You can call it- The Dallas Indians Club. A vibrant community of Indian immigrants in Texas, mostly from the Mithila belt, shaping their identity while adapting to life in the U.S. In this OneIndia U.S. Special, Pankaj Mishra speaks with Sangita Jha, Deepak Jha and Brajesh Jha about the latest U.S. presidential developments, the citizenship birthright debate, immigration policies and community life in Texas. From festivals and cultural events to professional experiences, get a closer look at how Indians in Texas navigate their American journey.
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NewsTranscript
00:00Hello and welcome to this special broadcast on
00:02One India where we, as earlier,
00:04bring to you new faces,
00:05new families and new identities
00:07to the four
00:10who are living abroad, away from their
00:12motherland, away from their families
00:13possibly
00:16and yet making and carving a niche for
00:18themselves in different parts of the
00:20world.
00:21Today we are joined by three
00:22new faces on this very show
00:24from the United States,
00:25Dallas, if I may say so,
00:27specifically,
00:28welcome to the show,
00:31Sangeeta, Deepak and Brijesh.
00:33As we always have seen
00:34that once Donald Trump
00:35has come into power
00:37back again,
00:40the dimensions, the dynamics
00:41of citizenship, birthright,
00:41immigration,
00:44for that matter, a little bit of
00:46changes here and there too
00:48in the American society
00:49on the whole is something
00:51that is creating headlines
00:52day in and day out.
00:53Let us dive into
00:55how the Indian community sees
00:56these changes,
00:57also how they celebrate
00:58their togetherness there
00:59and we would love to
01:01start from you, Sangeeta.
01:02Tell us about
01:03yourself, your role there,
01:04your job there,
01:05your family and also
01:06how does it feel
01:08to still be rooted
01:09with India
01:10so far, far away from
01:11here?
01:12Sangeeta Jha.
01:15As I said, my name is
01:16Sangeeta Jha.
01:17I am a
01:19citizen of the United States
01:20and I live in the
01:22United States of America.
01:23My name is Sangeeta Jha
01:25and I am currently
01:26residing in Dallas,
01:27Texas,
01:28with a very small
01:29family,
01:29a small family
01:31with my loving husband
01:32and a son
01:33who is doing his
01:34undergraduate here
01:35in finance.
01:36I am quite
01:37very happy here.
01:38Nothing to miss
01:39anything from India
01:40apart from your
01:41parents.
01:42That is the only
01:43thing, that is what I
01:44feel.
01:45That is the root
01:47that gets connected
01:48to you, to India.
01:49Apart from that, I see
01:51that you get everything.
01:52We are so Indianized.
01:53In fact, this is called
01:55Dallas Puram.
01:56We are a whole lot of
01:58Indians here.
01:59We feel like we are in
02:01India here.
02:02In this whole Indian
02:03culture, we all
02:04belong to the
02:05Methil community,
02:06which is a very
02:07small community.
02:08In this big
02:09crowd, we found
02:10our own family
02:11here.
02:12That is our
02:13Methil family.
02:14Since I have
02:15joined this family, I
02:16think two years
02:18back, and it is
02:19growing day by day.
02:20We are connected.
02:22We see each other.
02:23We enjoy all the
02:25festivals and
02:25everything.
02:26I think there is
02:27nothing to, we
02:29don't, definitely
02:30India is our root.
02:31The only thing that is
02:33missing in my life is
02:35just the parents
02:36there, the relatives
02:37out there.
02:38We enjoy.
02:39Yeah, here.
02:40Same here.
02:41I'm sure they would
02:43be very glad and very
02:44proud to see you here
02:46on One India and sharing
02:48your experiences.
02:49We wish that not
02:50only the family
02:52members but also
02:53One India as the
02:54family looks at
02:55all of you,
02:57celebrates your
02:57role and also
02:59loves and learns
03:00from all of you.
03:01Deepak is also there.
03:03Thank you so much for
03:05taking time out.
03:06Generally, when we talk
03:07about Indians residing
03:08in the United States,
03:10there is always a
03:11back story to it.
03:13Some people have been
03:15there for five years,
03:16some maybe 10 or 15 or
03:18maybe 20 years.
03:20How does it feel
03:21specifically in terms of
03:22United States, how easy
03:24or difficult you would
03:25say it is to actually
03:27mingle in there?
03:29First of all, thank you,
03:30Pankaj, for giving me an
03:32opportunity to speak to
03:34your audience.
03:35I think we are part of
03:37what you can define as
03:38Y2K generation.
03:39That's where this
03:40second wave of a
03:42bigger immigration of
03:43Indians started.
03:44I think it started in
03:46the late 90s and maybe
03:47I'm not 100% sure, but
03:50it was the same part of
03:52the first wave of that
03:54wave who came to this
03:55country.
03:56I think if you
03:57the question you ask
03:59how we feel or what is
04:01the general feeling,
04:02when I look back 20 years
04:04ago, this land felt like
04:06a foreign country.
