Growing Up Indian in Australia

Meet three of the brilliant voices behind Growing Up Indian in Australia and hear their stories: editor Aarti Betigeri and contributors Daizy Maan and Priya Saratchandran.

Indian-Australian is not a one-size-fits-all descriptor. Given the depth and richness of diversity of the Indian subcontinent, it is fitting that its diaspora is similarly varied.

Growing Up Indian in Australia reflects and celebrates this vibrant diversity. It features contributions from Australian-Indian writers, both established and emerging, who hail from a wide range of backgrounds, religions and experiences. This colourful, energetic anthology offers reflections on identity, culture, family, food and expectations, ultimately revealing deep truths about both Australian and Indian life.

Author bios:

Aarti Betigeri is a journalist, writer, broadcaster and former foreign correspondent, born in Melbourne to parents from Maharashtra and Karnataka. After an early career as a radio and television news presenter and producer with SBS and the ABC, she moved to India to fulfill a long-held dream to report on South Asia, and lived in New Delhi for almost a decade. Currently, she works as a journalist and advisor focusing on international relations. Heer name is surprisingly easy to pronounce.

Daizy Maan is a curator, speaker and advocate. She is the founder of Australian South Asian Centre - an organisation dedicated to empowering South Asian women founders, creatives and professionals – and has led Deakin University’s flagship start up program and later the University of Melbourne’s Accelerator Program. She has been recognised as one of the most influential South Asian Women from around the world by the AWF Power List, and her work has been featured on SBS News and the ABC. She recently produced and performed in Brown Women Comedy at Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Sydney Comedy Festival and Edinburgh Fringe. Daizy is proudly Punjabi-Australian and lives in Melbourne.

Priya Saratchandran was born and raised in the north-west suburbs of Melbourne, returning every second year to the embrace of her Malayalee motherland. A resolute “underdoggist”, Priya has worked as an anti-discrimination lawyer and in law reform and human rights advocacy. In her spare time she is a plant nerd and a dancer (classical and RnB), loves kiddo and doggo cuddles an solving a cracking M**der mystery over a nice cup of masala tea.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Toorak/South Yarra Library, 340 Toorak Road, South Yarra, Australia