by MANPREET KAUR SINGH
A true Punjabi at heart and a
�fair dinkum� Aussie in spirit, Manjit Singh Boparai is perhaps the
best known taxi driver in all of Australia.
He is also an author, a poet, a song- writer, a
singer … and a Realtor. He recently launched the music video of his
�Song Australia� nationwide, which included Australian track and
field legend, Cathy Freeman as one of the performers!
If Boparai has his way, his song
could become the new Australian anthem, reflecting the vast
multicultural diversity of the nation and the unique patriotic spirit
every Punjabi is endowed with.
Although this 49-year-old could
pass off as Mr.Congeniality himself � always ready with a smile,
genuine and unassuming, there�s definitely a lot more to Manjit. True
to his Punjabi roots, he is a keen writer who has penned dozens of
poems. He recently published an anthology of Punjabi songs called �Muthi
bhar Swah� – "A Fistful of Ashes" – and wrote a
research book, �Jyotish jhooth bolda hai� –
"Fortune-tellers Lie" – in 1990.
At the same time, Manjit is
unabashedly patriotic about his adopted country, Australia. Born and
brought up in Ghudani Kalan (dist Ludhiana, Punjab), he migrated to
Queensland in 1988 and has been driving a cab in Brisbane since 1997.
�This country has given me a lot � it offers peace of mind, dignity
of labour and a lifestyle that I could never dream of in India. Equally,
immigrants have played a great role in this country and I�m doing my
bit�, he says.
Manjit�s grandfather was in the
British Indian Army and fought in the Singapore – Burma area during the
Second World War. Two of his uncles later joined the Indian Army. So he
always had great respect and admiration for military servicemen. It was
only natural for him to start donating his time — and his cab — to
drive war veterans in the annual Anzac Day Parade, an event comparable
to the Fourth of July parades in the US or the Republic Day Parade in
India.
While driving the veterans in the
Anzac Day Parade of 2003, he realized that there were no patriotic songs
in this country � nothing to stir up national fervour, nothing that
pays homage to war heroes! Soon thereafter, he decided to write his
first composition in English, which many Australians today will
instantly recognise as �Song Australia�. �I distinctly remember
the date June 7, 2003, when I had the flash of inspiration and wrote the
whole song in one go�, recalls Manjit. �I was awake all night
thinking about it and suddenly the words came together in the early
hours of the morning�.
Thereafter, he showed the song to
friends and to people who rode his taxi. �You can�t imagine the
amount of encouragement everyone gave me. They encouraged me to sing it
– and to record a CD. I had never ever sung in my life before but the
response of the people made me think about it�, says Manjit.
And so, he recorded the song. With
a typically Punjabi tune and the catchy chorus �Aussie Aussie Aussie,
I�m a fair dinkum Aussie, we all are, fair dinkum Aussie�.
With that, the juggernaut began to
roll and it was impossible to stop it, thanks to Manjit�s enthusiasm
and determination. He played the song to anyone who sat in his cab and
showed them the lyrics. �People just loved it�, says Manjit, �they
simply loved it! Some people sang along, some wanted to buy a written
copy of the song, and others wanted to buy the CD. I think hundreds of
people asked for the CDs and they�d hand me $10 without my even asking
for it�.
Manjit entered a competition run by
a Brisbane radio station for originally composed music and came second.
Soon other radio stations, TV channels and newspapers began to notice
him and he became something of a celebrity. Manjit says proudly, �I
don�t thinks there�s any media outlet in Australia that hasn�t
interviewed me � all newspapers, TV and radio channels have covered my
story. I have worked hard and with honesty. I�ve got all this
attention because of my ability and because I�ve earned it, mate�.
But Manjit didn�t stop there. He
now wanted to make a music video and release it Australia-wide. Call it
divine intervention or just plain luck, but last year, a young
Iranian-Australian film-maker happened to take a ride in Manjit�s cab.
This film-maker, Faramarz Rahbar, a Bahai refugee from Iran had already
made some award-winning documentaries for mainstream Australian TV.
Manjit persuaded him to shoot a music clip for �Song Australia�.
