Once Voice

Indians make up a significant part of the American population. We provide the nation with many significant assets through our monetary, intellectual, and entrepreneurial efforts. We work hard to give back to a country that has given so much to us. Yet, despite all of this, we are represented in the American political system by a single Indian congressman. A congressman who often times ignores the fact that he is Indian. I have been meaning to start this blog for a while, and I think the amazing performance by the democratic party tonight finally motivated me to do so. It finally showed me that no matter how difficult something looks, perseverance by a large cohesive group of people can make it possible. I always knew this was true, but the value of perseverance and cohesiveness in the political world hadn't been looking all that great until tonight. That brings me to the reason I am sitting here writing at 2:30 in the morning...Cohesiveness. I am very proud of my Indian culture. I am proud of where I came from and what my heritage represents. That being said, I am not proud of how the Indian community in America has lacked the unified voice that is so necessary to actually be heard. We make up such a large fraction of the United States population, yet we speak so quietly. When was the last time you saw a large rally of Indians lobbying for American legislative change? Does the lack of such rallies mean that we are perfectly satisfied with the way the American political system is treating us, that we believe there is nothing else it can provide us with? I will take the risk of asserting that this is not the case. While the Indian-American culture promotes many great things, loudness is not one of them. It is time for that to change. The Indian community must become more involved in American politics. We must become more successful in making ourselves heard. We must fight harder, make ourselves louder, and make sure that we are heard. My thoughts aren't quite as clear as I would hope for them to be at this hour, so for now I will leave you with this thought. The thought of what the Indian community could do if it actually came together. If it provided a clear, unified voice. Imagine how loud that voice would be. I don't know if anyone will ever read these words; I can only hope so. Goodnight for now.
--SK