It is the International Women’s Day on 8 March and we take this opportunity to reflect on five personalities, who by dint of their hard work, charm and resilience as migrant women, have something for us to take home. Read on….
DR. PALLAVI SHARMA
GP, Cosmetic Physician
(MBBS, FRACGP, ACAM, Dip O&G)
Pallavi Sharma arrived in Australia 25 years ago armed with a diploma in Obstetrics from India and got the ‘unique opportunity’ to study MBBS at the University of Queensland. After successfully qualifying as a Fellow of the Royal Australian College of General Practice (RACGP) in 2002, she acquired another diploma in Aesthetic Medicine.
As the face of the 2018 RACGP’s national campaign “I’m not just a GP. I’m your specialist in life”, Sharma says it emboldened her passion further and signified the role of “GP”, the primary health care physician in Australia.
“I love being a general practitioner, a cosmetic physician and a staunch advocate for my patients as I continue my journey with the same passion since when I arrived in Australia 25 years ago,” says Sharma with pride.
Sharma has also enjoyed the role of being an examiner and Quality Assessment Officer for the RACGP exams for the last 10 years and further accepted the challenge of being a remote clinical examiner in pandemic times. “Teaching young doctors and seeking opportunity to learn from young brains is a professional gift,” she believes.
Sharma sails through the week combining her work as a GP in different suburbs of Melbourne and she also runs Skinclub Cosmetic Doctors businesses at Toorak, Brighton and Windsor. In the last seven years, Laser Gynecology has been another area of interest for her.
As a migrant woman of colour, the road to success has not been an easy one, she says. “Survival mode for me meant working harder than others, no matter what environment I was in, just to survive.”
Reflecting on the sacrifices she made early on in her career, she says, “The inability to continue as an obstetrician and choosing to be a general practitioner was mainly based on the fact that a female has to be a primary care giver at home first and keep professional aspirations secondary. Lack of family support as a new migrant striving to build a solid professional career has its own inherent challenges.”
Therefore, Sharma chose to be a “stay-at-home mum” while studying and trying to pass the Australian Medical Council exams. Initially, she worked as a part time doctor as it allowed her to devote more time to her growing kids, while at the same time, saving her costs from private tuitions, child care, etc.
However, this initial sacrifice to her own professional development paid off once her children came of age after which she switched to full time practice.
Sharma says her father and brothers have been the most inspiring people in her life. That having said, the tenacity of mothers who adopt kids and mothers of kids with special needs are equally admirable to her. “Motherhood lies in raising a child not just giving birth,” she says.
Sharma’s life is equally diverting. She is involved in the community and in delivering messages on issues close to her heart. She also heads a Medical Group of Doctors Association (IMDA) of Indian origin. As a member of Women on GP organisation of RACGP, she has also acted in the 2018 Bollywood movie “Pareshaan Parinda” which was shot in Australia.
Her message to every migrant woman is: “Australia is a land of opportunities and let’s all look at life as a glass half full despite the fair share of tough times needed to establish your ground in this lovely country.
“As women, educating ourselves, elevating, empowering, encouraging and offering support to each other is needed to cope with psychosocial stressors, which always pile up due to disproportionate distribution of workload at home as well as at work due to gender inequity. Women have to keep working towards changing the age old concept inbred in society that regardless of their achievement outside home, they are not immune from domestic work distribution. Let us all keep working to end the gender bias and discrimination and celebrate achievements, and at the same time, congratulate great men who offer women the best support to strengthen the fabric of society.”
SHWETALI SAWANT
Founder of The Indian Bazaar
Growing up, Shwetali Sawant was an absolute tomboy – playing cricket, football, volleyball, badminton, table tennis and any other game that involved running around. But she also balanced that with being a “really good student” winning competitions and was always the first to join school plays, singing and dancing groups. “I had the best childhood I could have imagined,” she says.
After finishing her Bachelors in Electronic Engineering from Nirma University, she worked for some time, got married and moved to America, where she would get her Masters in Biomedical Engineering from Cornell University in New York. After she had her daughter, the family moved to Australia in 2008.
Sawant always wanted to be an entrepreneur and realised that dream by setting up a social enterprise called The Indian Bazaar. It is certified by Social Traders Australia, that supports and promotes Indian women entrepreneurs that run their business from home through events, exhibitions and pop-up markets since 2017.
As a migrant woman, she says there were a number of challenges that she had to face and overcome. “First of all, there was no organisation that I could approach or join that could help me with the information I needed to start my business. With no friends or guidance, I had to navigate the process all by myself, from registering the business name, getting domain name, designing the website to advertising and marketing.”
Secondly, as a solopreneur, she wanted to connect with other entrepreneurs, especially a group that speaks the same language, understands the ethnic background and shares similar values. “There was no group at the time and I really missed that because running a business from home can be very lonely and challenging, especially when you are doing it for the very first time. I joined a mumpreneur group that helped me a lot.”
