Indiaspora maps 250 years of Indian American influence before US milestone

Summary

A new project by diaspora advocacy group Indiaspora traces the story of Indians in the United States from the first recorded "non-coerced" arrival in 1790 to the rise of a community now estimated at between three million and five million. Titled The Indiaspora 250 at 250: The Indian American Story , it brings together 250 defining moments that show how people of Indian origin have shaped American life across science, business, public life, food and the arts. According to Indiaspora, the success of Indian Americans can be seen in the fact that by 2023, 16 Fortune 500 companies were led by Indian-origin CEOs, while the community owns 60 per cent of all US hotels. Though his exact identity and occupation remain unknown, he spent the winter in Salem, where Reverend William Bentley documented his visit, before returning to India in 1791. In 1890, Eduljee Sorabjee, a Parsi entrepreneur born in Bombay, became one of the first South Asian immigrants to acquire American citizenship after navigating the restrictive Naturalisation Act of 1790. In public life, Dalip Singh Saund became the first Asian American and the first Sikh elected to the US Congress in 1956, representing California’s 29th Congressional District. He served three terms and championed civil rights, immigration reform and the interests of agricultural communities. The list also tracks the spread of Indian cultural influence in the US. In food, Prince Ranji Smile is credited with introducing Indian cuisine to the US in 1899, while Bhagwati Amin, who founded Deep Foods in 1977, and Maya Kaimal, who introduced fresh simmer sauces in 2003, helped bring Indian cooking into American homes. It also notes that a new generation of chefs showed that regional Indian cuisines could succeed in America without being simplified for mainstream tastes.