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The American media is finally acknowledging the presence of Indians on this side of the Atlantic. Columbus set sail five hundred years ago to search for the elusive Indian continent and instead found America. It wouldn’t be presumptuous to expect that America would seek to discover India. Often the aim of much consternation in recent times courtesy the BPO saga, conversations have moved beyond the negative image. Interestingly, the nuclear tests shook up the Americans and made them realize that we were no longer the nation of maharajas, yoga and snake-charmers. As our neighbors failed to live up to the standard of being a responsible nuclear power, expectations on maintaining a sense of order shifted eastwards toward India.
Macro-policy aside, India had finally arrived on the American front when the couple of million affluent desis reshaped the consumer market demanding specialized services in the form of cuisine, automobiles, and entertainment. Each of these industries are major players in the economy and big-spending Indians are the cynosure of the advertising glitz. Ever notice the Jetta commercial which goads the Indian consumers to think beyond the closeted choice of Toyotas, Hondas and Nissans? Commericals highlighting the cultural diversity of any metropolis regularly include a turbaned Sikh or a sari-draped housewife.
The greatest contribution towards the East-meets-West campaign has been the entertainment industry as apna Bollywood continues to dazzle the West with the song-n-dance routines that we distance ourselves from. But cross-over movies like the sleeper hit Bend It Like Beckham have catapulted Parminder Nagra in a prime-time role on the much-acclaimed drama series ER. Imagine waiting for such a long time to see an Indian doctor in a television series about hospitals. Ashwariya has already created a buzz on the grapevine by allegedly auditioning for a Bond girl role and featuring among the Time Magazine’s top 100 influential people on the globe. Andrew Lloyd Webber and AR Rehman’s Bombay Dreams is all set to create a splash on Broadway. Lagaan did us proud by coming close to winning the elusive Oscar. Bhangra has already crept into a Britney album and Desi hip-hop makes its presence known in the nightlife of almost all major American cities.
Is the American melting pot being finally treated to some spicy Indian curry?
by Patrix | on Thursday, April 29th, 2004 at 7:55 pm | 
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