If you don’t like global results, think locally

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The big story of the past week has been that of Bobby Jindal’s ascension to the Louisiana governor’s mansion. As can be gleaned by even a casual examination of some of the comments we’ve received, this has served as inspiration to some and caused nausea in others. As significant a milestone as it is to see an Indian American as the chief executive of a state, this election cycle I am more excited by small time desi politics. Since 2004, when this blog was established, we have witnessed an increasing number of desi politicians running for a variety of local seats. Today as I left work in the Clear Lake suburb of Houston, I saw a few signs urging voters to send Manisha Mehta to the Houston City Council for District E. From her website:

* An immigrant from India who came to America at the age of 10, Manisha graduated from public schools and went on to earn a finance degree from the University of Houston

* Manisha worked in the insurance industry for sixteen years before taking a break to raise her family

* Manisha now runs her own business

* Manisha has continued to be active in her children’s activities and community service

* Manisha has been married to Nikhil for 18 years; he is a former NASA engineer who now is himself a small business owner. They have two children.

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You can just tell by that last bullet that she has great decision-making skills and is an exceptional judge of character. Both traits are very important in a candidate for any office.

Manisha is up against three others looking to fill the vacancy left by the current term-limited council member:

The current race has a Republican and a Democrat living in each end of the district. Dwyer and Sullivan are both Republicans, and Williams and Mehta say they side with Democrats.

All say they want more police fighting crime, less flooding and fewer congested roads.

After emigrating from India as a child, Mehta, a certified yoga instructor and volunteer, has lived in Houston for more than 30 years. She’s a mother of two and married to a retired NASA engineer.

She said she would be a vocal advocate for appraisal reform, acknowledging that the city does not control that issue. She also stressed curbside recycling, which now is available in only one Clear Lake subdivision.

“Kids learn in school to recycle and make our environment a better place, but they don’t have a place to practice that,” she said. [Link]

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p>A local blogger recently did an interview with Manisha which he uploaded here.

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p>Oh, and by the way, Mehta isn’t the only desi in Houston running for office. Ashish Mahendru is running for a judgeship here as well:

Ashish Mahendru is a Democratic Party candidate seeking election to the 125th District Court. The 125th District Court is one of 25 District Courts in Harris County that preside over cases on all civil matters, including personal injury, medical malpractice, and commercial disputes, State Constitutional issues, temporary restraining orders, eminent domain cases, tax cases, and collection matters…

Ashish Mahendru was born in India in 1971. When he was a month old, he moved to the United States. His ties to Houston date back to 1980 when his father was hired by Aramco, and the Mahendru family underwent orientation in Houston before shipping off to an overseas assignment…

In 2005 Ashish Mahendru spearheaded the Houston Bar Association fundraising efforts for tsunami victims. He has authored articles on the subject of guardians ad litem and the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act. He has been invited to lead continuing legal education seminars. [Link]

What do these two have in common with Jindal? They are both quite young and very smart. So for those of you happy about Jindal, here is more to be happy about. For those of you not happy about Jindal, be encouraged that there are more desis running and some of them might represent your values more closely than Bobby.

55 thoughts on “If you don’t like global results, think locally”

  3. 2 – Houston has a sizable desi community (relative to the U.S. desi community as a whole), and I believe one of its suburbs (Sugarland? sorry, I’m not up on my TX suburbs) has one of the higher concentrations of Asian Indians in the U.S. It’s not that strange for Houston, considering it has a big science-/engineering-/medical-based economy.

  4. As for local desi politcians, I know there’s something-Cherukupalli in NJ (and Telugu too!), but does anyone know of any other up-and-comers in the NY area?

  5. I had no idea that Texas had a desi community….it just seem strange for Texas! lol

    Too many desis in Texas especially Mallu Christians. Too few in Montana 🙁

  6. 4 · nala As for local desi politcians, I know there’s something-Cherukupalli in NJ (and Telugu too!), but does anyone know of any other up-and-comers in the NY area?

    Well, I am heading up “Jindal 2012,” in ny, but I am, at present, only seeking appointive (e.g., Attorney General, Commerce Secretary) offices, as opposed to elective offices. 😉 or, not–bwaa-ha-ha-ha!

  7. Sounds great! If only I were in Harris instead of Galveston county.

    At least in the Dallas, Houston, Austin triangle, there are tons. Can’t tell you about Amarillo or El Paso though…

  8. Just as I’m sure that all of you have at least one relative residing in the tri-state area, you know those relatives of yours you haven’t seen but haven’t seen in a while? They live in TX. Yeah, that’s right– you all have Indian relatives in Texas.

    Anyone who thinks the idea of desis in TX is strange needs to get out and about a bit more. I’d liken it to saying the idea of desis in DC is strange.

