Growing up Indian in Australia by Aarti Betigeri ed.

This latest in the Growing up in Australia series, collects together the varied experiences of Australians from the South Asian continent, people we group together as Indian, yet who may originate from East Africa, Fiji, Pakistan, Malaysia and other places as well as mother India. Their religions vary also: Muslim, Hindu, Christian, Jewish and a follower of Sai Baba. They are diverse voices, dispelling stereotypical ideas of ‘Indian’, yet there is a common thread running through all the stories, that of feeling caught between two cultures, the Indian culture guarded by parents and the lived experience of Australian culture. This idea of ‘third culture’ Australians has a humorous treatment in Saman Shad’s recent novel The matchmaker (2023), highly recommended as a warm-hearted expose of the third culture dilemma.

Sadly the other common theme in this collection of stories is the experience of racism, of schoolyard bullying of the brown kid with the strange lunch food, to workplace harassment, to xenophobic riots. However the voices of these writers are strong and resilient, they have not only survived their experiences, they are carving out new identities, valuing the traditions they have come from, but also confident in the spaces they are creating for themselves.

There is a variety of styles: prose, an A-Z catalogue, a user guide, memoir, interview, verse, even a recipe! They are all interesting, but the story I most enjoyed was the joyously upbeat ‘The dance performance’ by Swagata Bapat, and her description of her childhood exhilaration, perfumed, bangled, and glittering in her costume, as she participates in a traditional dance at the community hall.
'I am not the boring, tongue-tied kid who is teased at school . . . I am just movement, colour, sound, joy and beauty; and I am held by the vibrant community that surrounds me.’
Her story is just so expressive of the vitality of the culture that she brings to Australia, sharing happiness and enriching life for all Australians.

The ‘Notes on Contributors’ at the end of the book provides brief details about each writer, a starting point for finding out more about those you particularly enjoy, both established authors and emerging new talent that you won’t want to miss.

Themes: Short stories, Childhood, Identity, Cultural diversity, India.

Helen Eddy