04:07Today, as Sangeeta
04:08said, this feels like
04:09just an extension of our
04:11home country.
04:12Because first of all,
04:14because the communication
04:15barriers have fallen,
04:16we can't communicate
04:17with each other.
04:18We can't have fun.
04:19We are talking to you
04:21across 10 different time
04:22zones.
04:23We can talk to our family
04:25members.
04:26We can talk to anybody in
04:28the world.
04:29In old days, we used to
04:31write letters and maybe
04:32your parents or your
04:33family wouldn't have seen
04:35your face for years.
04:36So that barrier or the
04:38breaking of the barrier
04:39has literally changed
04:40everything.
04:41For example, we all are
04:43geared up to watch India's
04:44match tomorrow.
04:45So you get the TV, you
04:47get the news.
04:48So the life here for us,
04:50I mean, it's comfortable.
04:52Most of us are, you know,
04:54from a group which is
04:55well-educated, well
04:56earning.
04:57So we have worked hard to
04:59create a decent place in
05:01this society.
05:02And I think because of
05:03that hard work, we are
05:05reaping the benefits.
05:06And I mean, you always
05:08miss your motherland.
05:09I mean, I've been living
05:10here for more than 25
05:12years.
05:13That soft corner is
05:14always there.
05:15But as I said, because of
05:17the breaking of technology
05:19barriers, you feel like
05:20you are in India at
05:21times.
05:22You can watch the movie
05:24the day it's released.
05:25And then, you know, you
05:27can watch cricket games.
05:28So I think life, we are
05:30all now become a small
05:32part of the global
05:33village.
05:34So life is good.
05:36Obviously, in any situation
05:37there are pros and cons.
05:39But I think overall, I
05:40think, you know, we are
05:42living in a world where
05:44we are not doing well.
05:46I think, you know, as a
05:48community, we are doing
05:49good.
05:50SAURABH MADAAN
05:51Lovely.
05:52Great to hear that.
05:54Brijeshji, obviously, when
05:55we talk about technology,
05:56as Deepakji mentioned, I
05:58think you are in the land
06:00of innovation.
06:01It all starts from there.
06:03I think only yesterday the
06:05news came that Skype would
06:06be taking its last breath
06:08and Microsoft is now
06:09shifting on Teams.
06:11Now, obviously, these are
06:12the things that we started
06:14knowing when we were in
06:15our formative years.
06:16You guys must have seen
06:18it, used it first-hand.
06:19Also, Skype for this
06:21generation is, I think,
06:22it's prehistoric.
06:23So those changes that you
06:25see, that connect, as
06:26Deepakji also mentioned,
06:27that now you don't feel
06:29that kind of disconnection,
06:30if I may say so, at
06:32least virtually, to see
06:33each other.
06:34When it comes to an
06:36Indian living in a
06:37country like United
06:38States of America,
06:39which is a
06:40culturally very different,
06:41how do you assimilate
06:42those changes?
06:43How is the Indian
06:45community known to be
06:46assimilating those
06:47changes?
06:48Do you add your own
06:49tadka there or do you
06:51accept it on the whole?
06:53How does it work there?
06:55Thank you, Rajivji, and
06:56thank you for the
06:57opportunity to speak to
06:59your audience today.
07:00Like, Pankaj, you
07:01just very rightly
07:02described the
07:03challenges that we are
07:04facing in India.
07:05I think it's
07:06important for us to
07:08understand that
07:09innovation has
07:10happened over the
07:11last three decades.
07:12Some of it Deepakji
07:13touched upon and
07:14Sangeetaji touched
07:15upon as well.
07:16I belong to the
07:18generation that was
07:19forced to write
07:20letters when I first
07:21came to US.
07:23There were times when I
07:24had to describe what an
07:26Indian means, because,
07:27as you understand, the
07:28notion of Indian
07:29Americans is
07:30something that we
07:31take for granted.
07:32We
07:33don't have a
07:34culture, we
07:35don't have a
07:36culture.
07:37And so,
07:38the notion of
07:39Indian
07:40Americans is
07:41something that we
07:42take for granted
07:43nowadays, but back in
07:44those mid-90s, it was
07:46not very common,
07:47particularly if you
07:48were in some, let's
07:50say, a rural place in
07:51traditional America.
07:52The beauty of this
07:53country is that, as we
07:55have seen, the pace of
07:57innovation, back from
07:58the days when even
07:59before Skype, there
08:00was AOL, and we
08:01first began using
08:03AOL to make phone
08:04calls and to talk to
08:05families back in
08:06India, and then we
08:08saw the whole
08:09internet revolution
08:10followed by the
08:11mobile revolution, and
08:12then the cloud
08:13revolution, and right
08:14now it's all about
08:16AI.
