The Indian Panorama

Tag: Tulsi Gabbard

  • Indian-Americans’ Interest In Lobbying For Indo-Us Ties On The Wane

    Indian-Americans’ Interest In Lobbying For Indo-Us Ties On The Wane

    NEW YORK (TIP): A sharp drop inmembership to the Congressional Caucuson India is sadly indicative of the waninginterest of the Indian-Americancommunity to lobby for closer bilateralties between India and the US.The Congressional Caucus on India andIndian-Americans, which was establishedin 1994 when the ties between the twocountries were still in a nascent phase,had grown to a record 186 members of theUS House of Representatives.For more than a decade theCongressional Caucus was considered tobe a driver of India-US bilateralrelationship, and played a key role in thepassage of the historic civilian nucleardeal.

    However, latest figures reveal thisnumber has dropped to about 110Congressmen, which is mainly becausethere has been no fresh drive from theIndian-American community asking theirrepresentatives to join the CongressionalCaucus on India and Indian-Americans.In the last 112th Congress there were 135members. The numbers have mainlydropped either of retirement or defeat ofprevious members.”It is not lack of interest on part oflawmakers. It is the lack of interest on thepart of the Indian-Americans.

    Lawmakersneed to be reminded. If asked most of thelawmakers are always willing to obligetheir active constituents,” Ashok Mago, aDallas-based prominent community leader,said.Sampat Shivangi, president of the bipartisanIndian- American Forum forPolitical Education (IAFPE) agreed withthe view as well.”India centric issue like civil US-Indianuclear treaty galvanized the Indian-American community, government ofIndia and Indian Embassy which shot upthe India Congressional Caucus numberaround 185 with united efforts of all thesegroups,” Shivangi said.

    “Now there is no burning issue and theenthusiasm has weaned in this process,”he said.In November IAFPE had held aCongressional reception at the Capitol Hillduring which at least three Congressmenannounced their decision to join thecaucus.But in the absence of follow-up fromlocal Indian- American leaders, they areyet to formally join the India Caucus.Shivangi said that there is a need to findother galvanizing issues so that Indian-Americans are motivated to work for thebilateral relationship.

    India’s permanent membership to theUN Security Council could be one, henoted.”This just cause if taken seriouslywould galvanize above said groups to uniteand move forward,” he said.The office of Congressman Joe Crowley,one of the founding members of thecaucus and its current co-chair from theDemocratic Party said that he wasworking on increasing the membership ofthe caucus.”There has been a lot of turnover in thepast few years in Congress (such asretirements), and since there are asignificant number of new members in the113th Congress, Congressman Crowleybelieves this is the perfect time to shareinformation about the caucus with hiscolleagues and encourage them to learnmore about the US-India relationship,”Courtney Gidner, Congressman Crowley’sspokesperson said.

    “He is definitely focused working atgetting a lot more members to join, and isexcited to make it happen,” Gidner said.In the new Congress, Dr Ami Bera, theonly Indian- American lawmaker in thecurrent Congress, and Tulsi Gabbard, theonly Hindu ever elected to the US Congresshave announced their decision to join theCongressional Caucus for India andIndian-Americans.A fresh drive for new membership isexpected to be launched in March, butMago argued it cannot be successful unlessIndian-Americans from across the nationcome out and support it and ask theirrepresentatives to join the caucus.

    Refraining from giving reasons for thissharp drop in the caucus membership,Indian Ambassador to the US NirupamaRao listed out the immense contributionthat India caucus has made instrengthening India US bilateralrelationship.”Over the years, the India Caucuses inboth Houses of Congress have beenincreasingly engaged in pushing forward asubstantive agenda of India-USpartnership, taking up specific issues ofcooperation and common interest fromtime to time, and providing strength andsubstance to the relationship between ourtwo countries,” Rao said.

  • Rep. Tulsi Gabbard Cosponsors Commemorative Diwali Stamp Resolution

    Rep. Tulsi Gabbard Cosponsors Commemorative Diwali Stamp Resolution

    WASHINGTON (TIP):Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard (HI-02) this week cosponsored a HouseResolution calling for the U.S.Postal Service to establish a postagestamp to commemorate Diwali, the”festival of lights” marking theHindu New Year. Diwali is observedby Hindus, Christians, Jains, Sikhs,and Buddhists in the United States,India, and around the world.”The Diwali festival honors selfawareness,righteousness, andservice to others before ourselves,”said Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard,who is the first Hindu-American toserve in the U.S. Congress.

