Last week this time not more than a couple of thousand Indians had heard of Sundar Pichai. Now, the whole nation is behaving as they were first cousins and basking in his glory. We love espousing people of Indian origin who score abroad in their careers especially the West and we grasp them to the collective bosom as if they were our own. Fact is, good for Sundar and more power to him but I am very uncomfortable sharing his thunder and seeing it as a great victory for Indians.
We have this inclination to adulate before the horses have left the gate. We adulate bosses, we covet those who are higher than us on the social ladder and if we can get the crumbs off the rich man’s repast, we seem to be OK with it. We are constantly surrendering space to Caesar when Caesar doesn’t ask for it.
We call it respect or courtesy but really, it is a second nature and it is time this generation at least showed a little spine. You can display respect without doubling over.
First of all, Pichai is not Indian, he is American. He is not Indo-American (talk about messing up bi-laterals) he is of Indian origin, there is a difference.
Neither is Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft. Nor was Hargobind Khurana, V.S.Naipaul and Bobby Jindal. Bobby at least was honest and said he was American not Indian and I don’t mean Cherokee nation.
Why can’t we just be happy for them and wish them well instead of lemming into this frenzy of misplaced excitement. Most of them surrendered their passports and chose a life in a country that is made of immigrants. They gave up being Indian. Which is fine, it is their decision but let’s not start owning what is not ours.
In some way it belittles us that we set such exceptional people on the pedestal and then hope they will rise to our arbitrary expectation along with the misplaced notion that because they are Indian we are going to get an edge.
No, we are not. These are brilliant global citizens who couldn’t care a hoot what nationality you belong to if you cannot deliver.
Stop the slobbering.
Me, I am happy for them and I am pleased that they are Indian in origin. But I don’t seek to own any part of them or be in any way affected by their nativity.
To me they are as American as the folks who descended from the Mayflower, those whose ancestors came chained in slave ships, Mexicans from across the border, Latinos from everywhere, Chinese, Japanese from WW II internment camps, refugees from Africa.
