With a bustling Indian community within the ACT, the Gandu family, who immigrated to Australia in 2014 from South-East India, now call Canberra home.
With 32% of Canberrans having been born overseas, it is no doubt that our national capital is a thriving multicultural city.
In 2019, there were more than 7.5 million migrants living in Australia, with Indian migrants currently sitting at 660,000, coming in third place behind China and England.
Anupama and her husband, Satyanarayana, have a dream of travelling the world, and part of that dream was to move to Australia.
Both with a background in Software Engineering, they were able to secure a permanent skill visa, which brought 1,020 immigrants to the ACT in 2014.
The family lived in Sydney and Brisbane before moving to Canberra in 2017, after securing work in the public service.
Initially they were unsure of the move after hearing the capital is a smaller city with cold winters, but then discovered Canberra to be a hidden gem, and are even getting a home built in Denman Prospect.
“It hardly takes 15 minutes to reach anywhere, and you have your own personal space and time to spend with your family, instead of struggling in traffic,” Anupama said.
The family have found Indian community groups with people who come from their home state of Andhra Pradesh, who speak in their native language, Telugu.
They saw the groups as a great opportunity for their eight-year-old daughter, Theshya, to get involved with traditional dance classes and programs.
“I feel like I’m still in India,” Anupama said.
“We can actually easily learn Kuchipudi or Bharatanatyam [dance] here, and even Carnatic music.
“Theshya has made a lot of friends, even in school, as well as the community itself. So, it’s good for her, and good for us.”
As well as celebrating their own traditions, the family also want to explore other cultures, especially with their keen interest in travel.
“I would like my daughter to experience different cultures and different places; I would like to her to roam around the world,” Anupama said.
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