INDIAN AMERICANS

by Donna Gundle-Krieg and Padma Tadepalli 

as published in Metro Parent Magazine

Indian Americans: Most Educated and Wealthy Class

Click here for the 2000 census statistics on the racial makeup of Detroit area communities.

INDIAN AMERICANS

Who are the best educated and wealthiest people in the tri-county area? Hint: they are also the fastest growing Asian American ethnic group in metropolitan Detroit. The answer is Indian Americans, also known as Asian Indians. They comprise 1% of the tri-county population, and they continue to shine in schools, workplaces and neighborhoods, especially in the technical areas.

INDIAN AMERICAN FAMILIES

Who are these Indian Americans and why did they come to the US? Following is a sample of the many local Asian Indians, their habits and customs.

Sunita Doddamani, an attorney who lives and works in Detroit, was born in America and is engaged to a man of European background. Her older brothers were born in India and will marry fellow Indian Americans. Ratna Ullagaddi, mother of three who lives in West Bloomfield, has been in the US for 15 years. She came with her husband when he was on a student visa for his PhD in Engineering.Raju Nadimpalli is a computer engineer and father of two who moved his family to Farmington Hills in 2000 to work for Sistel. Writer Padma Kuppa of Troy, mother of two, has been back and forth between India and the US. Kuppa was born in India, and started her schooling in New York when her parents moved here for graduate study. When Kuppa was a teen, her family moved back to India to be with family “and because they wanted to avoid raising a teenage girl in the US in the 80’s, and all the issues they found objectionable here at that time,” she explained.

MARRIAGE

Kuppa ended up returning to the US, where she met and was engaged to her husband. To finish the agreement, there were formalities completed by the heads of both families at the same time in India. “The marriage was sort of arranged---the way many Indian marriages are,” she said, explaining that the eligible parties meet, including the boy and girl and both sets of parents. "If everyone decides there's a possibility for an alliance between the families…and both the "boy" and the "girl" like each other, then an engagement date is set, and then a marriage date,” she explained.

The time between the engagement and the wedding varies, depending on the family’s background, region and socio-economic situation. Kuppa does not intend to arrange her children’s marriage, but thinks that arranged marriages are a good thing in the right situation.Ullagaddi agrees. “My arranged marriage has been a very positive experience,” she said.

“Children are a priority in Indian marriages. Also, women are the foundation of culture. Everything is based on a woman’s decisions and her sacrifices.” Kuppa added that “the expectation of marriage is somewhat different in India. The culture there is not ‘all about me,’and people are more prepared to work at a marriage.” Ullagaddi feels that the low divorce rate among Indians is due to this high commitment and willingness of partners to compromise.

VISITS BACK TO INDIA

This same family commitment applies to the extended family, and most Indian Americans frequently return to their home country. Kuppa returns to India every few years to visit both sets of parents as well as cousins, uncles and aunts. They usually stay for at least four weeks.Ullagaddi’s family goes back during alternate years. “We return frequently to expose our children so that they don‘t forget our traditions and culture,” she said. “Otherwise they will forget, as the US is a rich country with easy access to everything.” Ullagaddi also sent her daughter to India for two years during middle school, where she lived with her grandparents.

Second and third generation Indians also strive to keep their culture alive. Despite her American birth, Doddamani also visits family members in India every year or two.

Nadimpalli’s family is planning a visit back to India this summer. “I miss my family,” he admitted. Also, his ten year old daughter Navya “doesn’t really remember living in India.” The good news is that Navya, who has attended two schools since moving here, has adjusted well to life in America.

SCHOOLS

Navya’s adjustment is typical of that of most Indian students. “The younger they are when they come over, the better the adjustment,” explained Bridget Dean, bilingual coordinator of the Farmington school district. Farmington schools are home to a large number of Indian children. Dean runs a “Newcomer Center” for students new to the country. She estimates that 25 out of 100 newcomers to the district this year are Indians. “Indian children are mostly high achieving,” she said. “They are usually very resilient with a solid educational foundation.”

Education is extremely important to Indian Americans. According to the 2000 census, more than 67% of foreign-born Indian Americans hold advanced degrees. “Education is the foundation of everything,” explained Nadimpalli. “You have no social respect if you are not educated.” India’s school system is similar to the British system. Most all children receive two years of pre-college, and can get into college and graduate school based on their test scores.

The government highly subsidizes college. For example, education was free for Nadimpalli up to his Bachelor’s degree. Nadimpalli is a product of India’s government schools, otherwise known as “Centers of Excellence" ":Government institutions have produced many great people,” he said.

Ullagaddi says most students in the middle class and above go to the excellent private schools. “Education is a huge priority for all Indians,” she said. “Indian parents are very involved in education.” “Indians push their kids hard,” agreed Doddamani. “Education is the ticket out of poverty, and the only way to move ahead.” Her father was born and raised in a temple orphanage, but was able to overcome his poverty by becoming educated.

Kuppa feels that Indians have to take education more seriously than Americans because of the competition. “To succeed there, excelling in math and science are critical,” she said. “In the US, we are not on par with international standards for math and science. I was at the highest levels in math and science when I returned to India after 10th grade, but that was the norm for students there.” Nadimpalli notes that Indian parents don’t expect their children to work as long as they are still in school. “As long as they want to study,” he said, “Indian parents will support education.” Ullagaddi adds that while Americans expect their children to be immediately independent after high school, “Indians are more connected with extended family after graduation.”

CAREERS

Indian Americans are not only the best educated group in the US, they are also the wealthiest. According to the Indian American Center for Political Awareness Center, in 2000 Indian Americans had a median income of $60,093, compared with $41,110 for Caucasian families. Close to 20% of Indian American households have three or more workers.

