Indian-Americans climb US political
ladder By Dinesh Sharma
Even as the first Hindu American
congresswoman, Tulsi Gabbard, will take the oath
of office on the Bhagavad Gita, five out of the
six distinctly qualified Indian-Americans running
for congress have not fared as well.
Tulsi
Gabbard appears to be a uniquely qualified
candidate, but there is a paradox here - she has
excelled on the first try where other
Indian-Americans have faltered. The secret to her
success may be the social and cultural DNA she
shares with President Obama: the Aloha ethic! She
will represent the second district of Hawaii, the
youngest and the most diverse state to join the US
in 1959, the state where the president was born
and raised.
Gabbard grew up in a
multi-religious, multi-cultural environment of
Hawaii, where her white
mother adopted Hinduism as her faith. Her father,
who is a state senator for the 19th district of
Hawaii, is a practicing Catholic but enjoys
reciting mantras and chanting.
The name
"Tulsi" is derived from a "sacred" plant for
Hindus, Holy Basil, often used in prayers,
ointments, teas and homeopathic remedies. These
days you can find the Tulsi herb at new age
grocery stores and vitamin shops.
Reportedly, Gabbard's favorite verses from
the Gita include:
That which pervades the entire
body you should know to be indestructible. No
one is able to destroy that imperishable
soul; The soul can never be cut into
pieces by any weapon, nor can he be burned by
fire, nor moistened by water, nor withered by
the wind.
These days you may be
able to hear verses from the Gita recited
with an American accent at hundreds if not
thousands of yoga studios around major metro
areas. Clearly, the American consciousness is
resonating with things Asian in a new way as the
spiritual East meets the capitalist West.
Other Indian-Americans who seem poised to
run again include:
Ranjit "Ricky" Gill from California, a
Republican candidate who had just qualified to run
for congress at the age of 25 years, lost his
first race for the 9th district. He is a native of
San Joaquin County, the son of immigrant parents,
a small-business owner, a family farmer, and a
former member of the California State Board of
Education. His story speaks to the power of the
American dream.
Democrat Jack Uppal, also from California,
failed to overcome his challenger this time in
California's 4th congressional district. Uppal's
father left India and came to this country as a
student in 1959. He received a PhD from MIT and
built a successful career in the semi-conductor
industry and wants to help rebuild the middle
class.
Democrat Syed Taj, who came close to winning
with 44% of the votes to his rival's 51% in
Michigan's 11th congressional district, is an
immigrant, physician and small-business owner, who
would like to turn the economy around.
Democrat Manan Trivedi, a physician and Iraq
War veteran, failed to unseat the Republican
opponent in Pennsylvania's 6th congressional
district. He has been a battalion surgeon in the
US Marine Corps.
In New Jersey, Upendra Chivukula, assemblyman
from the 17th district, failed to unseat the
Republican incumbent in the state's redrawn 7th
district in the affluent suburb of Bridgewater.
Ami Bera is ahead by 1%-2% in California's 7th
district. He is a Los Angeles-born physician and
son of Indian immigrants, who stands to make
history as the third Indian-American to be elected
to the US Congress. If he wins, he will be in the
select company of Indian-Americans elected to the
House of Representatives, Dalip Singh Saund in
1952 and Bobby Jindal in 2004.
Now that
the first African-American president has been
reelected, the progressive blogosphere is
floodedwith stories suggesting Hillary Clinton
will possibly run for the White House in 2016. If
that is the case, the person to watch as a key
adviser will be Neera Tanden, the president of the
Center for American Progress, a policy think tank
that was instrumental in the Obama victory.
Tanden, a policy wonk on Capitol Hill,
helped the 2008 Hillary Clinton campaign and
worked on energy policies, health-care reforms, as
well as her plan to end the Iraq War.
Subsequently, she became the domestic policy
director for Barack Obama's campaign.
Another rising star to watch is Dr Raj
Shah, the head of USAID under Secretary Clinton at
the State Department. He is an expert in global
healthcare with extensive experience in the
developing world. Shah previously worked at the
Gates Foundation and was a healthcare policy
advisor on the Al Gore presidential campaign.
With so many Indian-Americans rising in
the public sector, it may be in vogue to be a
Hindu in the Obama age, though only a few of them
have so far actually won an election.
Dinesh Sharma is the author of
Barack Obama in Hawaii and Indonesia: The
Making of a Global President, which was rated
as the Top 10 Black history books for 2012. His
next book on President Obama, Crossroads of
Leadership: Globalization and American
Exceptionalism in the Obama Presidency, is due
to be published with Routledge Press.
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