Indian Expats - How Indian Are Their Achievements?

Kalpana Chawla, M Night Shyamalan, Subramanyan Chandrasekhar, Amar Bose, Amartya Sen, Zubin Mehta, et al. What do these luminaries have in common? They all have or had a connection with India in one form or another. They are or were also all part of the colorful Indian diaspora. Each one has commanded respect in his/her own way.

I am positive that you would recall Indian dailies screaming at least some of these headlines in bold font on their front pages…

“Kalpana Chawla – First Indian woman to fly in space”

“Indian director gets critical acclaim for Hollywood blockbuster”

“Indian physicist Chandrasekhar claims coveted Nobel prize in Physics”

“Amar Bose – Indian entrepreneur starts company excelling in acoustics”

“Indian economist awarded Nobel prize for his yeoman work in Economics”

“Zubin Mehta continues to receive international accolades for his music prowess”

Of course, this is merely an infinitesimal cross-section of the Indian presence in the world. Observing closely though, I am tempted to think how much credit can India claim for the achievements of these people. Is it because of India that they were able to do the things that they did or is it in spite of India?

Dr. Kalpana Chawla was an American Citizen when she flew in space. Her master’s degree, doctoral degree and astronaut training were all in the US and India did not have a significant role to play. So, then, what right do we have to chest-thump that she is Indian? Making a 180-degree turn and looking at things from an Indian perspective, may be, I want to claim that opportunities were present in India but that people fly the coop in search of greater heights (pun intended) much too soon. Should I not celebrate local achievements more before showering praises on expatriates who seldom grace India with their attention? This does not diminish or belittle Dr. Chawla’s achievements and sacrifices in the quest for space exploration. They are permanently recorded in the golden pages of space history and rightly so.

Some of them do leave a sour taste in our mouths too. Think Kaavya Viswanathan. All of us crowned her as a teenage prodigy, who can beat the best in the cut-throat world of fiction writing. A plagiarism exposé by The Harvard Crimson and withdrawal of future book offers later, we are left holding the bag for being on her bandwagon. This is not meant to be a scathing attack on Kaavya (although I don’t condone her actions in any way, shape or form). Rather, it is intended to show that NOT everything done by our community abroad is noble and great.

Finally, I would recommend moderation and restrained enthusiasm in proclaiming these expat achievements as India’s own. Yes, India could have had a part in their success, but let us spend more time celebrating the beauty within before crowning someone else the champion…