Three Indian women got mothers from across Australia connected, and it’s working like magic
IMC came into being seven months ago and already has over 4500 members from different parts of Sydney and there are some from other cities in Australia too — all mums (or mums-to-be) of Indian heritage.
It is also a great place for newly migrated families as these mums can use all the experience and insightful advice from those who have been here for a while in matters of education and also available health care services.
Sonia, a second generation Indian Australian is a busy mum of two children under five. Anjali moved to Australia ten years ago and is a full-time working mum of two, while Ena, a part-time dentist and mother to a two-year-old, came to this country as a teenager and considers herself a perfectly blended Indian Australian. These three mothers had some things in common, paramount being that they wanted their children to learn about and be aware of Indian culture and traditions. They all loved meeting new people and making new friends. So when they came together magic happened. They created a perfectly awesome space for other Indian mothers to connect and interact. They called this space ‘Indian Mums Connect’ or IMC for short.
IMC came into being seven months ago and already has over 4500 members from different parts of Sydney and there are some from other cities in Australia too — all mums (or mums-to-be) of Indian heritage. It became the talk in the Indian ‘mummy’ circles and the sudden surge in membership took the creators by surprise. Though there are many mums’ groups out there in cyberspace, there was nothing that catered to the Indian lifestyle. “We sensed that there was a need for an Indian ethnicity mothers group within our community and hence IMC was born,” says Anjali.
The families may have migrated to Australia, but they still have in them strong cultural values that are Indian and prefer raising their children the ‘Indian’ way while giving them the appropriate apparatus to connect with the multicultural Australian society.
This is an open platform where mothers can discuss culturally sensitive issues and seek advice from more experienced members of the group. There are no geographical boundaries and the biggest strength of the group is the amazing camaraderie that exists among members who come together as a community.
“IMC is a one stop shop for everything ‘mummy,” says Sonia. “Today, in the age of micro families, the grandma advices, home remedies, etc. have become things of the past. Gone are the days when mums and bubs used to get together in the front yard with a hot cuppa and discuss the trials, tribulations and the joys of motherhood,” adds Ena. IMC has managed to create this atmosphere in the virtual world, a place where young mothers seek advice from the more experienced ones, cooking tips are shared, and day care and school challenges discussed.
It is also a great place for newly migrated families as these mums can use all the experience and insightful advice from those who have been here for a while in matters of education and also available health care services. Even mums who are moving interstate pose their queries about schools, etc. here.
“Supervising and overseeing a group of this size and keeping it clean is no mean task,” says Sonia. Like any other group, IMC has its own rules too. It is a completely friendly, non-judgemental platform for the members to access. It is very important to the admin(s) that IMC remain a well-managed group. They ensure that the group does not lose its main purpose, which is to help mothers with any concerns and to facilitate catch ups and create a sense of community. They achieve this through constant monitoring.
Anjali, Ena and Sonia also keep the fun alive and add a spark of entertainment through regular competitions and giveaways and for this they are constantly brainstorming for ideas.
“There is a remarkable number of Indian Australian mothers who own and run small businesses, most of them from home. There are mothers how run catering businesses, beauty and fashion outlets and then there are event managers and travel agents. IMC also provides a platform for these mothers to advertise their businesses,” explains Anjali. The mothers help each other grow by availing the services offered and undoubtedly the best form of advertisement is word-of-mouth. To keep the traffic organised and to ensure there is proper decorum followed, Anjali, Sonia and Ena have stipulated certain days and timings for the commercial and/or community based activities and initiatives.
While Monday is the day to advertise charities and charity related activities, Tuesday is the business post day and Sunday is the day for garage sales. Many real social groups have been created from this virtual group – now mums from surrounding suburbs catch-up for coffee (they may have been people who lived on the same street for years without crossing paths!), there are tambola evenings and kitty get- togethers. “Finally, it’s just about getting mums in sync,” says Ena.
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