Australian photographer Michel Lawrence has focused on enterprising Indians living Down Under for his month-long exhibition now on at the Australian High Commission here.
A celebration of the Indian Diaspora in Australia, the exhibition titled “Indian Aussies” highlights the fact that from business leader Ravi Bhatia to community leader and farmer John Arkan and journalist Natasha Chaku, over 300,000 Indians are contributing to Australia's multicultural society.
Michel was assigned the job of taking pictures of Indians in Australia by the Australian High Commissioner in India Peter Varghese when the former had visited the country for an exhibition. The work involved a two-month stay in Australia, a lot of travelling and spending time with his subject.
Pointing out that a large population of Indians is well settled in his homeland, Michel says they have made enormous contribution to Australia in terms of business life and culture. “Because of Indians, classical singing and dancing have become popular. The cultural life has become rich thanks to them who cutting across religion, caste and occupation have happily made Australia their home.” “In my website, I have put video interviews with all those I have captured on camera,” he adds.
Michel has put 25 pictures on display. “I have also focused on Punjabi agriculturists engaged in banana cultivation. Australia boasts of the biggest Sikh temple. They came to our country without a big bank balance but have toiled hard to become a prosperous lot. A number of Gujaratis and South Indians living there are well-off. But none of them has forgotten their values and cultural ethos.”
There is a picture of an Indian who was at the receiving end of a “racist attack”. “These incidents need to be condemned. Such people who indulge in acts of violence don't have any supporters in Australia.”
