Indian-American becomes Governor

[Lurker]

And does the co-relation have to be exactly the same for all of us? Is it possible that some Indians do and can feel proud of even those of Indian origin as opposed to just "current" Indian citizens?

Your question is incorrect. You say, and I quote, - possible that some Indians do - and then end up with, and I quote again, - current Indian citizens. The way it works right now is that there are no two sets of people - current and non-current Indian citizen. There is just one set, and that is Indian citizens who are to use your word current. As for is it possible for "current" Indian citizens to feel proud of Jindal, I daresay not even a tiny fraction of Indian populace shall be even aware of Jindal. I mean do you seriously beleive anyone in India was actually following the election in LA? Heck were NRIs in USA following it? And if not then how come it became a front page newsitem in National Daily? xxx

[Lurker]

Lurker, You feel proud as an Indian American because Jindal's parents migrated to United states as many other Indians did and Jindal was able to rise through the political system in this country. Schwarzenegger and jindal represent the new breed of politicians who learnt the game of their own.

Sorry I dont feel proud, you do. :tounge_smile: And speaking as an Indian, I am supposed to be proud of someone whose family left their motherland, migrated towards greener pasture?? This can get a tricky debate as I am sure you do realize so lets stay away from it. I mean the last thing we need is people hurling, "You traitor" or "Then why the hell are you in USA" and all that jazz. By the way do tell me about the question that I have raised much before - What has Jindal's success got to do with India that it was made National Headlines? That has been my main criticism in this thread thus far.

And if you are on the other side wondering why you cannot do all that and look at the shades of his religion for all his success then I say it is first class narrow minded attitude.

I shall let that smart comment just pass. :tounge_smile: xxx

[Aditi]

Did Austria go berserk when Arnie was elected Governator?

[Bongosamaj]

I aint proud or 'not proud' of anyone simply due to the luck of birth. I don't give a damn about them being Indian national/NRI/PIO/total foreigner- i am not a nationalist, i think the idea of 'nations' are pretty stupid anyways. Whether or not I am proud of someone else is purely a function of their personality & being. Jindal, whom I've heard with my OWN TWO EARS, is a pucca haraami. Suavely takes pot-shots at our 'barbarian christian-less culture' and how he is 'lucky to not be there', etc etc. As i said before, a guy so disrespectful towards his own motherland is a cretin of the lowest order, hence no respect for Jindal. That he is a christian fanatic and a republican also contribute towards my distaste of him. Fack the nonsensical 'born Indian/born in an indian family' nonsense. Thats just luck of the draw, doesn't determine what sort of chap you are. All that nationalism crap is bakwaas in the first place.

[Lurker]

Did Austria go berserk when Arnie was elected Governator?

Beserk as in celebrated or people calling him names? To my knowledge Arnie moving to West was initially scoffed at, late 60s to early 70s, then it was used as an inspiration, specially for Professional Athletes(read bodybuilders). This was further helped by opening of European borders and creation of EU. The way things stand today Europe has a very porous border and a citizen of Italy can work in ENgland or France without much issue(GKD can tell us more about it). The point I am making is since the concept of Nation states is kinda on a downswing in EU, Austrian today would perhaps understand Arni much better. Still I can not say I have read of celebrations in Austria as such....then again how much do we hear of Austria anyway? xx

[Aditi]

Beserk as in celebrated or people calling him names? To my knowledge Arnie moving to West was initially scoffed at, late 60s to early 70s, then it was used as an inspiration, specially for Professional Athletes(read bodybuilders). This was further helped by opening of European borders and creation of EU. The way things stand today Europe has a very porous border and a citizen of Italy can work in ENgland or France without much issue(GKD can tell us more about it). The point I am making is since the concept of Nation states is kinda on a downswing in EU, Austrian today would perhaps understand Arni much better. Still I can not say I have read of celebrations in Austria as such....then again how much do we hear of Austria anyway? xx

