INDIAN migrants usually aspire to professional success on foreign shores. I was no exception. Upon my arrival in Sydney on a one-way ticket more than two decades ago, I was fervently expecting that many Australian employers would take no time to hire me! However, one rejection letter followed another, and I kept filing each of them as a certificate of merit.
Eventually, I got a call about a job in a coal mining town. I accepted the offer instantly. But I had no experience of living or working in a town that was home to only a few hundred people.
The closest thing to a mining town that I had seen was in the Bollywood multi-starrer Kaala Patthar (1979). Reel by reel and character by character, I started imagining my professional and social life. I presumed that the prominent men would include a disgraced ex-Merchant Navy officer, an upright engineer, an infuriated worker and a greedy mine owner. Among the women, there would be a compassionate doctor, a flamboyant journalist and a bubbly girl selling bangles. I was also expecting to witness fistfights in the local café during the daytime and boisterous get-togethers in the evening. The unsettling prospect of unionism, gambling and extortion gangs completed the picture.
I imagined that my entry into the underground mine would be through a makeshift lift. Someone with a grouse would cut the rope supporting the lift, leaving me in the darkness of the mine. But then a brave mine worker would come to my rescue. Finally, a jubilant crowd waiting above ground would welcome me with bear hugs.
Such was my flight of fancy for two hours while on board an eight-seater Airvan that took me to this town. Soon after touching down on a narrow airstrip, a quick conversation on the phone with my wise friend in my hometown, Patiala, helped me regain my bearings.
My illusions began evaporating rapidly. This town offered world-class infrastructure. The mine I inspected as my first professional assignment showcased exemplary production, environmental and safety standards. There was no sign of any rivalry within the community, and gambling was legitimate in approved precincts. And the common Aussie saying, “You will be alright, mate,” seemed spot-on.
The author is an officer in Australia’s mines department