  9. heh, Sarah Khan – my oft-unseen relatives live in, respectively, a suburb of Dallas, and the DC suburbs 😀

  10. Anyone who thinks the idea of desis in TX is strange needs to get out and about a bit more. I’d liken it to saying the idea of desis in DC is strange.

    Werd. I feel like y’all have more. 😉

    No, seriously, I’ll never forget almost fainting when I went to some regular grocery store in Houston, in ’92, and there was INDIAN FOOD on the shelves. The same way that Harris Teeter in DC or Raley’s in CA has Chinese or Tex-Mex things in the “ethnic foods” aisle. No biggie. Mango pickle, right there like it belonged. Sure you can find that crap Patak’s stuff at Whole Foods or Dean and Deluca, but there is no ordinary grocery store which I go to in DC that can claim THAT, even now!

  12. I had no idea that Texas had a desi community….it just seem strange for Texas! lol
    Anyone who thinks the idea of desis in TX is strange needs to get out and about a bit more. I’d liken it to saying the idea of desis in DC is strange.

    Do some of you people live in a hole? Based on SM stats after NY and CA, TX ranks third in visitors to our site. The desi population here is ginormous, and more geographically concentrated than SoCal even (at least it seems like it to me having just moved from LA).

  13. I had no idea that Texas had a desi community….it just seem strange for Texas! lol

    Houston probably has one of the largest (maybe even the largest) Parsi communities in the country.

  14. Do some of you people live in a hole?

    Actually, I believe it’s a nuclear fallout shelter. 😉

    Muahahaha, as I often intone, desis are everywhere!!!

  15. The desi population here is ginormous, and more geographically concentrated than SoCal even (at least it seems like it to me having just moved from LA).

    Very much so – and yet, people think of desis in every other metro area of the US before they think of desis in Houston.

    Maybe this is why: a fairly savvy (non desi) manager and I were talking about Houston’s demographic yesterday about Houston’s demographic; it’s his observation that Houston’s multicultural demographic has been established for a while, but really become visible, even mainstream, only in the last 10 years or so. Things that I viewed as establishments when I moved to the area (about 6 years ago) – such as a desi grocer in each suburb (no matter how few desis), institutions such as various temples, community activist, dance & theater groups – these had recently been established when I moved to the metro area, and were gaining momentum.

    It’s an exciting time to be a desi Houstononian, that’s for sure. Do keep blogging about us, Abhi. 🙂

  16. No, seriously, I’ll never forget almost fainting when I went to some regular grocery store in Houston, in ’92, and there was INDIAN FOOD on the shelves.

    Wow – as long ago as the early 90s!

    When I was living in Clear Lake (about 5 years ago), I was shocked to find dals on the shelves of my neighborhood Kroger (the one that was at the intersection of Bay Area Boulevard & Space Center, right next to Miller’s) – and it wasn’t in the ethnic section. It was with all the other dry goods…it definitely made my margins fade.

  17. Nala- I rest my case 🙂

    Anna- actually I meant the bi-state-uni-district area (?) as a whole. But you’re probably right that TX has more!

    It’s funny because I grew up in Houston thinking people from the northeast were the ‘different’ ones whereas clearly we’ve been typecast as the outsiders. Abhi’s right, the community is huge and concentrated, but you will also find us in somewhat remote suburbs now as well. Integration can happen in TX, folks 🙂

  18. Anna @10

    In 2003, Giant in Bethesda used to stock dals, Priya pickles and Lijjat Pappads.

  19. I had no idea that Texas had a desi community….it just seem strange for Texas! lol

    I can understand the oddness – it’s Texas! They hate foreigners! But growing up in Fort Worth (large Desi poulation thanks to the nuclear power plant 60 miles west at Comanche Peak – ALL of our family friends have worked there at some point or another), I didn’t have so much of a problem with the rednecks. Texans are nicer than most people give them credit for. Not all of them are reactionary Republicans. Although, my parents have had several unfortunate experiences, but they had them in Flushing, Queens, as well.

    Just as I’m sure that all of you have at least one relative residing in the tri-state area, you know those relatives of yours you haven’t seen but haven’t seen in a while? They live in TX. Yeah, that’s right– you all have Indian relatives in Texas.

    Word. 90% of my relatives live in NY/NJ area.

  20. Abhi:* Manisha has been married to Nikhil for 18 years; he is a former NASA engineer who now is himself a small business owner. They have two children.

    You can just tell by that last bullet that she has great decision-making skills and is an exceptional judge of character.

    Let us say Manisha was 22 when she got married. She has been married for 18 years. Again let us say, the two children are daughters age 16 and 14. Nah ! Too young for you Abhi. Check out if Manisha has a younger sister whom she can talk into hooking up with another NASA hot shot. I am just saying !!

  21. 13:

    “Houston probably has one of the largest (maybe even the largest) Parsi communities in the country.”

    Really? My parents live near the Darbe Mehr (Parsee worship center) in Pomona NY. As far as I know, Texas doesn’t have one of those.