The reason for the high income is simple. “It’s hard to get to America,” Doddamani explained. “Most of those who make it over here are cream of the crop in terms of the education, and they are in the upper middle class.” Ullagaddi agreed. “Coming to America is a selective process that is difficult and highly competitive,” she said. “It is a priority for us and our children to be highly educated and successful.” Nadimpalli is typical of many Indian Americans. He was allowed into America because of his advanced degree and specialty occupation in technology and software. While Indians tend towards careers which are math and science oriented, such as doctors or computer engineers, more second generation Indians such as Doddamani are venturing into careers in the social sector.

RELIGION

A large percentage of Indian Americans are Hindus of different sects, while there is also a small number of Muslims and Christians. Many Hindu sects, such as the one Doddamani belongs to, do not go to temple. However, they meditate and practice other religious customs.

Kuppa comes from a fairly religious background. “One doesn't belong to a temple as much as belong to a temple community,” she explained. “Hinduism is not just a religion - it's a way of life.” Ullagaddi agrees, and attends temple in Ann Arbor on Sundays, where her family learns about Indian culture.

Kuppa takes her children to the Bharatiya Temple in Troy, where her daughter learns dance from Mrs. Sudha Chandrasekhar, who's been teaching Bharata Natyam (India's oldest dance form) for over 30 years. “She's a legend and gives meaning to the word ‘guru,’” believes Kuppa. Her kids usually attend prayer services weekly. During holiday seasons, they are there more often. “Due to the pantheon of Hindu gods, there's always something going on,” she explained.

FRIENDS AND RECREATION

Kuppa says that because of her American upbringing, her family has friends from all different communities and backgrounds. “We are part of the Great American melting pot,” she said. Nadimpalli admits that most of his friends are Indians who work with him. His children have a mixture of friends at the public schools.Ullagaddi has lots of Indian friends, and says about half of her children’s friends are Indian Americans. Dean says that the Indians have a very strong network among themselves, but they don’t shut others out.

“They like to share their culture, but are less involved in sports and recreation,” she said. “The Indian American students in Farmington Hills value education much more than play time.”

Indians aren’t all about work, though. Many Indians have taken a liking to the Gujarati tradition of "dandiya raas" or "raas garba" - a group dance sort of folk, with rhythmic movements. Nadimpalli’s family enjoys Indian music, as well as karate and the movies. Many Indians share their love of movies. In fact, Kuppa says that she believes India makes the most movies of any country in the world, which is why they call Bombay “Bollywood.”

CLOTHES

How do Indian Americans dress? In India, most dress in a “salwar-kurtha,” which is a tunic and loose pants, or a “sari” which is Kuppa’s “favorite outfit of all time.” She and her children wear Indian clothes to the temple and other activities where they want to represent their heritage. However, most of the time in America they wear jeans, sweatshirts or “normal” clothes.

FOOD

Most Hindus do not eat beef, and some are vegetarian. However, those who were born in America or have been in America for awhile, follow these guidelines less strictly. For example, Ullagaddi is a vegetarian, but her children are not.

Doddamani’s eating habits are more Americanized, and she does eat beef. However, she and others have held onto foods from their country. “We eat out at the many Indian restaurants in the metropolitan area,” she said. She also cooks Indian dishes, which include plenty of vegetables, rice, and flat unleavened breads as well as lots of spices, especially curry.

Kuppa’s upbringing was strictly vegetarian, and is raising the kids to be lacto-ovo vegetarians, which means that dairy and eggs are ok. “I cook Indian food but also do a wide variety of other ethnic foods,” she says. The family will eat out at any place with good vegetarian options.

LANGUAGE

What language do Indian Americans speak?

Dean, who speaks five languages herself, said that most Indian Americans know “British English,” which means they speak differently, but the reading and writing is mostly the same as American English.

The official national language is Hindi, which is what they teach in school. College classes are taught in English. However, in the homes, people speak their state language, often complicated by regional variations.

There are 14 officially recognized languages, and Doddamani estimates that there are 200-300 dialects. “Often people from different areas can’t understand each other,” she laughed. Kuppa and her husband speak English and Telugu, and some Hindi. It's hard to teach the kids these two Indian languages since I am so comfortable in English,” she says, “but we try hard to make sure that we keep this aspect of our heritage alive.”

Nadimpalli finds it a challenge to keep his language alive in his household. “At home we speak our native language, but the kids reply in English,” he laughed.
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OTHER INFORMATION ABOUT INDIANS

Five Obligations of all Hindus:

1) Worship, upasana: Young Hindus are taught daily worship in the family shrine room--rituals, disciplines, chants, yogas, meditation and religious study.

2) Holy days, utsava: Young Hindus are taught to participate in Hindu festivals and holy days in the home and temple by fasting and attending the temple.

3) Virtuous living, dharma: Young Hindus are taught to live a life of duty and good conduct. They learn to be selfless by thinking of others first, being respectful of parents, elders and swamis, following divine law, especially ahimsa, mental, emotional and physical noninjury to all beings.

4) Pilgrimage, tirthayatra: Young Hindus are taught the value of taking a pilgrimage. They learn to be detached by setting aside worldly affairs and making God, Gods and gurus life's singular focus during these journeys.

5) Rites of passage, samskara: Young Hindus are taught to observe the many sacraments which mark and sanctify their passages through life. They celebrate birth, name-giving, head-shaving, first feeding, ear-piercing, first learning, coming of age, marriage and death.

AREA INDIAN POPULATIONS

49% of the Asian Indians in metropolitan Detroit live in Oakland County. Many are located in Troy, which has the highest population of Asian Americans in the state.

Communities and Numbers of Asian Indians

see Indian Americans – A Story of Achievement

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