08:17Throughout all of
08:18this, what has been
08:19consistent is that
08:20communities like the
08:22Indian American
08:22communities, which
08:23are very focused on
08:25learning, something
08:25that is very
08:27unique about
08:28this
08:29diaspora, is
08:30that most
08:31people who came
08:32from India,
08:33they were
08:34looking for
08:35opportunities to do
08:36something beyond what
08:37was possible in
08:38India.
08:39At least in my case,
08:40there were no
08:41start-ups in early
08:4290s.
08:43If I wanted to go and
08:45create a software
08:46product company, there
08:48were very few
08:49opportunities, and
08:49this was a case with
08:51many of us, whereas
08:52in the US at that
08:54time, you had all
08:55sorts of, the dot
08:57com era had just
08:58begun, you had the
09:00philosophies, you
09:01had the ideas, you
09:02had the
09:03phenomenal
09:05growth of
09:06start-ups, and
09:07part of them
09:08were fueled by the
09:09creative energy of
09:10people coming from
09:11all over the world, and
09:13Indians in particular
09:14played a very
09:15important role in
09:16that.
09:17And what has
09:18happened over the
09:19years, the
09:20assimilation of the
09:21Indian values, which
09:22are all about hard
09:23work, passion for
09:24learning, respect for
09:25excellence, these are
09:26core values that we
09:28came with when we
09:29came to the US.
09:30And those values have
09:32served us well, and
09:33they have served
09:34corporate America
09:35really well, and the
09:36greater society really
09:37well, in the sense
09:39that nowadays, the
09:40kind of respect that
09:41we get for our
09:42festivals, Diwali and
09:43Holi are celebrated in
09:45mass.
09:46You don't even have to
09:47describe what is Holi
09:49and what is Diwali.
09:50These are things that
09:51are...
09:53There are leaves also,
09:54there are holidays
09:55also, I hear.
09:56Absolutely.
09:57In our local school
09:59district, children get
10:00those holidays and
10:01celebrate it in the
10:02White House.
10:03I mean, it's
10:04phenomenal how far we
10:06have come.
10:07But at the core of it,
10:08there is always this
10:10very clear understanding
10:11that this is the land of
10:13opportunity where we
10:14have seen our
10:15capabilities take their
10:16true shape, and the
10:17values that we brought
10:19with us from our
10:20motherland, those values
10:21have stayed with us
10:22for a very long time.
10:24And I think that's
10:25something that we have
10:26learned over the years.
10:28Those values have stayed
10:29with us and have enriched
10:31us.
10:32We have been able to give
10:34back to the society over
10:35here, and at the same
10:37time, we have imbibed a
10:38lot of the goodness that
10:40America represents, the
10:41kind of community service
10:42that people do over here,
10:44the kind of respect for
10:45institutions that exist
10:47over here.
10:48A lot of those are the
10:50things that we have also
10:51picked in return.
10:52So it has been a phenomenal
10:54journey for most Indian
10:55people to come to the
10:57BFW Mithila Society,
10:58definitely coming and
10:59finding its root possibly
11:00in Bihar, the Mithila
11:02Samaj, often referred to
11:03the Raja Janak, as
11:04referred to Sita's father
11:05and her clan, and then
11:07the rest of them are the
11:08lineage that we see
11:10today.
11:11Sangeeta ji, you are a
11:12homemaker, you have spent
11:13a lot of time there in
11:15the United States, and
11:16when you often see
11:18children at home,
11:19what do you do?
11:20What do you do with
11:21your time?
11:23What do you do with
11:24your time?
11:54What do you do with your
11:56time?
11:57What do you do with your
11:58time?
11:59What do you do with your
12:01time?
12:02What do you do with your
12:03time?
12:04What do you do with your
12:05time?
12:06What do you do with your
12:08time?
12:09What do you do with your
12:10time?
12:11What do you do with your
12:13time?
12:14What do you do with your
12:15time?
12:16What do you do with your
12:18time?
12:19What do you do with your
12:20time?
12:21What do you do with your
12:23time?
12:24What do you do with your
12:25time?
12:26What do you do with your
12:28time?
12:29What do you do with your
12:30time?
12:31What do you do with your
12:33time?
12:34What do you do with your
12:35time?
12:36What do you do with your
12:38time?
12:39What do you do with your
12:40time?
12:41What do you do with your
12:43time?
12:44What do you do with your
12:45time?
12:46What do you do with your
12:48time?
12:49What do you do with your
12:50time?
12:51What do you do with your
12:53time?
12:54What do you do with your
12:55time?
12:56What do you do with your
12:58time?
12:59What do you do with your
13:01time?
13:02People who are living or
13:04studying in schools,
13:05Americans, Mexicans, he has
13:06to make a career with them.
13:08He has to find a future for
13:10himself and get a job.
13:11Like how our children have
13:13been...
13:14Vijay Ashok spoke earlier
13:15where he said we bring all
13:17this hardship,
13:18we are working hard, this
13:20is quality in us.