I meant celebrated, not get pissed off :haha:

[Lurker]

I aint proud or 'not proud' of anyone simply due to the luck of birth. I don't give a damn about them being Indian national/NRI/PIO/total foreigner- i am not a nationalist, i think the idea of 'nations' are pretty stupid anyways. Whether or not I am proud of someone else is purely a function of their personality & being. Jindal, whom I've heard with my OWN TWO EARS, is a pucca haraami. Suavely takes pot-shots at our 'barbarian christian-less culture' and how he is 'lucky to not be there', etc etc. As i said before, a guy so disrespectful towards his own motherland is a cretin of the lowest order, hence no respect for Jindal. That he is a christian fanatic and a republican also contribute towards my distaste of him. Fack the nonsensical 'born Indian/born in an indian family' nonsense. Thats just luck of the draw, doesn't determine what sort of chap you are. All that nationalism crap is bakwaas in the first place.

Shaanti shaanti..kya hua? Why so ballistic..Here have yourself a Happy Buddha.

[Bongosamaj]

You feel proud as an Indian American because Jindal's parents migrated to United states as many other Indians did and Jindal was able to rise through the political system in this country.

Kindly don't tell us why/if we feel proud or not. And secondly, the key part you are missing is not the 'what' but the 'how'. HOW he rose through the political system- a total white-bootlicker, total nutter and total fundamentalist christian who denigrates his motherland on occasions. NOT my kinda idjit, sorry to say. And i am still waiting for you to adjust your lame attempt at 'psycho-analyzing' the ICF board once i pointed out to you several nonsensical ASSUMPTIONS from your part: 1. You assumed that i am a 'hinduvta/hindu fundamentalist' when i am NOT EVEN A HINDU! 2. You assumed that it is 'petty jealousy' of success, when I CLEARLY mentioned a FAR MORE ACCOMPLISHED PIO THAN JINDAL before So now what ? where do these factor in your theories, Freud ?

[Bongosamaj]

Shaanti shaanti..kya hua? Why so ballistic..Here have yourself a Happy Buddha.

LOL Why Chinese buddha ? Thai/Afghan/Desi buddhas are so much cooler looking than the fat guy.... Anyways, sorry if i am a bit cranky this morning- i pulled an allnighter last night, fixing my busted speakers....and skipped out on work.

[Lurker]

LOL Why Chinese buddha ? Thai/Afghan/Desi buddhas are so much cooler looking than the fat guy....Anyways, sorry if i am a bit cranky this morning- i pulled an allnighter last night, fixing my busted speakers....and skipped out on work.

Yes that has always been my concern. When Western folks think of Buddha they immediately think of what I put above whereas the actual Buddha statues that we see in India are so much more inherently better. Cant remember ever seeing an Afgan Buddha though. An interesting thing on Buddha. During Durga Puja a big pandaal is erected right out of my house, actually it started from my house and then became too big(72 feet this time) and so its now held in a pandaal. This time the pandaal theme was Buddhism influenced and so Buddha statue was kept in front of the pandal while Durja statues were kept inside. Only in India. Will put some pictures here once I get em. xxx

[Bongosamaj]

Cant remember ever seeing an Afgan Buddha though.

Afghan Buddha = Indian buddha with slightly more caucasoid features ( they were built by the Indo-Greeks & Tocharians/Kushans IIRC). less plain on the body ( where Indian buddhas are pretty much 'naked' from the stoneface, though no showing of genitals), Afghan buddhas show shawl-like fabric/garment chiselled for the body of buddha

This time the pandaal theme was Buddhism influenced and so Buddha statue was kept in front of the pandal while Durja statues were kept inside. Only in India

Sounds awesome. Once you eliminate the hinduvta nutters from the crowd, Hindus, buddhists & jains get along remarkably well. I certainly never heard a word from my family about being a Buddhist.