Now Sawant has learnt to grow her business delving on her own into digital marketing, graphic design, content creation, accounting, branding, etc. A platform that could help migrant women to do this on their own would be great, she feels.
Along her journey, she has been passionate about helping people, especially Indian women entrepreneurs, who are running their business from home. Given her Ivy League background, Sawant has been offered really good jobs but her purpose in life is to help as many women as possible.
“Through my social enterprise, I get the opportunity to help as many women as possible. I get at least one call or message a day from a woman entrepreneur who wants to start a business and seeking help to launch it on The Indian Bazaar. This keeps me motivated to keep going because I know there are many more whom I have yet to help,” she says.
For Sawant, a big inspiration comes from her mother. “She has lovingly raised a family, sacrificed everything along the way to make sure we have a successful life, given us the values to be good people, and taught us to always be true to ourselves.”
Sawant’s advice to migrant women is: “It’s OK to ask for help, it’s not a sign of weakness. Secondly, find your tribe, surround yourself with the right kind of people. And lastly, chase your dreams, never give up on them.”
KAMINI SABERWAL
Melbourne-based model and actor
As someone whose father was in the Indian Armed Forces, Kamini Saberwal’s life meant changing cities every few years. That translated to more life experiences – adjustments, making new friends and assimilation. “I knew very early in life, the importance of having a larger purpose to what we do every day,” she says.
So when her husband Nishant Kaushik, an author and an IT professional moved to Australia, she was well prepared with the whole rigmarole of relocation assmiliation and did not take time to spread her wings.
Currently, Saberwal holds few different roles. She works in a large multinational company. Having won the Mrs India Australia title 2016, she has featured in various Australian ads and short films and continues to work in that space too. Also, as Ambassador for Mental Health Foundation of Australia for two consecutive years, she continues to be passionate about mental health.
Reflecting on her career trajectory, Saberwal feels it is the Indian education system that has prepared her, like other Indians, to do well anywhere in the world. And Melbourne with its great opportunities and a fair system allow people to achieve what they seek out to.
“I think to be successful in any field, we also need a very strong support system as women. My support system is my family and they have supported me in every way possible- be it giving me the time that I need to pursue my professional interests or cheering me on in all my endeavors and supporting me emotionally always,” she says.
“When you are trying to be a good mother, wife, daughter/ daughter-in-law, sister, as well as juggle many professional balls in the air, each day means prioritising what matters most and then giving it your hundred percent. For me, my family is my world, and for them to support me the way they do (completely unconditionally) means so much.”
To remain motivated and engaged in anything is to always remember why you are doing what you are, says Saberwal, adding, “For me, being a good mother is important since I love my children dearly, as all parents do. Similarly, being good professionally is important since it gives me a sense of fulfillment.”
Saberwal’s message for all women is: “if you have a talent you are proud of, be confident and let it shine, we all are unique and that is what makes us truly beautiful.”
She also believes supporting fellow women and community is important as karma always gives back.
“Leaving one’s home and making another country your home is never easy, but enjoy the journey as you discover all the wonderful things this country has to offer.”
While her biggest challenge to this day remains living far from the country she was born in, it is something she takes in her stride with optimism – leaning on the values of her mother who was “amazingly committed to her family and life in general”.
SYEDA BAHADUR
Authorised Officer with Metro Trains & volunteer
Syeda Bahadur is proud of where she comes from. Hyderabad, the city of pearls and biryani, she exclaims. After all, it is where she was born and brought up, and, importantly, where her love for volunteering work stems.
Syeda studied her Bachelor’s in Engineering with majors in Electronics and Communications in Hyderabad. But she bounced between classes to devote her time to Udaan, a career guidance and educational program for underprivileged children in Hyderabad.
She was also involved with the Model United Nations conferences throughout major cities in India, educating herself and, at the same time, spreading awareness on the international peace body and their role in global peace, fighting hunger and addressing women rights.
In all of this, what Syeda realised was the sense of social responsibility commensurate with her education and background. “There are a lot of stereotypes in India, for instance, that a kid needs to become a doctor or an engineer, while the irony is that these students find it difficult to even complete school,” she reflects.
In 2013, Syeda came to Melbourne to pursue her Master’s in Electronics and Communications Engineering from Deakin University and graduated in 2015. Like other migrants, she went on to work in various sectors and thus began her expatriation. However, she realised she had the unshakable urge to volunteer again, and believes contrary to popular belief, people need help all the time—even in a developed world.
After she moved to Wyndham about four years ago, Syeda got back to volunteering and community development. She got a huge kick-start from Wyndham-Building Blocks Leadership Program 2019, which was organised by Wyndham City Council. It equipped her with a lot of skills enabling her to transform her ideas into projects for the right people in the community. “It reconnected me to my passion of helping,” she says.
Prior to this, Syeda was already helping women from multicultural backgrounds based on her understanding of how migrant women need to hone job interviews skills, confidence, and so on.