�I was so taken in by his
enthusiasm�, recalls Rahbar. �As a fellow migrant, I instantly
identified with the lyrics. The message was so simple, even hilarious,
yet so powerful. I was impressed by Manjit�s passion on the one hand
and was completely swept away by the song on the other! I had never
heard anything like it before�.
Rahbar agreed to make the video
clip. �What struck me was that here was a guy who was financially
well-off with his cab and his property business, but wanted to sing a
song just because he believed in it � I was really touched�.
Boparai enlisted the help of the
local primary school where his eight-year-old son studied. The school
offered the use of its gym and around 200 children volunteered to dress
in their traditional clothes for the video shoot. After the shoot,
Rahbar recognised the potential of making a full-length documentary film
on Manit and the result was that in June 2006, hundreds of thousands of
Australians watched the documentary �Fair Dinkum Manjit� on national
television.
�Manjit�s enthusiasm was so
genuine and infectious�, says Rahbar, �that I got completely
involved in the project. We approached as many celebrities as we could
and many agreed to donate their time voluntarily, because even they were
moved by Manjit�s message. Cathy Freeman became involved, many stars
from the Australian soccer team agreed as well, even though the timing
clashed with their World Cup training schedule.�
Finally the video clip was
completed earlier this year (with nearly 300 volunteer performers) and
the whole experience was shown as a documentary on SBS Television,
Australia�s national multicultural broadcaster. The documentary film
was both meaningful and entertaining and was an instant success with the
Australian masses. By the end of June, Manjit Singh Boparai�s �Song
Australia� was among the top ten �most downloaded music by radio
stations across Australia�.
The wonderful thing is that the success of �Song
Australia� has almost nothing to do with Manjit�s talent as a
singer. With no previous experience as a performer, probably even he
realizes that he isn�t one of the world�s best singers. But what he
lacks in musical prowess is more than made up for by his passion, his
enthusiasm and his originality.
Rahbar adds, �Manjit has such a
personality, he gets people to laugh at him in order to laugh with
him. It�s the element of entertainment in the documentary (and in
Manjit�s personality) that helped us pass on his message of
multiculturalism so easily�.
There is no doubt that Manjit�s
intrinsic sense of humour and Punjabi congeniality greatly add to his
charm. As he quips in the documentary, �An Aussie once called me
�hey you curry-muncher�, and I immediately called him back �you
holy-cow muncher� and we both had a great laugh�. It�s the
simplicity of his style and his ability to make light of a serious
message that his song has been such a roaring success.
Probably the most popular cabbie in
Australia today, Manjit is enjoying a celebrity status. �So many
people greet me when I go out on the streets. I thank Australians for
all the love they have given me. He adds,� I don�t care whether
I�m a star or not. It�s such a privilege to be recognised like
this�.
Has Manjit Singh Boparai achieved
all that he wanted to? Far from it, if you ask him. �Song Australia is
my second-best achievement. My crowning glory was my expose on fortune
tellers, �Jyotish jhooth bolda hai�, which was a big
success in India. As for the future, I want to give more time to my
property development business, and I want to start an Indian restaurant
somewhere here. I also want to campaign in India against superstition
and want to promote women�s rights. But the major project I�m
working on at the moment is �Harmony�. I�m writing a book with Ten
NEW Commandments. They relate to family, social, environmental and
innovational values that should apply to all modern-day human beings.
Whether you�re a Christian or a Sikh or a non-believer, we all should
share these common values. �
Time will tell if his future
ventures have the same phenomenal success that �Song Australia� has
had, but Manjit�s heartfelt patriotism for his adopted country has
truly paid off. His �Ode to the Diggers�, the song paying homage to
war veterans might not top the musical charts ever, but it has shown
that in a country like Australia anyone with a vision, a good sense of
humour and a measure of goodwill will be embraced with open arms.
Although deep in his heart he is a true Punjabi who hopes that from
Vancouver to Auckland, �hovey Punjabian di sarkar� –
"May the Punjabis Rule Forever!" – Manjit has a genuine
fondness for the country that has accepted him as its own.
He is, after all, a fair dinkum
Aussie.