Search the Internet           Tips

The Rediff Special/ Neera Tanden

Rohini Balakrishnan Ramanathan

Stories in the media about Indian-Americans in high places have become almost as ubiquitous as autumn leaves. Some stories, of course, have more to do with the exotic nature -- for Americans, that is -- of the stuff some Indian-Americans do. Things like rangoli and henna, all of which is commonplace for Indians. I'm waiting for the day paan becomes a fad; that will be sweet revenge.

For some of us jaded folk, these stories no longer hold any appeal. But there are others that do. For instance, a story about Neera Tanden under Public Lives in the Metro Section of The New York Times issue dated October 4 grabbed my attention.

While there are tons of stories about Indian-Americans in the Arts and Letters, Journalism, Business, Academia and the like, they are still few and far between in the public arena. And I'm not talking about elected office here. Not yet. But working closely with someone of Hillary Rodham Clinton's stature is certainly something to take note of. Which is why I was enamoured by the story on Tanden, policy director and deputy campaign manager of Clinton's Senate race.

Some of the items usually mentioned about the main character in such a story are their age, educational qualifications, family background, responsibilities, style of operation, etc. Tanden is young (about 30), highly qualified (University of California and Yale Law School), grew up in an affluent neighbourhood (Bedford, Massachusetts) and, of course, carries out her responsibilities with impeccable style and charm.

I have almost come to "expect" these characteristics in successful Indian-Americans. But what, in Tanden's case, bowled me over was the fact that she came from a broken family. Her parents got divorced when she was just five years old.

Not that divorces are rare among Indian-Americans (though, relatively speaking, they are). But when we read about Indian-American high achievers, we, more often than not, also see what "perfect" families they come from. Usually they look like they have just stepped out of the wedding announcement pages of The New York Times, every hair in place, every eye lined perfectly and every lip glossed exceptionally smoothly. Parents of both the bride and the groom are usually highly qualified professionals who have provided the best of everything to their kids. So seeing Tanden come from a broken home seems tantamount to an unexpected crack in a Royal Doulton fine dinnerware set at a grand dinner party.

It was a classic divorce -- the one where the wife and kids end up in the poorhouse. Statistically speaking, women and children are the biggest losers in a divorce. As was Mrs Tanden with her two small children. They lived on welfare, received food stamps and "had section 8 vouchers for their housing". Thank God, the American system has such a safety net. This is of great import to immigrants, who usually do not have any other support system.

It is something I always point out to my friends and relatives who visit from India. How, in the US, we immigrants are forced to be enterprising because we have no ancestral homes we can comfortably retire to if and when the going gets tough. At least the warmth of a home, with loving people in it and a roof over our heads, is there for us in India. In the US, where the familiar mantra is "when the going gets going the tough get going", government support, our pride and forced entrepreneurial spirit are our only armour when life hits its lows.

Tanden's success is what America would proudly call a true-blue American success story. When put that way, even I feel a bit misty-eyed. As I said before, the Indian-American success stories are usually of a different kind.

In The New York Times interview, Tanden explains, "The reason I am so active in politics... is because of my background... The Democratic Party, the policies that the Clintons... believe in, I feel like a living example of someone who benefited." It's so refreshing to see such honesty in this Indian-American because I detect a great deal of hypocrisy among many of the expatriate Indians. There are probably many reasons for this, which I may explore in detail and write about some day.

On the Indian-American web site, www.sulekha.com (the only one I visit), there were three reactions to this article. From what I can fathom, this site seems more popular among the more recent visitors to the US (some probably temporary, others probably still in the process of settling down) than the older generation or the Indian-American generation that Tanden belongs to. The only statement in Tanden's interview that had been commented upon on this site was: "It tells you something about arranged marriages." It was the statement she made to the reporter while talking about her parents' arranged marriage ending in divorce.

To be honest, I was rather surprised to read this statement because it just did not seem to have a place in this article. Especially when the person saying this is working for Hillary Clinton. After all, don't we all know what a sham the first lady's marriage is (a "love marriage", in case we forget)? Tanden herself is a newlywed, married to one Ben Edwards with whom she fell in love (Hey, so did I! Marry for love, that is. I can talk because I'm married for 20 years -- and no Monica L so far! So there!!)

I wondered if this statement was something the interviewer herself inserted into the story. Sorry if I slander, but it's hard to escape the undying "wonderment" many Americans show at this supposedly Neanderthal Indian tradition. At this point, I also feel compelled to add this aside: This article is not about the merits of arranged marriage versus the not-arranged-by-family marriage. So I request readers not to get stuck in this too-familiar groove. I promise we will do this another time!

A research-oriented (the title of the article is "The Wonk, er, Woman Behind Mrs Clinton) campaigner ("finding the facts and figures to defend her candidate's position is a large part of her work", of course), Tanden confesses in the interview that "one subject she never researched for the campaign: Mrs Clinton's lack of popularity, for a time, among educated women." Apparently, Hillary Clinton is more popular now -- according to the polls I suppose and, of course, as reported by Tanden. Personally, I am a sceptic who finds polls a close cousin of astrology. I think I'd put voodoo science one notch higher.

Well, the elections are next week and I still have not made up my mind. It's a tough decision for me. For one thing, I am a fellow Long Islander of Clinton's adversary, Rick Lazio. But Tanden is a fellow Indian-American. So what do I do? Ah, well, I still have time. I bet you all know that famous adage: Why do today what you can do tomorrow?

The Rediff Specials

Tell us what you think of this feature