The Future of Indo-Americans

Growing up as a second-generation Indo-American in a Houston suburb initially didn’t give me the impression that we had an identity here in America.

I never saw a South Asian person on any form of American media from newspapers and magazines to television. I just went along with it thinking that I was less fit eat Cocoa Puffs or watch Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles than my White or Black counterparts.

As I got older I started meeting more South Asian kids just like me. Unlike our parents, we spoke perfect English and openly talked about crude humor, sex, drugs and alcohol.

I thought to myself is there an identity for an Indo-American who was not completely tied to one culture but exposed to two?

Since my father was a dentist and most of his peers were doctors, engineers and business professionals. I was stereotyped as a kid who was set on that path of high SAT scores and expensive college tuition.

During my high school years, I began to see Indo-Americans on American television. For the first time they weren’t depicted as convenience store owners. Actors such as Kal Penn were playing roles that could be played by an American of any descent.

Then in 2007, one of m frat brothers told be about Bobby Jindal, an Indo-American man who became Louisiana’s new governor. I was shocked. I could not believe that Indo-Americans were having this kind of success in American politics so early. I thought maybe I would have to wait for my children to grow up to see the day an Indo-American becomes governor of a U.S. state.

My reasons for thinking this is because we are typically known as conservative community. Despite the success of many Indians in this country, we have remained low-key and never embraced much fame or notoriety. I thought it would take a little longer for an Indian to develop the guts to go into American politics. But we have made great strides in our community that I am proud of.

This may not be it for Jindal. Many political experts are anointing him as a U.S. presidential candidate in 2012 or 2016. Many people in the Indo-American community think that it would be farfetched for Jindal to have a serious chance at the U.S. presidency but this was the same notion hovering over Barack Obama when he announced his plans to run as a Democratic presidential candidate in February 2007.

Indo-Americans have been a model community since the earliest immigrants from India came over to the U.S. They have close-knit communities that value education and have one of the highest income rates of any ethnic group in the U.S.

Between 2000 and 2007, the South Asian population of the U.S. grew from 1,679,000 2,570,000. These number are not by accident. Indian immigrants have skills that are valued by American employers. States with large South Asian populations such as, New York, California, Illinois and Texas are only growing from their exposure to the South Asian culture.

Now that the arrival of the third generation is right around the corner, Indo-Americans will have even more opportunities to utilize their talents and become exposed to more lifestyles and cultures than my generation. My parents’ generation started the process and it is up to my generation to continue it and make it significantly better.

Gandhi’s Message of Tolerance

I didn’t learn about Mahatma Gandhi until one day I saw my mother watching a movie in our living room. I watched curiously a scene where British soldiers fired shots from their rifles at Indian civilians.

The scene caught my attention immediately because the civilians were wearing the same clothes as my aunts, uncles and grandmother wore. Seeing people shot to death in broad daylight, even if it’s in a movie, can leave a lasting impression on a child.

The movie mother was watching was called Gandhi. It was a 1982 movie directed by Richard Attenborough and based on the life of India’s great political leader and his nonviolent struggle against British Colonial Rule in India during the first half of the 20th century.

My mother explained to me that despite what I saw in the bloody scene, that I should not develop any animosity towards British people because that was not what Gandhi would have wanted.

When I finally learned about Gandhi in school, I was learning less about him than I already knew. My textbook just told the basic fact and never really went into much detail of Gandhi’s life and struggles.

One of the  basic principles that I learned reading about Gandhi was tolerance between people of different creeds. This was one of the most important lessons I ever learned in my entire life, because it is principle that defines America.

 The type of tolerance Gandhi preached featured the importance of truth and freedom of one’s conscience.

Gandhi was assassinated in the middle of the separation of India and Pakistan, which is a shame because his message is a direct solution to a problem that has plagued the Indian subcontinent and its descendents for generations.

Religious intolerance among Hindus and Muslims led to unspeakable violence that took lives and created a bitter division between the two groups.

Gandhi also wanted to eliminate the caste system which is a system that separates people into groups based on their economic status. What rights people have in India depends upon what caste they belong to. The higher the caste a person is in, the more rights that person will receive.

Despite the caste system becoming weaker now than it was during Ghandi’s time, it still plays a role in the economic status of Indian citizens. India has the highest population of people living in poverty and the caste system has only added to the obstacles these people must overcome to get an education and find jobs.

