Our man in the US

Like Forrest Gump, Sunil ''Sunny'' Aghi is one of those people who seems to pop up everywhere news is being made. But unlike the character played by Tom Hanks in the film, Aghi is a very smart cookie.
The diminutive 43-year-old who ran away from his home in Meerut, UP, as a teen to see the world, is best known as the founder and president of the Indo-American Political Foundation (IAPF).This powerful group is dedicated to supporting fair representation of Indians in the government, fighting against discrimination and building better bonds with the largest democracy in the world, India.
A prominent Democratic activist, Aghi is the Indian American community''s ''Get Things Done'' guy. Remember when Hindus got outraged over the way Lord Krishna was portrayed on the popular TV show Xena: Warrior Princess? Aghi stepped in and facilitated an on-air apology by the show''s stars and creators.
During the 2000 US Presidential elections, he was the first and only Indian American appointed an ''elector'', or voter''s representative. He was the first Indo-American to be honoured by the US Congress for bringing Indo-Americans into mainstream politics; and he founded Thank You America, an organisation dedicated to feeding and clothing California''s needy. That was also him, on the steps of the California state Capitol this August 15, joining in the state''s first ever celebration of India''s Independence Day.
"My father worked as an activist, a social worker and a businessman," Aghi says, his voice a bouncy, energetic testament to his inner fire. "He wanted me to stay in business, but I had a quest for knowledge. I wanted to rebel, but in India you can''t rebel — so I ran away to Sweden and worked on a farm and in a restaurant to make ends meet."
When Aghi came to the US in 1980 to further his education, he worked in the dining hall of his college to support himself while attending Cal Poly Pomona. He ultimately earned a master''s degree in marketing from the West Coast University. After gaining US citizenship in 1988, Aghi decided he wanted to help people. He says, "I wanted to create laws that would affect not 100 people, but 100 million people."
Self-employed as an insurance agent, Aghi can make the time for his busy political schedule. He lives in Orange County with his wife, Dimple, and children – Reshee, Rohan and Devika. The IAPF is now the US''s most influential political group for Indians, and Aghi''s biggest challenge right now is to talk his friend Al Gore into running for president again in 2004. "I''m working to convince him that he''s the right man to take over the White House," Aghi says.
Working closely with Indian consulate officials in California, Aghi put together an itinerary of visits to government officials in India earlier this year. His communication with the Indian consulate caught the attention of FBI spooks who were working on a security sweep targeting young men from Arab and Islamic countries. FBI agents took an uncomfortable interest in Aghi, visiting him in his office for a surprise ''friendly chat''. The interrogation so incensed Aghi that he fired off a letter to attorney general John Ashcroft.
"Mr Ashcroft, what bothers me the most is that under your administration, American citizens are now being subjected to interrogations, just because they may be activists or belong to a particular community," Aghi wrote.
"America is the greatest country in the world because of its civil liberties and the rights of individual freedom, and you are working hard to erode those values," he wrote, adding that he chose the Democratic Party because it represents all Americans, "and not just the rich, white and Christian, like the party you represent."
The unspoken question, of course, is: when will Aghi run for government? He replies: "At the right time. I really want to represent Indians in mainstream America."