“Hi dad, I am home from school!” She shouted, entering her house.
“Very good! How was your day? You look tired!” He lowered the TV volume to almost mute.
“It was okay. I still don’t like America!” She said, putting her heavy school bag against the sofa.
“It’s normal Riya! Did you make any new friends?”
“Not really, all the white kids call me ‘the Indian girl’” She slumped into the sofa, next to her dad.
“That’s because they are not used to it” He said encouragingly.
“I love ‘American History’ class though. The teacher was so happy with me!” Her tone was happy again. Read the rest of this entry »
Posts Tagged History
The sad history of the first Asian Indians in America
We feel free when we escape – even if it be but from the frying pan into the fire. ~Eric Hoffer
In the early days of America, migrants from India were commonly called as ‘East Indians’, ‘Asian Indians’ or ‘Asiatic Indians’. These terms were used to distinguish us – those from India – from the American natives – called ‘Indians’ as well.
The first ‘East Indians’ arrived in American in early 17th century. A historical study by Martha W. McCartney confirms the presence of ‘East Indians’ in America as early as 1624. But how and why they came to America is not a pretty story; it is nothing to write home about. 
Most of the Indians came to America via England as servants or helpers of Englishmen. They traveled in British trading ships, arriving in the newly established British Colony in America. Some Indians also came to America – ‘the new world’ as they called it – as lascars or helpers aboard the trading ships of the British East India Company from the Indian ports directly.
Once in America, the Indian migrants were no longer simple helpers or workers, but more like slaves. Yes, it is true; the social status of earlier Indians who settled in America was that of slaves and servants. Their rights were very limited; they did not have the freedom to leave their masters – the ‘owners’. Their names were often changed to the English names and surnames of their masters or ‘owners’.
Some of the earliest documented presence of East Indians in America comes from the newspapers of those days. For example, in case a servant or a slave would run away, the owner used the newspapers to advertise the ‘run-away slave’, describing his looks and offering rewards for his recovery.
Here are some samples of the actual advertisements from the local newspapers, as archived by the historians:
Virginia Gazette
Williamsburg ,
August 4, 1768.
Richmond county, July 14. RUN away about the 20th of May last, an East-India Indian, named Thomas Greenwich; he is a well made fellow, about 5 feet 4 inches high, wears his own hair, which is long and black, has a thin visage, a very sly look, and a remarkable set of fine white teeth. A reward of 40s will be paid to the person who delivers him to the subscriber, besides what the law allows. WILLIAM COLSTON.
And here is another one: The Virginia Gazette newspaper reported the run away of a ‘Servant Man’. The advertisement is posted by ‘the master’ William Brown from the town of Prince William, in an effort to track down and bring back his servant. The ad, in parts, describes the run away slave and the reward as below: Read the rest of this entry »
Discussions about discoveries & inventions on Columbus Day
“It’s a non-stop invention, this game of life, and as soon as you think you’ve got it, you lose it.” ~Tim Finn
More than 500 years ago, Christopher Columbus left Spain and headed west with 3 ships under his command, his intended destination was India. He seriously underestimated the size of the earth, and was hoping to reach India taking a western ocean route. On October 12, 1492, he ended on a new land, America. Still believing that he had landed in India, he called the native Americans on this new land ‘Indians’.
Today, on October 12, America is celebrating Columbus Day. Discussions about discoveries and inventions are in the air. Today is the day to brag about our ancestors and their discoveries.
So what did your forefathers invented or discovered?
There is a long list of the inventions and discoveries that India has made since the old days. Not sure how true or accurate those lists are, we will let someone else worry about that. 
However, looking at the discoveries or inventions that came from India, why is it that we always look for the small or little things? ..or it is just a skewed observation? :)
For example, here are some of the famous inventions/discoveries that India takes credit for:
Concept of zero: Out for all the number, we decided to invent something that has no value – zero. Come on now, we could have done something higher and larger, right?
Binary system: How about binary system, a combination of zeros and ones. Yes, we made progress, moved up by one number from zero, but still, we could have invented something bigger, no? The ‘ones’ and ‘zeros’ only?
Infinity: Then, there are some claims that ‘infinity’ in math came from India. Infinity is ‘something very large’, beyond a number can describe. Now we are talking, something BIG finally came from India. That is something we should brag about. Now, what exactly is infinity? Well, infinity is any number divided by zero!!!
Stuck at zero again?? Read the rest of this entry »
“The world needs heroes and it’s better they be harmless men like me than villains like Hitler.” ~ Albert Einstein
Adolf Hitler’s autobiography Mein Kampf (in English: My Struggle), is selling like hot cakes in India as reported by London Telegraph. The book commonly branded as ‘Nazi Bible’ is banned in many countries. However, students in India are using it as a self-guide for business studies.
1947:100s of miles long caravans of Indians leaving behind everything & moving to the new country based on their religion; Photo:wanabehuman.blogspot
There are all kinds of global opinion for and against this subject – should we be using this book as a guide for business studies?
The simple answer is: it depends. It depends where you live in the world; how much you know about Hitler; and how you feel about it. Hitler is not a commonly discussed figure in India or Indian society. Growing up, we did not know much about him. Hitler and Stalin were often mentioned in the same sentence. In the the schools’ history books, Hitler is mentioned mainly as a apart of the World War II studies. It is quite possible that many Indians, who don’t know as much about Hitler, are just in awe of his atrocities; they might be reading the book just out of curiosity. And lately, many more may be reading because of the media coverage and the story being reported all over the globe. Many may read Hitler’s biography because they just want to know more about him and what made him the monster and evil that he is known to be. Read the rest of this entry »
