| Dhruti
Contractor, 25, is a Public Health Prevention Service
Fellow at the Centers for Disease and Prevention. Outside of
work, she hopes to promote political awareness and activism
through the Georgia Indian American Political Action
Committee. |
| 
|
|
Are Indian
Americans also South Asian Americans?
In light of the recent
Independence Day celebrations, I wonder about how those of us
with ancestry from the Indian Diaspora identify ourselves,
now, in relation to the rest of South Asia.
Are Indian Americans also South Asian Americans, or is this an
identity that we would rather not have? I interviewed two
second generation Indian Americans to explore why they felt a
certain identity was better for the Indian American community. |
| Jay
Patel, 26, a consultant from Marietta, believes
Indian Americans should be called Indian Americans and
not South Asian Americans. |
|
Given our
interrelated histories within South Asia, why do you
believe the Indian American identity suits the community
better?
The histories were not exactly the same, since each
country had its own heroes during the Independence
movement and celebrate their Independence Days
separately, now. And it is difficult to keep an Indian
American identity and to unify members of this
community! It seems like a forced exercise to put a
larger identity on anyone from that region just to look
like we all get along. Sometimes I feel like people from
the other countries in South Asia want to be called
South Asian American because it puts them in a larger
population and bigger numbers are more influential. I am
not sure what kind of influence one could gain here by
being called South Asian American instead of Sri Lankan
American or just saying that their family is from Sri
Lanka, for example, instead of India. Or maybe being
called South Asian is a better alternative than being
called Indian. I don’t think history is the main
dividing factor, but I am just reflecting what I observe
in reality. South Asians here don’t seem to come
together except out of necessity. The same with Indians
here. People still identify with being Gujarati or an
even smaller division than with India as a whole.
Let’s take a step at a time, right? |
|
Why does
the Indian American identity suit our community better
in regards to cultural and social activities?
Like I wrote above, our cultural and social activities
are separate unless we have it with one of the South
Asian organizations. Normally, Indian Americans stick
with Indian American activities or their religious or
family groups. I know there are some college and
professional organizations that take the name South
Asian, but there are many that keep the Indian identity
as well. I don’t see why we can’t just all keep our
identities the way it was when our parents immigrated.
What purpose does it serve to have an inclusive group
except the influence for smaller groups like I said
above? |
|
Why does the
Indian American identity suit our community better in US
politics?
This is the best example where the Indian American
identity should be kept over the South Asian identity.
US-India relations is certainly different than
US-Pakistan or US-Bangladesh relations. Indian Americans
involved in influencing foreign policy here would defeat
their entire purpose if they changed their identity to
South Asian American. It just wouldn’t make sense
given the state of the actual South Asian region today.
Outsourcing problems get blamed on India by political
candidates, so how would we deal with such issues if we
did not keep the Indian American identity? |
|
|
Parul Gandhi, 18,
a rising freshman at Georgia Tech, believes the South Asian
American identity is better for the Indian American community.
Given the past fifty plus years since Independence where
each of the South Asian countries have developed their own
identity, why do you believe the South Asian American identity
suits the community better?
I honestly don’t know enough about the differences in the
regions before or after Independence, but you’re asking
about an Indian and South Asian American identity and not an
Indian or South Asian identity. I think the focus is on the
word American, and the experience Indian Americans have is not
very different than the experience Pakistani Americans,
Bangladeshi Americans, or Nepali Americans have. We’re all
the same in the eyes of the American people. Also, the Asian
American identity does not fit us well, I think, and it would
be better to call us all South Asian American. There are so
many places where the “South Asian American” label goes a
long way over the Indian American label. South Asian American
literature, food, women’s groups, sports, clothing, and
social and cultural associations are everywhere. Labeling
things as Indian American just seems too exclusive and
unnecessary. How would it sound if someone said they were
Egyptian American as opposed to African American? America is
called the “melting pot” for a reason. Each culture should
keep some of the identity from the past, but there should also
be some effort towards being more inclusive overall.
Does the South Asian American identity suit our community
better in regards to cultural and social activities?
Absolutely. I know there are differences in religion and
customs between countries of South Asia, but, again, we are
talking about South Asian Americans. It’s so much fun to
share social and cultural experiences with other South Asian
Americans because the activities are not that different. We
all can relate to each other somehow through a common heritage
and much better than with Asian, European, Latin, or African
Americans. In my experience, Indian Americans who have a
different religion or speak a different language at home can
still cherish these parts of their life while still
identifying with other Indian and South Asian Americans.
Does the South Asian American identity suit our community
better in US politics?
I can see how the foreign policy aspect would require having a
different identity, but we all experience similar problems
here in the United States. Take hate crimes for example. We
are all brown in the eyes of Americans. We even are confused
with Arab Americans at times. Also, South Asian American I
know share similar occupational and economic situations.
Moreover, we can have much more voice in government if we all
came together for a common purpose. I don’t know what other
issues we could all agree on, but African and Latino Americans
would have the similar discussions we would need to have with
each other. I am sure that all of Hispanic America does not
agree with one another, but they see that making that unity a
priority can go a long way for everyone. And I believe that
attitude is a valuable lesson for Indian Americans to embrace
the South Asian identity. |
|
What do you think?
Please send us your responses at contact@nripulse.com.
|
|