Gandhi’s message is as important now than it has ever been with political climate our world is in. The war on terror has allowed the media to portray Muslims in a negative light. Innocent citizens have become the victims of hate crimes, especially after the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade center and Pentagon.

If we hope to build a better future, we must take Ghandi’s message of tolerance to heart. Our world population is growing and becoming more diverse. There is more interaction between people of different races than ever before. Our world, especially America, has come a long way in providing equal opportunities for people, most recently gays. There is still a strong level of intolerance that must be sought out and neutralized.

Mo’ Money Mo’ Problems

The story of my family’s journey to America began with my father. He was just like any other Indian immigrant during the 1960s. He came to the country with only $5 in his pocket despite already having a degree from an Indian university. He attended Ohio State University on a scholarship.

Poor and lonely, my father found his only comfort in his studies. He was an excellent student who seemed to fit in best in the classroom which garnered more approval from his teachers than his classmates.

These experiences along with his traditional Indian upbringing that valued hard work, money and prestige above all else made him a somewhat distant and stoic man.

Combine that with his inability to find common ground with his American peers built  a deep sense of bitterness and resentment.

My father was always very practical. He was never a religious person. He always looked for quick fixes to solve problems and looked to logic and science rather than spirituality.

I feel that lack of spirituality in his life may have contributed to his stress and anger. He needed something like that to release the pressure he was feeling from time to time.

After he was married to my mother in an arranged marriage, my father’s journey took him from India to Columbus, Ohio to San Antonio, Texas.

It was in San Antonio where my parents experienced their biggest financial struggles. My mother once told me they “could rarely afford to even eat at McDonald’s because they were so poor”.

My father was determined to finish dental school, thinking that financial success would bring the respect and love of his family back home in India.

Once he finished school and opened his dental practice in Houston, Texas in 1983, my parents had finally reached financial stability so much so that my mother decided to complete her bachelor’s degree in psychology. She would complete her Master’s later.

Despite my parents’ education and financial success, they never seemed to solve their family’s internal strife. Bitterness and jealousy from family member back home in India made my parents clash heads with their in-laws and each other.

I spent my childhood confused with not only my identity but also the identity of my family. It always seemed like my family was in turmoil.

Everybody was always at each other’s throats. There were many threats of divorce and periods of separation between my parents.

I never understood why a family which seemed to be stable financially and had never really had anyone who had been in trouble with the law could be under so much stress and unhappiness. Nothing was ever enough for some members of my family, especially my father.

As a member or the Indo-American community, I have witnessed first-hand how our families are always under a great amount of stress.

The type-A, high-strung personality seems to be a common trait among descendants of South Asia. Especially for families living here in America, the pressure to live up to the standards of two cultures comes at a price.

Working hard and making money is a must and success in school is considered standard which seems like traits of a model community from the outside looking in.

With it, comes jealousy and resentment which can lead to more emotional turmoil and family tension.

I began wondering if working hard and achieving financial success was worth anything to a person if he or she cannot enjoy it with his family?

In our society, family is looked at as the foundation for a person’s life. Without a happy family, a person has nothing. A person cannot replace the unconditional love of his or her family no matter how much money that person makes or what kind of status or legacy they achieve.

So many celebrities have fallen victim to this mistake. They’re lives turn into a roller coaster or turmoil that sometimes crashes at the bottom.

Money can help a person find the life they want but cannot be the strongest foundation for a person’s life.

The Journey of Perseus

“Clash of the Titans“, at first glance,  looks like a war movie rivaling the action-packed bloodbath of “300“. It does do that, almost. The film is a remake of the 1981 movie starring Lawrence Olivier and Harry Hamlin.

After watching this film, I think that a different title would have been more appropriate because the battles were mostly between gods with superpowers or “titans” and ordinary humans.

I fail to see how mere mortals can be described as “titans” when compared to Greek gods.

The plot goes like this. The humans of Argos are fed up with worshipping the gods feeling that the gods give them almost  nothing in return. So they declare war on the gods by destroying a statue of Zeus.

This act of defiance angers Zeus(Liam Neeson) which his evil brother, Hades(Ralph Fiennes), uses to begin his diabolical plan.

Hades, with Zeus’ permission, gives the humans an ultimatum: sacrifice Princess Andomeda(Alexa Davalos) as an apology to the gods or the Kraken will be release and destroy all of Argos.