13:21they are very good, hardworking, but sometimes staying in this diversity, they bring that leadership quality also in them.
13:29Absolutely.
13:30So, it is very important that we start from home.
13:35That is why we have made this Mithila Samaj, wherein we teach our children.
13:42Because they attend there a lot, we know what we are doing.
13:47Staying in this Samaj, we tell them that this is your outer world, but this is also our culture.
13:54So, exposure is very important.
13:56And that is, I think, the parents here, everyone are doing a great job by forming this community.
14:02Indian as well as our Mithila community, wherein they are learning so many things from the school, as well as our culture also.
14:09They have a perfect mixture, I feel.
14:11Right.
14:12So, it's very nice and we are proud of our kids here.
14:16They do well, yeah.
14:17Absolutely, absolutely.
14:18And the parents are doing great doing that, yeah.
14:20I think much of the credit goes to the parents, definitely.
14:23You are absolutely right, Sangeeta ji.
14:25Because when it comes to the best of both the worlds, I feel that no parent would want to actually deprive their kids of the essence of both the cultures.
14:36Deepak ji, after spending 20 years in America, I feel that there have been many thousands of TV series and films in which there is always a Kumar in the American society.
14:49Which, you know, brings an Indian-ness.
14:52Whether you talk to The Simpsons or Big Bang Theory, and then if you see in Rabi's films.
14:58Indian society on the whole, if we look at it, do you feel that the acceptability has increased in the American society?
15:13Again, if I look at my journey, then the acceptability has increased because our population has increased.
15:24Okay.
15:25If you look at it in the Indian context, if you look at it in Delhi, in Noida itself.
15:3330-35 years ago, when I was growing up in Delhi, there was no talk of Chhatt.
15:44And today, if you go to Delhi during Chhatt, it seems that the whole of Delhi is celebrating.
15:50Everyone is ready to dive into the Yamuna.
15:52So the number itself has an impact.
15:57And second, as Mr. Brijesh and Ms. Sangeeta said.
16:01And when that number remains as a model citizen, then people see it and try to learn something from it.
16:10Because people say that where there are people from the Indian community, the schools play well there.
16:16And generally we are law-abiding too.
16:18So in a way, we are also a model citizen to some extent.
16:21Our children are also well-behaved.
16:23So because of all those attributes and also because of the number.
16:28Because of the mixture of both, your acceptability and people see you from a positive perspective.
16:35In fact, I would say that maybe there was a congressman from Georgia.
16:40So he praised the Indian community.
16:45When I go to the doctor's office, I see Indians.
16:47When I talk about technology, I see Indians.
16:51So generally, because of that positivity, people understand our value.
16:59And look, there are good and bad people in any society.
17:02So if someone says something, tell him that a very large group of the American society does not accept it.
17:10I would say that I have never had such an experience that they tell me that there is no acceptability here.
17:20So it is a very good place for us.
17:23Our acceptability is also very good.
17:25Very good.
17:26Very good, Deepak ji.
17:28Absolutely.
17:29Absolutely, Deepak ji.
17:30Brijesh ji is also there with us.
17:32So Brijesh ji, there was a lot of talk about immigration in the United States.
17:39There was a lot of talk about birthright immigration in the Indian community.
17:43However, there are two different things.
17:45We would like to know from you one by one that how far are the two immigration issues going there?
17:49Especially in the Indian community, in the Indian workforce, there are many such companies that employ Indians.
17:56What kind of changes can come in them?
17:58And secondly, how have people responded to the trend of birthright citizenship that has been going on for decades?
18:11So, what I will share with you in this regard is my own opinion, which I have observed myself in society.
18:22See, as we were talking earlier, the time we came here and over the years, in multiple decades,
18:32now that I have taken citizenship, it has been almost 25 years.
18:37So what we have seen is that people came from different levels.
18:44In the beginning, people used to come for higher education and after higher education, they used to go to the corporate world or academics.
18:51And their focus was always on how to deploy their learning.
18:59And then in the course of that, immigration and permanent residency and then eventual citizenship,
19:06all these things used to become logical.
19:09Like in our case, we never even thought about it.
19:12Now once you come, your roots become stronger.
19:17Children assimilate in local society.
19:20You yourself start assimilating in society.
19:23Then there comes a point when you feel like going back or staying here.
19:28And eventually you say that there is not much difference between India and the US
19:35that such a big transition should be made to children and families.
19:39Then eventually it happens that you start seeing yourself as a global citizen.
19:43And then you are physically here, mentally you are there.
19:48Sometimes you are traveling, sometimes because of work, sometimes because of personal reasons.
19:51So eventually what happened is that this area,
19:54which used to make a huge difference between India and the US 30 years ago,
19:58has now been completely erased.
20:01Both culturally and distance wise and in many other ways.
