Indian-Americans riot in Chicago, Houston and Atlanta

Workers in several cities around America, including Chicago, Houston and Atlanta, are picking up broken glass and other debris after thousands of Indian-Americans rioted over the weekend, celebrating 13-year-old Sameer Mishra's win in the National Spelling Bee.

"We've waited three years. Three long years," said Raj Bompalli, a 22-year-old college student who, along with four friends, set fire to a car on Devon Avenue in Chicago. "I just can't describe how happy I am."

"The spelling bee is our Super Bowl," said Abraham George, 27, who was so overjoyed, he ran through downtown Atlanta wearing nothing at all. "And we won it for the sixth time in ten years. Can you spell 'dynasty'?"

A large group of Indian-Americans gathered outside the Grand Hyatt in Washington D.C., where the spelling bee was held. They waved pictures of Mishra and past spelling bee champions, while singing, "We are the champions! We are the champions ... of the world!"

A young man named Mike Reddy took off his T-shirt to show his back tattooed with the names of former spelling bee champions. One name, that of 1988 winner Rageshree Ramachandran, went all the way around his body. On the left side of his chest was a drawing of 1999 champion Nupur Lala. "I love Nupur," he said. "As you can see, she's close to my heart."

This was the second time Indian-Americans have rioted to celebrate a spelling bee victory. They also rioted in 1999 when Lala won, ending a 11-year drought. "That's why we love Nupur so much," Reddy said. "She is the one who brought us back to the top. She's the one who returned us to glory."

Indeed, Lala was the first of six Indian-American winners over the last decade, with the biggest gap coming between Mishra and 2005 winner Anurag Kashyap. "We've really been spoiled," said Dr. Anil Jain, an ophthalmologist in Houston. "Every year, we expect to win. We're like the Kenyans in the marathon."

He noted that after the 2006 spelling bee, CNN ran a crawl that said: "Breaking News: Indian-American Doesn't Win Spelling Bee."

Chicago Police spokesman David McLoud said the riots would have been worse if the police hadn't been prepared for it. "We remember what happened in '99," he said. "That's why, whenever the National Spelling Bee comes around, we have a police presence in all the Indian neighborhoods."

Even so, police had to arrest more than a hundred Indian-American youths for vandalism. They used tear gas to break up a group of elderly women who were causing a disturbance at 1 a.m., banging chapathi pans together.

"It may look bad," McLoud said, "but let me tell you, the Spelling Bee Riots of 2008 were nothing compared to the Spelling Bee Riots of '99."

Obama tells voters not to objectify him

NEW ORLEANS -- Frustrated that female voters aren't taking him seriously enough, presidential candidate Barack Obama delivered a special message to a group of young women who came to a campaign rally with signs that said "Oh mama, I'm in love with Obama" and "Stand Back! I want Barack!"

"Please pay attention to the issues, ladies," Obama said, waving a finger at them. "I am not a sex object."

The women, all students at LSU, seemed undeterred. "I can't believe he spoke to us," one of them gushed to a reporter. "He's so cute!"

Said another: "I don't know what he said to us, but he looked good doing it."

As he attempts to win the Democratic presidential nomination, Obama must convince female voters that he can represent their interests better than Hillary Clinton. Polls show that the majority of women support Clinton, but Obama scores high among young women, who consider him a good candidate partly because of his "great smile," as well as women in their sixties and seventies, who say they want to "pinch his cheeks."

"It's a race between a man and a woman," said political analyst Joel Klein, "but who would have thought it would be the man who's being objectified?"

The extent to which Obama is being objectified is unclear, but CNN reporter John King did get some answers during a focus group with several female voters.

"Do you think Barack Obama is electable?" King asked a 60-year-old Illinois woman named Marge Brensinger.

"Electable?" she said. "He's not just electable, he's delectable."

"Do you think Obama is qualified to be president?" King asked a 25-year-old Maryland woman named Neeta Gulati.

"Of course," she said. "He looks good in a suit. Damn good."

"But what about the issues?" King asked.