This is where Perseus(Sam Worthington) comes in. He is the son of Zeus who is rescued by a fisherman named Spyros. During the first battle between the soldiers of Argos and Hades, Spyros(Pete Postlethwaite) and his family drown after their ship overturns with Perseus being the only survivor. Perseus vows to kill Hades as revenge for the death of his family.

The people of Argos discover that Perseus is a demigod(half man-half god) and believe he is their only hope to save Argos. So Perseus joins the men of Argos on a journey which features battles with giant scorpions, the mythical Medusa(Natalia Vodianova) and finally the Kraken.

The plot and acting were sub par. It was not a movie that I would recommend to the professional movie critic, unless he or she enjoys greek mythology. The plot is pretty much revealed during the first 40 minutes of the movie. You pretty much figure out that Perseus will battle the Kraken.

It seems like the scenes switch from travelling/talking scene to battle scene back and forth. There are some great action scenes and dramatic moments in this movie and pretty creative special effects.

However, the much anticipated final battle turns out to be a disappointment and the plot finishes as quickly as it started. Overall, not a great movie but it kept me entertained. I probably would have given in an A+ if I was drunk.

Out of Bounds

Kevin Love at one point was the most beloved athlete in the state of Oregon. His home state fans were certain he would attend the University of Oregon in the Fall of 2007 and turn the men’s basketball team into a Final Four contender. Love had the makings of a homecoming king.

That is, until he signed a letter of intent to play at UCLA.

This did not sit too well with some Oregon fans, to say the least. When UCLA arrived in Salem, Oregon for a conference game against the Ducks, Love received anonymous death threats on his cellphone even one caller threatened to have his whole family killed if UCLA beat Oregon.

The culture of fans behaving badly is hardly a secret in the world of sports. The most publicized incident was the 2004 NBA brawl between the Indiana Pacers and Detroit Pistons fans. 2003-2004 NBA Defensive Player Of The Year Ron Artest ran up into the stands and started fighting with fans after he had a cup thrown at him. His teammate Stephen Jackson joined in sparking an all-out melee.

During the Game 6 of the 2005 NBA Western Conference Semifinals in Seattle, San Antonio Spurs forward Tim Duncan injured his ankle in the 4th Quarter. Seattle fans attending the game roared in applause and cheered loudly as Duncan rolled on the floor in pain. Then Duncan gets up and the fans boo him.

This incident does not compared to the incidents involving Love and Artest, but perhaps is a sense of bad taste.

The incident  was strikingly similar to the treatment Philadelphia fans gave Cowboys Hall Of Fame Wide Receiver Michael Irvin when he injured his spine during a game between the Cowboys and the rival Eagles.

The fans even booed the paramedics for carrying Irvin off the field in a stretcher.

These incidents are a result of sports fans who need reality checks. Competitiveness is contagious which can be a positive or negative thing.

Competitiveness can easily turn into blind aggression and ruin the fun atmosphere that sports provides us.

Fans have to remember that it is a game. Even though athletes benefit from financially lucrative contracts, they are human beings and do not deserve to be disrespected or abused in any way.

They are simply working for our entertainment, which they work very hard at. They are not curing cancer or fighting a war in Iraq, so there is no reason to take sports so seriously that it brings out the worst in us.

For example, I am a die-hard San Antonio Spurs fan. Does that mean when I see Mavericks fan or a Lakers fan I should disrespect and degrade him? Is he or she any less of a human being than me? Obviously the answer to both questions is absolutely not.

Thrash talking has its limits. You can make fun of a rival team for losing or not playing well or anything that involves the actual game. It just makes you look like an idiot when you degrade a complete stranger just for wearing a rival team’s colors.

Most sports fans are great fans. They cheer passionately for the team and display good sportsmanship and class even when their teams aren’t doing well. Unfortunately, there are a lot of sports fans who simply need reality checks.

Where’d Hip-Hop Go?

I haven’t listened to the radio in a while so I decided to tune in to Houston Hip-Hop station 97.9 The Box.

Low and behold, the Young Money song “Bed Rock” was playing which is a song about a subject that is as synonymous with music as a treble clef: sex.

With record sales plummeting, the music industry has decided to bank on quick-fixes by making their artists record pop songs which are ringtone-friendly one-hit wonders. Lil’ Wayne and his Young Money artists seem to have taken over.

Or maybe Hip-Hop is experiencing a recession just like our economy. Lyricism has seemingly died since Nas released his album “Hip-Hop is Dead” in December 2006.

Fans laughed at the idea but respected rappers and music experts knew that Nas was on to something.