    “Thisyearly festival is a time to celebratethe triumph of goodness and truth,and to reflect on the year. It is onlyappropriate that we commemoratethis widely observed holiday and itsplace in our nation’s rich tapestry ofreligious and cultural diversity.”Diwali, celebrated in October or November annually,originated as a celebration of the last harvest of the yearbefore winter. Indians around the world celebrate withfamily gatherings, glittering clay lamps, festive fireworks,strings of electric lights, bonfires, flowers, sharing ofsweets, and worship to the goddess Lakshmi.

    The resolution (H.Res.47) calls on the Citizens’ StampAdvisory Committee, an entity of the U.S. Postal Service, toissue a Diwali stamp, as it has done for other popularreligious celebrations in the United States such asChristmas, Eid, Kwanzaa, and Hanukkah.

  • Reps. Maloney, Meng & South Asian Leaders Hold Press Conference Announcing Reintroduced Diwali Stamp Resolution

    Reps. Maloney, Meng & South Asian Leaders Hold Press Conference Announcing Reintroduced Diwali Stamp Resolution

    NEW YORK, NY (TIP): U.S.Congresswomen Carolyn Maloneyand Grace Meng will be joined byRanju Batra, President of theAssociation of Indians in America-NY February 2 at a press conferenceannouncing the introduction of aHouse Resolution calling for theissue of a United States PostalService stamp to commemorate thefestival of Diwali. The pressconference will rally grass-rootssupport to press the Citizens StampAdvisory Commission of the U.S.Postal Service to issue a postagestamp to honor Diwali, the “festivalof lights” observed by Hindus, Sikhs,Christians, Jains, and Buddhists inIndia, the United States, and aroundthe world.

    Congresswoman Carolyn Maloneyintroduced HR 47 on January 25th ofthis year to urge the Citizens’ StampAdvisory Committee, an entity ofthe United States Postal Service, toissue a commemorative stamp inhonor of the holiday of Diwali. Theresolution is co-sponsored by Indian-American Congressman Ami Bera(CA-07), and by CongresswomanGrace Meng of New York’s 6thdistrict who, like Rep. Maloney,represents a substantial South Asianpopulation. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (HI-02) has also co-sponsored the HouseResolution.

  • 2 Indian-Americans Sworn in as Members of US House of Representatives

    2 Indian-Americans Sworn in as Members of US House of Representatives

    WASHINGTON (TIP): Indian- Americans Ami Bera and Tulsi Gabbard were sworn in as members of the US House of Representatives January 4, much to the delight of the small but powerful community in the country.

    Born of immigrant parents from Punjab, California-based physician Bera is only the fourth Indian American to be a member of the US House of Representatives, while Iraq war veteran Tulsi Gabbard is the first Hindu ever to win Congressional election.

    The 113th Congress commenced on January 3, 2013 with the swearing-in ceremony for newly elected Members of Congress. The new Congress in session till January 3, 2015 has 43 African American members (all but one in the House of Representatives), a record high number of 100 female, seven LGBT members, and one member of the Kennedy family returning to elective federal office after a brief pause from public service from the family.

    Bera, 47, from seventh Congressional District from California and Gabbard, 31, from Hawaii’s second Congressional District, are reflective of the diversity of the new Congress. Both are from the Democratic Party of President Barack Obama. Hindus represent less than one per cent of the current US population.

  • Tulsi Gabbard becomes first Hindu ever to become member of the US House of Representatives

    Tulsi Gabbard becomes first Hindu ever to become member of the US House of Representatives

    WASHINGTON (TIP): Tulsi Gabbard from Hawaii has created history by not only becoming the first Hindu ever to be sworn in as a member of the US House of Representatives, but also being the first ever US lawmaker to have taken oath of office on the sacred Bhagavad Gita. Tulsi, 31, was administered the oath of office by the John Boehner, Speaker of the House of Representatives. “I chose to take the oath of office with my personal copy of the Bhagavad-Gita because its teachings have inspired me to strive to be a servant-leader, dedicating my life in the service of others and to my country,” Gabbard said after the swearing in ceremony.