20:05Now as far as what you were saying,
20:08about the immigration changes and the upcoming changes.
20:13So if you see, people who have come at different times,
20:18everyone has their own personal priority.
20:23People think about their life in their own way.
20:26Now those who have become citizens a long time ago,
20:29these changes will not make much difference to them.
20:33People who are in this process,
20:36who are in a very good corporate world,
20:39but they are not able to get a permanent residency
20:41because legal immigration is so much in the backlog.
20:44For them, they are excited that maybe there will be legal immigration reforms
20:50and their backlog will be sorted out
20:53and then they will be able to live here properly like permanent residents.
20:58And the third wave is those who have recently come,
21:02who have come in the last few years
21:04and they are suddenly having to see all these things.
21:08So their reaction is completely different
21:10because they are at that stage of their life
21:12when their family is just about to be formed,
21:16children are coming,
21:18they have a different type of thinking in their mind
21:23that it is going to be a turning point for them.
21:27That children should be raised here,
21:30immigration is not known here,
21:32maybe we should go back.
21:34So every generation is interpreting it in their own way.
21:38But there is a common theme and that is
21:41that Indians are big believers in law and in legal immigration.
21:47And as much as legal immigration will be reformed,
21:50the Indian-American community will always be with it
21:53and that has been common in the case of every generation.
21:57I would say a very important message coming from Dallas,
22:03Indian-American families
22:07that how they see themselves as part of the community
22:12and also they are with the changes that are being brought
22:16in the U.S. set up there.
22:19Thank you very much for being with us, Mr. Brijesh.
22:21Ms. Sangeeta, Mr. Brijesh used a word,
22:24I would like to pick up that word,
22:26Kim Kartavya Bimur, what to do, what not to do,
22:29the state of indecision.
22:31Do you think the children of this generation
22:34know this word in America?
22:36No, not at all.
22:40I feel that what to do, what not to do,
22:46this confusion,
22:48I think it has been with our generation,
22:53what to do, what not to do.
22:55Nowadays, when we see our children
22:57and my friends around,
22:59being Mithila, non-Mithila, anyone,
23:02their children are pretty clear
23:04what they want in the future.
23:07They are pretty clear in their decision.
23:09So, that Kim Kartavya Bimur thing that Mr. Brijesh said,
23:13I feel that it will end with our generation.
23:16We are still in that stage, in the dilemma,
23:19that we have got citizenship,
23:21we have settled here,
23:22but I am going to go to India to spend my old age.
23:25I will live there comfortably.
23:27I will get that comfort.
23:29The children have settled here.
23:30So, we are still in the dilemma.
23:32We are not going because
23:34our children have a great desire.
23:37So, we don't want to go away from our children.
23:39But still, that decision,
23:40we are still living here after so many years.
23:43We think, what are we doing right?
23:45We will retire and go there.
23:47The children have settled.
23:48But our children are pretty clear, you know,
23:50that we are here.
23:51So, the word Kim Kartavya Bimur,
23:53sorry, the pronunciation might have been wrong.
23:55It's not with them.
23:56It's with us only, I think.
23:58Wow!
23:59Such a beautiful way to put it into context here, Sangeeta ji.
24:03And Deepak ji, I can't stop marveling
24:05from the fact that,
24:06where does this originate from?
24:08Is it from the stability of the American society,
24:11is it from the ocean with the Indians,
24:14and vice versa?
24:15Or is it the Indians,
24:17the metal of the Indian-Americans,
24:20of their parenthood,
24:22that gives the children all those facilities
24:25and those options,
24:26which is an era of indecision,
24:28which is very right, Sangeeta ji.
24:30Maybe it will end in our generation.
24:32I think it couldn't have been put in a better context than this.
24:36Deepak ji, talking about, once again,
24:39the changes that are coming in the American society,
24:42how does it feel, I mean,
24:44to be a part of a society often referred to as
24:47the most powerful nation on the world?
24:51We saw Zelensky at Donald Trump's doorstep.
24:54That was something that Donald Trump handled him,
24:57you know, presidential or not,
24:59remains to be seen.
25:00But yes, he took a stand.
25:02How does it feel,
25:03the political scenarios there are also different,
25:06the elections are also different,
25:07the fallout is also different.
25:09Do you ever try to match it with the Indian context?
25:13I think now America's politics
25:16is learning something from India's politics.
25:20See,
25:23any society,
25:26swings like a pendulum.
25:28Sometimes it swings more to the left,
25:30sometimes it swings more to the right.
25:32So I think now,
25:34for many years,
25:36the left swing was a little more.
25:38To balance that,
25:40maybe we have become a little more right.
25:42So with time,
25:44as they say, grass is always greener on the other side.
25:47So when people turn left,
25:49they try to come to the right.
25:51So now,
25:53we are definitely on the right.
25:55And what happened between
25:57President Trump and President Zelensky,
25:59was definitely unprecedented.
