Judith Ravin, U.S. Consul-General, Chennai, said the Indian-American diaspora has grown as a powerful and influential group in American politics, business, health, education among other fields and is acting as a power engine to strengthen political, economic and social ties between India and the U.S.
“When Kamala Harris became the Vice-President, it struck a special cord with the Indian American community,” she said.
“There are 20 other Indian Americans holding key positions in the Biden-Harris administration, including Surgeon General Vivek Murthy and Dr. Celine Gounder, an epidemiologist who advised the Biden administration on COVID management,” she said.
Ms. Ravin was speaking at a discussion on the rise of the Indian American diaspora in the U.S. organised by the Chennai International Centre. “Indian Americans have become the richest ethnicity in America, with an average household income of over $1,26,000, almost twice the U.S. average. At present, close to 2,00,000 Indian students have enrolled in U.S. colleges and universities,” she pointed out.
Book launched
Ms. Ravin launched a new book Kamala Harris and The Rise of Indian Americans.
Speaking at the event, M.R. Rangaswami, one of the authors of the book, said the objective was to highlight the achievements and challenges of the Indian Americans. “There are 2,50,000 Indian Americans living below the poverty line. Estimated 4,00,000 Indian Americans are without proper documents,” Mr. Rangaswami, an entrepreneur and founder of Indiaspora, said.
Maina Chawla Singh, scholar-professor focusing on gender identity and Indian diaspora, said more attention needed to be paid to the community living below poverty line and also those without documents.
