For most Indians, America can do no wrong BY V. GANGADHAR
By the time, this paper reaches the hands of its readers, trends in the American presidential elections will be clear, though the issue of the ultimate victor may still be in doubt. Our TV channels will be debating the election result with their own panel of experts and the print media will be readying itself with snappy headlines, imaginative layouts and incisive analysis. This interest is justified because the US is the most powerful nation in the world and what happens there is of relevance to every other country. Directly or indirectly, the lives of people all over the world could be affected by the outcome of the November 2 polls. Such an effect would be felt more in Europe, West Asia and Latin America where the American influence and presence were more pronounced. Over the years, India had had a lovehate relationship with the US. The love factor was more widespread and the hate feeling was restricted to certain political groups and sections of the government. For the average Indian, the United States of America, was nothing short of paradise on earth and it was the ambition of every Indian to reach such a destination. There are enough economic and cultural reasons for this. Everyone knows that the US is a land of opportunities and possesses 30 per cent of the total resources of the word. Except at the highest level, it did not discriminate between natives and immigrants, though in certain areas, the coloureds had to face prejudices. America was a land built by its immigrants. People landed on its shores with nothing and within a few years were millionaires. What was needed was hard work, determination and faith in the American system. There was even room at the top for the immigrants. The Kennedys landed from Ireland. Joseph Kennedy became a billionaire, his son John was elected the country’s president, brother Robert was appointed Attorney General and another brother Teddy could not make it to the White House only because of certain moral deficiencies. The Kennedy clan continued to make an impact on American politics and life. People with less modest ambitions had also done well, and that included thousands of Indians from all walks of life. The American influence and attraction was felt all over India. We spoke English, we watched Hollywood films, read newspapers and books published in the US and came to admire the openness associated with the American system. Till recently, America opened its frontiers to everyone and this attitude was a boon to millions of Indians who dreamt of a better life abroad. Success stories of Indians in the US abounded. Much before the Indian scientists and technicians came to monopolise the software industry in California’s Silicon valley, the Patels of Gujarat had come to control the motels, while other Indians particularly from the Punjab and Gujarat, came to dominate small trade and other vocations. Once an Indian immigrant established himself in the US, he was shrewd enough to bring in his family, friends and neighbours. The Green Card became the most prized possession for an Indian and opened the doors for wealth, matrimonial alliances and local clout. The Indians in the US revelled in the free environment in most parts of the US and found they could survive and enjoy life without coming into too close a contact with the Americans. Naturally many mini- Indias sprung up all over the US. Chicago was a Gujarati stronghold where you can shop for anything from `khaman dhokla’ to expensive Kancheepuram sarees. Indians who had done well in the US, found that without giving up their Indianness; they could thrive in the US. While deriving the best from their adopted culture, they could still shop for gold from Dubai and organise huge dowries for their daughters who got married in the US to the accompaniment of `bhalle bhalle’ or `nadaswaram’ music. One can celebrate the Ayyapan festival in Arkansas, organise `satyanarayan kathas’ in Sacremento and train the family daughters in all kinds of Indian dance. The honeymoon was further cemented with the presence of hundreds of thousands of young male and female students for whom the US was the first choice for higher studies. The best colleges and universities in the Land of Plenty wooed our bright young stars, with money, scholarships and aid and finally absorbed them in the system. Who can refuse such a lure? Our IITians and IIMwallas made a beeline to the US. But there was just one snag. Most of the Indians in the US or Indians aspiring to study, work and finally settle down in the US, were not bothered with its political system and till recently did not take any direct interest in the local politics, Senate elections or the Presidential polls. For most Indian Americans life remained the same despite the changes in the White House or the Senate and the Congress. This indifference also affected the America-dreaming Indians back home. Deeply imbibing the superficial American culture ( blue jeans, Coke and Mcdonald’s, comics) they were least bothered with what was happening on the American political scene. This was totally different from the passionate interest Indians showed in their national and local politics. Ready to shout themselves hoarse at instances of corruption in high places ( even when it did not really exist), how many Indian-Americans bothered about the Watergate scandal where an American President was clearly guilty of criminal misconduct and had to resign? How many of them came to the streets and protested as their adopted country fought illegal wars in all parts of the world killing millions of innocent people? Insulated in their own cocoon world of money making how many Indians took part in protest marches against cases of racial discrimination, war against Iraq and other issues? This is the self-centred attitude of vast sections of Indian-Americans who measured everything by material success. No wonder, they had nothing to say on the Bush campaign which justified the American arrogance to intervene militarily in any region where it had some strategic interest. Many well-heeled members of the Indian-Americans even worked for the Bush campaign and donated huge sums. Americans’ illegal acts found no opposition in India also. Protests against the illegal invasion of Iraq came only from the Leftist groups. Film director Mahesh Bhatt who led one such attack was furious at the `impotence’ of the Indian elite for not protesting more vigorously. Naturally, barring small groups of opinion makers, media persons and intellectuals, there was hardly any interest at the outcome of the American presidential elections. It was amusing that after watching the movie `Fahrenheit 9/11’, a searing indictment of the Bush administration in going to war against Iraq, our young audiences quietly went down to sip `Coke’ and munch hamburgers at the local McDonald’s. What one is asking for is not a denouncement of the US, which is a great nation but a more critical assessment of its government. This is more important to Indians living in the US. They are quick to criticise the corruption, communalism and political confusion in the land of their birth but chose to ignore evils of larger magnitude in the country where they had made good. After all, we did not bind, torture and sexually abuse thousands of prisoners of war as the US troops did in Iraq. It is not enough for Indian-Americans to become corporate heads, civic leaders, cheer leaders and fund raisers for political parties. Will they ever come out with stringent criticism against the atrocities committed by their own governments against innocent people in distant lands as well as racial and other forms of discrimination at home? Money and the Green Card are not everything in life, they must realise. It is not enough for Indian- Americans to become corporate heads, civic leaders, cheer leaders and fund raisers for political parties. Will they ever come out with stringent criticism against the atrocities committed by their own governments against innocent people in distant lands as well as racial and other forms of discrimination at home? Money and the Green Card are not everything in life, they must realise.