26:01But I think somewhere,
26:03President Trump,
26:05which has been
26:07the society here for the last 20-25 years,
26:09was feeling a little leftward pressure.
26:12There is a way to relieve it.
26:14And he was elected on the same issue.
26:19He talked about immigration.
26:21He said,
26:22MAGA, Make America Great Again.
26:24And in his view,
26:26Make America Great Again,
26:28which is to keep everything
26:30in an assertive way,
26:32is his view.
26:34So this is probably a result of that.
26:36And as far as
26:38how we take it in the Indian context,
26:40over time,
26:42if you see,
26:44Indians used to be mostly democratic.
26:46Now they are also becoming Republican.
26:48In fact,
26:50there is a mix.
26:52Because,
26:54as I said,
26:56many people in our society
26:58are high earners,
27:00well-educated.
27:02And we have come from
27:04that environment
27:06where we say,
27:08Give us a platform.
27:10We will work hard.
27:12We don't want anything else.
27:14We want equal opportunity.
27:16So people have moved from that idea
27:18to the Republican side.
27:20So Indians,
27:22I think,
27:24are on both sides.
27:26Some believe in Democratic values.
27:28Some believe in Republican values,
27:30especially on the economic side.
27:32And I think,
27:34again,
27:36I am talking about those Indians
27:38who have been here for a long time.
27:40They are neutral.
27:42Neutral means they have their own background.
27:44Some can be Democratic.
27:46Some can be Republican.
27:48Immigration is a big topic
27:50for the new people
27:52who have come in the last 5-10 years.
27:54So there is a lot of confusion
27:56about Trump in that.
27:58Because President Trump
28:00has not given any uncertainty
28:02or clarity.
28:04Maybe we Indians are waiting
28:06for that clarity.
28:08Because, as Mr. Brijesh said,
28:10we are supporters of legal immigration.
28:12Tell us how to do it.
28:14We will do it.
28:16There is clarity definitely.
28:18Not just for Indian Americans,
28:20but for all Americans.
28:22Decisions are being made very quickly.
28:24Policy changes are being made
28:26very quickly.
28:28Like other communities,
28:30we are also impacted.
28:32We are also seeing what will happen next.
28:34Absolutely.
28:36A while ago,
28:38Mr. Brijesh, Mr. Deepak,
28:40Mr. Sangeeta,
28:42I was talking about the immigration
28:44that came from Lautoni.
28:46Bhavya Chaudhary Jha is her name.
28:48She mentioned that
28:50it varies
28:52in intensity also.
28:54It's not like
28:56it's a common brush of stroke.
28:58But,
29:00as far as the Indian community is concerned,
29:02Mr. Brijesh,
29:04I think, as you said,
29:06that's why this conversation is very important.
29:08Not just to know about
29:10how the festivals are being celebrated,
29:12but how do you see these changes?
29:14How are you making some
29:16required changes here and there
29:18in order to stay on the right side
29:20of the things there?
29:22Mr. Brijesh,
29:24one thing that came to my mind
29:26when I asked Bhavya Chaudhary Jha
29:28was the concept of Donald Trump's
29:30gold card visa.
29:32Although, many Indians
29:34believe that
29:36when he was in reach
29:38in the form of EB-5,
29:40which has been mentioned,
29:42from $800,000
29:44to
29:46$1.05 million.
29:48What do you think
29:50about the rich
29:52Americans? Mr. Deepak also talked about
29:54how there is a tilt
29:56between Republicans and Democrats.
29:58If you look at it to a large extent,
30:00the donations that used to go from the Indian-American community
30:02can also be seen as a tilt
30:04towards the political parties.
30:06What do you think about the rich Indian community
30:08if they are
30:10supporters of the gold card visa?
30:12Or were they benefiting more
30:14from the previous EB-5, EB-2, EB-3
30:16versions?
30:18Have you heard anything like this before?
30:20Specifically,
30:22we haven't talked about this.
30:24But, it is very
30:26certain that
30:28a large portion of the Indian-American
30:30community is in the tech industry.
30:32And in the tech industry,
30:34there has been a big problem
30:36with the shortage of
30:38qualified labor.
30:40And that is one reason
30:42that a lot of Indian-Americans
30:44are highly specialized.
30:46And their skills
30:48are needed by the tech companies.
30:50And the official
30:52legal mechanism
30:54that they followed
30:56to get that job.
30:58Now, as far as the gold card
31:00is concerned,
31:02this has
31:04less to do with
31:06filling a labor skills shortage.
31:08This is more about
31:10attracting
31:12well-to-do, wealthier
31:14kind of immigrants.
31:16And this is a political decision.
31:18What can we say about this?
31:20Whatever it is, it will be well thought out.
31:22But, it is so certain that
31:24the Indian-American community
31:26they are always about
31:28enriching the society.
31:30Enriching with their knowledge,
31:32with their commitment, with their hard work.