During the pandemic, she was also translating health messages into Urdu as part of Multicultural Health Awareness Program. But as COVID-19 prolonged into months and a year, Syeda saw the impacts on mental health—isolation and loneliness taking a toll on many.
Unfortunately, she was going through the same not being able to see her mother, who passed away last year in Hyderabad. Syeda admits to seeking help from professionals to deal with her grief and that set the path for helping others in the same predicament.
Last September-October, she, along with project partner Tania, ran the ‘Spring Social Group’ for a small group of residents of Wyndham. The main aim of this project was to address loneliness and feeling of isolation within the community with positivity, mindfulness and emotional support. “This was a very unique project and helped people in need due to the pandemic.”
Also as an executive board member of Wyndham Park Community Centre, Syeda contributes to the strategic decisions and support the operational staff. “Since the pandemic the centre has been one of the forefronts in responding to community needs. Seeing the positive difference our centre makes in the lives of hundreds of families in Wyndham, week in and week out makes me happy and honoured at the same time,” she says.
It is not surprising that someone with Syeda’s passion has so many roles. She is Vice-President (2019 to present) of Wyndham Park Community Centre, Member of The loop, Wyndham People’s Advisory Panel (2021 to present), President of Wyndham Arts & Events Inc (2020 to present), Volunteer of Werribee River association (2021 to present) and Volunteer of Wyndham Volunteers Association. She is also taking up the role of Board member with Hoppers Crossing Cricket Club.
Currently, Syeda works with Metro Trains as Authorised Officer, a profession plotted quite like a mathematical equation to what she loves doing otherwise. “It’s again such a lovely opportunity to work within community and to make a difference in people’s lives. That is something which made me take up the job. It’s a wide role and it’s a beautiful role where I have a lot of customer interactions.”
She encourages people to volunteer as there are many programs that people can opt for in their areas of interest. “Community centres and neighbourhood houses are such amazing ‘go-to’ places for the community A lot needs to be done,” she says.
AJITHA SUGNANAM
RAAF dentist & founder of Esesson Foundation
Growing up, Ajitha Sugnanam mostly focussed on her studies and went on to complete her Bachelor of Oral Health, Graduate Diploma of Dentistry and then Master’s of Clinical Dentistry (Oral Surgery) from Griffith University, Queensland. She dabbled very little in sports and other extra-curricular activities—not an unusual narrative for children belonging to most Indian families, where the emphasis is generally on studies.
Having missed out on all the extra curriculars, the military held an immediate appeal for Sugnanam. So she joined the Royal Australian Air Force as an undergraduate dentist in 2010 and has been in service for 12 years now.
As cliché as it sounds, Sugnanam says one of the other reasons for joining the military was to be part of something bigger. “I wanted to influence and do good in the world and I thought perhaps joining an organisation would allow me to use my skills to do that rather than private practice as a dentist.”
And far from fashionable, even as a student, Sugnanam was drawn to voluntary work. Joining the military gave her the wherewithal to move forward. She set up Esesson Foundation and around 2012, with the help of her father registered the charity in India and started work mainly focussing on healthcare and education.
The Foundation has run dental and women’s health clinics across the sub-continent. She has also led teams of volunteers to Vietnam, Cambodia, Mexico and Uganda.
In India, the Foundation has done work in West Bengal, Delhi and Maharashtra. Among its projects include self-defence classes for those affected by domestic violence in a Delhi slum.
Sugnanam’s work has stayed remarkably consistent for the past 10 years. She admits to having spent about 100,000 AUD of her own money—bringing health care and life skills to people in need in three continents. Her Foundation has treated more than ten thousand people since she started and put together groups of clinical staff who all donate their time and expertise and fund their travel to the locations they provide care.
With COVID-10, the past two years have been an impossible time for projects overseas, but the Foundation continued to mentor the girls that it has previously been in touch online. She also decided to direct her energies on the home front. For that, she got the Foundation its ACNC registration in Australia and started oral health program for children in the longest wait list in Brisbane.
Sugnanam is zealous about her philanthropic work. Although promoted to a Wing Commander now, she says she would love to give up her job and devote full time to volunteering.
It is hard for Sugnanam to put a concise label on what she wants to achieve ultimately, but she does know that she wants to take care of an entire population either through healthcare or education.
At her best, Sugnanam is a workaholic, but there are anxieties embedded too as funding is now an issue. “I can sustain what I am doing but I cannot do beyond what I am doing, I don’t what to stop something I started because I could not fund it, I know my limit now and without the support of people like me or people that want to give back in Australia, I won’t be able to continue.”
So what values and principles are she led by? “In an early age I found a lot of fulfilment in being around people like this, it’s being surrounded by love all the time. In terms of acknowledgement those people being a part of my family is enough for me.”
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It is the #InternationalWomensDay on 8 March & we take this opportunity to reflect on five personalities, who by dint of their hard work, charm & resilience as migrant women, have something for us to take home. Read on… #TheIndianSun @indira_laisram https://t.co/HFJuJ2aLEw
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