Indian Genius: Exploring the grit behind Indian-American success stories

Indian Genius: The Meteoric Rise of Indians in America

Author: Meenakshi Ahamed

Publisher: HarperCollins

Pages: 360

Price: Rs 567

  The story of Indians in America is, by any measure, one of outstanding success. Indians take vicarious pride in celebrating a Sundar Pichai heading Google or a Satya Nadella taking Microsoft into an AI-driven future. But Meenakshi Ahamed, herself an Indian American and an acclaimed author of a definitive book on India-US relations — A Matter of Trust has now produced a pioneering study of the emergence of this remarkable cohort at the pinnacle of American industry, academia, politics and government. Her intimate profiles of some of the most successful Indian Americans, based on personal interviews and drawing upon her unmatched network in her adopted country, makes this book a must-read for anyone interested in the Indian diaspora. The Introduction has useful information about the Indian-American community and this is followed by chapters divided into three sections, each profiling outstanding individuals in the “Techie”, the “Healers” and the “Influencers” categories, respectively. The concluding chapter seeks to identify some of the attributes these individuals share and explore whether they contributed to their outstanding achievements. Finally, explore how America provided them with the opportunity to excel away from their home country.

 

The title of the book, Indian Genius, may be somewhat misleading because the stories are more about the grit and determination with which the successful Indian Americans overcame the odds they encountered in a distant and unfamiliar country, the passion with which they pursued their chosen calling, and the strength they drew from their families and friends and the larger community. Their genius was more reflective of its old definition —“90 per cent perspiration and 10 per cent inspiration”. The profiles reflect the particularity of experiences and differences in attitudes that the subjects of the interviews convey in their own words. It is their individual experiences that are more engaging. They draw upon their experience of a highly plural Indian society, its innate cosmopolitanism, the proficiency in the English language, and the traditional value placed on education. But they also acknowledge that their adopted country gave them opportunities unavailable in India, that it rewarded hard work and merit. Their success is a tribute to the US and its ability to attract the best talent and skills from across the world. Indian Americans have made the most of this open door. The door is not open to the lesser skilled migrants. Ms Ahamed tells the story of a cab driver from Punjab in New York City who had waited 20 years for his green card. Their plight is camouflaged by the impressive figures for the diaspora as a whole. The average annual per capita income of an Indian American is $135,000 while for the rest of the country it is about $56,000; 73 per cent of Indian Americans are college graduates, while the figure for the rest of the country is 30 per cent.

 

It is no surprise that the more numerous amongst the diaspora the author profiles belong to the techie category. During the 1960s and 70s, the Indian Institutes of Technology in India, provided high-quality technical education to middle-class Indians at nominal cost. The graduates did not find enough opportunities in India to earn a decent salary and, more importantly, to advance their skills in their respective fields. For several years, nearly 40 per cent of all IIT graduates headed to the US, and some of the most successful Indian Americans are IIT alumni. Sundar Pichai, Shantanu Narayen (CEO of Adobe) and Nikesh Arora (CEO Palo Alto Networks) belong to this category. But the “brain drain” from the top engineering institutions continues to this day. One of the most intriguing individuals profiled is Chandrika Tandon (née Krishnamurthy), who overcame family opposition, gender prejudice, and societal pressures to build a successful career in the consultancy business. She managed high-profile mergers and acquisitions before establishing her own firm with a loyal clientele. And then she called it quits to pursue her passion for music. She paved the way for her younger sister, Indra Nooyi, who won acclaim as the first female CEO of the multinational Pepsi.

 

Indian Americans in the medical profession come out as among the best. This includes Siddhartha Mukherjee, who is an oncologist and has written a bestseller on cancer, The Emperor of Maladies. Another acclaimed medical practitioner is Atul Gawande, also a bestselling author. His book, Checklist Manifesto, significantly reduced common lapses in complex surgeries by introducing a checklist to be used while performing procedures. The drill has applications in several other fields. Dr Gawande’s later book, Being Mortal, is a very sensitive portrayal of the challenge of preparing terminally ill patients to accept the inevitability of death. Both physicians stand out for their empathy and humane sensibilities.

 

The last section on the Influencers includes profiles of politicians Nikki Haley and Ro Khanna and journalist and author Fareed Zakaria. They are among the less interesting Indian Americans. A profile of presidential hopeful Kamala Harris may have been worthwhile, but the author excluded her because she identifies herself as black. But I think Ms Harris does not reject her Indian identity.

 

One would have preferred a clear distinction between quotes and the author’s own commentary, and there could have been more careful editing. But this is an immensely readable book, and the conversations the author has with her subjects draw out their distinctive personalities and the different things that drive them to become high achievers. There are lessons beyond their experiences.

 

The reviewer is a former foreign secretary