A total of 549 inspirational Australians have been chosen to be awarded the coveted Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) this Australia Day, out of which a handful of them are of Indian-origin.
Despite many celebrities making the list, almost 45 per cent of all awards this year have been conferred for outstanding service in the community, reinforcing the importance of local heroes in Australia.
One such local hero who has been recognised in the honours list is a resident of Sydney, Inderjit (Indy) Singh who has been awarded for his service to the international community through eye care programs.
Founder of Vision Beyond Aus, Mr Singh has been recognised for organising and funding over 37,000 eye surgeries for financially disadvantaged people in third world countries.
“It’s a matter of great honour and pride to be honoured by your country and to think that we people from India can come and achieve these awards is something remarkable.
“It shows that things have changed a lot. When I arrived in Australia back in 1984, people would doubt my qualifications. Now look, so many Indians have arrived and made a name for them, it is remarkable,” Mr Singh told SBS Punjabi.
Umesh Chandra is another Indian-origin recipient of OAM, who has been recognised for his significant contribution to the multicultural community of Queensland.
He moved to Australia in 1987. Later, he was appointed the liaison officer by the state government to protect the interests of Indian students when they were facing a spate of violent attacks in the country in 2008-09.
The 66-year-old who was named the Citizen of the Year along with his wife, Usha Chandra, last year said the honour would inspire him to work more for the community.
“These awards give us encouragement to do more. There is so much more that we need to do for our community. We have so many aged people, there are women who need upliftment and care and of course also the students.
“I would like to take this opportunity to send a message to the students is you have come here, you are an ambassador of your country and community so act accordingly and be mindful of doing the right thing,” said Mr Chandra.
A known name within the Indian community in Australia, Promila Gupta has also featured in the prestigious list of honours for her generous service to the Indian community and to multiculturalism.
A chef by profession, Ms Gupta has dedicated her life to promoting Indian culture and cuisine within the community.
She is also a recipient of the New South Wales Premier's Multicultural Community Medals in 2018, Australian Citizen of the Year for South Australia in 2007 and the Pride of Australia Award in 2006.
Also featuring in the list is celebrated author and academician, Professor Sarva Daman Singh who has been honoured for his service to tertiary education and to the community.
Director and Professor of Indian and Southeast Asian History at the Institute of Asian Studies in Brisbane, Mr Singh is a recipient of many academic awards and has taught at several prestigious universities in India, UK and Australia.