    “My Gita has been a tremendous source of inner peace and strength through many tough challenges in life, including being in the midst of death and turmoil while serving our country in the Middle East,” she said explaining the reasons for taking the oath of office on Gita. “I was raised in a multi-racial, multi-cultural, multi-faith family. My mother is Hindu; my father is a Catholic lector in his church who also practices mantra meditation. I began to grapple with questions of spirituality as a teenager,” Gabbard said.

    “Over time, I came to believe that, at its essence, religion gives us a deeper purpose in life than just living for ourselves. Since I was a teenager, I have embraced this spiritual journey through the teachings of the Bhagavad-Gita. “..In so doing, have been blessed with the motivation and strength to dedicate my life in service others in a variety of ways,” she said. Proud of her Hindu religion, she is not Indian or of Indian heritage. Her father Mike Gabbard, is currently Hawaii State Senator and mother Carol Porter Gabbard is an educator and business owner. At 21, she became the youngest person elected to the Hawaii Legislature. At 23, she was the state’s first elected official to voluntarily resign to go to war. At 28, she was the first woman to be presented with an award by the Kuwait Army National Guard.

  • Hindus Laud US Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard For Oath Of Office On Bhagavad-Gita

    Hindus Laud US Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard For Oath Of Office On Bhagavad-Gita

    NEW YORK (TIP): Hindus have applauded Tulsi Gabbard, the first Hindu recently elected to 113th United States (US) Congress, for taking the Oath of Office on ancient Hindu scripture Bhagavad-Gita (Song of the Lord), who was sworn on January three as a member of the US House of Representatives in Washington DC. Zed, who is President of Universal Society of Hinduism, said that as Bhagavad-Gita talked about endeavoring constantly to serve the world’s welfare without any thought of personal gain, it should be the treatise for all the politicians and rulers of the world. Rajan Zed pointed out that Bhagavad-Gita also told us about selfless action and selfless service, always keeping focus on welfare of others and be guided by compassion in our work.

    Zed noted that this philosophical and intensely spiritual poem was often considered the epitome of Hinduism. Besides being the cornerstone of Hindu faith, Bhagavad-Gita was also one of the masterpieces of Sanskrit poetry and had been commented by hundreds of authors and translated into all major languages of the world. It was a dialogue between Lord Krishna and Arjuna, just before the beginning of the great Mahabharata war, in which Lord Krishna gave spiritual enlightenment to the warrior Arjuna, who realized that the true battle was for his own soul. Its 700 verses in 18 chapters considered the nature of action, the religious and social duty, the human relationship to God, the means of liberation, and the nature of sacrifice, etc., Rajan Zed added.

  • Indian American Convenience Store Owners to Unite

    Indian American Convenience Store Owners to Unite

    TAMPA, FL (TIP): Meeting against the backdrop of national economic uncertainty that has significantly brought down their sales, convenience stores and gas stations owners at the seventh annual convention of the Asian American Convenience Store Association have vowed to join hands to enhance their collective bargaining capacity and purchasing power with large manufacturers and suppliers. “We feel that all these store owners, mostly independents, are not getting the best price for buying their products from the manufacturers. Unity will enhance their bargaining capacity and purchasing power,” said AACSA president Satya Shaw at the conclusion of the convention.

    The day-long event Nov. 17 was kicked off by the ribbon cutting ceremony by Bollywood actress Kashmera Shah and newly-elected Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard from Hawaii at the India Culture Center here. Headquartered in Tampa, the AASCA was formed seven years ago after the arrest of some 50 Indian American store owners and their employees in Georgia as they were selling some products, which they should not have, because of their ignorance. Over the last seven years AASCA through its awareness campaign and activism has ensured that there is no repeat of such incident, Shaw said. The AASCA today has a nationwide membership of about 10,000 convenience stores and gas station owners.

