I saw Rajiv Satyal’s short speech of 2:13 minutes titled ‘I am Indian’ on YouTube. It should be seen by everyone, at least every Indian. Already 3,63,212 people have seen it. This film about Indians in America is stunningly provocative. It deals with the age old question of who we are, how others see us and how we see ourselves. The churning never stops and especially when one desperately tries to settle in an adopted land.
The short video of Satyal proclaims that the shyness of the immigrants from India is a matter of past. Indians in America now want to be called ‘just Indians’. He is tired of the labels like South Asians, East Asians, Asian Americans, and finally American-Indians. His initial agony gives way to pride about achievements of Indians both in India and abroad. He prides in facts that one among six people on the planet is an Indian, India is the world’s largest democracy and the community in the U.S. is the most prosperous.
But this week a very powerful person of Indian origin blasted this notion of wanting to carve one’s identity in America. Before Satyal’s video and the background of great developments including the first ever visit of American President Barack Obama to India as the Chief Guest at the Republic Day of India, makes you feel that the debate about the desi identity in the U.S. was settled, Bobby Jindal, Governor of Louisiana advanced a shocking argument against the use of the hyphenated identity ‘Indian-American’. He refused to be identified as one and by corollary is opposed to any separate identity of any community in America.
Asserting that he didn’t believe in hyphenated identities, the governor who is a probable candidate in 2016 said, “My parents came in search of the American Dream, and they caught it. My dad and mom told my brother and me that we came to America to be Americans. Not Indian-Americans, simply Americans”.
Jindal’s attempt to completely wipe out his past is flabbergasting. His parents, Amar Jindal, a civil engineer and mother, Raj (Pal) an information technology director came from Punjab. Jindal was born in Louisiana, graduated at Brown University and has had distinguished political career so far.
Is there something wrong with Jindal wanting to rid of his Indian identity? Also can a person ever shed his past? In the U.S. a public personality’s life is dissected with passion. His legal name remains Piyush Jindal even though as a child he grabbed ‘Bobby’, a sitcom character’s name in ABC TV serial. Born Hindu, he changed his religion, married Supriya Jolly (who was born in India) and gave his three children Christian (first and family) names. If and when he would become the President will he refuse to refer himself as a person of Indian origin? Is he trying to sacrifice his soul for a short term political gain?
But just like India, the U.S. cherishes its diversity and encourages people to feel proud about their identity. It’s after all a very recent country made mostly of immigrants. Constitution allows people to follow their cultures and faiths. Obama did not have to hide his African-American identity. Congressman Ami Bera is proud of his Indian descent. The two time Governor of South Carolina Nikky Haley, who was born a Sikh, became a Christian but attends both church and gurudwara. Obama has no hesitation in celebrating Diwali or issuing greetings on Eid. Is there something wrong with the thinking of either Satyal or Jindal? Are they both in a rush for establishing some truth but are far from attaining it?
The soul of the U.S. is diversity. It’s a home to varied races, religions, and cultures. Ingredients in this ‘melting pot’ add their own flavour to the ‘United’ States. The only ‘Hindu’ member of US Congress, Tulsi Gabbard exemplifies the spirit of the U.S. A Samoan born vegetarian who follows Gaudiya Vaishnavism, she especially appreciates the Bhagavad Geeta and used it during her ceremonial swearing in. She describes herself as ‘karma yogi’ and presented her own copy of Geeta to PM Modi in September 2014. Her cherished desire is to visit Vrindavan for the darshan of ‘Krishna’. Tulsi Gabard truly personifies the spirit of the U.S. Are Satyals and Jindals listening?
