Febraury 23rd will be celebrated by every NRI, in the US , for it having been the day , Senator Barack Obama lashed out a very PRO-INDIAN (read PRO- NRI) message in an interview by rediff for the "India Abroad".
read the complete message at:
His message however needs to be closely examined to understand the dynamics that undercurrent it. While a large school of thought presumes that this may be a tactical move by Obama to woo the "Indian" sentiment, one cannot also help observing that this move stands contradictory to his otherwise ' not-so-pro' attitude ,especially with issues like that of outsourcing to India and the VISA Retrogression issues.
Going through http://www.nrilinks.com/usa/indians/default.htm might reveal certain statistical inputs worth a thought in the given context .(I agree the statistics is slightly old, but I hope is sufficiently representative).
1. A whopping 1% of the population of Ilinois is of Indian Origin
Barack apparently knows his state well! Being a native of Hawai himself , he seems to appreciate the sentiments of an immigrant in USA , He says"As President, I will reach out to encourage the active engagement and partnership of the vibrant Indian American community in making the change we seek" A sure moral booster to the NRI.
2. Only 40% of the Indians in America have a US citizenship
This points out that less than 4 out of 10 Indians in USA will actually be able to vote, or have a say. Considering this one could regard Obama's statements a little misplaced if we were to go by the school which might assume the interveiw as a tactical move.
3. The Average Annual household income of an Average American: 51000 USD.
The Average Annual household income of an Average NRI in the USA: 88000 USD.
The Indian in USA is atleast 72% more affluent than the American in USA. Barack is talking to people with the money. The people who should keep spending (off savings- and not credit!) to keep the economy ticking, wise ploy I must say!
So, although the Indian back home is sulking with the rising popularity of democrats in the US presidential polls, (due to plans like withdrawal of tax subsidies to companies outsourcing to India etc..) the average NRI has reasons to cheer and stick to the US,even when recession is looming close.
Cheer Up NRI's ! its your day!
No comments:
Post a Comment