[coffee_rules]

Lurker, You feel proud as an Indian American because Jindal's parents migrated to United states as many other Indians did and Jindal was able to rise through the political system in this country. Schwarzenegger and jindal represent the new breed of politicians who learnt the game of their own. And if you are on the other side wondering why you cannot do all that and look at the shades of his religion for all his success then I say it is first class narrow minded attitude.

His own parents are not proud of his actions, how can you expect other "Indians" to be? Here, read and weep: http://www.indolink.com/Living/America/a91.php HURTING PARENTS Jindal recalls, “My parents were infuriated by my conversion and have yet to fully forgive me.†He even steeled himself for the worst by becoming financially independent. But that hardly prepared him for the emotional battles that ensued. As Jindal explains, “My parents went through different phases of anger and disappointment. They blamed themselves for being bad parents, blamed me for being a bad son and blamed evangelists for spreading dissension. There were heated discussions, many of them invoking family loyalty and national identity.†He elaborates: “My parents have never truly accepted my conversion and still see my faith as a negative that overshadows my accomplishments. They were hurt and felt I was rejecting them by accepting Christianity. According to Jindal, his parents resorted to “ethnic loyalty†to counter his new faith In his 1993 article, Jindal says wistfully, “I long for the day when my parents understand, respect and possibly accept my faith. For now I am satisfied that they accept me.†[sicko wants to convert his parents as well] THEOLOGICAL MOTIVATION What was the motivation for Jindal’s rejection of Hinduism and his acceptance of Christianity? The answer can be pieced together in his own words. Essentially Jindal claims that having studied the Bible, he accepted Jesus Christ’s radical claim to divinity, along with Christ’s redemptive sacrifice on the cross. That is, Christ had died to redeem mankind from sin. “I was comfortable in my Hindu faith and enjoyed an active prayer life; I only gradually felt a void and stubbornly resisted God’s call…it was truth and love that finally forced me to accept Christ as Lord†Jindal recalled in an article. In comparing Hinduism with his new faith, Jindal noted that whereas “Hinduism taught me to earn my way to God’s grace†he found Christ’s sacrifice on the cross meant something personal for him. “God loved me and was lifting me up to Him†declared Jindal, two years after his conversion. The young Hindu American had examined Hinduism and found it wanting. Looked at from another perspective, the Hindus whom he approached were not competent enough to satisfy his intellectual curiosity. Having quenched his spiritual needs he went on to declare: “If Christianity is merely one of many equally valid religions, then the sacrifices I made, including the loss of my family’s peace, were senseless.†While he explains that he is aware of “gross injustices in the name of truth and God†committed by missionaries in India and elsewhere, Jindal is appreciative of their enormous contributions to health and education. That’s why he exhorts: “Let us all become missionaries and live so that the world will know us by our love.†As Jindal went on to explain, there is need for a balance between ecumenism and evangelism. That’s why he exhorts fellow Christians: “we must be humble enough to recognize that we can learn from other faiths but also that love should motivate us to share our faith with others.†While dependence on God and belief in His supremacy is key to Jindal’s acceptance of what he calls “one objectively true faith,†his vision of Christianity also means that because each individual is born with an inner need to know God, he too is “called to share his faith in Christ so as to help others fill that void.†[sicko wants to convert more people to christianity] CONCERN OF INDIAN AMERICANS Meanwhile Indian Americans, who have contributed handsomely to Jindal’s campaign chest, are raising some legitimate concerns. For example, in an article entitled ‘Who is the real Bobby Jindal?’ written by Ramesh Rao and published in the newsletter of the Indian American Policy Institute, the following question is raised: “One-third of the money Jindal has raised, we are told, was contributed by Indian-Americans. Should they not be wondering what made Jindal convert to Catholicism? None seemed to have bothered to ask. He tells the usual story of how Jesus came into his life: more or less the standard spiel that every Campus Christian Crusader spouts. What was missing in his Hindu faith and background that made him convert? We don’t get any insight from the simple mention of how a high school friend gave him a Bible, and how he read it, and how it changed his life.†Ramesh Rao goes on to explain: “I have very, very high regard for Bobby Jindal for his accomplishments, and for his ability to articulate ideas. I am very, very concerned, however, about his far right views. When Indian-American supporters assert that Jindal is "One of us", I really don´t know what is meant by that except that he is a son of Indian immigrants. … It is almost as if his Indian supporters and Indian-American newspapers want to ignore what he truly is: an ultra-conservative Christian politician. The suggestion is that Jindal’s conservative agenda, and his conversion to Catholicism “indicate that when Jindal, as an 18 year-old converted to Catholicism, knew well that that was the only way, as an Indian-American Hindu he could achieve his political ambitions.â€

