Migrant Mouthpiece

Many years ago, a friend and I had discussed the semantics of migrants and expatriates and reached no reasonable conclusion. As a non-profit worker, I have had expatriates or expats as bosses and colleagues, but never as migrants. More recently, I have had other colleagues who have now gone on to lesser-resourced countries to become expats, a positive move towards word inclusivity. But it ends there! For the last majority of those overseas from the “developing world”, migrants and immigrants are labels we all carry.

But this blog is not about questioning the edifice of inclusivity or fairness or the lack of it. It is in fact an attempt to grab the migrant label and run with it! In this series, my focus is on telling the migrant story, deeply diverse, singularly human, and deeply enriching.

But first some background,

My first story is about an accomplished woman dentist, who believes in empowering other women through her own journey and helping them become financially independent. How? Well, read on….

As a new migrant in the city, there was a compelling need to make friends. Settling in a new place means an ecosystem built around trust and familiarity and the parks and children’s playgrounds are ideal places for scene settings. I met Riddhi* during one such park visit. She was different from the friends and acquaintances I usually hang out with, but I’ve always believed that meeting new people and taking something away from them is part of learning from new experiences.

Among some of the discussions we had, a lasting one was about her finding her bearings in Australia and her steps towards financial independence. As someone who had basic education and no experience, Riddhi’s journey heavily focused on learning a skill offered to her by another woman, Dr. Dolly Soni. Riddhi was training to be a Dentist’s Assistant and she was thrilled to be in a place to learn and then contribute to her family income.

The next time I heard of Dr. Dolly Soni was in one of the neighborhood WhatsApp groups that exist to connect people, businesses, and people in the area. She is a well-regarded dentist who is recommended for the dental health of families and children.

Ironically, I first encountered Dolly while attempting to communicate with my elder at school. I didn’t really take him seriously when he claimed that the mother of his best buddy was a doctor. Covid had been associated with actual social distances, so there was no incentive to approach strangers and initiate conversation.

A couple of weeks later, I found myself in her dentist chair, talking to her about her life journey to be a successful migrant woman entrepreneur in Australia. But why is Dolly’s story important? And why do you need to read this story?

It is an inspirational migrant story – Check

It transgresses the invisible boundaries of gender and entrepreneurship – Check

And most importantly

It is a story of a woman lifting many others in her own journey of empowerment.

The Empowerment Treadmill

What is the Empowerment treadmill? One that we keep referring to in our day-to-day life. The Bespoke reason for our being; is our entity as women, providers, nurturers, educators, and much beyond. The empowerment treadmill that lifts us and sometimes tires us, but that we can never abandon.

For Dolly, the empowerment treadmill is an eternal journey in self-growth, and along the way helping others who cross paths with her. The same treadmill that propelled her to excel in her studies, become a dentist and establish her own practice in the city of Pune in India.

But unsettling the settled is the great journey that is life and for the Soni family, a move to Australia meant better opportunities for the young family and a chance to live the migrant dream!

Opportunity Costs

One of the biggest barriers for skilled migrants in Australia is in getting their skills recognized and their experiences acknowledged. Dolly’s story is no different. Despite being an established Dentist, with her own practice in India, she worked the ropes of qualifying for the Australian Dental Council with its assessments and exams.

“I worked as a Dental Assistant for a meagre wage to get experience and support my family. It wasn’t easy but I had the support of my friends and family,” she reminisces.

Not lacking in skill or hard work, she soon became certified and started working as a Dentist. It was a great feeling, I worked six days a week and felt I was working towards my dream. But then Covid happened.

Riding the Wave

It was a tough time. With fewer patients and lockdowns in place, work was seriously affected. But for Dolly, it meant looking beyond and finding a new goal to work towards.

In her words, “I had always wanted to set up my private practice and offer my patients personalized care. I had a lot of time to put that thought into motion during the pandemic. I was warned that opening a practice would mean a million things: managing staff, handling day books, and managing the practice but I was determined to surmount the odds.”

She opened her own private practice in October 2020. The Piazza Dental Clinic is a highly reputable clinic with facilities ranging from Professional Teeth Whitening, Emergency Dental Services, Cosmetic Dentistry, Implants and Family and General Dentistry.

Aspirational Journeys

In the land of bountiful resources, the struggle for identity is every migrant’s story. The complexities of language and culture are manifold. But success follows those who persevere, and it is the path Dolly trudges every single day when she offers no gap treatment to her patients and works extra hours and weekends, to allow patients comfort and time and access to premium dental care at low or no cost.

But the most remarkable aspect of Dolly’s journey is one of empowering other women.

In her words, “I have a lot of friends who are unemployed. Women who have been housewives all their lives and some others who have lost their jobs after migrating here. They used to often share their experience of feeling unworthy and lacking independence. The more I thought about it, the more I wanted to do something.”

Dolly started training some of her friends who were keen to get job ready. Riddhi was among the first who trained to be a Dental Assistant and today works as a freelance Dental Assistant, traveling across Sydney.

“I am so happy to be able to contribute to the family income. As a mother, I am devoted to my children, but I am so happy to be finally able to do something for myself”, says Riddhi who speaks of new rules in her household and shared duties.

I asked Dolly if she always knew she wanted to help others.

“I have been a doer all my life. I have steadfast goals and I work towards them. So, when I see others who haven’t had as many opportunities, I want to help. After all, we rise by lifting others,” she concludes, as she finishes examining my child’s teeth, who solemnly declares her as the best dentist ever, who lets him watch TV while making his teeth all sparkly!

At her clinic, I meet Varsha who is training to be a dental assistant. Like many others, Varsha has not been employed before but wants to learn a trade and contribute to her family income. She carefully watches Dolly at the machines and follows through.

As I walk back home, I am stuck by the magnanimity of the Dr Dolly Soni’s story.

In an increasingly isolationist world, Dolly’s empowerment treadmill offers hope for many women. Dolly’s journey as a struggling migrant woman eclipsing to help others in their journey as she builds her own is both inspirational and a testament to building stronger communities. At the most fundamental level, it unpacks women’s empowerment and offers a direction of what it looks like to own our own spaces.

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Names have been changed to protect identities of individuals ~

Migrant Mouthpiece is my attempt to showcase our unique journeys as migrants/expats and tell the stories of intersectionalities of gender, identity, and ethnicity. At the very core, this blog series will capture our lived experiences as distinctly different from one another and capture the diversity of thought to create a culture of acknowledgment and understanding and most importantly lifting one another.

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Blog written by Priyanka Mukherjee ~

Published on DAM by Sangeetha Gowda ~

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With over a decade and a half of experience in non-profits across the globe, Priya is a social thinker and researcher, and storyteller, particularly interested in discourses on gender, climate change, and the intersectionality of crime and vulnerabilities. A hands-on mum to my two boys, and a full-time Communications Manager in a non-profit, loves reading, cooking, and telling a good story. Find more here: https://www.priyamukherjee.info/.

Find Priyanka on LinkedIn here:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/priyanka-mukherjee-2b9389b/