Student Migration to Australia.
There were 95,460 India-born people in Australia at the 2001 Census, making up 2.3 per
cent of the overseas-born population and 0.5 per cent of the total Australian population.19
In 2005 there were 138,662 India-born people living in Australia. This made them the six
largest foreign presence in Australia, after the UK (1,137,374), New Zealand (455,105), Italy
(224,309), China (191,194; not included are the SARs and Taiwan Province), and Vietnam
(177,728); more than ever before newcomers established themselves in the states of
Victoria and New South Wales, mostly in Melbourne and Sydney. From 1993-94 there
were 2,643 newcomers from India, of which 29.5 per cent ended up in Victoria and 51.6 per
cent in New South Wales. By 2003/2004 the absolute number of newcomers had increased
more than threefold to 8,135. Although New South Wales remains the most popular state
among Indians, Victoria, and Melbourne in particular, has been gaining popularity.20
17
Wilson W. India-born immigrants in Australia and Canada: a comparison of selected characteristics.
International Migration. V. 34. N. 1. 1996. P. 127 18
India-born Community Information Summary. http:/immi.gov.au/media/publications/statistics 19
India-born Community Information Summary. http:/immi.gov.au/media/publications/statistics 20
Baas M. Imagined mobility: migration and transnationalism among Indian students in Australia.
2009. P. 70
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The latest Census in 2006 recorded that there was 147,110 India-born people in Australia,
an increase of 54.1 per cent from the 2001 Census. The 2006 distribution by state and
territory showed New South Wales had the largest number with 57,160 followed by
Victoria (52,850), Western Australia (15,160) and Queensland (10,980).21 In terms of year of
arrival, the distribution can be viewed as following:
Table 2: Indian immigration by year
Before 1971 1971-
1980
1981-
1990
1991-
2000
2001-
2005
2006 Not
Stated
Total
15,426 11,903 17,953 36,541 47,946 11,914 5,423 147,106
Source: The people of Australia. Statistics from the 2006 Census. http:/
immi.gov.au/media/publications/research
Table 3: Profile of people born in India and living in Australia, 2006 (excludes overseas
visitors)
Number of persons born in India and living in Australia 147,106 (100%)
Number Percentage Number Percentage
Gender State of usual residence
Males 81,189 55.2 New South
Wales
57,156 38.9
Females 65,914 44.8 Victoria 52,853 35.9
Age (in years) Queensland 10,974 7.5
0-19 16,572 11.3 South Australia 6,828 4.6
20-29 38,033 25.9 Western
Australia
15,157 10.3
21
India-born Community Information Summary. http:/immi.gov.au/media/publications/statistics
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30-39 30,762 20.9 Tasmania 804 0.5
40-49 24,024 16.3 Northern
Territory
588 0.4
50-59 16,148 11.0 Australian
Capital
Territory
2,738 1.9
60-69 11,186 7.6 Years of arrival
70 and over 10,366 7.0 2000-2006 66,068 46.6
Religion 1990-1999 33,184 23.4
Hinduism 64,968 44.4 1980-1989 15,828 11.2
Christianity 49,975 34.2 1979 or earlier 26,598 18.8
Islam 4,888 3.3
No religion 3,899 2.7
Not stated 3,082 2.1
Other religions 19,463 13.3
Source: 2006 Census of Population and Housing: Media Releases and Fact Sheets, '2006
Census ethnic media package: persons born in India',
The median migration age of the India-born in 2006 was 35.8 years compared with 46.8
years for all overseas-born and 37.1 years for the total Australian population.
Of the 90,050 Indian-born who were employed, 37.4 per cent were employed in a Skill
Level 1 occupation, 9.8 per cent in Skill Level 2 and 7.3 per cent in Skill Level 3.22 Among
22
India-born Community Information Summary. http:/immi.gov.au/media/publications/statistics
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the India-born, 60.2 per cent had Diploma level or higher23 qualifications and 7.3 per cent
had Certificate level qualifications. From the India-born, 31,930 had no higher non school
qualification, of which 28.7 per cent were still attending an educational institution.
As of June 2010, there were 340,600 India-born people living in Australia, equivalent to 5.7
per cent of Australia's overseas born population.24
Table 4: Permanent additions by country of birth, 2008-09 to 2010-11
Birthplace
2008-09 2009-10 2010-11
Onshor
e25
Arrival
s
Total Onsho
re
Arrival
s
Total Onshor
e
Arrival
s
Tota
l
Southern Asia
Bangladesh 721 1 505 2 226 440 1 715 2 155 899 1 375 2 274
India 7 840 17 283 25 123 7 716 15 626 23 342 11 366 10 566 21
932
Nepal 361 813 1 174 576 905 1 481 1 487 919 2 406
Pakistan 518 1 635 2 153 420 1 635 2 055 630 1 513 2 143
Sri Lanka 1 226 4 078 5 304 1 409 4 440 5 849 1 789 3 225 5 014
Other 19 586 605 16 579 595 14 750 764
Total 10 685 25 900 36
585
10 577 24 900 35 477 16 185 18 348 34
533
Source: Immigration Update 2010-2011. http:/immi.gov.au
According to the data from Table 3, the additions received from India during the period of
2008-2011 have remained almost on the same level.
23
Diploma level or higher qualification includes Degree level or higher, Advanced Diploma and
Diploma level. 24
Nag A. Migration between Australia and India will help both nations. The Economic Times
(Online).March, 2012 25
“Onshore” = Onshore permanent grants
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Table 5: Settler arrivals by birthplace and state/territory of intended residence, 2010-11
Birthplace State/territory of intended residence
NSW Vic. Qld. SA WA Tas. NT ACT
Southern Asia
Bangladesh 752 213 114 189 70 2 4 31
Bhutan 123 100 121 234 9 137 8 16
India 3 373 3 474 1 161 841 1 418 47 87 165
Nepal 377 122 131 148 30 87 12 12
Pakistan 642 488 127 106 118 2 3 27
Sri Lanka 690 1 581 367 223 283 7 23 51
Source: Immigration Update 2010-2011. http:/immi.gov.au
The data from Table 4 indicates almost an equal distribution between NSW and Vic. in
terms of settler arrivals in the year 2010-11.
3.1 MELBOURNE IMMIGRATION MUSEUM
The Immigration Museum in Melbourne opened in 1998 in the former Commonwealth
Customs Office, a symbolic place of immigration control and registration of new arrivals.
The creation of the Immigration Museum contributes to the implementation of a
multicultural policy. The Australian case (and in particular here in Victoria) shows clearly
that the museum is an effective education institution which not only defends the
bipartisan support to successive Government's Multicultural policy, but also maintains an
ongoing dialogue with communities in the State of Victoria on issues concerning
multiculturalism.26
Four sections constitute the history of immigration policy in Australia: first is the period
between 1840 and 1900, representing Australia as the second British Empire, since the
settlers came mainly from Great Britain. The second period was between 1901 and 1945 and
corresponds to the application of the Immigration Restriction Act (or White Policy). The
26
Boumankhar I. Immigrant communities, cultural institutions and political space: the success of the
Immigration museum in Melbourne, Australia. Human Architecture: Journal of the Sociology of self-
knowledge. 9.4. Fall 2011. P. 61
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third period is between 1946 and 1972, which corresponds to the relaxation of the
immigration policy after the Second World War, allowing for trade with neighbouring
countries that are mainly Asian and Middle Eastern. The fourth period is more recent and
is between 1973 and 2006. Australian multicultural policy is one where the question of
national identity is still ongoing. This last part emphasizes the policy of opening cultural
and ethnic diversity of Australian society, which does not solidify the concept of identity in
a definition, but adapts to the diversity of individuals within an Australian multicultural
society. Victoria and its multicultural society is an example of the success of the Australian
multicultural model.
4 CITIES OF CASEY AND GREATER DANDENONG
Within the local governments of Victoria, the City of Casey and City of Greater Dandenong
are standouts; as both a service provider and an employer. Located in the south east of
Melbourne, Casey is Victoria's largest municipality and is growing still. This growth and
diversity raises challenges and opportunities that the local government manages in a
proactive and efficient way.
The City of Casey and City of Greater Dandenong are major 'ports' for overseas migrants,
some of whom are likely to continue to look to settle in both the cities in coming decades.
As per our survey around 95,000 people of Indian origin live within a 20km radius from
Dandenong. These are some of the key driving issues that warrant people to live in the
South East
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4.1 Amenities
4.1.1 Health Services
The City of Casey operates Victoria's largest Maternal and Child Health Service and Family
Day Care Service and was the first Council to establish Family Resource Centres. They are
a hub for family, children's and allied health services. Dandenong Hospital within the City
of Greater Dandenong is one of major acute hospitals within Melbourne. Along with
numerous hospitals, medical centres, health service centres and other medical facilities,
both cities are well equipped to cater for the medical needs of the Councils members.
4.1.2 Education Facilities
Mostly young families are attracted to the spread of diverse education facilities. Both cities
have over 150 schools spread across its suburbs. Monash, Deakin and Macquire
universities, TAFE centre as well as AMES which is close to Foster Street and FIAV’s head
office.
4.1.3 Housing and Living
Both cities are growing areas, catering for a large proportion of Melbourne's fringe
development. The population has risen many folds in the last 2 decades years, as per
previous available census data since 2006. The vast majority of recent growth has occurred
in Narre Warren South, Berwick (South), Lynbrook - Lyndhurst, Cranbourne East and
Cranbourne West. Although the amount of remaining developable land in the Narre
Warren South and Berwick area has been substantially exhausted, the pattern of
population growth is expected to continue.
4.1.4 Transportation
Dandenong and Casey are very well connected with Melbourne city and the suburbs
within. Monash Freeway and Princess Highway are just arms length from Little India
Precinct. Direct train and busses from city via other suburbs to Dandenong end at Foster
street.
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4.2 VEGETABLES AND GROCERIES
Top 6 Grocery Importers and Whole Sale merchants are located in Dandenong. Indians
buy things in bulk quantity which turns out to be very cheaper compared to Super
markets. Combination of 100s of spices are the main ingredients in Indian everyday meals
for this very reason buying spices and vegetables in large quantity turns out to be cheaper
than buying them from Super markets where occasional customers are targeted.
The FIAV conducted a survey over two weekends to see the number of visitors to the
market that were of Indian origin and where they had travelled from. 104 people were
surveyed and they had come to the market from 29 different suburbs. As seen in the table
below, there are a wide number of suburbs that persons of Indian origin reside in. They
travel to the market for the unique collections of Asian fruits and vegetables. Whilst
people come to Dandenong Market for groceries, it was also seen that some of them came
with duel purposes to visit Little India or the Temples.
Spices play a key role in Indian cuisine, so Little India and Dandenong Market provide
spices that are not available at retail supermarkets and stores.
