It was lovely 80s when Sudhir Juneja arrived in Australia. But the preparations were not easy. There we so many questions and so few to help. He recalls, “Where would we live, how would we find a house, which school would be good for the kids… we had so much to ask. We contacted some friends here in Sydney but it was not easy.”
And Raman Dhiman moved to Sydney in December. He had same questions but there were more than 25,000 people to answer. He posted his queries in Indians in Sydney group on Facebook and immediately started getting responses. From house hunting to Medicare requirements, from job perspective to best schools for kids, help, and advice was available in every possible way. Raman had already made some friends before landing in Australia.
This is a whole new world for new migrants. Problems remain the same. Questions remain the same but there are new ways that social media has opened for them. Founder of Indians In Syndey group on Facebook, Nadeem Ahmed explains, “The core purpose of the group was to be connected, to be there for other Indians and to have a community that helps each other whether in terms of jobs or accommodation. The focus was to be connected.”
Nadeem created this group in 2006 when he had arrived in Sydney and faced a plethora of issues without much help. He felt the need for a community and started this group.
Source: Facebook
“Whatever problem I faced during my first year motivated me to start this group. Like I wanted a job but I was told by some friends that I have to try for cleaning jobs or kitchen help work etc. People told me that it was not easy to get a job. I was an IT professional but I was made to think that I would not get a job here. It scared me. And after two weeks, when I finally applied for a job in my sector, I got one.”
“Right advice was missing,” says Nadeem.
And now, through these FB groups ‘right’ advice is being provided by hundreds. Such groups are everywhere. Sudhir Juneja is running such group in Melbourne. Amit Rai is running an online help platform in many cities with the help of some dedicated professionals. His colleague Rakesh Joshi explains, “Initially, we started some WhatsApp platforms to connect. The response was very good so we founded ‘All In One Gujarati Ptv Ltd’. It is a not-for-profit group where people from different professional backgrounds come together and help each other.”
Meera Patel, another member of ‘All In One Gujarati’ explains why these groups are essential. She says, “When we started interacting with each other, we realized that there were so many different issues which could be solved. For instance, when people come here as students, they do not know how to start a business or how to hire staff. They don’t know how local banking or transport system works. We have all kinds of professionals in our wide-spread network. They talk to each other and help instantly.”
All In One Gujarati Team Source: Supplied
All such networks have members in thousands. One of the Indians in Melbourne group has more than 45k members. Indians in Sydney group have more than 28k members. And all are ready to help each other. Aditi Upadhyay, one of the most active members of Indians in Sydney group says that her first post on the group made her realize the potential of this community. She says, “It was Diwali and I locked myself out of my house. I posted on the group and receive so many recommendations instantly. Those made me feel surrounded by people who were there for me. It was an important feeling in a foreign country.”
One recent incident brought the best out of the community. Mother of an India national was in the hospital and the cost of the treatment was unaffordable. He sought help through a Facebook post in the group. Nadeem says, “Help poured in. He was able to collect 80k to 100k dollars in a week’s time. And not just financial help, members of the group visited him in the hospital and offered help in every possible way.”
These groups are like a Chauplas of old times in India where people used to meet, share their experiences with each other and seek help from each other. These virtual Chaupals are doing wonders in terms of social togetherness. The most important is that these groups make people realize that they are not alone in a new country.
Source: Facebook
