Australian Lessons

Every time I listen to the sound of didgeridoo, the deep reverberating sound, which feels like a mystic rhythm coming from the nadir of an ocean, from the middle of a forest or from the agonies deep in the heart of an old man forty thousand years old, I feel like migrating back to Australia. Didgeridoo is an Australian aboriginal musical instrument with a long thick wooden pipe that is blown to create a deep humming sound. Listening to didgeridoo is like reaching ecstasy in music. The CD I bought for 10 dollars from a group of aboriginals on the Circular Quay in Sydney is surely the best memento I could carry from Australia. It is amazing and agonizing to know how the British, who colonized Australia from 18th Century onwards, tried forcibly to destroy the rich, thousands of years old heritage and culture of the aboriginal people. They even forcibly took away children of aboriginals and put them into Government controlled Missions and reserves where the children were taught British culture and never allowed to meet their parents. Even some of the children were put to work as domestic servants in Britishers’ homes. Some were lucky enough to be adopted by British parents. In fact the aboriginal parents whose children were taken away were never allowed to know the whereabouts of their children! This went on till 1969. This is just one of the sins committed by the British colonizers in Australia. And now they claim that they only have a history two hundred years old!

But then if you look to the contemporary world, the same thing continues in different forms in many countries. So you see efforts to convert States into ‘Hindu States’ or efforts to convert into ‘Islamic States’. What we do is subtly but determinedly choking the practices of religions and cultures which the majority does not follow.

Anyways, apart from these ridiculous efforts to deny the real history of Australia, Australians are really relaxed and hassle-free people. A modern Australian is very tolerant of other cultures and religions. The cynics would say they better be because otherwise the country will slow down to death. Australians are aging and therefore the economy is gradually having less and less population which is employable. The way out is to encourage immigration of other nationals. So you would see Chinese, Japanese, Koreans, Singhalese, East Europeans, and of course Indians mingling freely with each other in every nook and corner of Australia. This makes it a wonderful country. You would feel at home, wherever you go.

One would also learn a lot about living in a civic society and taking on responsibilities of the nation individually. For example, all Australian establishments follow something called ‘day light saving’ rules. This means, they start working with the day break (early in the morning) and retire when the sun sets. The work is done when day light is there. This minimizes the use of electricity which in turn reduces generation of green house gasses. All offices and shops close by 5:30 or 6 pm except some restaurants and entertainment complexes. Hotels encourage guests to re-use towels as much as possible because that will reduce usage of chemicals for washing the towels. Less chemicals mean less production of them which in turn reduces generation of green house gases. Simple, isn’t it? Each of these steps is a small step but if you can understand, the whole of these will have significant impact in the long run.

I learnt and realized all these and more in our wonderful GOTA tour to Australia where some best students from all IIPM centers went in March 2008. The tour would always worth a billion to me not only because of beautiful Australia but also because of the amazing students of IIPM. They were sensitive, intelligent, honest, committed, passionate and responsible. They used to have a rocking time till late night but everyone attended all the sessions barring a couple of incidents when some students came late to the sessions. There were no fights, no controversies, no mess and no mis-behaviour. There were 58 students and all of them were friends…helping each other, eating together, going to places together and having fun together. Apart from some incidents of late-coming, everything went on very well. Truly, in a selfish, treacherous and insensitive world, the IIPM community is an oasis worth being a part of. Three cheers for IIPM…hip hip…!