"Well, he voted against the war in Iraq and he's cute."

"He's cute? Why is that important?"

"Well, if we elect him president, my friends and I are actually going to watch the State of the Union address. He's very watchable."

"Very true," Brensinger said. "I could watch him all day."

"What about experience?" King asked a 40-year-old Iowa woman named Jill Stewart.

"I'm sure he's very experienced," she said. "But you'll have to ask his wife about that."

Photo by Peter Howe

Indian-Americans make their mark in another field

The Indian-American community has finally arrived, says a leading sociologist, and it’s not because Bobby Jindal was elected governor of Louisiana or Sanjaya was a finalist on American Idol. Nor is it because Indian-Americans have excelled in fields such as medicine, engineering and business.

The true sign that the Indian-American community has arrived is that it’s making a mark in a field that gets plenty of media exposure: crime. “More Indian-Americans are involved in criminal activity than ever before,” says Jacob George, sociologist at Harvard University. “Obviously, it won’t be seen as a positive sign, but it shows that Indian-Americans are not just sitting back and allowing other communities to grab all the empty spaces in prison.”

As a result, Americans are now seeing more Indian names in newspapers, he said. “It’s not just names like Vick and Peterson in the crime stories,” George said. “It’s also names like Crookmansingh and Embezzleraman.”

In the ’70s and ’80s, when an Indian-American was involved in crime, it was often unintentional, George said. “It was usually a new immigrant who didn’t know the laws of the land,” he said. “Perhaps it was an office worker who thought it was okay to take the stapler home. Or maybe it was an office manager who thought it was okay to take the secretary home.”

These days, Indian-Americans are more deliberate about their crimes, George said. “They work very hard at planning and executing it,” he said. “I’m sure no one is surprised to hear this, but when it comes to criminal activity, Indian-Americans are very ambitious. They don’t bother with petty crimes like shoplifting and burglary. They commit crimes that will put them in either financial security or maximum security for the rest of their lives.”

He cited the example of Balram Chandiramani, a director in New York City’s transportation department who’s been charged with soliciting hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes. “It may seem like a terrible crime,” George said, “but how many Indian-Americans can say they’ve been on the front page of the New York Post?”

Even leaders of the Indian-American community are not exempt from committing crimes, George said, noting that Maryland state legislator Kumar Barve has been charged with driving under the influence. “Don’t forget that George W. Bush committed the same crime many years ago,” he said. “So perhaps Barve is just preparing himself for higher office.”

George Allen embroiled in monkey controversy

Former Virginia Senator George Allen is in trouble again, after a security camera inside a Dunkin' Donuts store caught him saying to a friend, "€œIndia is full of unruly monkeys."

Buddhadev "œBuddy" Patel, owner of the store in Charlottesville, Va., said he had been reviewing the video on Nov. 20 to see if customers were taking too many napkins when he spotted Allen in the store. "I recognized him immediately -“- the man who called one of us a macaca," said Patel, referring to the racial slur that derailed Allen's bid for re-election in 2006. "€œThe audio wasn't clear, so I took it to one of my friends who is a lip reader. And sure enough, Allen was calling us unruly monkeys."

Allen'€™s words sparked an uproar in the Indian-American community, as well as scattered protests in India. "€œHow dare he call us monkeys?" Atlanta resident Rajan "œRoger" Sankaraman said. "œDo monkeys know how to program computers? Do monkeys know how to prescribe medicine? Do monkeys know how to prepare chapatis?"

Niraj Joshi, president of the National Federation of Indian-American Federations, demanded that Allen apologize on national TV. "œWe would call for his resignation,"€ Joshi said, "œbut he has nothing to resign from."

Allen spokeswoman Susan Brown said the Republican has no current plans to apologize. "If he had to apologize, he wouldn'™t do it on national TV," said Brown, who also serves as Allen'€™s wife. "He would apologize into the security camera at Dunkin' Donuts."€

She said Allen was not referring to Indians, but to the actual monkeys that have been terrorizing people in Delhi and elsewhere. "George read an article about all the monkeys in India and was chatting with his friend about it. It was a private conversation and should not have been made public."€

But Brown's explanation triggered even more protests in India, where Shiv Sena activists used a trained monkey to set fire to an effigy of Allen.