Then came Soulja Boy in 2007 with his dance-happy No. 1 hit “Crank That”. Then came many copy-cat songs whom nobody can name but everybody can sing the lyrics.

It’s like comparing “The Raven” by Edgar Allan Poe to the song “Eenie Meenie Miney Moe”.

Hip-Hop has been one of the greatest things to happen to music. Yes, it has had its negative influences but the positive outweighs the negative.

It is an art form for people to express themselves and describe their life experiences including their struggles, pains, hope, joys, triumphs and loves.

These days Hip-Hop seems to be getting away from that. It seems like artist creativity is being held down by the record companies. Artist must be allowed more creative control so that fans can identify with them.

The ringtone phase is not powerful in itself. The record companies are making it powerful by limiting artists.

There are No Leagues

Can a 5 go for a 10? That is the underlying theme in the romantic comedy “She’s Out of My League“.

The film is about a nerdy guy named Kirk, played by Jay Baruchel, who works at the Pittsburgh International Airport. Everything about him is mediocre from his clothes and swagger to his job and career goals.

Kirk is just getting over his cold and mean-spirited ex-girlfriend, Marnie, when he meets a gorgeous blonde named Molly who is played by Alice Eve. Kirk somehow hooks up with Molly which surprises everyone.

How could a gorgeous woman with a great job and seemingly everything a top-notch male could want find interest in a mediocre “scrub” like Kirk?

The point of the movie where the plot gets rolling is when Kirk finds Molly’s iPhone and returns it to her after Molly loses it. She thanks him and asks him out on a date. I know, this sounds like every guy’s dream.

The plot itself is pretty simple but the theme is displayed in many different ways. The film features many raunchy, R-rated moments and guy humor but it also seems to show a positive message.

The film will attract a large audience because pretty much everybody can relate to the nerd who dreams of hooking up with and getting laid by a girl hot enough to rated a 10.

For those of you who don’t know, the rating system is a system of judging people based on their looks and reputation which is exactly what is wrong with it in the first place.

The turning point in the movie is when Kirk’s buddy, Stainer played by T.J. Miller, finally convinces him that he is a 10 which is why Molly likes him. What Stainer is saying is that Kirk’s character, morals and goodness are what make him a 10.

The film provides a good amount of guy banter and crude jokes that attracts a male audience. On the other hand, its moral, good-hearted plot will attract the females.

Some notable scenes include when Molly is denying to her best friend that she is only dating Kirk because she thinks that he is “safe”. In other words, he is guaranteed to treat her well and will not cheat on her.

Kirk’s buddies play a big role in the plot, especially Stainer. Stainer is outspoken and always seems to have an opinion.

Its Stainer’s opinion that Molly does not really like Kirk for who he is that almost ends up ruining his relationship with Molly. Kirk starts to believe Stainer’s point which leads to a confrontation with Molly.

Molly finds out about Kirk’s insecurity and tells him there is nothing wrong with him and his thinking is a result of his own lack of self-esteem.

They had a falling out which seems to lead to the end of their relationship until Kirk finally has a realization with the help of Stainer that Molly was right. A few  airport misadventures later, Kirk and Molly are back together.

This sounds corny enough to be a moral lesson in a PG-rated movie, but even adults have to be reminded of this lesson sometimes. It’s not what other people think of you that matters. It’s what you think of yourself that matters.

Spring Break destination: the house

Most college students use Spring Break to take vacations in exotic destinations such as Miami, Cancun or South Padre Island. They have the time of their lives while their livers take beatings.

This year I decided to beat my liver in the comfort of my own home.

With my parents in India and some of my closest friends coming back to Houston for their Spring Break, my brother and I decided to take advantage of our open house and throw a couple of parties.

We experienced probably the most relaxing Spring Break we’ve ever had.

It was a break from the stress and high-speed school life we experience semester after semester. Spring Break was the complete polar opposite. Every day was spent waking up late, eating junk food and watching sports.

It seems like every guy’s dream. A little alcohol here and there made it interesting, especially on St. Patrick’s day.

On the other hand, our Spring Break was defined by our lack of productivity. I came to campus this morning thinking how unprepared I was to return to class.

I should know by now that pushing things to the extreme is never a good idea. But I’m 22-years-old. I’ll learn sooner or later, if not now.

I told myself I would never be this lazy for a whole week ever again, which I have repeatedly said several times after a hangover.

