RO Khanna
RO Khanna

'Indian Genius: The Meteoric Rise of Indians in America' review: One-stop shop to read success stories

The author, an immigrant herself, has talked about the success stories of the high-profile Indian diaspora across various fields.
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The great American dream for many among the Indian diaspora based in the US appears to be going up in smoke with the newly minted Trump administration issuing an executive order revoking birthright citizenship.

This route had allowed many Indian nationals to acquire US citizenship for their progeny even though they themselves did not hold a US passport.

The appointment of several Indian Americans to key posts in Trump’s second administration, therefore, can only be seen as an irony of sorts given that his politics has thrived on anti-immigration rhetoric and policies.

Weeks before his swearing-in, the naming of Sriram Krishnan by Trump as his senior policy adviser for AI (Artificial Intelligence) had riled many among Trump’s MAGA (Make America Great Again) support base. It launched a tirade against Indian Americans, warning that such appointments are against Trump’s mantra of ‘America First’.

Amid this, the recently released book Indian Genius: The Meteoric Rise of Indians in America by Meenakshi Ahamed assumes greater resonance. Herself an immigrant, Ahamed has profiled some of the hugely successful members of the Indian diaspora—be it in the field of technology, medicine, politics, or journalism.

Congressman Ro Khanna, who has waded into the controversy by attacking those criticising Krishnan’s appointment, himself figures in the book.

The book is divided into three sections—The Techies, The Healers, and The Influencers—with the author noting the “transformational impact” Indian Americans have had in these arenas. It underlines the extraordinary drive, grit, and determination as well as adaptability shown by those profiled, regardless of whether they went as immigrants or were born and raised in the US.

If some Trump supporters are complaining about the overwhelming number of Indians in Silicon Valley, it’s not without reason. With the demand for skilled workers dramatically increasing beginning in the 1990s due to the tech boom, Ahamed notes half of the H-1B visas were given to Indians by 2001. By 2018, it rose to 75 per cent. By 2023, 2,80,000 Indians were granted H-1B visas or had them renewed.

Racism is something even successful Indian Americans have dealt with. The US, of course, provided them with a hugely enabling environment. With the Indian diaspora being a major driver propelling Silicon Valley’s success, Kanwal Rekhi, Satya Nadella, and Nikesh Arora are among the techies profiled. A notable omission is Google’s Sundar Pichai.

Siddhartha Mukherjee
Siddhartha Mukherjee

The author explains this by saying that though Pichai is “known for his management skills, he’s fallen short” and “he’s not presented a strategic vision for taking Google forward to meet the recent challenges.”

Ahamed also does not pull her punches while writing about some others. “During our conversation, (Palo Alto Networks CEO Nikesh Arora), he occasionally revealed a degree of arrogance when he described his recruitment to various jobs during his career, but he had a lot to be proud of.”

Among the engrossing profiles is that of Chandrika Tandon, the equally accomplished but lesser known sister of former Pepsico chief Indra Nooyi. Chandrika, in fact, emerges as the trailblazer, being the older sibling dealing with a conventional family in the early 1970s.

Keen to see her married off after graduation, her mother had even started collecting steel utensils for her dowry! Instead, she headed for IIM-Ahmedabad, beginning a journey that took her to the US and to professional success as a globally recognised business leader.

The ‘Healers’ section details the contributions made by Indian American doctors and their engagement with larger audiences through their books. There is oncologist and researcher Siddhartha Mukherjee known for his book, The Emperor of All Maladies, which won him the Pulitzer. Asked what he’d like to achieve in the next decade, Mukherjee says he can see a path “to curing acute leukaemias.”.

Dr Atul Gawande, acclaimed for his book Being Mortal on how to manage the end of life, never wanted to be a doctor but eventually became one. A surgeon, Dr Gawande, also developed a checklist for surgical teams that helped reduce hospital infections among patients.

‘The Influencers’ are in varied fields such as politics, law, and journalism. Journalist-public intellectual Fareed Zakaria’s profile makes for a particularly interesting read. Talking about his close relationship with Henry Kissinger, Zakaria says the former US secretary of state hoped he would join the government. But Zakaria resisted the idea, forthrightly stating he had seen “people like Kissinger make intellectual compromises as well as moral compromises in order to stay in power.”.

The book is a one-stop shop for those wanting to read Indian diaspora success stories, though editing errors somewhat mar its quality.

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