"Leave our monkeys alone, George Allen," one man shouted. "€œOur monkeys are our business."€

Another man threatened to go on a hunger strike until Allen apologized. "œYou can call us monkeys if you want," he said, "€œbut please don'™t say anything bad about our monkeys."

Monkey photo by dlisbona

Musharraf bares it all for Rice

Islamabad, Nov. 5 -- In a move that shocked Muslim clerics and others in this conservative country, Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf appeared naked Monday night on the state-run Pakistan Television, calling it a "goodwill gesture" to appease the United States and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

Earlier that day, Rice had called for Musharraf to "take off his uniform" and return the country to civilian rule.

"I've taken off my uniform, Condi," Musharraf said. "I'm waiting for instructions from you on what I should wear."

While the camera scanned his body, Musharraf laughed and said, "I am a general and these are my privates." He paused, looked down and shouted, "Attention!"

Pakistanis expressed shock at their president's nudity. "I knew he was a small man," said one woman, who requested anonymity. "But I didn't realize he was that small."

"Three of my children were watching," said another woman. "They are in utter shock. One of them shouted, 'The general has no clothes.' I had to take them all to a doctor. I had told them television is bad for them, but I didn't know how bad."

Some political observers speculated that Musharraf was drunk, while others believe he was merely stressed out about the political crisis in his country.

"He just declared a state of emergency," said Shahid Ismail, a political science professor at the University of Texas. "And now, because of his nudity, many women and children are undergoing emergency treatment."

Several Muslim clerics called for the president's resignation, one of them referring to him as "President Pervert Musharraf."

"He has brought shame upon the whole nation," said Sheikh Abdul Saeed. "In Pakistan, we are used to being in a state of unrest, but definitely not a state of undress."

Political opponents also called for the general to step down.

"We have seen him naked," former prime minister Nawaz Sharif said, "and we are saying to him, 'So long, General Musharraf.' And we don't mean that as a compliment."

Meanwhile, in the province of Sindh, the headline in a local newspaper -- "Musharraf bares it all for Rice" -- prompted thousands of people to go on a riot, demanding that they be allowed to get naked for rice, too.

Indian-Americans brimming with generosity

Indian-Americans are the most generous ethnic group in America, according to a national survey of charitable giving. The Gallup/USA Today survey found that Indian-Americans donate, on average, 24 percent of their income, many of them feeding and educating entire villages in India.

“Not only are we the top money-earners, we are also the top money-givers,” said a proud Niraj Joshi, president of the National Federation of Indian-American Federations.

The survey’s findings appear to contradict the stereotype that Indian-Americans are cheap and miserly. But Joshi said the findings may in fact explain such perceptions. “Of course, we are cheap,” he said. “We try to save as much money as we can, so we can give it to others.”

Atlanta resident Susan Verghese seemed to agree with Joshi. “My mom and dad probably appeared stingy to a lot of people,” she said. “They reused grocery bags in their trashcans, they stored food in empty yogurt and margarine containers, and they filled their kitchen drawers with hot sauce packets from Taco Bell. But after my dad passed away, I found out that he had been secretly sponsoring 1,000 underprivileged children in Kerala.”

The survey has helped many younger Indian-Americans understand their parents. “Now I know why my father insisted on driving a Toyota Camry,” said New Yorker John Patel. “He wanted the cheapest car that he could fit the whole family into. Little did I know that he was building a school in Gujarat.”

The survey found that the average Indian-American family earns $78,213 and gives away $18,771 of it, about 52 percent to India, 26 percent to America, and 22 percent to Nigeria.

“Nigerians are always sending me emails and I am always sending them money,” said Miami businessman Sunil Ganapathi. “I always feel sorry for them.”

