India Post News Service

NEW YORK: A record participation by members of the Indian American community at the Democratic National Convention (DNC) held Denver Aug 25-28, has taken the community center stage to history in the making in American politics. Observers say the high number of Indian Americans in particular and South Asian Americans in general has charted the community's greatest involvement in American political convention history.

Indian origin Hollywood actor Kal Penn added the glamour quotient to the record number of Indian American delegates and scores of volunteers at the Convention that nominated Sen. Barack Obama to run for President. The actor was the floor manager for the Virginia delegation at the DNC that saw 37 Indian American delegates from across the country and a total of 50 South Asian delegates, making them a visible presence on the convention floor. Besides the elected delegates, there were at least 30 Indian Americans appointed to various convention committees and as alternate delegates, and dozens of special invitees.

The excitement of seeing history in the making was palpable in the tone of the many Indian American delegates and special guests at the DNC who spoke to India Post from Denver. "It's double the number of Indian American delegates from 2004," informed S.R. Sidarth, press secretary for the DNC's South Asian media outreach. "Each (election) year the DNC is becoming more and more diverse and our community is becoming more and more politically active." Sidarth said there were "a lot of brown faces, which you wouldn't have seen in the '80s" at political conventions.

"The enthusiasm and excitement levels this time are something not seen in a generation. People are really hungry for a change in the direction of this country, and the Obama-Biden ticket can make that happen." "This convention has one of the largest South Asian delegate participation," Kris Kolluri, Transportation Commissioner in the New Jersey government, told India Post from Denver. "I will tell you, the potential Obama Presidency is probably the single most exciting thing that is happening to America over the last eight years. You have a Presidential candidate who is ready to bring back hope and the optimism that Americans are used to.

With Sen. Joe Biden as Vice President, they will bring back hope and optimism that Americans are well known for." "It's been a fantastic experience to be part of this historic process," said New Jersey Assemblyman Upendra Chivukula, a fourth-time delegate at the DNC. "This year has been particularly exciting because of Sen. Obama, and also because of the huge participation from the Indian American community."

 Chivukula said that unlike earlier conventions where one saw the familiar faces, there were lots of new people this time, which shows how politically active the community has become to have so many selected and elected as delegates. "This has been really, really exciting," said New Jersey businessman and veteran Democrat Prakash Shah, who is a fifth-time delegate at the DNC, speaking to India Post from Denver. "Every convention is an electrifying experience, but this time, it feels like we are making history."

"In a nation where prejudices against minorities run deep, to have a Black American nominated and the likelihood of his being elected President is a huge thing. It makes a statement to the entire world," added Shah. What has been most significant for the Indian American community was an event organized by the Indian American Leadership Initiative (IALI) on the sidelines of the DNC in downtown Denver that -- despite being one of the several hundred events and parties held on the convention sidelines -- attracted close to 600 people including governors, senators, congressmen and a host of other ordinary Americans underscoring the importance of the community in mainstream politics. Kolluri, who was one of the many Indian American elected officials who were honored at the IALI event said, "IALI has changed a paradigm for Indian Americans.

We have been known to be meaningful contributors to American society for as long as they have been in the country. But today, with IALI, we have become meaningful participants in the democratic process -- the single most important dedicated organization to Indian American activism in the political process. It was phenomenal to see over 600 people show up throughout the course of 3-4 hours to show their support.

It was so reassuring to see that." IALI founder Jay Chaudhuri said the decision to organize the event followed the witnessing of a record number of Indian Americans getting involved in the Democratic Party, a record number of Indian American delegates at the DNC and a record number of Indian American elected officials across the country. "It was important that the reception bring together individuals who are involved in fundraisers, political operatives and policy advisors," Chaudhuri told India Post. "It's really an accelerated increase of Indian American presence in the electoral process from 2004-2008." Chaudhuri feels that from the immigration perspective, one does see much more of a full maturity of the community to be participating in the political process in the country. "Secondly, we are also seeing an excitement with the Obama ticket, because the Obama story is the Indian American story.

A lot of Indian Americans identify with his story, and that reflects in the number of Indian Americans present in Denver today." Chaudhuri said there was a lot of excitement among delegates to be part of this history making process. We are seeing a lot of first time Indian American delegates, a lot of young Indian American delegates."

Also commenting on the participation of young Indian Americans in the electoral process, Assemblyman Chivukula said, "When participation starts at a young age and they are so visible, in the long term, you will have more of them running for office because they are not only learning the protocols but also how the structure in the Democratic Party works -- that is going to be a big plus, because if they know how it works, they can forward their activism in a way that benefits the entire community."

On whether the excitement generated at the DNC would translate into votes from the Indian Americans in favor of Obama, Chaudhuri says, "The 'South Aisans for Obama' has really engaged the community at a grassroots level, and tried to increase registrations. That is likely to translate into larger support for Obama compared to (the Republican candidate) John McCain." To critics of Obama's running mate for Vice President Joe Biden who landed himself into a controversy a few years ago for making stereotypical comments on the Indian American community in Delaware, Chaudhuri says, "It is more important to point out that Biden has a long and deep relationship with the Delaware Indian American community.

And if anyone has watched the Indo-US civilian nuclear deal debate in the Senate, they'd know that perhaps there is no stronger supporter than Biden who was there for eight hours on the floor arguing in favor of it." Chaudhuri says that now with the conclusion of the DNC, there would be renewed efforts to get the community to register to vote, to support Obama and raise more funds for the campaign.

"The next 3 months will go into translating this enthusiasm into funds so that more Indian Americans can be seen in the White House," he said. Chivukula too sees more money being raised in the Indian American community towards the Obama campaign in the coming months leading up to the elections. "Hopefully they should pick more surrogate speakers from within the community, so that they can go out and speak on behalf of Obama.

I hope they use Indian Americans not only for Indian events, but also for other events; then the community will go beyond its confines." The delegate numbers at the DNC, although very encouraging, is still proportionately low, feels Shah. "Maybe in another 10-20 years, we will see 10 times the representation of our community," he says optimistically.