A Real American HeroProfile of Louisiana\'s Governor-Elect: Bobby Jindal \'91.5

Indian-Americans represent less than one percent of the American population. Despite this statistic, however, we have accomplished many honorable feats in a short amount of time. According to the “American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin,” there are close to 41,000 Indian-American doctors. Furthermore, the 2000 census indicated that approximately 64 percent of Indian-Americans attained a bachelors degree or higher, compared to 28 percent nationally. Lastly, “The Indian American Centre for Political Awareness” asserts that almost 40% of all Indians have a masters, doctorate or other professional degree; this happens to be five times the national average. Yet, despite this obvious display of initiative and ability, Indian-Americans have not been major players in the American political arena. This is why Piyush ‘Bobby’ Jindal’s election to the Louisiana State Governor’s Office is extremely significant. Not only is Governor Jindal the first ever Indian-American governor, he represents a revolutionary political breakthrough for Indian, South-Asian, and Asian-Americans. Rhe fact that Jindal was elected in Louisiana (a state that has not elected a non-white governor since the Reconstruction Era) and not in generally blue “progressive” states like Massachusetts, Rhode Island, or New York , is further proof that the American political arena is truly changing to accommodate our increasingly diverse nation. Jindal’s election to the governor’s office is important to me because it shows two important facts: Brown University can produce respectable Republicans despite its overwhelmingly liberal atmosphere, and Indian-Americans are penetrating all levels of the American social hierarchy.

I suppose it would be fruitful to provide a miniature biography of Piyush ‘Bobby’ Jindal. Jindal is a Louisiana native; he was born in Baton Rouge on June 10th, 1971, to Indian immigrants. Although his legal First name is ‘Piyush’ (Pee-Yoush), Jindal adopted the name ‘Bobby’ after watching the Brady Bunch on television, and has been known by that nickname ever since. Jindal graduated from Brown University in the fall semester of 1991, and entered Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar. Ironically, Bobby Jindal started his political career (after hold-
ing various public service positions in Louisiana’s health and education departments) by running for governor in 2003. After a close loss, Jindal ran for a representative position in Louisiana’s 1st Congressional District. Jindal won this election, and was appointed to the House Committee
on Homeland Security, the House Committee on Resources, and the House Committee on Education and the Workforce. Jindal served as a Republican representative for four years, and then ran for Governor of Louisiana once more in 2007. With that said, let us analyze why Jindal’s graduation from Brown is important. Needless to say, Brown University is a valuable place to seek an education; after all, if you are reading this, you have probably realized that fact at some point during your college-searching days. Yet despite the variety which exists in Brown’s academic curriculum, and the various academic departments at Brown, there exists little diversity in the politics of Brown students. Unless you count the differences between the far left, semi-far left, and the moderate left, Brown is almost uniform with regards to the leftist leanings of the student body.

Although intellectual diversity obviously exists, it is still surprising to me that such a liberal environment produced a strong, staunch Republican in Bobby Jindal. Jindal is “100% against abortion, no exceptions”, and fiercely opposes embryonic stem-cell research. Like any true Republican, Jindal is pro-gun; a fact echoed by his ‘A’ rating from the Gun Owners of America. Jindal is also an enthusiastic supporter of the war in Iraq, and painted his fingertips purple after Iraqis held elections during 2005. Such conservatism would definitely be decried on campus; I wonder how Jindal felt during his days as a student? Was Brown as “blue” back then as it is now? Such questions reverberate in my head as I contemplate the fact that Jindal’s conviction and conservatism accompanied a Brown degree. Jindal’s status as a Brown alumnus not only benefits him, but benefits Brown as well; American citizens nationwide can witness that Brown really is not 100 percent infested with liberal, crazy, war-hating, tax-loving zombies. Sarcasm aside, I really believe that Jindal’s election will benefit Brown in the long-run. My second observation about Jindal’s election to the Louisiana governor’s office is less political and more social: I asserted that this revolutionary event confirmed the penetration of Indian-
Americans into the higher levels of America’s social hierarchy. Although Indian-Americans are certainly no strangers to the world of American professionalism, I have always wondered why they avoided the American political arena. the “brain-drain,” which has existed for quite some time in India, inherently contributes to this lack of political participation. Indians have learned to market their mathematical and scientific skills in order to enter American engineering and medical fields; this has been their ticket to success. Even a good majority of first-generation Indian-Americans have continued to focus in the fields of science and mathematics, hoping to pursue engineering or medical professions.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with those aspirations, especially since the demand for doctors worldwide is rather large. However, I feel as if political participation is something that should be emphasized further amongst the Indian community; after all, it is because of honorable and politically active men like Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru that our mother nation eventually achieved independence from history’s greatest modern empire. Although Indian-Americans should continue to pursue engineering, medical, and ?nance educations (to name a few), I hope that Jindal’s victorious election will entice other Indian-Americans, and other Asian-Americans, at least to consider entering the world of public service.