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Heline Kansara, 27, is an international student of Medical Sciences in Sydney)
In my many years as an international student, I have come across a different array of community events in Sydney. They all have been organised through various associations, foundations, organisations and groups (the list goes on). I have preferred to keep my distance. The reasons or rather excuses for not wanting to participate in such community events have been plenty. However, when given an opportunity to help out with the YUVA team, my reluctant side suddenly disappeared.
So what had really got me all excited about spending the little free time I have after work and classes into helping out for a community event, which on any other occasion I would have simply walked away from? This was the first time that over 250 Indian community groups and associations decided to come together for one man, the Prime Minister of India, Mr Narendra Modi. This, in itself, is a big accomplishment for the Indian-Australian community. His arrival in Australia as a PM of India after 28 years needed to be celebrated. He had managed to bring these people together to work towards one goal. And I wanted to be part of that.
I did not follow the Indian elections closely, but it was all over my social network. There was no escaping it. This was the first time my generation was this excited and interested about who held office and wanted to take part in the elections. Mr. Modi's campaign had the attention of all generations of India.
His being elected as the Prime Minister of India came as no surprise to anyone. He had given people the hope of a new modern India. This was the first time my father and I could discuss politics and the reforms needed to change India. This was a discussion of an aspiration for a modern India.
My small volunteer role started Monday early morning with YUVA for Modi, run by two exceptional women, Astha Singh and Divya Dhanaram. Armed with tickets to some of the best seats in arena and coloured T-shirts, we planned to paint the Allphones Arena in saffron, white and green. By 10 am, we had loads of people gathered around our stall to try and get hold of any remaining tickets. That crowd just kept growing. They came in hundreds hoping to score a ticket. These people were not just from Sydney but from everywhere.
People had travelled from Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and even overseas. For every one cancelled ticket we got, we had several people trying to convince us how much it meant for them to see NaMo, and how that one ticket would mean the world to them. There was a much-exaggerated state of devotion towards Modi and people were happy to do anything just to be in his presence. Eventually I ran out of tickets to give out and actually felt a little sad about not having any more to hand out to the ones still waiting.
As I entered in the arena, I was in awe of the crowd. Our human tricolours looked brilliant. 15,000 people had gathered to hear one man speak. We sat through the cultural program with ever-increasing excitement and anticipation for NaMo to step on the stage. The moment finally arrived, and the crowd applauded. His speech made me understand why.
He is one of us. He has faced the same everyday battles of the common man and understands the frustration of unnecessary red tape involved in getting the simplest of task. Although I don't think the solution is asking the person to certify their own documents. We could follow the Australians, where people from health and legal occupations are also authorised to certify documents.
His speech covered various initiatives that the government is involved with, be it Make In India or Jan Dhan Yojana, but what stuck with me were his thoughts on what Indians could learn from Australia - Dignity of Labour. No matter what you do for a living or to put food on your family table, it is important to be treated with respect. This is one thing I love about living in this country. It does not matter if you drive a taxi, work as a cleaner or if you are a top executive for a large company, you will be treated the same way by the government and the people.
NaMo's hopes for a modern cleaner India, with better infrastructure, technology, skilled workforce are the same dreams I have for India. He understands that it is not the government that makes a nation, but the actions of its people. Every small contribution by 1.25 billion people of India would help towards this dream.
With NaMo's growing influence on the budding pool of youthful energetic citizens, who with each day show more understanding towards their civil responsibilities and duties, our dream of this new Modern Indian has a chance to be a reality.
I left Allphones Arena, more hopeful and excited then ever for what was in store for my country, India.
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