Thankfully, I did not have any projects or tests to study for during this break. It would have been a completely different story had that been the case.

It was great to hang out with my high school friends after a long time. None of us wanted to spend the money or time on a trip to any popular Spring Break destinations so we made our Spring Break motive relaxation rather than craziness.

White VS Perry

Rick Perry has dominated Texas politics for the last 10 years. He has been the governor of Texas since 2000 and has been reelected twice. 2010 looks to be a coronation of Perry as the face of Texas.

His opponent is Democrat Bill White. White served as the mayor of Houston for 6 years. His third and final term recently ended on January 2, 2010. White has had tremendous support from the largest city in Texas,  being reelected twice with 91 percent and 88 percent of the vote respectively.

White tackled Houston’s pollution problem which been a major issue in the city for years. Houston hosted  Super Bowl XXXVIII, 2004 MLB All-Star Game, 2005 World Series and 2006 NBA All-Star Game during his first term.

White also set up programs to find long-term housing for displaced victims of Hurricane Katrina. One of White’s most notable accomplishments was his SafeClear program he launched in 2005.

The program was designed to immediately take stalled vehicles off of roads and freeways.

White will provide Rick Perry with his biggest competitor yet. But it will not be enough to dethrone him. Despite White’s popularity in Houston, he does not have that kind of support throughout the state.

White is already at a disadvantage being a Democrat in a mostly Republican state. Texas mostly voted for Republican John McCain in the 2008 Presidential Election.

Perry’s longevity as governor is also a strong factor in Perry being favored to be reelected. Perry’s resume is also more impressive than White’s.

He has served in the Texas Legislature and as the state’s agricultural commissioner and lieutenant governor before finally becoming governor in 2000 after George W. Bush was inaugurated as the 43rd U.S. President.

Texas is struggling with its economy just like the rest of the country and Perry has always made job growth one of his top priorities because of his belief in fiscal conservatism.

Perry hopes to defend tradition and preserve Texas’ conservative ideals. Perry said that he expects the Obama administration to support White in this race.

Bill White is playing the position of a man who is more focused on Texas issues than Washington issues. White has stated the Perry has become so caught up in what has happened in Washington that he has become negligent towards Texas.

White also understands his disadvantage of Perry spending millions of dollars on television advertising campaigns but feels that ultimately the people will see his stance of Texas needing a new governor.

Texas has not had a Democrat as its governor since 1990 but Democrats are very confident in their candidate’s chances. Early polls show that Perry only has a 43% lead over White at 37%.

This could prove to be a factor if White plays his cards right. He should attempt to show Texans his major accomplishments as the mayor of Houston. This will give him his best chance to win this race. He will only be able to partially create the same familiarity Houstonians have towards him towards Texans.

Perry is still the favorite. He faces his stiffest challenge yet, but Texas’ traditional Republican and Conservative values will prove too much in the end for Bill White.

METRO light rail is a good solution in the later future

METRO plans to add a light rail system to the UH campus by 2012. It hopes to help commuters and ease traffic by providing rail routes to several areas on campus.

The Southeast Corridor will run from downtown on Smith Street to Griggs Road near campus. The route will be 6 miles long feature stops at Scott Street and Elgin Street, Scott Street and Cleburne Street, and Wheeler Avenue and Calhoun Road.

The University Corridor will connect the UH campus with the Texas Southern University campus. The 11-mile route will run to Hillcroft Avenue from the Richmond Transit Center in West Houston and feature 19 stops.

I like this idea for the later future. Although I believe a light rail system would ease the traffic flow for commuters, we are just not ready to face its construction. It would impede access to campus for students who live in Cullen Oaks and Cambridge Oaks.

I don’t think the Cleburne stop will effectively serve UH because that is not a traditionally busy area for students. The other stops, especially the ones on Scott Street, would benefit students.

I am not against the construction of this light rail system. I just don’t think it should be done now. UH and METRO should wait for the economy to improve before spending federal dollars on a light rail system.

The light rail system is not needed immediately as much as university funding due to the budget cuts ordered by Governor Rick Perry.

I would not begin construction until the university gets a significant increase in federal funding. If the budget cut forces salary cuts and layoffs, then I do not see the point of spending federal dollars on a light rail system, especially one that is not as efficient as it should be with the amount of money being spent on it.

The construction of this project should be put on hold. Despite the schedule being worked around the UH academic calendar, construction would still cost federal dollars that could be spent on salaries and keep UH employees from losing their jobs.