Table 6: Suburbs from which people of Indian Origin travel from to come to Dandenong
Market
Blackburn 4 Mulgrave 6
Box Hill 6 Nunawading 2
Camberwell 4 Oakleigh 4
Carnegie 1 Patterson Lakes 3
Carrum Downs 5 Preston 6
Clayton 3 Ringwood 4
Craigieburn 4 Seaford 1
Doncaster 3 South Yarra 1
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Footscray 2 Springvale 3
Glen Waverly 8 Taylors Lakes 2
Glenferrie 2 Templestowe 5
Greensborough 2 Toorak 2
Laverton 2 Wantirna 8
Melbourne CBD 2 Wheelers Hill 4
Mount Waverly 5
Indian cuisine has been influenced by a 5000-year history of various groups and cultures
interacting with the subcontinent, leading to diversity of flavours and regional cuisines
found in modern-day India.
The cuisine of India encompasses a variety of regional cuisines that are all made in the
geographical territory of India. Given the range of diversity in soil type, climate and
occupations, these cuisines are very different from each other and use spices,
herbs, vegetables, and fruits that are locally available.
Food in India is also heavily influenced by religious and cultural choices. For example,
North Indian cuisine’s staple food includes Wheat flour, chick peas, red kidney beans,
various pulses and vegetables like Ghiya, Cauliflower, Cluster Beans, Fenugreek Leaves etc.
and South Indian cuisine primarily revolves around Rice, pulses and vegetables like Agathi,
Basil, Curry leaves, Colocasia, Coconut and Drumstick etc.
Varieties of fresh Indian vegetables are required for everyday meals irrespective of the
Indian region from where the family comes. Recently, FIAV conducted face to face survey
with 100 people over 3 weekends which conclusively highlighted by Dandenong vegetable
market as the hot spot for buying fresh Asian vegetables at much cheaper rates than
similar markets at Preston, Spring Vale and Footscray. This is so because of the
concentration of people of Indian origin living in Dandenong and nearby suburbs.
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4.3 RESTAURANTS AND SHOPPING
Many restaurants are concentrated in the city centre or in suburbs where the Indian
community is prominent. Many Indian businesses are situated around the City of Greater
Dandenong. The suburb of Dandenong is famous for celebrating the vibrancy of the Indian
community where ‘Little India’ is situated. Little India precinct is located in Foster and
Mason Streets from the corner of Robinson Street to Thomas Street and bordered by
Gilbert Lane.
In India there is a local saying that the way to a man's heart is through his stomach and so
many other clichés that all centre around one of life's necessities – Eating. Indians are food
savvy and enjoy eating it.
Mr. Peter Vlahos, who is a Lawyer by profession and was the former Mayor of City of
Monash, lives in Mount Waverley) is greatly fond of Indian cuisine and every now and
then he can be spotted in one of the restaurants on Foster Street enjoying either a family
meal or samosa snack.
Mr. Hari Shankar, India born, brought up in Kuwait, recently finished Masters in
Professional Accounting and is settled permanently in Melbourne a graduate from RMIT,
Melbourne CBD; often visits Dandenong to buy Indian groceries and Indian restaurants to
enjoy various dishes, his favourite being Allu Ka Paratha (Stuffed potato naan bread) at
Bikaner Sweets and Curry Café.
Food and shopping go hand in hand. Little India Precinct boasts number of Dazzling
fashion outlets with beaded saris, beautiful clothing, unique jewellery which specialize in
traditional Indian clothing which caters to people from across India. Indians not only from
Victoria but across states visit these outlets for things as small as “Bindi” which is one of
the most important ornaments of married Indian women to exclusive dresses for
weddings. For Indians; no festival, birthday or celebration goes without buying new
clothes.
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4.4 RELIGIOUS AND SPIRITUAL ATTRACTIONS
Sri Shiva Vishnu temple has been established in the grace of Lord Shiva (Destroyer) and
Lord Vishnu (Keeper) two main lords of the trinity. These two lords are the most
worshiped gods across people of Indian Origin irrespective of the area they come from.
This spiritual and cultural precinct was established in 14.3 acres of land at Carrum Downs,
needless to say that this is one of the main temples for worship in Victoria. This is, now,
the largest Hindu temple in the Southern Hemisphere, outside India. Devotees in
thousands regularly attend its various Pooja Ceremonies and Festival Celebrations each
year. Many of them have recorded attendances in excess of 20,000 people. Other
prominent hindu temples spread across Melbourne are Sri Vakratunda Vinayaka Temple
in Basin, Melbourne Murugan Temple in sunshine, Durga Temple in Rockbank, Hare
Krishna (ISKCON) Temple in St Kilda, Sai Shiva Vishnu Hindu temple in Hoppers
Crossing, Kundrathu Kumaran Temple in Rockbank, Hindu Temple in Boronia Shree
Swaminarayan Temple Boronia, BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir in Mill Park, Shirdi Sai
Sansthan in Camberwe, Mata Chintapurni Mandir in St Albans, M A Centre (Aust) Pty Ltd
- Ashram in Carrum Downs, Chinmaya Dham (Ashram) in Templestowe.
Some of the Sikh places of workship spread across Victoria are Sri Guru Nanak Satsang
Sabha in Blackburn, Sri Guru Singh Sabha in Creigiburn, Sri Gurdwara Sri Guru Granth
Sahib Keysborough, Sant Nirankari Mission in Rowville , Sri Guru Nanak Satsang Sabha in
Hoppers Crossing, Sri Gurdwara Sahib in Shepparton , Sri Guru Nanak Satsang Sabha
(Gurudwara) in Fern Tree Gully, The Sikh Community Centre in East Preston and
Nanaksar Taath in Lynbrook. These places of worship represent the fourth largest religion
of India, Sikhism. Each Gurudwara has 100s of footfall each day and becomes countless
during festivities. By the nature of this religion 3 meals are offered without any charge to
whoever visits Gurudwara irrespective of any race, religion or beliefs.
Shwetambar Jain Temple in Moorabbin represents another faith in India – Jainism.
Buddhist temples, in Springvale, offer people a place for worship and learn from the words
of wisdom shared by Lord Buddha, one of the few enlightened people.
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All these magnificent religious and spiritual places are located in or around Dandenong
area where people from different walks of life come to pray during birthdays, weddings,
their anniversary as well as their parents’ anniversary for long, prosperous and healthy life.
Not only people visit these worship places to share their happiness but to pray for eternal
life of the loved ones whom they have lost.
As it is known to the whole world that India is a place of festivals round the year, just to
name a few:
1. Holi – Festival of colours
2. Diwali – National Hindu festival of lights, celebrating the victory of light over
darkness and good over evil
3. Baisakhi – Punjabi New Year and also the festival when harvest is gathered and most
famous Punjabi dance i.e Bhangra and Giddha are performed.
4. Onam – South Indian festival of harvest runs for 10 days
5. Lohri – marks the culmination of winter
6. Pongal - festival of Thanks giving to the Sun, the Earth and the Cow
7. Guru Nanak Jayanti – Birthday of Guru Nanak Dev Sahib, Lord of Punjabi religion
8. Bikrami Samvat - Hindu New Year
9. Puthandu and Ugadi – are the South Indian New Years
10. Sri Krishna Janmashtami - Birthday of an avatar of Lord Vishnu
11. Ganesh Chaturathi - Birthday of Lord Ganesha, the elephant-headed son of Lord
Shiva and Goddess Parvathi.
12. Navarathri celebrations – Celebration for the goddess Shakthi over 9 days
The list is endless; in fact pretty much all the festivals are to celebrate lessons given by
various religions in one or the other way. These houses of lords and goddesses are visited
by thousands of deities during these festivals.
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4.5 CULTURAL AND EVENT FACILITIES
Hindu Society of Victoria (HSV) Cultural and Heritage Centre in Carrum Downs, opened
on 5th of May 2012, and is located just a few kilometres away from Central Dandenong.
The Cultural Centre has a library, a heritage museum, is a venue for residential seminars,
cultural displays, community functions and a large industrial kitchen, dining hall and will
soon have a Hindu educational facility. This centre is an extension of the Sri Shiva Vishnu
Temple and the venue for many cultural activities normally associated with Hindu religion
that take place within the temple compound.
The library is a public library which promotes Hindu Culture and Philosophy. It is
equipped with religious books, videos and many other media such as CDs, DVDs, etc., in
English as well as Indian languages. These items are available to all registered members, on
loan. There are audio-visual and reading cubicles for browsing the books and all other
media
The museum has an extensive collection of images in the form of paintings, photographs
and other artefacts, as well as contemporary multimedia resources to present the various
aspects of the Indian sub-continent and Hindu cultural heritage.
The upcoming Education facility will actively serve to educate the members of the
community interested in Hindu traditions in the areas of learning Hindu philosophy and
worship, Classical art forms and languages associated with Hindu culture.
The Function Hall provides a unique venue to perform wedding ceremonies, special
functions and celebrations, as well as being able to cater for cultural music, arts and dance
performances. In addition to main function hall which has a seating capacity of 700 guests,
there are smaller function halls for other occasions. The function halls are complete with
back stage rooms and audio-visual facilities.
The canteen provides tasty and healthy vegetarian food, of mainly Indian cuisine for
devotees and all members of the wider community and also caters to distribution free food
on religious occasions. It is fitted with tables and chairs to seat 300 diners at a time.
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5 INDIAN STUDENTS AND AUSTRALIAN INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION
In the middle of the last century, the new Asian nations became increasingly aware of the
geographical proximity of Australia and of the quality of training offered by Australian
educational institutions.
In 1950, the Commonwealth Foreign Ministers’ Conference at Colombo accepted the
principle of joint action for the diversification of the economies of the under-developed
countries and the gradual raising of living standards. The Colombo Plan was designed
primarily to train technical experts at the upper level. From the beginning, the basic
assumption was that “the countries of the region should develop facilities for producing
their own technicians of all grades, from the agricultural extension worker and the
mechanic to the university professor and soil scientists”. It was physically impossible for
the participating countries to train the millions of technicians of all kinds needed for the
economies of South and Southeast Asia. Accordingly, in the first year of the program, the
Australian government offered 150 training awards, which were distributed in the
following way: India 50; Pakistan 35; Ceylon 13; Burma 7; North Borneo, Singapore, Malaya
and Sarawak 7; Thailand 8; Indochina 3; Indonesia 25.27
Table 7: India-born private overseas students in Australia, 1977-95
Country Year
1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1985 1986
India 115 134 149 156 175 155 170 212 247
Country Year
1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995
India 249 343 512 525 860 647 733 1158 1800
Source: Andressen C. The location and characteristics of Asia-born overseas
students in Australia. /Asians in Australia. Edited by Coughlan J. and McNamara D.