    But Texas definitely has a large and very affluent Indian community.

  22. he is a former NASA engineer who now is himself a small business owner. They have two children. You can just tell by that last bullet that she has great decision-making skills and is an exceptional judge of character.

    of course, it is well known that nasa employees have great diaper skills.

  23. 21: parsi community in Houston is huge: http://www.zah.org/

    re: the desi community–it has 3 desi newspapers alone, plus urdu times, muslim observer, pakistan chronicle and lots of smaller niche publications…bibi magazine started in houston too:

    The area is home to about 74,000 Asians of Indian descent, according to the latest Census figures, though some community leaders put the figure at more than 100,000…. …All three Houston-area papers make most of their advertising revenue from South Asian businesses, but mainstream advertisers are starting to take notice. Indian-Americans (alone) in the Houston area have a median household income of $66,789, compared with the overall area’s median of $50,250, according to the most recent Census figures. That’s an attraction for advertisers, as is the fact that India itself is of growing importance to global companies that want to do business there.

    (from this link)

  26. Do some of you people live in a hole? Based on SM stats after NY and CA, TX ranks third in visitors to our site. The desi population here is ginormous, and more geographically concentrated than SoCal even (at least it seems like it to me having just moved from LA).

    Abhi, that doesn’t prove squat. More than half of those visits are mine. 🙂

  27. lol….my first popular comment!

    I have to admit, I have never been to Texas…but since I posted that I have done some looking around….you guys actually have a theatre that Plays Bollywood films ALL THE TIME!!! I am sooooo jealous!

  29. A Desi is already on Houston City Council – an a Republican desi no less! MJ. Khan is currently city councillor in District F.

  30. It’s thought that Dubya’s interaction with Indians in Austin helped shape his view towards India. He had a number of prominent Indian doctors work as fundraisers for his bid as both governor and president.

    As for Texan racism, Eddie Murphy had his own take on the Lone Star State and whether or not a black man can has a suitcase. Go to the 6:00 minute mark – 100% NSFW

  35. I think there is even some Indian food (maybe in the ethnic section) at Giant in Catonsville, MD (a suburb of Bmore) which borders ellicott city which has a lot of Indians. Catonsville may have a decent amt too. There is UMBC(U of MD, Balt Co) as well.

  36. 4 · nala on October 23, 2007 01:02 AM · Direct link As for local desi politcians, I know there’s something-Cherukupalli in NJ (and Telugu too!), but does anyone know of any other up-and-comers in the NY area

    I guess you meant Chivukula from NJ:

    Wiki has a few more: There is a list of Indian-American politicians in Wiki There actually seem to be far more indian-americans active in politics outside the NJ/NY area than in it.

  38. For those of you not happy about Jindal, be encouraged that there are more desis running and some of them might represent your values more closely than Bobby.

    Abhi, since you’re interested in politics, and seem liberal, how do you feel about Bobby Jindal’s win? If you’d rather not comment, don’t worry about it.

  40. Texas has quite a few desis in the major cities. Unforunately, I spent quite a few years in Lubbock, Texas where there were maybe 5 at the time I lived there. What a shock when I moved to Austin!

    There are TiE chapters in Texas, NetIP chapters here and when I went to UT Austin undergrad, we actually had the largest Sri Lankan Student Association in the country…not sure if that has changed.

  42. << Sugar Land-ian! And y’all are living in a box, f’real. Personally, I don’t like Manish Mehta or any of the other desi politicians simply because nothing really gets done on a local level, whether everyone’s white or everyone’s desi. I feel as if many desi politicians (with Bobby Jindal being a notable exception) play up their ethnicity for votes, and that most definitely does not represent my views.

    (wow, i wish i could be all fancy and articulate like everyone else. :x)

  44. Abhi, since you’re interested in politics, and seem liberal, how do you feel about Bobby Jindal’s win? If you’d rather not comment, don’t worry about it.

    I’ve probably written close to 20 posts about Jindal since 2004. One of my first posts was about him. If you read between the lines its easy to guess my thoughts about him. 🙂 I am more interested in politics than politicians though so I’m more interested in how he won rather than what he believes in since I can’t vote for or against him anyways.

  45. You can just tell by that last bullet that she has great decision-making skills and is an exceptional judge of character. Both traits are very important in a candidate for any office.

    Okay..I don’t get this.

  46. Okay..I don’t get this.

    Well, Abhi’s REAL name is Nikhil and he’s a small business owner, so… 😉

  47. Well, Abhi’s REAL name is Nikhil and he’s a small business owner, so… 😉

    Is he a NASA engineer as well?

  48. Pffft. There are a lot more desis in local and national politics here in Canada. My parents live in a very small town in BC and they can get quite a few Indian products in their local grocery store. There’s also an Indian restaurant there that serves good punjabi cuisine.