Milestone: One per cent Indian-Americans get one per cent representation in US Congress

WASHINGTON

: The story goes that when the first person of Indian (or Asian) origin to be elected to Congress, Dalip Singh Saund, was running for office in the 1950s, he was ribbed about his turban by American voters. "It’s not what’s on my head that should matter but what’s in my head," the Sikh farmer from California, who also had a PhD in mathematics, famously told his tormentors. Although he would eventually give up his turban, the legend of the alpha-smart India was born.

Saund, who was born in Chhajalwadi in Punjab, served only three terms before a paralytic stroke ended his career, but on Tuesday, his legacy flowered richly on the Hill as five lawmakers of Indian-origin debuted in Congress in a development that bespoke unprecedented political success for the Indian-American community. Numerically, the Indian-American community is just one per cent of the US population, and it now has approximately one per cent representation in Congress (535 members).

Such is the delight among desis at this milestone that its stalwarts are hosting a gala in Washington DC to celebrate their arrival in the capital, dubbing the political progress "From Success to Significance."

What is of immediate significance though is that all five lawmakers are Democrats who have made their way to Washington amid a

Trump Electoral College

tsunami. From California Senator Kamala Harris to Washington Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal, they’ve ridden on continued popular support for Democrats in liberal states that are a world away from the "Trumpistan" of Middle America.

The three other lawmakers are Ami Bera, elected to Congress for a third term (also from California), Raja Krishnamoorthi of Illinois, and Ro Khanna, also from California, and more pertinently, from the heart of

Silicon Valley

.

"This is the story of Indian-Americans coming of age politically," said Sanjeev Joshipura, Director of the community group Indiaspora founded by Silicon Valley entrepreneur M R Rangaswami. "As doctors, engineers, lawyers etc we have massive representation in the US, but now Indian-Americans who are one per cent of the US population, have one percent representation in Congress."

In keeping with Saund’s incredible academic chops but earthy connection (he became a lettuce farmer after garnering degrees in maths), all five Indian-American lawmakers are grounded in the community.

Ami Bera, whose parents Kanta and Babulal Bera emigrated to the US in the 1950s is a physician (graduated from UC Irvine) and served as the chief medical officer for the County of Sacramento. Ro Khanna, son of an IIT engineer who emigrated to the US in the 1970s, went to Yale Law School and specializes in intellectual property law.

While Bera and Khanna are US-born (Los Angeles and Philadelphia respectively), Pramila Jayapal and Raja Krishnamoorthi are India-born (Chennai and New Delhi respectively). Krishnamoorthi has an engineering degree from Princeton and a law degree from Harvard, and Jayapal has an MBA from NorthWestern University. Both have done immense community work.

But the star of the line-up is Kamala Harris (law degree from University of California), who served as the state’s Attorney General and is now the junior Senator from California. A rising star in the

Democratic Party

, she is already being spoken of as the next generation of the party’s leadership even as Clintons and Obamas fade into dusk.