Sukhdeep Bhogal, a musician also known as L-FRESH The LION is a first generation Australian from an Indian background. After having been subjected to discrimination, he has become an advocate of multiculturalism.
Australia. My home. The place where I was born. The country that welcomed my mother and father who emigrated here from India in the late 1980s. I love this country with all of my heart; and I truly do consider it home. Yet this wasn't always the case.
I was a child that often felt torn between two different worlds. My parents were from India and brought with them an Eastern culture, a way of life that was strange and foreign to others. They instilled that culture in me. It became a part of me. But it wasn't all of me. I was an Australian too. And I didn't know what that meant. As a youth, I wasn't accepted as an Australian. I looked too different.
My experiences with racism have varied throughout the course of my life. It has always been a part of my existence. From the usual “go back to where to came from” calls from people yelling out of their car windows to being told that I needed to change my looks if I wanted to be successful. It's all been there.
As a child, I took it to heart, even though my father told me to ignore it and to stay strong. It made me question my identity. Was I an Australian? Was I an Indian? At times, I felt that I was neither, that I was lost in between both worlds, living on my own in a void.
As a teenager, my response was to stand up against it. To fight. To be a warrior, and to be strong. As such, I remember heated verbal battles and unproductive conversations that led nowhere. I recall the fights within myself; a young man trying to find out who he was and where he belonged.
I found my peace in music. In being able to share my stories through song. Giving a voice to my inner self. It was through this process that I became sure of myself. I understood that I was not a being that could be shaped by the perceptions of others. But rather, that I was a human being before anything else. And that I could be whoever I wanted to be. And through my music, I could let the world know.
My views towards racism have always been the same, however, my approach to tackling it has developed over time. Racism cannot be tolerated, whatsoever. It should not plague people's lives. It should not have so much power. It needs to be spoken about openly so that we can address it as such, and remove it from our society. There is no need to be afraid. Fear has had its turn. Now is the time for courage.
Australia is home to people of all walks of life. I love how diverse we are in our cultural landscape. It's why Australia has such a fond place in my heart. We have the potential to be global leaders in the battle against racism.
Multiculturalism is not an idea for us. It is a reality. But racism and discrimination form a barrier that prevents us from being a multicultural society on all levels, from the top down.
There are no excuses. It's not about being right or wrong. It's about being honest. Pause for a moment and be honest with yourself. Listen to what your inner self says about this issue. Then face the world.
We each have a role to play. Australia must not be a tolerant society. It must be an embracing and understanding one. Because beyond all the cultural differences we are all human beings, aren't we? Nobody is a stranger to you.
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