Representative Image / Pew

A perspective on how organizations—such as NAIO, ATA, TANA, and various temples—as well as individuals, are holding mega events and celebrations while remaining completely disconnected from reality.

The Reality Check

When an Indian Community PAC in Georgia recently met with a gubernatorial Governor candidate who is almost certain to win the election, he was asked about Hinduphobia. His short answer was that many in other communities in this country are jealous of ours.

He was being polite, but we do not need him to tell us the challenges we face as a community or how our leaders are fueling them. As a fellow activist, who was present at that meeting told me, we are literally feeding the fire of jealousy with the oil of extravagance and showmanship.

The Alarm Bells

The alarm bells have been ringing for some time now, yet we continue as if everything is normal. Just last year, during a private meeting with community members in New Jersey, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar ji spoke strongly against building massive statues of Hindu gods—even boasting that they are larger than the Statue of Liberty—and recounted how he dissuaded organizers from proceeding.

He chided that what we need is not mega events or celebrations, but rather the creation of a sense of belonging within the larger communities and the nation where our children are growing up.

Also Read:The crucible the numbers do not name

The Missed Opportunity

Recently, I attended a Zoom call for the newly formed NAIO, where I understand they are planning mega events in multiple cities related to India's Independence. Similarly, Telugu organizations (ATA, NATA, BATA, TANA, MATA, NATS, etc.) and other linguistic groups are holding massive events, spending millions of dollars and thousands of man-hours to organize them.  

What has been lost sight of is that this year marks 250 years of U.S. Independence, which provides a great opportunity to counter the challenges our community faces by demonstrating that we are part of the American Dream, strong contributors to society, and that we belong here just as anyone who made America their home.  

Almost all these celebrations are inward-looking, while some community leaders who fund them feel "accomplished" simply by sharing a stage with a few lawmakers. In the end, this addresses few of the real challenges we face.

Where are we engaging with the larger community? As one activist told me today during our discussion, "An enormous amount of resources is being spent to feed the egos and self-images of a few community leaders with deep pockets, while they are completely oblivious to reality."

The Competitive Ego

I am not criticizing efforts made with genuine intent. Those leading NAIO, for example, appear to be working hard to bring organizations together under one umbrella, while other groups believe they are strengthening our culture. But are these efforts truly making us stronger and reducing hatred against us? In reality, they may be fueling it.

Beyond these events, individuals are spending enormous amounts to compete with one another—not only on weddings, but even on *arangetrams*. Some are reportedly even proposing to build a statue of the Andhra leader NTR in the United States!

The Contrast

As a corollary, let us study how other communities are engaging. Do we see any Chinese, Korean, Japanese, or other Asian organizations and individuals showing off in the way our community is? Or, for that matter, look at the enormously strong Jewish communities who have built their influence over decades. If you go to any Congressional office, chances are you will find a Muslim American intern.

Leaders like Mamdani in NYC and Adams in NJ grew by silently building from the ground up and reaching higher positions through grassroots organizing. Last year, I walked into a small-town Freehold Day celebration in NJ and saw two young Indian-looking people at a table for voter registration.

Upon talking to them, I found out they were both Muslim American kids using a leftist organization as a base to register voters. They go to mosques and other places to register voters. While our organizations parrot the idea that they are Indian organizations encompassing all religions, have we seen any other religious followers from India doing the same?

The Urgent Risk

Our temples have become corporate entities. Do any of our second and later generations have any connection to massive and grand temples, which will eventually end up being sold?

Our celebrations have become venues for image-craving community leaders with deep pockets—in some cases, even to buy influence in India. 38% of our children are marrying not just outside our religion, but outside our race.

We spend enormous resources on the education of our children, but what about their security? Will their place be secure if they continue to be targeted? We have little concern for targeted community members; just last week, a student in Philadelphia who was delivering pizzas was given a vacant building address only to be shot dead.

There is enormous hate spreading across the nation, particularly in Texas. We have seen several attacks targeting business people of Indian descent, mainly from the Gujarati community.  

Mark this:

Just as a white supremacist opened fire in a Wisconsin Gurdwara in August 2012, there is a very real likelihood that we could see a mass massacre in a temple, at a cultural event, at a wedding, or even at an *arangetram*. The inevitable response after that would be that we would be afraid to celebrate any event.  We will forget at our peril, what happened during the 'dot buster' campaign in NJ just a few decades ago.

The Solutions

Leverage the 250th Anniversary: One possibility is for every temple to conduct a flag-hoisting ceremony, invite local lawmakers, and coordinate with churches to provide *anna danam* to underprivileged communities.

Invest in Youth: Engage youngsters (even pay them) to conduct voter registration and prioritize political awareness.  Support successful models such as HinduAction and other internship programs.

Use Every Venue for voter awareness:  Promote voter awareness and the need to vote during cultural events and other meetings.   Temples need to provide voter registration desks, and encourage devotees to register to vote and inspire them to vote during voting periods.

Strategic PACs: Create Super PACs to support not just community members running for office, but also those from outside our community who are willing to address our challenges.

We are very capable, if we have the wisdom to stand united and if those with deep pockets look in the mirror to reflect on where they will be in just a few years—their bodies cremated with hardly any memory of their existence.

 

 

The writer is a NJ-based community activist working in the telecom industry. 

 

 

(The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of New India Abroad.)

Discover more at New India Abroad.