    According to unofficial estimates of the 146,000 convenience stores and gas stations in the United States, some 50 percent of them are now being run by Indian Americans, a majority of whom are from Gujarat. “This is an effort to bring them under one platform. Uniting of all the independent store owners and with their combined purchasing power would reduce the cost of their products and thus enhance our profits in these tough economic times,” Shaw said. How to tackle the economic crisis was one of the major topics of deliberations during the education seminar held for the convenience store and gas station owners, which was addressed by eminent experts from the field.

    “Due to the current economic crisis, this year we have added some useful topics in the education seminar that will be beneficial to all store owners. Our strength and unity is the solution to ensure the growth and profitability of our trade,” said AACSA chairman Chandrakant Patel. The convention attracted a record number of participation from convenience store and gas station owners as well as a record number of 65 vendors. “We had to turn down a number of requests this year as we did not had space to accommodate them,” Shaw said. The day-long event was capped by a gala banquet attended by Gabbard, who delivered the keynote speech, as well as Shah and actor Junior Devanand.

  • Dr Ami Bera Comes to Washington; Third Indian-American Elected to Congress

    Dr Ami Bera Comes to Washington; Third Indian-American Elected to Congress

    WASHINGTON (TIP): An Indian- American physician from California has become only the third person of Indianorigin to be elected to the US House of Representatives, attesting to the incremental progress the thriving community is making in politics and public life in America. The Sacramento County Registrar of Voters announced on Friday that Ami Bera had increased his lead to 2.2 per cent against sitting Congressman Dan Lungren in last week’s election, surging ahead by 5,696 votes after the latest round of counting, a margin Bera and his supporters think is insurmountable.

    The regular counting without absentee ballots and provisional votes had seen the two rivals less than 200 votes apart. “Today’s update shows that we’ve processed another 38,510 ballots since Tuesday’s update. This leaves an estimated 7,782 vbm (vote by mail) and of course the 31,000 provisional ballots left to process,” the County Registrar said. Next update is scheduled for Monday. But Associated Press and the local media, not to speak of Bera himself, called the race for the Indian-American Democrat, for whom this was a second shot at the seat. “It’s increasingly clear that the voters of Sacramento County want new leadership that puts the people first. Our lead continues to widen and we are confident that this election will be resolved in our favor,” Bera said in a statement.

    Lungren is yet to concede the race, but Bera is already in Washington DC for an orientation course for new lawmakers, which incidentally is being led by a committee headed by Lungren. Earlier this week, Bera, who describes himself as a Unitarian, attended the White House Diwali celebration along with Tulsi Gabbard, another newly elected lawmaker from Hawaii who is a self-described Hindu- American. Bera is only the third Indian elected to the US Congress after Dalip Singh Saund, who was a mathematician with farming interests, and Bobby Jindal, who is a health policy expert and currently governor of Louisiana. Saund in fact was the first person of non-Abrahamic faith elected to the U.S Congress and the only Indian- American so far to clock three terms.

    Like his Indian-American predecessors, Bera too has an impressive academic record in keeping with the community’s cachet. He earned a bachelor’s degree in biological sciences from the University of California at Irvine, and went on to get an MD in 1991. He served as Associate Dean for Admissions at the UC Davis School of Medicine and later as the Chief Medical Officer for the County of Sacramento. His wife Janine is also a physician and they have a 14-year young daughter, Sydra. “As a first generation American, born and raised in California, the promise of America has been the story of my life,” Bera told voters in his election pitch, promising to work for a “more compassionate, sensible, and sustainable America.”

  • Indian-Americans Elected To House Of Representatives

    Indian-Americans Elected To House Of Representatives

    WASHINGTON (TIP): Dr Ami Bera becomes the third Indian-American ever to be elected to the US House of Representatives, after Dalip Singh Saund, elected in 1950’s and Governor of Louisiana Bobby Jindal who was a House member from 2005 to 2008. Bera, 45, had a lead of just 184 votes against his Republican rival and incumbent Dan Lungren, when all the votes were counted for the Seventh Congressional District in California. But the Secretary of State, California put the results in the category of “Close Contest”, in which there is less than a two per cent difference between the first and second place for candidates or between yes and no votes for ballot measures.