27
Harper N. Asian students and Asian studies in Australia. Pacific Affairs. 1958. March. P. 57
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In the year 2006, 27,000 Indian students were studying in Australia, a majority of them
enrolled mainly in higher education courses for IT, engineering, hospitality, management,
accounting and applied sciences.28 In the end of 2009, there were 120,569 Indian students
in Australia, and 46.9 per cent were in Victoria.29 Victoria recorded the highest net
contribution of international students in 2008–09 (43,600 persons), followed by New
South Wales (40,400 persons) then Queensland (18,300 persons).
Graph 10: Student visas. Proportion of Indian students for each States and Territories.
Australia, 2008-09
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics. Report: Migration 2009-10.
http:/ausstats.abs.gov.au
Graph 10 demonstrates that in 2008-09 the largest number of Indian students were able to
get places in Universities in Victoria, followed by Queensland and New South Wales.
Students from India have been a major contributor to the Vocational Education and
28 Australia eyeing more Indian students to bolster its trade. Financial Express. March 06, 2006.
http:/financialexpress.com 29
Cabraal A. Indian student migrants in Australia: issues of community sustainability. People and
place. 18.1 (Apr. 2010). P. 19
20.10%
45.70%
18.80%
7.30% 7.20%
0.20% 0.10% 0.50%
NSW
Vic
Qld
SA
WA
Tas
NT
ACT
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Training (VET) sector growth. India is the largest single source country for the VET sector,
with 32,771 commencements in 2008.
Table 8: Indian student commencements, Higher education and VET sectors, 2002 to 2008
Sector 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008
Higher
education
4.359 7.064 9.958 9.315 10.493 11.197 12.102
Vocational
Education and
Training
818 618 1.005 2.865 7.399 18.612 32.771
Source: Birrell B. Immigration policy change and the international student industry.
People and place. 17.2 (June 2009). P. 64
In 2009 Asian markets dominated VET sector, representing 85% of all VET enrolments
with India being the lead market with a 29% share followed by China with 7%. Among the
most popular courses were 'Management and Commerce', 'Food, Hospitality and Personal
Services' and 'Society and Culture'.30
Table 9: NOM. Student visa subclasses. Country of birth. Proportion of each country of
birth. Australia. 2008-09
Country
of birth
570-
ELICOS
(a)
(%)
571-
Schools
(%)
572-VET
(%)
573-Higher
Education
(%)
574-Post
graduate
research
(%)
Total
student
visas
(%)
30
Nyland Ch. International vocational education and training – the migration and learning mix.
Australian Journal of Adult Learning. 51.1 (Apr. 2011). P. 8
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India 0.1 0.2 55.4 43.7 0.3 42.955
China (b) 2.0 14.5 15.6 64.2 1.5 24.650
Nepal 0.1 0.1 85.5 14.0 0.3 10.514
Vietnam 3.4 14.3 4.4 72.9 2.0 6.036
Malaysia 0.7 4.8 8.2 66.3 13.7 3.479
Thailand 77.1 1.0 22.1 -1.5 0.5 3.178
Saudi
Arabia
22.1 0.1 3.4 69.4 3.0 3.170
Indonesia 2.6 2.1 58.9 34.4 12.5 2.533
Sri Lanka 0.2 0.4 18.6 74.9 4.1 2.475
Mauritius 1.1 - 58.5 39.9 - 2.229
Other
countries
33.8 1.2 32.0 25.8 5.1 21.144
All
countries
9.1 4.1 39.2 44.1 2.2 122.363
a) ELICOS – English language intensive courses for overseas students
b) China (excludes SARs and Taiwan)
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics. Report: Migration 2009-10.
http:/ausstats.abs.gov.au
Based on the data from Table 9, some interesting international comparisons can be made.
The total number of student visas granted to Indians in 2008/2009 is almost equally
divided between Vocational education and training (VET) and Higher education (55.4 and
43.7%). The share of Post-graduate research conducted by Indian students in Australia
was amounted only for 0.3%. The latter sector is covered to the relatively greater extent by
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PhD candidates from Malaysia and Indonesia (13.7 and 12.5%). In the same period, VET
was obviously preferred by international students from Nepal (85.5%), whereas for China,
this indicator amounts only for 15.6%.
Table 10: Offshore and Onshore Grants for 2010-11 Program Year (includes eVisa grants)
Passport
held
570
ELICOS
571
Schools/Seconda
ry Exchange
572
VET
573
Higher
Educatio
n
574
Postgradua
te Research
575
Non
Award
Total
India 43 46 19.546 8.712 468 108 28.923
Source: Offshore and onshore grants for 2010-11 program year (includes eVisa
grants)
Graph 11 (Based on Table 10)
The Table 10 and corresponding graph (graph 11) indicate that the sectors with the largest
number of grants for Indian students in 2010-11 were VET (19.546) and Higher education
(8.712). With more than 619,000 international students enrolling in 2010, Australia is
gradually becoming a global hub for higher education and employment opportunities for
43 46
19,546
8,712
468 108 ELICOS
Schools/Secondary Exchange
VET
Higher Education
Postgraduate Research
Non Award
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international students. In the same year, approximately 120,500 Indian students chose
Australia as a destination for education, 23.3 per cent of which is constituted by the higher
education segment.31
Graph 12: Indian students pursuing Australian Education (2009-10), Sector-wise
Source: Australia-India Education Council. http:/australiaindiaeducation.com
Base: 120,500 students (2009-10)
As graph 12 clearly demonstrates the largest portion of Australian education pursued by
Indian students in 2009-10 was allocated for Vocational education and training (65.0%),
followed by Higher Education (23.3%).
Table 11 : Net Overseas Migration (NOM). Student visas applied to study in Australia.
Country of birth. 2004-05 to 2008-09
Country of
birth
2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09
India 8.887 11.772 23.232 33.252 42.955
31
Scoping Indian Higher Education for Partnerships with Australia. Report. Australia-India Education
Council. http:/australiaindiaeducation.com
23.3%
65.0%
10.8% 0.1% 0.8%
Higher Education
VET
ELICOS
Schools
Other
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China (a) 13.608 12.513 18.795 25.813 24.650
a) China (excludes SARs and Taiwan)
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics. Report: Migration 2009-10.
http:/ausstats.abs.gov.au
The data from Table 11 clearly indicates the steady increase of Indian students, who applied
to study in Australia in 2004-05 to 2008-09. This trend might seem even more
overwhelming, if compared with the number of Chinese students, which appeared to be
almost twice as less in 2008-09.
Table 12: Number of student visa applications granted by citizenship country in the last
seven financial years
Citizenship
country
2004-05 2005-
06
2006-
07
2007-08 2008-
09
2009-10 2010-11
China,
Peoples
Republic of
32.902 32.110 41.122 49.873 55.331 54.541 49.852
India 13.545 20.265 34.525 47.711 65.516 29.826 28.954
Korea, South 14.823 16.921 18.680 19.319 17.351 16.416 13.238
Source: Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC). Student visa program
trends 2004-05 to 2010-11.
The Graph below is based on data from Table 12 and represents continuous growth of a
number of student visa applications granted for Indian students from 2004-05 to 2008-09
with the sharp decrease in 2009-10.
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Graph 13 (Based on Table 12)
In 2009 and early 2010 the Indian media ran news of Indian international students being
robbed, assaulted and killed in Australia, particularly in Melbourne. Victoria Police said
that 1,447 Indians were victims of reported crime in Victoria, in the year ending July 2008.
Racist attacks against Indian students have partly contributed to a 33.5 per cent decline in
the number of Indian students between March 2009 and March 2011.32 Despite concerted
efforts to improve student security, and visits to India from senior government ministers,
officials, and universities themselves, there has been a large drop in the number of Indians
applying for student visas and enrolling in Australian education institutions.33
There is evidence indicating that the higher education sector has experienced a decline in
international student enrolments over the latter half of 2010 and 2011. According to the
Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC), grants for the higher education visa
decreased in 2009-10 to 118,541 grants, which amounts to 11.5% on 2008-09 grants of
133,990.34 Almost all this decline can be accounted for by a huge decline in the number of
32
Singh S. Indian students in Melbourne: Challenges to multiculturalism. Journal of intercultural
studies. Vol. 32. No. 6. December 2011. P. 673-689 33
Phillimore J. and Koshy P. The economic implications of fewer international higher education
students in Australia. Report. The John Curtin Institute of Public Policy. August 2010 34
Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC). Student visa program quarterly report 31 March
2012. http:/immi.gov.au/media/statistics/study
0
10000
20000
30000
40000
50000
60000
70000
China, Peoples Republic of
India
Korea, South
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visa grants to higher education students from India (from 27,717 in 2008-09 to 10,988 in
2009-10; a fall of almost 18,000).35
In 2011-12 to date, India remains the second largest source country after China and
applications from Indian nationals increased by 16.0 per cent compared with last year. In
2011-12 until 31 March, of all student visas granted, 19.5 per cent were to Chinese nationals
followed by 14.4 per cent to Indian nationals. Offshore grant rates for Indian nationals
increased considerably to 61.5 per cent compared to the previous three quarters (where
they were 39.6, 45.0 and 53.8 per cent).36
Table 13: Number of student visa applications granted in 2010-11 and 2011-12 (to 31
March 2012) by citizenship country (China, Peoples Republic of; India; Korea, South)
Citizenship Country 2010-11 to
31/03/11
2011-12 to
31/03/12
% Change
from 2010-11
2011-12 as
%of Total
China, Peoples Republic of 37 431 37 286 -0.4% 19.5%
India 19 161 27 516 43.6% 14.4%
Korea, South 10 024 9 415 -6.1% 4.9%
Source: Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC). Student visa program
quarterly report 31 March 2012
35
Phillimore J. and Koshy P. The economic implications of fewer international higher education
students in Australia. Report. The John Curtin Institute of Public Policy. August 2010 36
Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC). Student visa program quarterly report 31 March
2012. http:/immi.gov.au/media/statistics/study
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Graph 14 (Based on Table 13)
The data from Table 13 indicates the large increase of student visa applications granted to
Indian students in 2011-12 (to 31/03/12) comparing with the same period in previous year.
