Big B wants to turn down Oz honour

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Big B wants to turn down Oz honour

NDTV correspondent, Saturday May 30, 2009, Mumbai

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Shocked by the attack on Indians Down Under, actor Amitabh Bachchan has written on his blog that he wants to turn down an honorary Australian doctorate.

In his blog on Saturday he has posted his dilemma over accepting an honourary doctorate degree conferred on him by the Queensland University.

He has written: "My conscience does not permit me to accept this decoration from a country that perpetrates such indignity."

Bachchan has put this up as a poll question on his blog and requested readers to comment so that he can take the right action... whether to refuse or accept the honour.

After a spate of attacks on Indian students in Australia over the last month, questions are being raised about whether the continent has always been racist or whether these are stray incidents.

Shravan Kumar from Hyderabad is still fighting for his life in a hospital in Melbourne. He was brutally assaulted by 2 young Australians who gatecrashed a party of Indian students.

Indian student Baljinder Singh was stabbed by two men in the abdomen as he was leaving a railway station. The two attackers apparently asked Baljinder to hand over his wallet, but even before he could do so they stabbed him in the stomach.

Speaking to NDTV, an overwrought Baljinder said he wouldn't advice students to come to Australia.

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Belongs to: Overseas Indians

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Tags: Amitabh Bachchan, Australia attacks, Overseas Indians

Posted by C K Singh on Jun 05, 2009

Big B,this is something very great to listen from you. I appreciate your feeling. But sir don't you feel this is something very political from your side , same thing happened and is happening in Mumbai. People were killed, beaten and forced to leave Maharastra. Those people were from your place UP & Bihar. Ohh... I understand they were poor, very sad and these Indian students studing in Australia are from rich family. Now you are writting blogs, because Australian teenager are coming to mumbai to throw bottles in your house. You are not a comman man, your wife is in lok sabha, you are a good friend of Mulayam Singh & Amar Singh. You could have done alot. Now you are raising your voice. I didn't understand what do you want some honour from Govt. of India or you want to become a public HERO, you are already a SuperHero. So sir please stop your double standard, you are going to get nothing. If you have some power use it at right place. Sir I am a great fan of you, but don't you think you are losing your image. I bet you don't need to fear from anyone in Mumbai. Last election result has proved it. Please Help those who ar in need.

Posted by Arindam on Jun 04, 2009

Dear Mr Bachchan I am an Indian, resident in Australia for the past several years. I have been a ardent fan of your films and I respect your intellect, your humility and patriotism.However your current utterances and actions in relation to Australia has made me sad as also many of your fans in Australia. You have always mentioned in your blog the several instances of %u201Cexcesses%u201D perpetrated by the Indian media. May I humbly say to you that alas, you have fallen victim to the same. Your actions towards QUT made me respond to you. The attacks against Indian students is highly deplorable and must be condemned but that does not give anyone a licence to call a nation racist without verifying the actual facts.As per the survey out today Australia is 19 among the 142 countries polled in terms of peace and safety. 300,000 Indians, 700,000 Chinese as also people from other countries live here. All have been successful and are proud of this country.The attacks on Indian students were primarily a result of mugging (hence being called soft targets). No one believes that there is no racism in Australia but to paint the entire society with the same brush is highly unjust and uncalled for. The frenzied hysteria created by the Indian media makes it appear that all Indian students are cowering under threat but the reality is that in general anybody and everybody is safe to move around, much more than they ever would be in India. Pardon me for saying this but your non acceptance of the doctorate reminds of the great Rabindranath Tagore who had given up his knighthood in 1919 in protest against the Jalianwalla bagh massacre. I am not sure whether you have been elevated to the same level as Tagore by your actions! I am too small a person to preach to you but I feel it would have been better for you to come here and show your solidarity with the Indian students who have been attacked. By this you would not only have played the role of an ambassador of peace but endeared yourself not only to the Indian fans here but also your countless white Australian fans and therby promoted harmony and cohesion amongst Indians and other communities here. Trust me the average Australian is as warm, friendly and gentle as yourself. Please donot get misguided by false propaganda unleashed by the Indian media. Yours humbly Arindam Sen

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