Indian student attacks: fledgling democracies can do better

This is excellent advice and far better than building an international student contact office in Carlton (where no assaults have been recorded) and which closes at 5.00pm. It’s better than building an Indian-Australian think tank at Melbourne University or any other piece of symbolism that falls somewhere between an apology and an after thought.

Another point is that contrary to recent reports, the Victoria Police do not keep race related statistics on crime. They never have. The reason is that in 99 per cent of cases, race is not a critical issue.

It’s difficult to draw definitive conclusions about the assaults except to say that in more mature democracies, an issue like this would draw both nations together to work out a joint solution. Here we see the obverse.

I recently travelled through Varanasi, one of the most famous spiritual centres for Hindus in India. I was sitting by the Ganges when a boy of 15 asked if I’d like a trip on a rowboat up to the Manikanika Ghat. I said “thanks, but no thanks”.

He said “you’re an Australian aren’t you?” I said I was. He asked me why Australians were attacking Indian students. I said a handful of Australians were very stupid. He asked, “but not all Australians?” “No, not all,” I replied.

He thought for a minute and said, “when I learn to read I won’t believe everything my brother tells me”.

Spoken with the wisdom of Solomon or rather, Saraswati.