Table 14: Student visa holders in Australia, country of birth at 30 June 2011
Birthplace 30/06/11
Indonesia 11.402
Malaysia 15.203
China (excl SARs & Taiwan) 75.440
Hong Kong (SAR of China) 8.768
Korea 18.713
India 50.103
Source: Immigration Update 2010-2011. http:/immi.gov.au
0 5000 10000 15000 20000 25000 30000 35000 40000
China, Peoples Republic of
India
Korea, South
2011-12 to 31/03/12 2010-11 to 31/03/11
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Table 15: Australia’s Exports of Education Services to the selected countries (A$ million)
2009 2010 2011 % change
2010 to 2011
China 4.040 4.343 4.091 -5.8
India 3.139 2.617 1.637 -37.4%
Republic of
Korea
1.101 1.017 852 -16.2%
Vietnam 702 806 777 -3.6%
Malaysia 844 828 759 -8.3%
Source: Australian Education International. Research Snapshot. May 2012.
http:/aei.gov.au
According to the data from the Table 15, there has been a steady decline in 2009-11, with
regard to Australia’s exports of education services to India.
Graph 15: Indian student age group, 2011 (Total: 48,507 students)
34 459
18,885
21,907
5,823
1,399
< 15
15 - 19
20 - 24
25 - 29
30 - 34
≥ 35
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Source: Australian Education International. International student numbers.
February 2012. http:/aei.gov.au
Table 16: The Top 5 nationalities contributed 55.4% of Australia’s enrolments in all sectors
Nationality YTD* Apr.
2011
YTD Apr.
2012
Growth on
YTD Apr. 11
Share of all
nationalities
China 120,583 111,721 -7.3% 30.3%
India 51,537 39,064 -24,2% 10.6%
Republic of Korea 21,127 19,288 -8,7% 5.2%
Malaysia 19,495 18,161 -6.8% 4.9%
Vietnam 17.762 16,299 -8.2% 4.4%
Other nationalities 169,800 164,455 -3.1% 44.6%
All nationalities 400,304 368,988 -7.8% 100.0%
*YTD = Year-To-Date
Source: Monthly Summary of International Student Enrolment. http:/aei.gov.a
In terms of Indian student enrolments in all education sectors in Australia, there was a
noticeable decrease between April 2011 and April 2012, although the trend might change by
the end of the year 2012.
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6 INDIAN BUSINESSES IN THE STATE OF VICTORIA
The Indian community in Victoria has been an important contributor to the cultural
enrichment and commitment to multiculturalism in the state. Over past decade, the
community has made a name for itself in many fields especially in the field of
entrepreneurship. Many businesses include restaurants, grocery and spice stores,
accounting businesses and cultural related businesses like dance and yoga classes.
6.1 INDIAN RESTAURANTS
Many restaurants are concentrated in the city centre or in suburbs where the Indian
community is prominent. Many Indian businesses are situated around the Victorian city
council of Greater Dandenong. The suburb of Dandenong is famous for celebrating the
vibrancy of the Indian community where ‘Little India’ is situated. Little India precinct is
located in Foster Street from the corner of Robinson Street to Thomas Street and bordered
by Gilbert Lane.
There are more than 220 Indian restaurants or cafés around Melbourne and Victoria. This
shows how well the Indian community has blended with the broader Australian
community in the state. Stated below are lists of prominent restaurants in major regions of
Melbourne.
6.1.1 Prominent Restaurants in Dandenong
Chandhini Chowk
Bikaner Sweets and Curry café
Cakes Gallery
Foster Street Café
Calcutta Sweets
Payal Indian Restaurant
Punjab Sweet Centre
Rye Crust
6.1.2 Prominent Indian Restaurants in Melbourne CBD
Spice Kitchen
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Flora Restaurant
Shiraz Indian Restaurant
Rich Maha Indian Restaurants
Funky Curry
Gaylord Indian Restaurant
Red Pepper
Green Pepper
6.1.3 Other Prominent Restaurants in Melbourne
Tandoori Junction
D’Tandoor
Delhi Moguls
Bombay By Night
Bhoj
6.1.4 Overview Indian Restaurants in Victoria
Graph 16: Total Number of Indian Restaurants in Melbourne
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There are over 225 Indian restaurants, cafes or eateries in Victoria. Many of these tend to
be located around major commercial centers or where significant numbers of Indians
reside and the rest are scattered around the state. The number of restaurants was counted
using the number of city councils as the variable.
It also clearly indicates that the top five councils where Indian restaurants operate are;
Melbourne City Council (41), Port Phillip City Council (15), Greater Dandenong City
Council (14), Monash City Council (14) and Boroondara City Council (14). The top five
councils together constitute nearly 43.5% of the total restaurants operating in and around
Melbourne.
Mr Karan Gandhok has owned and run a prominent Indian restaurant in Glen Waverly
since 1987. Tandoori Junction was the first Indian restaurant to be constructed in Glen
Waverly and has grown in success since it began. Tandoori Junction catered for the
participants of the Commonwealth Games Closing Ceremony, throughout the rehearsal
time. The Indian athletes were also catered for with three meals a day. Tandoori Junction
is one of many Indian restaurants popular among Australians as well as Indians.
Ms Krishna Arora has led a full life devoted to good food and teaching young people about
cooking. She was the founder and Principal of the Pusa Institute of Hotel Management in
Delhi and has written a very successful cookery text book for the Catering Institutes in
India. She came to Australia in 1992 to join her family and has been very active in the
community. She has been the Food Editor of ‘Indian Voice’, a monthly newspaper since
1993. She is passionate about helping the community and co-founded the Indian Senior
Citizens Association. Not only this, she also organised catering services for 29 days
continuously for 1,100 people in Melbourne during Common Wealth Games 2006. She
personally catered for Shiamak Davar on a daily basis, and he referred to her as his
‘Melbourne Mom’.
Ms Arora, who heads the senior citizen association club, has served the community at
various levels, including providing help to old people who are facing domestic issues
here. Having a cookery and hospitality background, Ms Arora also offers telephonic
cooking service in Australia. In Nov, 2010, Ms Arora become the first Indian to be
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honoured with the Shilling Wall Tribute award, and her name was engraved on Queen
Victoria’s Women Centre (QVWC) Wall, by the multicultural commission of the
Australian state of Victoria for her outstanding contribution to the community through
her “tele-cooking” services and an association helping senior citizens.
6.2 INDIAN GROCERY STORES
For anyone’s taste buds to be satisfied, without the right ingredients, Indian food is
incomplete. Melbourne is home to many Indian grocery stores scattered across the city.
Without spices, it is not possible to capture the essence of Indian cooking. There many
stores that trade in various spices and grains.
6.2.1 Prominent stores in Dandenong
MKS Spices n’ Things
C.J. Spices
Skanda Indian Groceries
Aarththi Supermarket
6.2.2 Prominent Stores in Melbourne CBD
Great Eastern Groceries Centre
Paramount Supermarket
Australia Sunrise Enterprise
Happy Groceries
Melrose Food Centre
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6.2.3 Overview Indian Grocery Stores in Victoria
Graph 17: Total Number of Indian Grocery Stores in Melbourne
There are over 104 Indian grocery stores located around Melbourne and Victoria. As with
Indian restaurants, many of these are located in commercial areas and locales where South
Asians generally reside. The bar graph above provides a snapshot of the number of
groceries in Victoria. The graph clearly indicates the top five city councils Indian grocery
stores are present in Melbourne, followed by Greater Dandenong, Moreland, Monash and
Casey. These five councils account for 47% of the total Indian grocery stores present
around Melbourne.
The graph clearly indicates the importance of Dandenong as a major business centre for
the Indian community because it is second only to Melbourne city council which is at the
heart of the city.
The fact Dandenong has significant numbers of grocery stores operating; it is the
importance of Little India that has made the city an important centre for the Indian
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community. 10.5% of grocery stores are located here and the presence of the Indian
community residing within this council makes it an important centre.
Hindustan Imports has operated out of Dandenong since 1985 and was the first spice and
grocery store in the area. When the business started, there were only one or two Indian
grocery stores in Melbourne. Whilst at first, the business found it difficult to source
products, as the Indian community in Victoria grew over time; Indian groceries were easier
to resource. Almost 50% of the suppliers for the store are Australian.
Tru Spice originally opened in Sydney, and has operated in Melbourne since 1984. The
store has grown from one shop now to two stores and a warehouse. Tru Spice also supplies
products to customers based in Sydney, Adelaide and Perth. Many of the clientele are
Australian locals as well as Indians. Aside from groceries and spices, Tru Spice also has
religious items and kitchen appliances for sale. Alongside imported items, many of the
produce is also locally sourced.
6.3 INDIAN CLOTHING STORES
Like food and spices, Indian clothing is diverse. Indian textiles have had a considerable
impact on the community because the type of clothing varies from the different festivities
and regions within the community. Due to the number of Indians increasing in the last
two decades, the amount of stores has also increased as a result. Most of the well-known
stores are located in Dandenong. Some of which are:
Heritage India
Raj Rani India
Bombay Fashion Dandenong
Roshan’s Fashions Melbourne
Dulhan Boutique
Saree Sansaar
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6.3.1 Overview Indian Clothing Stores in Victoria
Graph 18: Total Number of Indian Clothing Stores in Melbourne
There are over 30 Indian clothing stores in Victoria. Many of these are located in
commercial areas and locales where South Asians generally reside. The bar graph above
gives a clear picture that Dandenong is the main centre for Indian clothing and textiles
with ten stores which is by far the maximum among all city councils around Melbourne.
Dandenong alone controls 33% of the Indian clothing stores in Victoria. This makes it an
important culture centre for the community.
Sari Sansar and Nikita Fashions are two Indian clothing stores that are established in Little
India in Dandenong. They are not only popular among Indians, but also the local public.
Both stores are looking to improving their businesses following the renovations plans with
the FIAV and the VMC.
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6.4 OTHER BUSINESSES CONTRIBUTING TO THE INDIAN COMMUNITY
6.4.1 Sweet Shops
One major sector the Indian community has operated in recent years is sweet stores
around Melbourne. There are over 12 Indian sweet shops around the city. Out of the 12,
three operate in the Greater City of Dandenong. The rest are scattered around the city
making Dandenong the main starting for Indian taste buds.
6.4.2 Astrology
Another major sector is Astrology which is used by Indian community mainly Hindus,
Jains and Sikhs for religious and cultural purposes. There are over 15 Astrological centres
around Melbourne with the City of Dandenong having 7 of them meaning half of these
centers are located in this council.
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7 INDIAN DANCE AND MUSIC
Indian dance and music is rich and diverse with many of the arts dating back to times as
early as early as 400 BC and the 16th century. This section will discuss the various forms
music and dance and how it continues to be preserved and practised today. There are
many dance forms that are practised in the country. Indian dance can be divided into two
major categories: Indian classical dance and Folk dance. These categories have many
different dance forms from different regions in India.
7.1 INDIAN CLASSICAL DANCE
Indian classical dance is a relatively new umbrella term for various codified art forms
rooted in Natya, the sacred Hindu musical theatre styles, whose theory can be traced back
to the Natya Shastra by Bharata Muni (400 BC). Bharata was an ancient Indian
musicologist who authored the Natya Shastra, a theoretical treatise on ancient Indian
dramaturgy and histrionics between roughly 1400 BC and 1200 BC.
