Indians make political gains in U.S.
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- October
- 29
VJ Pradhan made history in 1997 as the first Indian-born person elected to Rockland’s Legislature.
Pradhan, a Democrat from Nanuet, is among a growing number of politicians of Indian ancestry who are making political gains across the nation.
On Oct. 20, Louisiana elected its first governor of Indian descent  and the first ever ethnic Indian governor in American history. Bobby Jindal, 36, is a Republican whose conservative views on abortion and intelligent design have earned him detractors, including several in the Indian American community.
According to a report by the Associated Press, Jindal’s having gone by his nickname, Bobby, instead of by his given name, which is Piyush, and his conversion from Hinduism to Christianity in high school have led some to accuse him of having distanced himself from his heritage.
Jindal has often chosen not to discuss issues of race, saying during one debate that “the only colors that matter here are red, white and blue,� according to the AP.
Jindal’s parents are Indian immigrants, but Jindal, who as a Rhodes Scholar, was born in Baton Rouge, La.
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on Monday, October 29th, 2007 at 5:04 pm by Suzan Clarke.
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I don’t think there’s anything wrong with being the people we choose to be.
The reality is that Jindal’s parents (or previous ancestors)chose to distance themselves from their heritage when they came here from India. If they had wanted to keep every aspect of their heritage, they’d have stayed in India.
There’s nothing wrong with adapting to the culture in which you’ve chosen to live. Heritage doesn’t have to dictate current or future behavior. In my opinion, many people are too hung up on heritage, and have allowed it to cross the line from being a positive thing to something that is destructive and limiting.
I think it’s great that Jindal declines to discuss tiresome racial politics that have gotten us nowhere. He has chosen not to be a ‘minority’ candidate, and that’s the best answer of all. When a person of any color or appearance is just a regular candidate, and not tagged as a ‘minority,’ and voters don’t really care what they look like, then we’ll know we’ve come a long way. Jindal’s race in Louisiana, of all places, brings that day closer.