Ganapathi was among several Indian-Americans who were unhappy that the survey’s results had been publicized. “If everyone knows we’re generous, they’re going to be asking us for money,” Ganapathi said. “My phone won’t stop ringing. The Salvation Army will put me on their speed dial.”

Indians prepare for Jindal victory

Residents of Malerkotla, Punjab, are buying fireworks and preparing sweets, getting ready to celebrate Rep. Bobby Jindal’s likely victory in the Louisiana gubernatorial primary on Oct. 20.

“We will dance and party all night long,” said Kumar Jindal, first cousin of the Indian-American Congressman, whose parents hail from Malerkotla. “We have not been this excited since we got cable TV.”

The sole Republican candidate in Louisiana’s unique all-candidate primary, Jindal needs more than 50 percent to win the governorship and become the first Indian-American to head a state. He’s so far ahead in the polls that analysts believe he will win the election even if President Bush comes to Louisiana to campaign for him.

“Louisiana doesn’t need any more disasters,” said one Democratic analyst, “but I have a feeling this is going to be a landslide.”

Added another analyst: “Thirteen people are challenging him in the election, but their chances of beating him are equal to Lou Dobbs’ chances of being appointed the ambassador to Mexico.”

Jindal’s opponents are trailing so badly, some are getting desperate, trying their best to smear him, without being racist. “You went to LSU, he went to Brown University,” one campaign ad said. “Think about it: Do you really want to vote for a Brown man?”

Another ad was more direct: “If you vote for Jindal, you’re voting against the environment. There’ll be more fumes in the air, partly from the pot of curry at the Governor’s mansion.”

The vast majority of Indian-Americans are Democrats, but many are supporting Jindal. “So what if he’s a Republican?” one man said. “Everyone has faults.”

That’s the kind of attitude that Jindal’s relatives in Punjab appreciate. “Whether he’s Democrat or Republican, we don’t care,” Kumar Jindal said, “as long as he has many spare bedrooms in the Governor’s mansion.”

Georgia couple outsources parenting to India

It was bound to happen. A couple in Atlanta, Georgia, have outsourced their parenting duties to India, allowing them to spend more time watching TV.

“Our children are at an age where they require a lot of supervision and, quite frankly, it was cutting into our TV time,” said Susan, 36, who requested that their last name not be used. “I like to watch reality shows and my husband likes to watch sports, so we don’t really have time to watch the kids.”

Susan, a nurse, and her husband, Bob, 37, a building contractor, have three children, Robert Jr., 10, Candace, 8, and Anthony, 7. “We work hard at work, battle traffic on the highway, and by the time we get home, we’re exhausted and ready for the Asians to take over,” Bob said. “We order Chinese and leave the rest to the Indians.”

They’re among the first clients of a new online company called PayRents, based in Chennai, but with employees throughout India. Company president Rajah Chelladurai said he decided to start PayRents after hearing that many Americans were having trouble controlling their children. “I heard about Lionel Ritchie and his daughter Nicole,” he said. “Also Kathy Hilton and her daughter, Paris. I was surprised how badly those girls were behaving. Then a friend showed me a video that really shocked me. It was called Girls Gone Wild.”

He concluded that many Americans are too busy to do any parenting. “They have money, but they don’t have time,” he said. “So why not let us do the parenting for them? Through the Internet, we can supervise their children and tell them how to act, how to behave. We can also teach the older children some facts of life, such as PMS does not stand for pre-marital sex, and VD does not stand for Valentine’s Day.”

The ‘PayRents’ don’t just speak to a child through the Internet, they also monitor the child’s activities with help from a video camera. “We watch them and we talk to them,” Chelladurai said. “And when they get sleepy, we sing to them. Some children ask us to read a bedtime story and we try to accommodate them, usually with something from the Panchatantra.”

Susan and Bob are so pleased with PayRents, they’ve recommended the company to several of their friends. “One of my friends, Barbara, has a 30-year-old son who still lives at home and does not date much,” she said. “But with some constant nagging from PayRents, he’s now spending all his time reading matrimonial ads. We hope he ends up with a good Indian girl.”