Besides propounding the theory of three types of acting, Bharata has discussed, in detail,
classical Indian vocal, instrumental music and dance since they are integral to Sanskrit
drama. The classical dance forms are codified in the Natya Shastra. Bharata classified
Sanskrit theatrical forms (Natya\Rupaka) into ten types; what is known to the west as
drama is but one among these, namely, Nataka. Bharata also outlines a set of rasas, which
are moods or emotions, which became influential in defining the nature of Indian dance,
music, and theatre. The Natyashastra comprises 36 chapters and it is possible that it was a
creation of more than one scholar. Bharata is considered as the father of Indian theatrical
art forms.
7.1.1 Bharatanatyam
One of the earliest classical dance styles to evolve from Dasiattam or Temple Dancing is
Bharatanatyam. It originated in Tamil Nadu, drawing upon various 19th and 20th century
reconstructions of Cathir, the art of temple dancers. Cathir in turn, is derived from ancient
dance forms.
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Bharatanatyam is usually accompanied by classical Carnatic music. It derives its
inspiration from the sculptures of the ancient temples of South India.
Bharatanayam highlights classical geometrical lines and triangular patterns in space. A
highly symmetrical style, Bharatanatyam uses the hands and eyes to tell the stories
depicted in the songs.
7.1.2 Kathak
Kathak originated from Uttar Pradesh. This dance form traces its origins to the nomadic
bards of ancient northern India, known as Kathaks, or storytellers. Its form today contains
traces of temple and ritual dances, as well as drawing influences from the bhakti
movement. From the 16th century onwards it absorbed certain features of Persian dance
and Central Asian dance which were imported by the royal courts of the Mughal era.
The name Kathak is derived from the Sanskrit word katha meaning story, and katthaka in
Sanskrit means he who tells a story, or to do with stories.
7.1.3 Kathakali
Many dedicated artists laid the foundations for what is known as Kathakali now. Their
efforts were concentrated on the rituals, classical details and scriptural perfection.
Originating in Kerala, Kathakali incorporates several other elements from traditional and
ritualistic art forms as well as inspirations from folk arts.
Kathakali today is a renowned form of dance theatre. Katha means story and Kali means
performance.
7.1.4 Kuchipudi
Kuchipudi is a Classical Indian dance from Andhra Pradesh. It is popular all over South
India. Kuchipudi is the name of a village in the Divi Taluka of Krishna district that borders
the Bay of Bengal, from where the dance form derives its name.
The dance form in rich in drama, performing a story to the audience. The dance is
accompanied by singing which is typically in the Carnatic music style. The singer is
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accompanied by a wide number of Indian instruments as well. Dance jewellery worn by
the artists is generally made of a light weight wood called Boorugu.
7.1.5 Manipuri
A copper plate inscription credits King Khuoyi Tompok (c. 2nd century CE) with
introducing drums and cymbals into Manipuri dance. The dance form originated in
Manipur.
The traditional Manipuri dance style embodies delicate, lyrical and graceful movements.
The aim is to make rounded movements and avoid any jerks, sharp edges or straight lines.
It is this which gives Manipuri dance its undulating and soft appearance. The foot
movements are viewed as part of a composite movement of the whole body. The dancer
puts his or her feet down, even during vigorous steps, with the front part touching the
ground first. The ankle and knee joints are effectively used as shock absorbers
7.1.6 Odissi
Odissi, also known as Orissi, is the classical dance form originating from the state of
Orissa, in eastern India. It is the oldest surviving dance form of India on the basis of
archaeological evidences. The classic treatise of Indian dance, Natya Shastra, refers to it as
Odra-Magadhi. 1st century BC bas-reliefs in the hills of Udaygiri (near Bhubaneshwar)
testify to its antiquity.
It was suppressed under the British Raj, but has been reconstructed since India gained
independence. It is particularly distinguished from other classical Indian dance forms by
the importance it places upon the Tribhangi, the independent movement of head, chest
and pelvis.
7.1.7 Mohiniattam
Mohiniattam is the last of the temple dances to be revived to the style of a major dance
genre in India. Originating in Kerala, the word Mohiniattam literally means the dance of
the enchantress, Mohini, an incarnation of Lord Vishnu. Mohiniattam is the epitome of
lasya, with its flowing, hypnotic movements. The abhinaya, or expression, is realistic and
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dramatic, influenced by the theatrical arts of Kerala. The predominant rasa, or emotional
theme, is sringara, love, and bhakti, devotion to God.
The Mohiniattam repertoire is continuously evolving and has recently gained new
dimensions through original choreography developed from research into the ancient arts
of Kerala by dedicated dancers and arts patrons.
7.1.8 Sattriya
Sattriya, or Sattriya Nritya, is one among eight principal classical Indian dance traditions
and originated in Assam. Whereas some of the other traditions have been revived in the
recent past, Sattriya has remained a living tradition since its creation by the founder of
Vaishnavism in Assam, the great saint Srimanta Sankardeva, in the 15th century.
Sankardeva created Sattriya Nritya as an accompaniment to the Ankiya Naat, a form of
Assamese one-act plays devised by him. These performances were usually done in the
sattras, the Assam's monasteries. The sattras continue to use the dance form for ritualistic
and other purposes for which it was originally created circa 500 years ago.
7.2 FOLK DANCES OF INDIA
There are over 50 types of folk dances in India. Out of all these folk dances, Bhangra from
the state of Punjab has had a lasting influence on Indian and International pop culture,
especially Bollywood.
Bhangra refers to several types of Punjabi-style dance. The earliest developed of these was
a folk dance conducted by Punjabis in the central northern areas of the region to celebrate
the harvest, and whose general practice had ended by the Partition, 1947. In the 1950s, a
new folkloric dance, representative of the state of Punjab and composed of glimpses of
men's Punjabi dance styles, was created and eventually received the title of bhangra.
First developed in India and attaining a rather standardized form by the 1980s, the
folkloric bhangra was exported to other counties by Punjabi emigrants. By the 1990s, a still
newer style of dance called bhangra was being staged in the Punjabi Diaspora, often
characterized by a fusion with Western dance styles. Aside from these specific dance
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genres, Punjabi dancing in general, especially when done to popular bhangra music, is
often casually called "bhangra."
7.3 INDIAN CLASSICAL MUSIC
The music of India includes multiple varieties of folk, popular, pop, classical music and
R&B. India's classical music tradition, including the south Indian Carnatic and north
Indian Hindustani music, has a history spanning millennia and developed over several
eras. It remains fundamental to the lives of Indians today as sources of spiritual
inspiration, cultural expression and pure entertainment.
The sound of music, known as Naada in Sanskrit, is defined as “continuous pleasing
sensation”. Naada is the primordial sound which is the subtlest of all elements – Earth,
Water, Fire, Air and Ether. The association of Indian music with Hindu philosophy and
religious thinking is well documented. The association of Gods with music follows the
intertwining of music and religion; for instance, Lord Shiva is associated with the drum,
Lord Krishna with the flute, Goddess Saraswati with the Veena and so on. The common
name by which Indian music is referred to is Sangeeta – indeed the ancient texts define
Sangeeta as a composite of vocal music, instrumental music and dance.
For several centuries, throughout the Indian entity these concepts of Naada and Sangeeta,
painted on the canvas of Hinduism, have been a potent unifying force of a diverse
populace in the subcontinent.
In this context, it is important to appreciate that similar concepts have been at the
foundation and development of the two major styles of Indian classical music, the north
Indian Hindustani style, and the south Indian Carnatic style. In both styles, the Raaga
(representing the melodic framework) and Taala (representing the rhythmic framework)
are the two main elements of music. The nomenclature of the structure of the saptaswara
system (the seven notes in the musical scale – Sa Ri Ga Ma Pa Dha Ni) is common to both
styles. The permutations and combinations of swaras being countless, the possibilities of
raagas are endless. Even today new raagas are created in both styles of music by
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contemporary musicians and composers. The concept of the tanpura (drone) providing the
basic tone note is a very important aspect of both styles.
Collaboration between the two styles through concepts like the jugal-bandi (featuring one
Hindustani music artiste and one Carnatic music artiste) has flourished due to the
common foundation that these styles share, which has further strengthened music as the
predominant unifying force of India.
Though both the classical music forms of India have developed from a single foundation
and continue to benefit from each other, they have grown to become two independent
systems of music on the basis of a variety of musical and performance considerations.
These highly sophisticated forms of music that have withstood the travails of the Indian
civilization and polity for many centuries are indeed a source of great pride to all peoples
of Indian origin.
7.4 THE FIAV’S ROLE IN PERFORMING ARTS
It is well known that the Indian community in Victoria is enriched by the presence of
several music and dance schools led by eminent artistes of Indian music and dance of
various forms, be they classical or contemporary. These schools have, over the past several
years and decades, been active in developing the next generation of talented musicians
and dancers and organising concerts and performances. Individually each of these leaders
and their schools has made a mark for themselves in this respect.
With the foresight and initiative of the President of Federation of Indian Associations
Victoria (FIAV), Mr Vasan Srinivasan, the Federation of Indian Music and Dance
Victoria (FIMDV), was established in 2010, which brings together in one unified group
over 20 Indian music and dance schools and their leaders. The formation of FIMDV is
unique and worth celebrating for various reasons, primarily because this is the first time in
Victoria (and possibly anywhere in Australia) that celebrated artistes of Indian music and
dance have come together in one united front. The creation of the FIMDV marks the
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beginning of a new era in FIAV activities with a view to promoting peace and harmony in
multi-cultural Victoria through the medium of music and dance.
Mr Murali Kumar of the RaagaSudha School of Carnatic Music was the elected President of
the FIMDV. Renowned leaders and performers of Indian music and dance in Victoria are
the other elected Committee members of FIMDV. Mrs Tara Raj Kumar OAM and Mr
Vasan Srinivasan are the two Trustees of the FIMDV.
The first and foremost purpose of FIMDV is to provide a means to unify the music and
dance community of Indian origin in Victoria. The second purpose is to give something
back to the community, providing a platform for integrating Indian arts in multi-cultural
Victoria.
The primary objectives of the FIMDV are:
To present a unified front for all its members & individuals and promote the
advancement of Indian Classical & Contemporary fine arts (specifically various
forms of Music & Dance that have originated from the sub-continent of India) in
Victoria.
To act as a channel for the promotion & facilitation of these art forms between the
Indian Origin music & dance groups, schools and their students in Victoria.
To provide a platform and collaborative opportunities for the development and
presentation of these performing arts and cross-cultural productions to the
multicultural and mainstream Australian audience.