    According to the Office of the Secretary of State, California, Bera had received 50.1 per cent of the total votes counted, while Lungren had received 49.9 per cent of the votes. Bera received 88,406 votes, while Lungren got 88,222 votes. Bera whose parents migrated to the US some 50 years ago was endorsed by charismatic Bill Clinton, the former US president, last month who campaigned for him. Bera had outraised his opponent in fund raising.

    Born and raised in Southern California, Dr. Bera served Sacramento County as Chief Medical Officer before becoming a Clinical Professor of Medicine and Associate Dean for Admissions and Outreach at UC Davis. Ami and his wife Janine live in Elk Grove with their daughter, Sydra. Tulsi Gabbard is the first Indian American woman and the first Hindu woman to win an election to House of Representatives. 31-year-old Gabbard defeated K. Crowley of the Republican Party with a handsome margin in Hawaii’s second Congressional district. Her victory has been cheered by the Hindu-American community across the country. The heavily Democratic district also elected one of two Buddhists to have ever served in the Congress, Mazie Hirono, who won her seat in 2006 but is now running for the US Senate.

    Born in American Samoa to a Catholic father and a Hindu mother, Gabbard moved to Hawaii when she was two

    In 2002, at age 21, she was elected to the Hawaii state legislature. The next year, she joined the Hawaii National Guard, and in 2004 was deployed to Baghdad as a medical operations specialist. After completing officers’ training, she was deployed to Kuwait in 2008 to train the country’s counterterrorism units. “Although there are not very many Hindus in Hawaii, I never felt discriminated against.

    I never really gave it a second thought growing up that any other reality existed, or that it was not the same everywhere,” Gabbard said in a statement soon after she took an unbeatable lead over her Republican challenger. “On my last trip to the mainland, I met a man who told me that his teenage daughter felt embarrassed about her faith, but after meeting me, she’s no longer feeling that way,” Gabbard said.

    “He was so happy that my being elected to Congress would give hope to hundreds and thousands of young Hindus in America, that they can be open about their faith, and even run for office, without fear of being discriminated against or attacked because of their religion,” Gabbard said. At 21, Gabbard became the youngest person elected to the Hawaii legislature.

    At 23, she was the state’s first elected official to voluntarily resign to go to war. At 28, she was the first woman to be presented with an award by the Kuwait Army National Guard. She is a deeply committed Vaishnava Hindu who is a strict vegetarian and is very knowledgeable about the Bhagavad Gita. She has also served with distinction as an officer of the US Army – twice, in Iraq and Kuwait.

  • Indian-American Forum offersinternships in USCongress and WH

    Indian-American Forum offersinternships in USCongress and WH

    TAMPA, FL (TIP): An Indian-American forum has announced internship program for young members of the community in the US Congress and the White House with the aim of creating political awareness among them.

    Noting that while there are two Indian-American Governors – Nikki Haley and Bobby Jindal – there has not been much community representation in the Congress, the Indian-American Forum for Political Education (IAFPE) has said that it is time for more political awareness and participation among younger members of the community.

    “Internship program at the US Congress and the White House would help us achieve this goal,” IAFPE president Dr Sampat Shivangi said while announcing the internships. At its meeting in Tampa on September 8 to launch the Florida chapter of IAFPE, Dr Shivangi also announced programs to promote voter registration and encourage Indian- Americans to exercise their rights to vote and run for public offices. Inaugurated by the Deputy Indian Ambassador to the US, Arun Singh, IAFPE meeting also announced Student Ambassador Program for Indian-American students to visit India in association with Indian Embassy in US to maintain their Indian identity. Speaking on the occasion, Singh said that India-US relations have matured in last few years. The bi-lateral trade between to democracies has now touched USD 100 billion.

    India and US are natural allies as described US President Barack Obama and the Secretary of state Hillary Clinton, Singh said. Tulsi Gabbard, the Democratic Party Congressional candidate from Hawaii, was one of the guest speakers. Congressman Gus Bilirakis emphasized the contributions Indian-Americans have made in the US. The Congressman promised to join as a member of Indian Caucus in US Congress.

    Speaking on the occasion, the former Indian Ambassador at Large for Non-resident Indians, Bhishma Agnihotri, traced the history of Indian Immigrants and their contributions in the field of Medicine specifically by American Physicians of Indian Origin. (Agencies)