Indians want OBAMA again in 2012

President Obama with Prime Minister Man Mohan Singh

When Barack Obama proclaimed, "I'm asking you to believe. Not just in my ability to bring about real change in Washington . I'm asking you to believe in yours", then not only his parents but also the whole of America was proud of Barack Obama. They knew that only a true son of America could speak such words. A son who believed in the ability to unite people around a politics of purpose - a politics that puts solving the challenges of everyday Americans ahead of partisan calculation and political gain. A son who cared. Cared for global warming, cared for ethics reform, cared to help Illinois veterans get the disability pay they were promised,  cared for the poverty exposed by Katrina, cared to speak out on the issues that will define America in the 21st century, cared to boldly stand up and chalk out a way to resolve these pressing issues and that conviction and belief in a man saw him become the President of UNITED STATES OF AMERICA at the very young age of just 47 years.

It is not easy to recall where another  international leader touching millions of hearts of Indians in the way President Obama has done. For a country, where politics is a national passion, every Indian has enthusiastically followed every twist and turn in Obama's historic journey to the White House. A stronger relationship and a close strategic partnership with India has been the top priority of Obama's administration.

President Obama meeting Indian Youth Icon Rahul Gandhi

America has forever been considered as the land of opportunities. The land where you can begin with a hole in your pocket and yet become a billionaire capitalizing on the opportunities that it offers. The land where dreams are seen with open eyes, and realized with nerves of steel and courage of lions. This promised land of enterprise has witnessed many immigrants from many countries. British, African, Italian, French, German, Portuguese, Indian, Chinese, Korean, and other immigrants from all around the world have come and made America their home. They have made the American diaspora into a rich conglomeration of varied cultures and practices. It is because of such international fusion that America is today the leading country of the world. In shaping this position of world leadership, Indians residing in America, better known as Indian Americans, have played an important part.

Today Indian Americans comprise 0.9% of the U.S. population with a figure of 2,662,112 (http://factfinder.census.gov/). Regions with significant American Indian populations are New Jersey, New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco Bay Area, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Philadelphia, and Washington-Baltimore. The languages spoken are American English, Indian languages most commonly Urdu, Hindi, Gujarati, and Punjabi. The religions followed are Hinduism, Islam, Sikhism, Buddhism, Jainism, Zoroastrianism, Atheism, Agnosticism, Christianity, and others. As per the The Indian American Centre for Political Awareness, Indians along with other Asians, have one of the highest educational qualifications of all ethnic groups in the US. Almost 67% of all Indians have a bachelor's or high degree (compared to 28% nationally and 44% average for all Asian American groups). Almost 40% of all Indians in the United States have a master's, doctorate or other professional degree, which is five times the national average.

Like sugar merges indistinguishably with milk and sweetens it, similarly Indian Americans have merged into and sweetened the American community. They have not only actively participated in all the fields but have also excelled in them. Notable Indian Americans are Bobby Jindal (former U.S. Congressman and current Governor of Louisiana; Republican), Dalip Singh Saund (the first Indian-American congressman, was a Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California), Kal Penn (Actor of Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, Superman Returns), M. Night Shyamalan (Filmmaker, actor), Kalpana Chawla (female NASA Space Shuttle astronaut, and space shuttle mission specialist), Sunita Williams (NASA astronaut and the second woman of Indian descent to head into space), Amartya Sen (Nobel laureate in economics and currently the Lamont University Professor at Harvard University), Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar (Nobel laureate in physics and an Indian born American astrophysicist), Reverend Bernard Malik ( President FIACONA/ International Council of Evangelical Churches) Balamurali Ambati (physician and world's youngest doctor at age 17), Sabeer Bhatia (co-founder of Hotmail), Vinod Dham (former microprocessor designer for Intel and creator of the Pentium processor), Rajat Gupta (former Managing Director, mckinsey & Company), Indra Nooyi (CEO of pepsico), Shantanu Narayen (the current CEO of Adobe Systems), Vikram Pandit (CEO of Citigroup), Arun Sarin (CEO of Vodafone Inc.), Deepak Chopra (author and speaker), Jhumpa Lahiri (Pulitzer Prize-winning author), Fareed Zakaria (editor of Newsweek), K.A. Paul (founder of the Global Peace Initiative), Reverend Kiran Sankhla (the first female Hindu chaplain in the U.S.), Ravi Zacharias (Evangelical Protestant author and apologetic), Rajan Zed (Hindu chaplain to read first Hindu prayer in United States Senate), Mohini Bhardwaj (first Indian American Olympic medallist, gymnastics), and The Great Khali (WWE Pro Wrestler), Mr.Ifteqar Shareef, First Dual Citizen of India to name a few.

Indian Americans continue to contribute their respective skills and try their utmost to help America retain its global leadership in all spheres of human learning and human endeavor.

Both the governments of the United States and India, are building on shared interests and values so that purposeful actions may be implemented thus enabling both the countries to come closer and closer. India's emergence as a global power is welcomed by the United States and India accepts that the bilateral relations thus forged, shall indeed help in shaping a prosperous, free, and a safe world for the coming century.

Ifteqar Shareef with President Obama

And the Indians and the American Indians Want Obama back in 2012 as President of USA. The Indian community has always been politically very pro-active in the US politics. The city of Chicago has a special place for Indians and more so for Hyderabadis and this being the city of Obama, it is close to his heart and so are the people of Chicago. Obama has deep roots in Chicago, having started his career as a Community Organiser in the city. From his days as Illinio's senetor, he has had strong links with the city's growing Indian American community. I take pride in mentioning the name of Mr.Ifteqar Shareef, a Hyderabadi, who has been involved in the active campaign of Obama and shares a very close rapport with the President.

Khaleequr Rahman with Ms.Katherine S. Dhanani-Consulate General of USA, Hyd

I wish all the very best to President Obama for 2012 campaign and I feel privileged on being a contributor and supporter to his campaign in terms of ideas and the suggestions which are always acknowledged by his campaign managers.