Since its inception in mid-2010, the FIMDV has successfully organised and presented three
grand events featuring extravaganza of Indian music & dance. The Inaugural event of
FIMDV called “Savera: A new dawn” was held on 15 August 2010 in Mount Waverly
Victoria. The second grand event titled “Sangam” (which means Unity in Diversity) was
held on 3 April 2011 in Rowville Victoria. The third successful event was held to coincide
with the 64th Independence Day of India on the 13 August 2012 in Rowville Victoria. This
event was aptly titled “Utsav” (meaning celebration) and celebrated one year of FIMDV’s
successful early journey
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FIMDV looks forward to the continued support and encouragement of all Victorians, in
particular those of Indian origin, to its cause of promoting Indian music and dance in
multi-cultural Victoria. On the 18 and 19 of August 2012 FIMDV will participate along with
other music fraternity & community groups in FIAV’s grand Music & Dance festival to be
held in Melbourne city. FIAV along with support of City of Melbourne, Australia India
Institute (AII) & Consulate General of India Melbourne have planned this great show. The
FIMDV will further enhance its services to integrate with the wider Victorian communities
including non-Indian forms of music and dance such as Western, Greek, mid-Eastern and
indigenous Aboriginal music & dance forms.
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8 INDIAN RELIGIONS AND RELIGIOUS ORGANISATIONS IN VICTORIA
8.1 HINDUISM
Hinduism underscores the belief in one ultimate reality, with the Brahman as the
impersonal, absolute being. Hindu mythology attributes the material task of “creation” to
the first-born God, Prajapati, or Brahma (not to be confused with Brahman). However,
even the Gods and Holy Mothers rely on the inexorable principle of karma to maintain the
universal order of the planetary, social and individual life worlds.37 Karma is the law of
one, allowing for a single action to exert a positive or negative effect, in accordance with
the nature of the action itself.
Hinduism is a strictly personal religion, and does not entail any weekly congregation as in
the Christian and Jewish traditions. Most Hindu homes have a mini-altar, or a small
wooden shrine, in an alcove set aside for offering devotional worship (puja) to their chosen
Gods or Gurus.
Given the fact that most Hindus arrived in Australia from the late 1970s, they have made
good progress in keeping their customs, traditions and beliefs alive. This can be seen
especially within the public celebrations of Hindu festivals and propagation of the already
established Guru cults.38
In the 1960’s, Hindu gurus began making their way to Western countries. For example,
Swami Ranganathananda of the Ramakrishna-Vivekananda Mission came to Australia in
1964. His visit led to the foundation of the Vedanta Society of NSW. Other Hindu groups
were also formed following the initial. In the 1970’s, Hare Krishnas were a common sight,
chanting as they walked the streets of Melbourne and Sydney.
This new openness to Eastern religions occurred at the same time as changes in
immigration policies in Australia begun to take place. In the 1980’s, Hindus, first from Fiji,
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Jupp. J. The Encyclopedia of religion in Australia. Cambridge University Press. 2009. 329 38
Jupp. J. The Encyclopedia of religion in Australia. Cambridge University Press. 2009. 336
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and then from India, began to arrive in significant numbers. Sikhs also began to arrive
from India, Malaysia and other places. Thus, Australians began to see some of the
traditional practices of Hinduism and Sikhism in their home context.39
The first Hindu temple was established in an old church in Auburn in Sydney in 1979. The
1991 Census recorded 43,580 Hindus living in Australia.40 The Hindu Society of Victoria
was established in 1982 and the Temple was consecrated in 1994.
Throughout the 1990’s, Hinduism became one of Australia’s fastest growing religious
groups. Between 1991 and 1996 an additional 34,687 people migrated from southern Asia
and Hindus represented 0.38 per cent of the Australian population.41
Major Australian cities now boast hundreds of Indian restaurants, and even small country
towns are likely to have an Indian take-away restaurant. The total Hindu population
reached 148,000 in 2006, with the largest numbers coming from India and Fiji, as well as
those born in Australia.
Institutions such as the Ramakrishna Mission, the Chinmaya Mission and Sathya Sai Baba
centres have now been firmly established in all the major cities.
Australia now has over 30 Hindu temples. While the main deities in most places are either
Shiva or Vishnu, there are now special temples dedicated to Ganesha, Murugan
(Kartikeya), Durga, Saibaba and Sathya Sai Baba as well.
The Shiva-Vishnu temple in Melbourne is the large shrine situated on several hectares of
land. This temple hosts a number of community activities associated with religious
festivals. Festivals such as Ganesh-Chaturthi, Holi and the birthdays of Rama and Krishna
are celebrated with great gusto at these temples.
39
Hughes P. Australian attitudes towards varieties of religions. Christian Research Association
Bulletin. Volume 20. December 2010. P. 4.-7 40
Hindus and Sikhs in Australia. Bureau of Immigration, Multicultural and Population Research
Bulletin. No. 17. 1996. pp. 54-57. Author unknown 41 Indian Religions: Hinduism. Department of Education and Early Childhood Development. 2008.
http://education.vic.gov.au
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For the past few years, Diwali (divali, deepawali), the festival of lights, has been celebrated
on a grand scale by cultural programs held at Federation Square and fireworks on the
Yarra River in Melbourne.
8.2 HARE KRISHNAS
The Hare Krishna movement, formally known as the International Society for Krishna
Consciousness (ISKCON), arrived in Australia in 1969, with disciples from the United
States and the founder. A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada (1896-1977). As a
renounced monk, Prabhupada taught and practiced Gaudiya (Bengali) Vaishnavism, an
ancient religious tradition revitalised by Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (1486 – 1533) in the 16th
century.42 Both Vaishnavas and Hindus follow the ancient Sanskrit texts, known as the
Vedas. The main difference between them is that Hinduism includes a mix of polytheistic
and pantheistic doctrines, whereas Vaishnavism is exclusively monotheistic.
Chaitanya’s movement began as a reaction to the exclusion of lower classes from religious
practices by Hindu caste élites. He taught that all persons, regardless of caste, sex or
status, could attain a rapturous connection with God by chanting ‘holy names’ in the form
of the well-known Hare Krishna mantra: ‘Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna
Hare Hare, Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama Hare Hare’. In the modern-day Hare
Krishna movement, devotees chant these names on the streets of major cities to promote
the practice.
The number of Hindus in ISKCON has doubled every 10 years, in line with increases in
Hindu immigration to Australia. Many are attracted to the high standard of temple
worship and the same sense of community they experienced in their home countries.43
42
Jupp. J. The Encyclopedia of religion in Australia. Cambridge University Press. 2009. 323 43
Jupp. J. The Encyclopedia of religion in Australia. Cambridge University Press. 2009. 325
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8.3 SIKHISM
Sikhism was founded by Guru Nanak (1469 – 1539), who was born in Talvandi, a village
near Lahore, now in Pakistan. All the Sikh Gurus used the name Nanak in their
compositions, which are included in Guru Granth Sahib, the Sikh Holy Scripture. This is a
unique phenomenon in religious history, that a religious book is the guru.44
Guru Nanak’s doctrine is monotheistic. He taught the oneness of God. God is simply One
without a second, who is eternal, infinite and all pervasive. He is the Creator but lives
within his creation. He is formless, yet the whole creation is His personal form. The
purpose of life is to seek God and be united with Him. Sikhism regards life as a blessing.
While Sikhs, as a social group, are very active, enterprising and progressive, they are at the
same time very conscious of their religious tradition and remain devout in the adherence
to the principles stipulated by the Sikh Gurus of the past.45
Guru Nanak started a Gurdwara where people gathered daily in holy congregation (sangat)
to pray together and then sat in a row (pangat) to have food from the community kitchen
(langar). The rules of pangat are that people sit in the same row and partake the same
food without distinction of high and low, rich or poor. The concept of pangat translates
the principal of equality into practice. All the Gurdwaras in Australia have adopted these
principles and all Sikhs and non-Sikhs are welcome to the Gurdwara.
It is difficult to separate the history of early Sikh arrivals in Australia from that of others
from South Asia. It appears that the first Sikhs came after the 1830s to work as shepherds
and farm labourers. In the 1860s cameleers commonly called 'Ghans' (short for Afghans)
were brought to Australia, and Sikhs were among them. Other Sikhs arrived as free
settlers and worked as hawkers and were joined by some of the earlier cameleers. Some
hawkers became so successful they had their own stores.
In the 1890s nearly 250 Sikhs worked on the sugar cane fields in Queensland. Others
worked clearing bushland and establishing pastures for sheep and cattle. Later some Sikhs
44
Jupp. J. The Encyclopedia of religion in Australia. Cambridge University Press. 2009. 566 45
Bilimoria P. Indians in Victoria (Australia): A historical, social and demographic profile of Indian
immigrants. Victorian Ethnic Affairs Commission. 1988. P. 81
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moved south to the New South Wales north coast, continued farming, established
communities and built Australia's first purpose-built Gurdwara in Woolgoolga on June
1968.46 This Gurdwara is a symbol of the trust and respect the Sikh community in
Woolgoolga developed with the wider Australian community.
The Sikh population in Australia has been on the increase. The 2006 Census identifies
26,425 Sikhs, with concentrations in the capital cities: Sydney 9,875; Melbourne 8,591;
Brisbane 1,806; Adelaide 806 and Perth 1,393.47
The Victorian Sikh Association (VSA) is the longest continuously serving Sikh community
group in Victoria. The VSA aims to promote sporting, social and cultural events to
improve and foster links between its members and the wider Australian community. Sikh
Interfaith Council of Victoria (SICV) was formed in 2002 with the view to represent Sikhs
in multi-faith platforms in Victoria. SICV promotes and works for dialogue, respect and
understanding among all religions.
The first Punjabi Language School started in Woolgoolga. In Victoria, Gurdwaras
spearheaded the move to gain acceptance for Punjabi as a Victoria Certificate of Education
(VCE) subject. The first group of students sat for their VCE Punjabi language exams in
2006.
In Melbourne 3ZZZ, an ethnic community radio station funded by the state government,
also has a timeslot for Punjabi programs from Sydney and Melbourne.
46
Indian Religions: Sikhism. Department of Education and Early Childhood Development. 2008.
http://education.vic.gov.au 47
Jupp. J. The Encyclopedia of religion in Australia. Cambridge University Press. 2009. 570
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9 YOGA AND MEDITATION IN VICTORIA
9.1 Yoga
Yoga (Sanskrit, Pāli: योग, yoga) is a generic term for a physical, mental, and spiritual
discipline originating in ancient India and found in Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and
Sikhism. The goal of yoga, or of the person practicing yoga, is the attainment of a state of
perfect spiritual insight and tranquility while meditating on the Hindu concept of divinity
or Brahman.