31:34And in that sense, any legal
31:36reform that improves
31:38the state of the society and
31:40fuels innovation,
31:42they will always support it.
31:44And if this gold card,
31:46if it is one mechanism
31:48to bring in potential entrepreneurs
31:50who bring in fresh funds
31:52and trigger new jobs
31:54to be created in American society,
31:56then people will definitely support it.
31:58Because that, again, will be in line
32:00with the traditional philosophy that Indians have
32:02stood for.
32:04Absolutely.
32:06Mr. Rajesh, Mr. Deepak,
32:08Mr. Sangeeta, I think
32:10this discussion should continue
32:12on different portals,
32:14on different levels.
32:16Because it is very important to know
32:18that if such big changes happen,
32:20how does it impact
32:22and how do we
32:24accept it in a good way?
32:26Mr. Sangeeta,
32:28I know that Mr. Deepak
32:30has been there
32:32for more than two and a half decades
32:34in the United States.
32:36You are a homemaker
32:38and there are many such things.
32:40One is the spousal work
32:42concept
32:44with H-1B
32:46and other types of visas.
32:48But let's talk about the visa later.
32:50First, tell us
32:52to raise kids there
32:54and
32:56to have your own
32:58small little world there
33:00maybe if
33:02the other members are at work
33:04or maybe busy working from home
33:06in one part
33:08of the house.
33:10How is your day?
33:12How does your day go about it?
33:14And how do your friends
33:16interact?
33:20I feel that
33:22everyone has to
33:24go to the office.
33:26Even my husband used to go to the office.
33:28But since the COVID had set in,
33:30they say that a lion
33:32needs to know the taste of blood.
33:34Similarly, the remote working
33:36that has happened,
33:38people are expecting everything to be remote.
33:40Except for an IT,
33:42everyone else is on
33:44the field, on site.
33:46And people in IT
33:48still want to be remote
33:50for their convenience and everything.
33:52You are asking me as a homemaker
33:54how did my task grow?
33:56How did my work grow?
33:58Because my husband
34:00is all the way...
34:02And again, it's a personal thing.
34:04It's from family to family.
34:06How cooperative your husband
34:08or you to each other as a spouse.
34:12And how much space you are giving to each other.
34:16I don't think so that has
34:18really changed me.
34:20My own freedom, my space
34:22and my friend circles
34:24have their own time.
34:26In fact, it's not that
34:28I am a homemaker.
34:30I am a homemaker as well as a home coordinator.
34:32Because I give that office
34:34space to my husband
34:36and that is the reason he is doing so well.
34:38Giving his 100%
34:40to his office.
34:42I have built a nice office for him in the home.
34:46Apart from that, I give him mental peace also.
34:48Because of that,
34:50he is performing well.
34:52So the home has now become more
34:54than an office.
34:56But it doesn't stop me from doing something.
34:58I do what I used to do
35:00when he was in the office.
35:02I still do the same.
35:04But this is all like personal spouse to spouse.
35:06Nowadays, everyone wants freedom.
35:08You are you.
35:10Your spouse is spouse. Your child is child.
35:12You will do what you do.
35:14We are staying here in the United States.
35:16So everyone wants
35:18to have that freedom.
35:20I make it a point that I have my freedom.
35:22I give it to my husband as well as my children.
35:26I believe in that and we have that harmony
35:28among ourselves.
35:30So it doesn't make any difference.
35:32I would say, this panel is definitely
35:343 is to 1, male versus female.
35:36But I will tell you that
35:38your turban is the heaviest.
35:40Because the role you play
35:42across the globe, I would say.
35:44I was asked,
35:46if you want to hire someone
35:48for LinkedIn interview,
35:50anyone,
35:52from society, family, friends,
35:54anywhere across the world,
35:56I chose my mother
35:58because the way you
36:00manage and
36:02you are a home coordinator,
36:04I respect that.
36:06As time goes by,
36:08children grow up,
36:10family extension happens,
36:12society develops.
36:14For this cohesive society to exist,
36:16obviously there must be intermingling
36:18across the 50 states of the United States,
36:20across the different cultures.
36:22When it comes to children's marriage,
36:24do you
36:26intermingle there?
36:30Is the society there
36:32that
36:34if you want to find a boy or a girl
36:36for marriage, you meet there?
36:38I feel
36:40that
36:42that thing
36:44is changing everywhere.
36:46I will ask you a counter question.
36:48Do you feel that
36:50children in India
36:52who are growing up,
36:54say around 2000,
36:5625-30 year old children,
36:58do they marry
37:00in the same way
37:02as you or I did
37:04in the previous generation?
37:06This generational change is happening everywhere.
37:08Secondly,
37:10the upbringing here
37:12is such that
37:14we think
37:16about our children's
37:18decisions,
37:20we train them,
37:22we give them exposure to everything,
37:24we teach them our culture.
