Indo-Americans glad for Bush visit
San Jose Mercury News, March 2, 2006

By K. Oanh Ha

Bay Area Indo-Americans are greeting President Bush's trip to India this week with high expectations. Many hope the improved relationship between the United States and India will propel India out of China's shadow and onto the world stage.

They also hope the trip will bolster economic ties between the two countries as well as between Silicon Valley and Indian cities such as Bangalore and Hyderabad.

``Getting acknowledgment from the United States is great, but what are we going to accomplish together?'' asked Vandana Kumar, publisher of India Currents, a San Jose-based monthly magazine aimed at Indian-Americans.

Though a landmark nuclear deal dominates the three-day trip which ends Friday, Indo-Americans hope Bush's presence will also help clarify the importance of outsourcing for both countries. Bush visits Hyderabad on Friday, one of India's bustling high-tech hubs.

``How do you continue to get access to Indian skills, which both countries will benefit from?'' said Sridar Iyengar, president of the Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE). ``What kind of longer-term collaborative things will the U.S. and India be able to do to boost both economies? That's going to be on the table at the highest level.''

A Republican president visiting India after President Bill Clinton's trip in 2000 underscores India's rising prominence, many said.

``There is an acceptance that India is now a player,'' said Iyengar. ``There will be a better appreciation from the U.S. of the aspirations of India to be considered in the same breath as China.''

Bush's arrival Wednesday was met by thousands of protesters angry with the U.S. handling of the Iraq war, a marked contrast to Clinton's warmly greeted visit, which improved the once-chilly relations between the nations.

Since Clinton's visit, India's economy and global importance have surged, which some say changes the tenor of U.S.-India dialogue.

``On the one hand, India is very much interested in being a good partner and wants a good relationship with the United States,'' said Ashok Jethanandani, editor of India Currents. ``On the other hand, we want to do it on our own terms.''

The nuclear deal, which would give India access to U.S. commercial nuclear technology, is a good example of India asserting itself.

Though there is widespread criticism of the deal, which the Bush administration agreed to last year, most Indian-Americans support India's ambitions to produce nuclear energy -- and its ability to defend itself against neighbors that are armed with nuclear weapons. India last tested its nuclear weapons in 1998, which sparked an outcry, and has not signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

``India is the only democracy in that part of the world,'' said Kanwal Rekhi, a venture capitalist with a fund that invests in Indian start-ups. ``They are the only ones who have a U.S. set of values in a very bad neighborhood.''

Sukhmander Singh is hoping the trip will have a very different kind of outcome, one that affects him personally. Singh, a civil engineering professor at Santa Clara University, feels that since Sept. 11, there's ``a level of suspicion'' cast on some Indian-Americans, namely Sikhs like himself, identifiable by the turbans the men wear. He is hoping Bush's visit, during which the president will meet with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, a Sikh, will ``raise the profile of Indian-Americans.''

``It will establish a level of sensitivity toward better understanding of Indians and Sikhs,'' said Singh.

For most Indian-Americans, the presidential trip to their homeland, where many still have family and business connections, is an acknowledgment of India's progress.

``There is a significant amount of pride in what India is doing,'' said TiE's Iyengar. ``When that is validated by a trip of an American president, we walk a little bit taller.''