In Hindu philosophy, Yoga is the name of one of the six orthodox philosophical schools
founded by Patanjali with heavy Buddhist influence. Patanjali's writing also became the
basis for a system referred to as "Ashtanga Yoga" ("Eight-Limbed Yoga"). The Eight Limbs
are:
1. Yama (The five "abstentions"): Ahimsa (non-violence), Satya (Truth, non-lying),
Asteya (non-covetousness), Brahmacharya (non-sensuality, celibacy), and Aparigraha
(non-possessiveness).
2. Niyama (The five "observances"): Shaucha (purity), Santosha (contentment), Tapas
(austerity), Svadhyaya (study of the Vedic scriptures to know about God and the soul),
and Ishvara-Pranidhana (surrender to God).
3. Asana: Literally means "seat", and in Patanjali's Sutras refers to the seated position
used for meditation.
4. Pranayama ("Suspending Breath"): Prāna, breath, "āyāma", to restrain or stop. Also
interpreted as control of the life force.
5. Pratyahara ("Abstraction"): Withdrawal of the sense organs from external objects.
6. Dharana ("Concentration"): Fixing the attention on a single object.
7. Dhyana ("Meditation"): Intense contemplation of the nature of the object of
meditation.
8. Samadhi ("Liberation"): merging consciousness with the object of meditation.
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From 1890s, in modern Hinduism, the terminology involving various yogas has given rise
to the concept of the Four Yogas.
Karma Yoga
Bhakti Yoga
Raja Yoga
Jnana Yoga
In this usage, the term "Yoga" ceases to translate to "a system of meditation" and takes on
the much more general sense of "religious path". Thus, Karma Yoga is "the Path of Action",
Bhakti Yoga "the Path of Devotion" and Jnana Yoga "the Path of Knowledge", all standing
alongside Raja Yoga, "the Path of Meditation" as alternative possibilities towards religious
fulfilment.
In Western countries, the term "yoga" is typically associated with Hatha Yoga and its
asanas (postures) or as a form of exercise.
The physical poses of Hatha Yoga have a tradition that goes back to the 15th century, but
they were not widely practiced in India prior to the early 20th century. Hatha Yoga was
advocated by a number of late 19th to early 20th century gurus in India, including
Tirumalai Krishnamacharya in South India, Swami Sivananda in the North, Yogendra in
Bombay, and Swami Kuvalyananda in Lonavla, Maharashtra.
Yoga came to the attention of an educated western public in the middle of the 19th century
along with other topics of Hindu philosophy. The first Hindu teacher to actively advocate
and disseminate aspects of Yoga to a western audience was Swami Vivekananda, who
toured Europe and the United States in the 1890s.
There has been an emergence of studies investigating yoga as a complementary
intervention for cancer patients. Yoga is used for treatment of cancer patients to decrease
depression, insomnia, pain, and fatigue and increase anxiety control.
The three main focuses of Hatha yoga (exercise, breathing, and meditation) make it
beneficial to those suffering from heart disease. Overall, studies of the effects of yoga on
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heart disease suggest that yoga may reduce high blood pressure, improve symptoms of
heart failure, enhance cardiac rehabilitation, and lower cardiovascular risk factors
9.2 MEDITATION
Meditation is a practice in which an individual trains his or her mind or induces a mode of
consciousness to realize some benefit. Meditation is generally an inwardly oriented,
personal practice, which individuals do by themselves. The English meditation is derived
from the Latin “meditatio”, from a verb meditari, meaning "to think, contemplate, devise,
ponder, meditate".
The history of meditation is intimately bound up with the religious context within which it
was practiced. Even in prehistoric times civilizations used repetitive, rhythmic chants and
offerings to appease the gods.
The Islamic practice of Dhikr had involved the repetition of the 99 Names of God since the
8th or 9th century. By the 12th century, the practice of Sufism included specific meditative
techniques, and its followers practiced breathing controls and the repetition of holy words.
Buddhist meditation refers to the meditative practices associated with the philosophy of
Buddhism. Core meditation techniques have been preserved in ancient Buddhist texts and
have proliferated and diversified through teacher-student transmissions. Buddhists pursue
meditation as part of the path toward Enlightenment and Nirvana. The closest words for
meditation in the classical languages of Buddhism are bhāvanā and jhāna/dhyāna.
The Buddha is said to have identified two paramount mental qualities that arise from
wholesome meditative practice:
"Serenity" or "Tranquillity" (Pali: samatha) which steadies, composes, unifies and
concentrates the mind;
"Insight" (Pali: vipassana) which enables one to see, explore and discern "Formations"
(conditioned phenomena based on the five aggregates).
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There are many schools and styles of meditation within Hinduism. Yoga is generally done
to prepare one for meditation, and meditation is done to realize union of one's self.
The earliest clear references to meditation in Hindu literature are in the middle
Upanishads and the Mahabharata, which includes the Bhagavad Gita.
In Jainism, meditation has been a core spiritual practice, one that Jains believe people have
undertaken since the teaching of the Tirthankara, Rishabha. Jain meditation and spiritual
practices system were referred to as salvation-path. It has three important parts called the
Ratnatraya "Three Jewels": right perception and faith, right knowledge and right conduct.
Meditation in Jainism aims at realizing the self, attaining salvation; taking the soul to
complete freedom. It aims to reach and to remain in the pure state of soul which is
believed to be pure consciousness, beyond any attachment or aversion.
There is a rich tradition of Mantra in Jainism. Mantra chanting is an important part of
daily lives of Jain monks and followers. Mantra chanting can be done either loudly or
silently in mind. Yogasana and Pranayama has been an important practice undertaken
since ages. Pranayama, breathing exercises, are performed to strengthen the ten Pranas or
vital energy. Yogasana and Pranayama balance the functioning of neuro-endocrine system
of body and helps in achieving good physical, mental and emotional health.
In Sikhism, the practices of simran and Nām Japō encourage quiet meditation. This is
focusing one's attention on the attributes of God. Sikhs believe that there are 10 'gates' to
the body; 'gates' is another word for 'chakras' or energy centres. The top most energy level
is called the tenth gate or Dasam Duaar. When one reaches this stage through continuous
practice meditation becomes a habit that continues whilst walking, talking, eating, awake
and even sleeping. There is a distinct taste or flavour when a mediator reaches this lofty
stage of meditation, as one experiences absolute peace and tranquility inside and outside
the body.
Indian-born philosopher Jiddu Krishnamurti used the term "meditation" to mean
something entirely different from the practice of any system or method to control the
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mind, or to consciously achieve a specific goal or state. According to him, “meditation is
one of the greatest arts in life - perhaps the greatest, and one cannot possibly learn it from
anybody, that is the beauty of it. It has no technique and therefore no authority. When you
learn about yourself, watch yourself, watch the way you walk, how you eat, what you say,
the gossip, the hate, the jealousy - if you are aware of all that in yourself, without any
choice, that is part of meditation”.48
In the late 19th century, Theosophists adopted the word "meditation" to refer to various
spiritual practices drawn from Hinduism, Buddhism and other Indian religions. Thus the
English word "meditation" does not exclusively translate to any single term or concept,
and can be used to translate words such as the Sanskrit dhāranā, dhyana, samadhi and
bhavana.
Meditation techniques have also been used by Western theories of counseling and
psychotherapy. Relaxation training works toward achieving mental and muscle relaxation
to reduce daily stresses.
48
Krishnamurti J. Freedom from known. Lodon. 1969. P. 116
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10 LITTLE INDIA DANDENONG
Little India is a theme that can be seen across many places in the world. It offers a unique
collection of all things Indian in nature, in one central location. It provides an authentic
snapshot of many Indian foods, textiles, movies and cultural experiences which Western
Society does not often see as a part of day-to-day life. Little India, Dandenong has the
potential to grow into a hot spot area, much like China Town within Melbourne CBD has.
Little Dandenong has the ability to grow like Southall, London has. Southall is much like
Little India, Dandenong, encompassing the Indian culture within its streets. Much like
Dandenong, Southall has a wide array of Indian food, markets and textiles that attract
tourists and locals alike.
To the east of the Singapore River in Singapore, Serangoon Rd displays Indian items that
are available to the public. Whilst the area was originally the destination for cattle raising
and livestock trading, the aspects of the area have changed into an all encompassing ‘Little
India’. Whilst Serangoon Rd encompasses many of the same items that are also available in
Dandenong, Little India, Singapore has a market within the Streets and
Veeramakaliamman Temple. Both the Temple and the market promotes the South Asian
presence within the area in Singapore, much like Dandenong Market attracts people of
South Asian heritage.
Similarly, areas along Jalan Tun Sambanthan in Malaysia contain the same Indian flavours
as can be found in Singapore. Apart from the Indian culture, food and clothing, Jalan Tun
Sambanthan also houses a Buddhist Temple, a Mosque and Churches. Brickfield is a
suburb well known for being rich in Indian culture. It becomes home to many people
around festivals, where they can recapture their cultural heritage and share it with locals.
Much like these other areas, Little India Dandenong has the fundamental aspects to
increase with popularity.
Little India Dandenong has a well established 36 shops, with ten retailers having resided
there for just over 10 years. With turnover reaching from almost $200,000 to $1,000,000 per
shop, per annum, further developing can drive this turnover up, enriching the community.
Total yearly turnover reaches approximately $8,000,000 per annum. By offering items that
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are uniquely Indian, there is an open market for items of this nature. It attractive nature of
Little India can be developed to further encompass the area and branch out to offer more
shops and more services.
The location of Little India is Ideal with public transport options very close by. With
Dandenong railway station and bus stops within arm’s reach of the shops, it provides other
travel options. With Dandenong plaza at walking distance, many people are able to pass
through and customers are attracted to the brightness of the textiles and the array of food.
Further developing Little India with increased parking, improving shop appearance and
increasing the number of shops would enhance the authenticity of the area.
A survey was done by the FIAV over a 16 hour period, across two day period, to gauge why
people visit Little India. A total of 60 individuals were surveyed, with equal numbers of
males and females questioned (30 males and 30 females). There are a number of factors
that influence shoppers to visit the Little India Precinct in Dandenong. Individuals visit
the precinct for procuring groceries, textiles and other items for major events. These
events include weddings, birthdays, festivals and death anniversaries. There are also
people visiting the precinct to attain gifts for friends and colleagues, as well as to sample
the cuisine available across a number of shops.
42% of the surveyed population sees the precinct as a ‘one stop shopping’ area for their
needs. It is a centralised location for shoppers, with the majority of the Indian population
in Victoria living within a 20km radius of Dandenong. The individual nature of the shops
and the colourful array of food and textiles entices both Indians and local Australians to
walk into the shops and be greeted by the friendly staff.