[Bongosamaj]

Btw- interesting thing about Chinese buddha- its a lesson on how art imitates culture & cultural values get super-imposed even on the most serious of religious issues. Take for eg, Jesus in the west- every other church you go to, its an emaciated bleached-white guy strung up to the cross. When infact, Jesus looked closer to Yasir Arafat than David Hasselhoff. The fact that ancient Jews and ancient arabs were remarkably close to each other ethnically is indisputable, really. Same with Chinese buddha- before Buddhism caught on in China ( sometime around 500-600 AD IIRC), the fat guy used to be a symbol of good luck & wealth ( in old chinese culture, if you were fat, you were considered lucky & wealthy), thus a symbolic gesture of 'may you get fat, lucky & wealthy' was associated with the fat-guy. But once Buddha became popular in China, they adapted the fat guy moorti for Buddha's representation. So i guess it became ' you are cool if you are fat, rich, lucky & enlightened'. Go figure!

[yoda]

Did Austria go berserk when Arnie was elected Governator?

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/30/AR2007073000718.html VIENNA, Austria -- Austrians threw a party for one of their most famous sons, Arnold Schwarzenegger, celebrating his 60th birthday Monday with strudels, schnitzels and a gift _ the original street number from the house where he was born. "A Day for Arnold," proclaimed officials in the southern village of Thal Bei Graz, the California governor's birthplace. A brass band played, a priest celebrated a special birthday Mass and 59 people joined Mayor Peter Urdl onstage in a ceremony to wish Schwarzenegger well. Urdl said he sent a birthday present _ Thal 145, the enameled number of the house where Schwarzenegger was born July 30, 1947. "This belongs to him. No one here will ever be assigned that number again," he said.

[Bongosamaj]

Btw, just outta curiosity- isnt Jindal a punjabi name ?

[Aditi]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/30/AR2007073000718.html VIENNA, Austria -- Austrians threw a party for one of their most famous sons, Arnold Schwarzenegger, celebrating his 60th birthday Monday with strudels, schnitzels and a gift _ the original street number from the house where he was born. "A Day for Arnold," proclaimed officials in the southern village of Thal Bei Graz, the California governor's birthplace. A brass band played, a priest celebrated a special birthday Mass and 59 people joined Mayor Peter Urdl onstage in a ceremony to wish Schwarzenegger well. Urdl said he sent a birthday present _ Thal 145, the enameled number of the house where Schwarzenegger was born July 30, 1947. "This belongs to him. No one here will ever be assigned that number again," he said.

Cool..thanks for the article.Was just curious if that happened.

[coffee_rules]

Btw' date=' just outta curiosity- isnt Jindal a punjabi name ?[/quote'] From that above article: Piyush Bobby Jindal has certainly come a long way from his father’s native Mater Kotla, in Punjab.

[Bongosamaj]

Thanks, espresso_man.

[Aditi]

So what should his fellow "Indian-Americans" be proud of?

[coffee_rules]

So what should his fellow "Indian-Americans" be proud of?

It is possible for one of them to hood-wink or brain-wash the Americans.