37:26Marriage is a decision
37:28that any person
37:30wants to make.
37:32If he gets a match,
37:34will he do it?
37:36If you ask
37:38as a parent, will I force him?
37:40Never. Because the environment
37:42in which we were born,
37:44is different.
37:46And we have to
37:48give them
37:50freedom according to their thinking.
37:52Because you don't want to
37:54impose a decision on them
37:56and something goes wrong in the future,
37:58so they keep blaming you.
38:00We have to agree
38:02that every environment is different
38:04and it gives birth to different
38:06ways of thinking.
38:08For me, it may be necessary
38:10to get up in the morning and read shlokas.
38:12It is not necessary for my child.
38:14He may do his work twice a day
38:16or he may have a different thinking.
38:18As a parent,
38:20our job is to give them exposure
38:22and to give them
38:24an idea about everything.
38:26The difference between today's generation
38:28and our generation is that
38:30in the olden days,
38:32we used to read shlokas without
38:34understanding the meaning.
38:36Today's children may be ready to read shlokas.
38:38They want to know logically
38:40why they are doing it.
38:42The same thing applies to marriage.
38:44You give them a choice.
38:46They see their compatibility.
38:48Even Indian children see it.
38:50Because the environment
38:52in which you live,
38:54you want a life partner
38:56who is connected to your thinking.
38:58In the olden days,
39:00marriages were of families
39:02and not of people.
39:04Today, it is a matter of individuals.
39:06They see their match.
39:08If your community matches
39:10with an Indian,
39:12it is great.
39:14At the end of the day,
39:16it is their life.
39:18They take our input
39:20and we give our input.
39:22I think that era has changed everywhere.
39:24I have given my word
39:26that the society has changed.
39:28It is the same here.
39:30Absolutely.
39:32This is a very important part
39:34of society and upbringing.
39:36You are absolutely right, Deepakji.
39:38I have two main objections to this question.
39:40The first one is that
39:42Indian society is very cautious.
39:44To our Indian viewers
39:46who are watching it from India
39:48and to those who are watching it
39:50from beyond the borders of India
39:52from any part of the world,
39:54there is a lot of anxiety
39:56and curiosity.
39:58How do things work out there?
40:00Many of them are aspiring to go.
40:02Many of them want to see
40:04that part of the world,
40:06long-term, short-term, whatever it is.
40:08Many of them are
40:10fence-sitters
40:12whether to take a decision or not.
40:14What to do?
40:16Like you said, Brijeshji.
40:18I have one final question
40:20for you, Brijeshji.
40:22It is seen that
40:24when two societies
40:26merge somewhere
40:28with their interests,
40:30as a member
40:32of the Indian community
40:34and the United States
40:36has community members
40:38from all parts of the world,
40:40you name it and they have it.
40:42In that immigrant community,
40:44in that non-American community,
40:46the identity of the Indian community
40:48is completely
40:50because of its
40:52positive attributes.
40:54Other than that,
40:56if I genuinely want to know
40:58your personal view,
41:00when you meet your friends in the evening,
41:02what is the demand of the Indian community?
41:04Or recently,
41:06what do you think the Indian community
41:08in Dallas or across the state
41:10wants to say to the government
41:12that something like this should happen?
41:14I think
41:16what we were saying earlier,
41:18the biggest hassle
41:20in front of the Indian community
41:22if we meet our friends in the evening,
41:24there are a lot of friends
41:26who are stuck
41:28due to the legal immigration backlog.
41:30So, the amount of reform
41:32of legal immigration
41:34and the amount of facilities
41:36those who have come here
41:38and have done Masters with a lot of hard work
41:40and their future becomes very uncertain
41:42if they do not get a corporate job.
41:44So,
41:46if the problem of such people
41:48is solved,
41:50so that there is a pathway
41:52for highly qualified students
41:54who get stuck in the same category
41:56just because
41:58they happen to be born in India.
42:00So, if there is a reform
42:02in that system,
42:04then the Indian-American community
42:06will be very supportive of that
42:08because that is something that hurts the community
42:10today and it is painful
42:12for me
42:14In any given week,
42:16I get at least 7-10
42:18WhatsApp messages from friends
42:20saying that my son has done his Masters
42:22for that,
42:24look for an internship
42:26or his visa will expire,
42:28get him a permanent job
42:30and we feel handicapped
42:32that how many will be able to do it.
42:34So, this is because
42:36over the years,
42:38legal immigration reform has not happened
42:40to the extent that it should have
42:42but the signals that are there
42:44are very positive signals.
42:46So, we are all very optimistic
42:48that this problem will be solved
42:50as soon as
42:52some of the other things are also being addressed
42:54like legal immigration and all of that.
42:56Thank you very much, Sangeeta ji.
42:58Thank you so much, Deepak ji.
43:00Can't thank all of you enough
43:02for taking time out this Saturday evening
43:04and speaking to One India.