Monday Musings: The Indian connection gets embarrassing

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By Amitabh Srivastava, Copy Edited By Adam Rizvi, The India Observer, TIO: The behavior of Vice President JD Vance towards the Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Oval House trumpeted across the globe by the US media led by Fox and X has once again embarrassed all those Indians who were proud of flaunting their connections, relations in high places.

Yes it was Donald Trump who had decided the treatment to the visiting Zelenskyy fighting a bitter battle of survival for the last three years against Russian aggression but people have long stopped expecting any civil behavior from the rough and tough Trump, even those who voted for him egged on by the slogan of MAGA.

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But not JD Vance, whom some expected to be influenced by Indian thoughts and traditions or so we thought.

Only one and a half month back, on January 20 precisely, all the Indian newspapers were displaying the picture of a beaming Usha Bala Chilkuri his demure wife, qualified in her own right, but with Indian roots, standing besides her husband JD Vance who was being sworn in as the Vice President after a rather one-sided contest bringing back Donald Trump as President once again beating the Democratic Kamla Harris, also with an Indian connection.

After this outrageous display of arrogance towards Zelenskyy, a man regarded by more than half the world as hero (the United Nations has already passed a resolution condemning the aggression of Russia and its relentless cruelty specially since the last three years) there is stunned silence among those who know the couple.

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She is not the only one who had to suffer this ignominy.

A few months back when our own Rishi Sunak was ready to fight for the post of UK Prime Minister, his Indian wife Akashata Murthy decided to invite the British media for a cup of tea. But the brutal British Press was so cruel to them that instead of enjoying the hospitality of one of the richest Indians (being the daughter of Infosys Chairman Narayan Krishnamurthy) they were writing about how expensive the crockery she used was.

It sounded like, “If you can’t get bread eat cakes.”

Let’s hope Vivek Ramaswamy a long time Trump fan and Kash Patel the newly appointed Director of the Federal Bureau of investigation have better luck and are not disowned by their Indians back in India.

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Then there are some like Gurpatwant Singh Pannum an advocate with American and US citizenship representing Sikhs for Justice who has been in the cross hairs of the Indian Government as a Khalistani supporter who alleged that an Indian undercover agent Nikhil Gupta had been assigned the task of eliminating him by RAW (Research and Analysis Wing) of India. He was seen attending the oath-taking of Donald Trump in January.

Who knows tomorrow he might be assigned an honourable assignment by the President, just to rub the salt in!

My point is that with such a fluid situation in world geopolitics it would be prudent for Indians in India not to get overjoyed by seeing an Indian surname hogging the limelight.

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An Indian surname carries some respect—or so we believe.

We don’t have a surname like Kennedy among us. Ever since a member of the Kennedy clan, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., was appointed to the crucial position of Health Secretary by the new regime, stories of his exploits—40 mistresses in as many states—have surfaced. In addition, his skepticism about the utility of the COVID-19 vaccine has made him a star.

But we don’t need such stars in India—unless, of course, they turn into Gurus. About a year ago, Indian news magazines made headlines about half a dozen Indians serving in the cabinet of Justin Trudeau in Canada. Since then, the Indian government has disowned Trudeau.

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Now Trump want to make Canada the 51 st State of USA. God forbid!

There is another kind of Indian connectivity that is now being flaunted as a moment of pride not to be confused with Pride movement.

Only a few months ago, we were told that the newly appointed Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, Harini Amarasuriya, had studied at Hindu College, Delhi University—adding to the ‘halo’ of Vishwaguru that India’s self-supporters and Bhakts are happily fabricating. They are busy rewriting the history of India—or, to be exact, Bharat—as if it were born in 2014.

We must be careful before this boomerang hits us where it hurts most- self respect!

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Some of them like Rachin Ravindra who is one of the biggest destroyers in cricket when playing against India, is one of the illustrations of a boomerang if there is one.

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Curated and Compiled by Humra Kidwai

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