UIA celebrates Australia Day and Indian Republic Day

United India Associations (UIA) an amalgamation of different Indian associations organized a function to celebrate Australia Day and Indian Republic Day at Parravilla centre in Parramatta. Carol Furtado (Ayesha) the Leading Lady from “Merchants of Bollywood” who will be performing in Australia this year at Melbourne, Canberra, Brisbane and Sydney was one of the guests on this occasion. Mrs. Mira Raheja from Hornsby Senior Citizens Group was this year’s recipient of UIA Australia Day and Indian Republic Day and was honoured for her services to the Senior citizens.

Aruna Chandrala, President, United Indian Association could not attend the event due to health reasons and it was left to UIA Vice President and Hornbsy Councillor Dilip Chopra to deliver the message and he gave a powerful speech. He welcomed the gathering and said this was a unique day for Indian Australians because it happens to be the national day of the country of our origin and the country we call home. “This is a perfect opportunity for us to feel proud of our heritage and at the same time celebrate as proud Australians,” he added.

He also announced that United Indian Associations was setting up an Indian Benevolent Fund with seed money of $5000/- and appealed all sections of the society to contribute for Indian Benevolent Fund.  On this occasion UIA newsletter called Voice of India was also launched.

Speaking on the occasion, MP Laurie Fergusson representing Prime Minister said, “India has many challenges and today we are celebrating commonality of our experiences in this country. Indians are the 3rd largest group for immigration and they have a very less unemployment rate that other communities. This says a lot about their contribution to this country.”  Talking about reform in education sector and problems faced by international students,  he said, “There are new requirements for schools. Irrespective of their history they will be subject to strict guidelines and will be deregistered if found to be breaching law. For too long there has been a laxity in rules governing these colleges. There have been 33 arrests for assaults and committing hooligan acts. The problem has many complexities and is interrelated to problems faced by students.”

Lord Mayor of Parramatta,  Paul Garrard said, “Indian community in Parramatta is the largest in Australia and played host to AR Rahman which was music straight from the heart of Bollywood.  We are celebrating diversity and Parramasala festival in November will provide a marvelous opportunity to enhance our understanding and deliver the message of peace and harmony.”

Philp Ruddock, representing Leader of Opposition Tony Abbott said,  “A mere 3 years ago, shortly before Jan 07 I was in New Delhi and was witness to the preparations for the Republic Day celebrations in India. I must say could learn a good deed from the way this event was being organised.  It is appropriate that those who have affinity for India are proud of this event. This is also a time to celebrate the contribution of all those who have made Australia home, especially Indians. “  He added, “I had an opportunity recently to read about Gandhiji. It bought to my mind courage and leadership that was needed for building  modern India. India has a great deal to teach the world.”  He reiterated the message of Leader of Opposition and said he has given a commitment to continue ongoing immigration to build Australia.

Indian Consul General, Amit Dasgupta said, “Relations between India and Australia have been resilient and strong. The consequences of attacks on students  have opened up a series of new areas that the government had to look seriously in terms of education.”  He added, “After my discussions with International students during the last month, I make two requests -  have a single confidence building measure if possible.  Students have requested for travel concessions and students have also requested an international student centre. Students work late and walk back home. If they had travel concessions they could use public transport and would seek guidance at the international student centre. Core issues need to be addressed to get the confidence of students. I do believe the ball is entirely in Australian courts. We need to take a hard look to see if there is anything we can do.”

It was also announced that UIA will be celebrating the Indian Independence day on 15th August 2010 and would also organized a Women’s Forum on 6th March 2010 and a Seniors Forum on 20th March 2010.

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