Virendra Pandit
New Delhi: ‘Don’t worry. Indians are coming’, was the common refrain in the United Kingdom’s health services in the 1970s, when London inducted a large number of doctors from the Commonwealth countries, particularly India, into the National Health Scheme (NHS) to reform and improve its health preparedness.
In the early 21st century, many Americans are saying the same.
President Joe Biden, on Thursday, even said the Indian-Americans are “taking over the country!”
The occasion came when he congratulated the US space agency National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) team responsible for the success of the spaceship Perseverance Rover that landed on Mars earlier this month. He lauded the team at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), and the California Institute of Technology, including Dr. Swati Mohan, the Indian-American aerospace engineer, who was among those who spearheaded the development and the landing system for the rover.
While speaking to Dr. Mohan via a video conference call, the US President said that the Indian-Americans are “taking over the country”. Dr. Mohan thanked Biden for interacting with them. The President said he was honored to interact with the team.
More than 55 highly-accomplished Indian-Americans have been appointed in important places across the Biden administration since he took office as the 46th President on January 20. Never have so many Indian-Americans got this opportunity in the past.
“This is an incredible honor. Indian — of descent — Americans are taking over the country. You (Mohan), my Vice President (Kamala Harris), my speechwriter (Vinay Reddy) I tell you what. But thank you. You guys are incredible,” Biden told Dr. Mohan.
Swati, who skilfully landed the spacecraft, works at the JPL. She is one of the many Indian women scientists, engineers, and missile developers, who are leaving a trail for future generations.
Interestingly, she told Biden that her path to NASA began when, as a child, she watched the first episode of the futuristic popular TV serial Star Trek. She had emigrated from India to the US when she was only a year old.
“In addition to those fantastical scenes of space, what really captured my attention was this really close-knit team which was working together, manipulating this technological marvel with the sole purpose of exploring space and understanding new things and seeking a new life,” Dr. Mohan told Biden.
“Now that tremendous relief has passed for the team of being able to be there safely, all that’s left is the excitement and the thrill of all the scientific discoveries that are yet to come and what Perseverance can actually find — and hopefully find those signs of past life on Mars,’ Mohan said.
Nearly half of the 55-odd Indian-Americans Biden appointed are women and many of them are working in the White House itself.
The Obama-Biden administration (2009-2017) had appointed the largest number of Indian-Americans in any administration. The previous Donald Trump administration had also appointed the first-ever Indian-American with a cabinet rank and inside the National Security Council (NSC).
The trend continues in the Biden administration as well. Last week, Dr. Vivek Murthy testified before a Senate Committee for US Surgeon-General and Vanita Gupta is all set to appear for her confirmation hearing for Associate Attorney-General Department of Justice.
“It is impressive to see how many Indian-Americans were ready to go into public service. There have been so many additions since we launched our Government Leaders list last month on Presidents’ Day. I am so proud to see our community is going from strength to strength!,” eminent Indian-American philanthropist and Indiaspora founder M. Rangaswami said, the media reported.
“We are thrilled that this administration reflects the diversity of America by including an unprecedented number of South Asians. The Biden-Harris administration’s inclusion of South Asians in key senior staff roles will undoubtedly inspire countless South Asians to aspire to public service and run for public office. This is a proud moment for our community,” said Neha Dewan from South Asians for Biden.
