NR-Eyes give a glimpse

Trust me, the best ‘takeaway’ from the uniformly tasteless Indian restaurants here in Australia are the deliciously informative, free, but priceless community newspapers. Usually placed in a neat pile on the cash counter next to the mini-Taj Mahal with neon lights or the side table with mouth-fresheners, they are a must-pick and must-read. Poring over the typo-ridden classifieds, advertisements and guest columns printed on cheap newsprint gives a peep into the lives of Indians abroad.

So as ardent reader of several fresh and outdated editions of dailies, weeklies and monthlies with a distinct Indianness in the masthead over the past 30 days, here are my humble observations.

First, the good news for people back home. Take my word; you don’t need to worry about that recently-migrated neighbour, who you thought will not adjust in that alien land. And now I can also tell you why your favourite aging NRI uncle, despite the several teary farewells over the years, prefers his ‘Pravasi Bharatiya’ status: They all are doing just fine.

They are dancing to kirtan bands at Mantra Hall. Their kids are learning tablas, which are made specifically so that they clear Australian quarantine laws.The Bhagwad Gita is being recited at Kangaroo Point where bal yagna for pre-teen kids are on offer. Cooking competitions and cricket tournaments are being organised on the sidelines of Halal Meat Exhibitions.

The old are celebrating their 80th birthday with family pictures on P3. Next to them are the young who are getting married to Nicole Kidman-lookalike locals. So what if the elders in the family photo look glum, you can’t please everyone.

And they all are buying frozen samosas from supermarkets for Asian and Pacific Islanders that also sell religious statues and much, much more with three exclamations marks.

My new bedtime reading has also helped to dispel a notion that I anyways doubted. No, cricket isn’t religion, and the counter claim to that is nothing but an unsubstantiated cliché. It’s the work of a bright copywriter, a tribe genetically programmed to exaggerate.

Cricket, a time pass

As the pages of these very popular papers will tell you, cricket is a mere time-pass, at best a weapon in juvenile fights about bragging rights. It is just confined to the sports pages. Religion is something very important to those far-far away from prachin mandirs and purani masjids. All things ‘Godly’ have an overwhelming presence across these newspapers.

There is a centre spread, dedicated to Shivaratri celebrations. “The night which celebrates Shiva, who manifested himself, and is known as Swayambhu (self-created),” it says. There’s a commitment to give prasad at midnight and a chance to perform personal poojas before that. For a few dollars, vrat phalahari prasadam too is available. For those in mood for generosity or charity, there is a $300 food sponsorship.

News about opening of cultural centres and places that provide all help to perform havans eat up lot of column space. Featuring prominently are package deals to woo the believers. “We will provide all necessary samagri like Bel Patra, rudrax, milk, panch jal, panch gabbya and chandan etc for free.” Turn a few pages and you have this: “For a $50 fee, havan kund are available. Mango stick, ghee, samagri, chamfer, is availade for $25.”

Oozing my religion

Heavily garlanded, thickly bearded Godmen give angelic smiles from pages with ‘Who, what, when, where’ logos. There’s one who is well-versed in “vedic pooja, bhumi pooja, cremation and shradha”. His USP: With English commentaries and serving the community for four decades.

The page specifically for ‘Religion’ has pandits, pastors, miracle makers and Islamic scholars coexisting. There are pictures of NRI felicitations at maha poojas performed at remote Indian villages. In most such stories, the qualifier “has made the community proud” religiously props up. There are thank-you notes to volunteers who cooked, cleaned, served, designed flyers, sang bhajans at Ganesh yagnas. Though, the recognition gets watered down by the last line that says, “Indeed fortunate are the ones who get the opportunity to serve in a temple.”

The ‘city scan’ section too has interesting notings. From badminton tournaments for 50 plus participants to ‘Ek shaam Rafi ke naam’ musical nostalgia — told you — the NRIs aren’t just sitting home feeding their Ekta Kapoor addiction. They have options, for $129 they have a VVIP seat available to watch comedian Johnny Lever night and for a bit less catch up with Rohini Hattangadi as she makes her Aussie stage debut.

Overseas markets aren’t just for Salman Khan movies, around here they are ready to part with their dollars for anything that reminds them of home. Content with their PR status and short vacations to the place of birth, those who moved away have found several Little Indias in this rugged land of beer-drinkers.

Source:: Indian Express