Inside the eastern suburbs book club bringing together different cultures

On the first Monday of every month, members of the Monash Interfaith Intercultural High Tea Book Club meet to chat about books — but instead of a focus on plot and characters, the group use storytelling as an avenue to learn about one another's cultural and religious backgrounds.

Commandeering this multicultural group is Fijian Indian woman Kamla Reddy.

Reddy showed up in a very Anglo-Saxon Gippsland in 1989 after the military coup in Fiji and initially experienced quite the culture shock.

“My own race was not here at all … I had to look at the culture of the people around me and adjust accordingly,” Kamla told the Eastern Melburnian.

Now she lives in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne, fostering intercultural connection and understanding between members of her book club.

“You find people from every single corner of the earth here in Australia, and if we just isolate ourselves with our own ethnic community, that's not going to bridge the gap,” Kamla said.

Each month, two members are chosen to tell the group about a favourite book of their choice — any genre, any writing style.

They share the moral lessons they’ve learnt, and a little about the country in which the book was set.

After that, they share their favourite international recipe before Kamla steers conversation towards a social issue headlining that month.

In the last session, it was the banning of social media for under 16s in Australia.

Norma, a retired teacher and member of the club, told the Eastern Melburnian the genuine atmosphere of warmth within the group is what makes it so special.

“I learn something new about a culture each time we meet, and the interests of participants are broad,” she said.

Once a year, the Intercultural Book Club meets in-person during NAIDOC Week.

While Kamla feels that people are more aware of racism now, confident that the younger generations are leading the way, she remains concerned about the gap between First Nations Australians and the rest of the country.

“Last year, I invited some Indigenous Australians to share their stories and culture with us, as well as their hopes and aspirations for the future,” she said.

“It felt like we were holding hands and moving forward with understanding and appreciation.”

In 2023, the group nominated Kamla for the Monash Inspiration Women’s Leadership Award, much to her surprise: “It makes me happy, and I feel very satisfied … we need to foster unity, harmony and peace among all people, regardless of where they come from.”