Little India is able to encapsulate some of the culture of India within its streets. It
enhances the community aspect of Dandenong and promotes positive multiculturalism. It
provides a unique shopping experience within Melbourne, with links being forged to a
colourful and cultural country.
Based on the facts & figures above and the data obtained from various sources, Dandenong
and the Little India precinct seems to have a very special connection with people of Indian
origin in Victoria. The Indian population continues to grow in Dandenong and in the
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surrounding areas. Patronage to ethnic businesses not only comes from Indian origin, but
also from other ethnic communities and the wider Australian communities, who visit
Dandenong for Indian textiles, jewellery, clothes, grocery or any specialised service. With
continued support from local, state & federal Government Dandenong could very well etch
itself as India in Australia.
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11 CONTACT INFORMATION
11.1 INDIAN RESTAURANTS
Chandni Chowk
72a Foster St, Dandenong VIC 3175
Ph: 03 9792 0358
Bikaner Sweets and Curry café
5/52B Foster Street, Dandenong VIC 3175
Ph: 03 9792 9246
Cakes Gallery
Shop 9, 50-52 Foster St, Dandenong, VIC 3175 3175
Ph: 03 9794 0443
Amritsari Sweets and Indian Curry Café
72b Foster St, Dandenong VIC 3175
Ph: 03 8772 5506
Calcutta Sweets
52e Foster St, Dandenong, VIC 3175
Ph: 03 9793 8101
Payal Indian Restaurant
83B Foster Street, Dandenong VIC 3175
Ph: 03 9793 3281
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Punjab Sweet Centre
2B Mason Street, Dandenong VIC 3175
Ph: 03 9792 1694
Rye Crust
101 Foster Street, Dandenong VIC 3175
Ph: 03 9706 9194
Spice Kitchen
157 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne VIC 3000
Ph: 03 9654 9441
Flora Indian Restaurant
238 Flinders Street, Melbourne VIC 3000
Ph: 03 9663 1212
Shiraaz Indian Restaurant
22 William St, Melbourne VIC 3000
Ph: 03 9629 6484
Rich Maha Indian Restaurants
9/343 Little Collins Street, Melbourne VIC
Ph: 03 9670 8998
9/343 Little Collins Street, Melbourne VIC
Ph: 03 9670 8998
3/135 Colac Road, Highton VIC
Ph: 03 5245 7888
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Funky Curry
164 Bourke St, Melbourne VIC 3000
Ph: 03 9662 2299
2/212 King St, Melbourne VIC 3000
Ph: 03 9642 1144
432 Bridge Rd, Richmond VIC 3121
Ph: 03 9428 1166
1274 Plenty Rd, Bundoora VIC 3083
Ph: 03 9470 8888
Gaylord Indian Restaurant
4 Tattersalls Lane, Melbourne VIC 3000 VIC
Ph: 03 9663 3980
Red Pepper
14 Bourke Street, Melbourne VIC 3000
Ph: 03 9654 5714
Green Pepper
18 Bourke Street, Melbourne VIC 3000
Ph: 03 9662 2963
Tandoori Junction
29 Railway Parade, Glen Waverley VIC 3150
Ph: 03 9802 9814
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D’Tandoor
353 Burwood Road Hawthorn VIC 3122
Ph: 03 9818 3327
Delhi Moguls
17 Centreway, Mount Waverley VIC 3149
Ph: 03 9803 5112
Bombay By Night
355 North Road, Caulfield South VIC 3162
Ph: 03 9578 6150
Bhoj
14/114 James Street, Templestowe VIC
Ph: 03 9846 7799
54 New Quay Promenade, Docklands VIC
Ph: 03 9600 0884
11.2 INDIAN GROCERY STORES
MKS Spices n’ Things
254 High Street, Preston VIC
Ph: 03 9416 9011
C.J. Spices
355-359 Lonsdale Street, Dandenong VIC
Ph: 03 9793 6888
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Skanda Indian Groceries
187 Thomas St, Dandenong VIC 3175
Ph: 039708 5518
Great Eastern Groceries Centre
183-189 Russell Street, Melbourne VIC 3000
Ph: 03 9663 3716
Paramount Supermarket
108 Bourke Street, Melbourne VIC 3000
Ph: 03 9251 5544
Australia Sunrise Enterprise
Shop73/ 316 Elizabeth St, Melbourne VIC 3000
Ph: 03 9639 2803
Happy Groceries
368 Elizabeth Street, Melbourne VIC 3000
Ph: 03 9078 0529
Melrose Food Centre
23 Melrose St, North Melbourne VIC 3051
Ph: 03 9329 7815
11.3 INDIAN CLOTHING STORES
Heritage India
54 – 56 Foster St, Dandenong VIC
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Ph: 03 9791 9227
Raj Rani India
83a Foster St, Dandenong VIC
Ph: 9794 9398
Bombay Fashion Dandenong
69 – 71 6a Foster St, Dandenong VIC
Ph: 03 9793 9495
Roshan’s Fashions Melbourne
69 – 71 Foster St, Dandenong VIC
Ph: 03 9792 5688
Dulhan Boutique
87 Foster St, Dandenong VIC
Ph: 03 9793 9696
Saree Sansaar
81a Foster St, Dandenong VIC
Ph: 03 9793 3318
11.4 HINDU TEMPLES
Shri Shiva Vishnu Temple
52 Boundary Road Carrum Downs VIC 3201
Ph: 03 9872 0878
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Sri Vakratunda Vinayaka Temple
1292 – 1294, Mountain Highway, The Basin, VIC 3154
Ph: 03 9793 1652
Melbourne Murugan Temple
17-19 Knight Ave., Sunshine VIC 3020
Ph: 03 9310 9026
Hare Krishna (ISKCON) Temple
197 Danks Street, Middle Park, VIC 3206
Ph: 03 9699 5122
Hare Krishna New Nandagram Rural Community
Oak Hill, Dean’s Marsh Rd., Bambra VIC 3241
Ph: 052 887383
11.5 GURDWARA
Sikh Temple Melbourne
127 Whitehorse Road, Blackburn VIC 3130
Ph: 03 9894 1800
Sri Guru Singh Sabha
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344 Hume Hwy, Craigieburn VIC 3164
Ph: 03 9305 6511
Sri Guru Nanak Satsang Sabha
127 Whitehorse Road, Blackburn VIC 3130
The Sikh Community Center
116 Tyler Street, East Preston VIC 3072
11.6 YOGA AND MEDITATION CENTRES
Meditation Centres in Victoria, Australia
www.freemeditationinfo.com
Melbourne Yoga and Meditation
Malcolm Clark’s Personalised Yoga and Meditation Centre
Level 2, 50 Market Street VIC
Ph. 0430 569 088
Email: [email protected]
www.melbourneyoga.com
Australian School of Meditation & Yoga
440 Smith St, Collingwood VIC
Ph. 9415 9651
www.asm.org.au
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Shiamak Davar International Yoga Classes
Contact:
Mobile: 61403137963
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.shiamak.com
Hepburn Retreat Centre
9 Lone Pine Avenue, Hepburn Springs VIC
Ph. 03 5348 2005
www.hepburnretreatcentre.com.au
Mind-Yoga Melbourne, Meditation Courses/Classes
www.learntomeditatenow.com.au
Meditation in Victoria & Tasmania. Sahaja Yoga Victoria
www.sahayajogavic.com
Kundalini Yoga & Meditation
118 Sation Street, Malvern VIC 3144
Ph. 0422 236 961
Australian Yoga Academy
1b St.Edmonds Rd, Prahran VIC 3181
Level 1, 232 Bridge Road, Richmond VIC 3121
Ph. 0413 560 840
www.australianyogaacademy.com
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12 FIAV EXECUTIVE TEAM CONTACT INFORMATION
President
Mr Vasan Srinivsan
Vice President
Mr Thomas Joseph
Vice President - Community Services
Dr Sharad Gupta
Treasurer
Mr Hemant Amin
Secretary
Mr Subra Ramachandran
Asst Secretary
Mr Gurpreet Tuteja
Chairman -Editorial Committee
Dr Santosh Kumar
Chairman -Catering committee
Mrs Krishna Arora
Chairman -Women’s Affairs
Dr Anjali Tickoo
Chairman – Events Committee
Mr Ghanshyam Soni
Chairman – Sports & Youth
Mr Goldy Brar
Chairman – Membership
Mrs Usha Gullapalli
Asst Treasurer:
Mr Andrew Mendes
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13 FIAV DOMESTIC VIOLENCE VICTIM PANEL CONTACT INFORMATION
Medical Professionals
Dr. Lata Satyen
School of Psychology, Deakin University
Dr. Vaidy Swaminathan
Consultant Psychiatrist, Melbourne
University
Ms Hyacinth Monterio
Educational Psychologist
Dr. Matthew Thomas
Family Physician, Royal Melbourne
Hospital
Dr. Jabeen Syeda
Consultant General Physician
Dr. Ravi Kamisetty
Dental Consultant
Nurses
Mythili Nagasundaram
Nurse – Div 2
Usha Matthews
Nurse – Div 2, Monash Medical Centre,
Clayton
Legal Professionals
Mr Peter Vlahos
Barrister & Solicitors, Former Mayor of the
City of Monash
Mr Vernon Da Gama
Barrister & Solicitor
Social Workers
Deepa Matthews
Manager South Asian Region Central
Queensland University
Mayur Katariya
Manager of Research Degrees
Faculty of Education
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Chair - Domestic Violence Panel
Dr Sharad Gupta, Vice President, FIAV
Vice - Chair - Domestic Violence Panel
Dr Anjali Tickoo, Women's Affairs FIAV
Community Volunteers
Mr Swaminathan
Occupational Health Consultant
Mrs Meena Swaminathan, Community
Volunteer
Mrs Krishna Arora, Catering Sub-committee
FIAV
Mrs Anamika Srivastava, Community
Volunteer
Dr Santosh Kumar, President NRISA &
representing FIAV
Mr Jitender Kumar, IT Professional
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14 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The FIAV Executive Committee is grateful to the everyone who contributed to this project
for their support and assistance in compiling this report for the benefit of the Indian
Community in Victoria. This is the first time a report like this has been compiled for the
benefit of the Indian Community in Australia. The FIAV is focused on every aspect of the
Indian Communities growth and functionality in Victoria. The team has worked hard to
prepare reports and interview and survey the community to aid our community’s growth.
The FIAV would like to especially thank
• Mr Hari Shankar Thanu
• Mr Jitender Kumar
• Ms Tatiana Belousova
• Mr Subra Ramachandran
• The FIAV Executive Committee
• Places Victora
• “Little India" Precinct
• All Businesses and Music Schools that aided the completion of the report
• All the Individual Indian Associations
• Dandenong Market
The FIAV hopes that this project will help all the members of the community to better
understand the FIAV’s direction in helping the community.
