'United we stand, in India and in US'

The setting up of a legislative office in Washington DC by Asian American Physicians of Indian origin (AAPI), the largest professional body after American Medical Association (AMA) is a step in right direction.

baa hoyer azad shankar smooth: Shrimati Shantaben Shah, age 94, Mother of Dr. Vinod K. Shah, AAPI President, attended the AAPI Gala Banquet on Saturday, June 26, 2010; shown here, she is greeted by Hon. Steny Hoyer, House Majority Leader, Hon. Ghulam Nabi Azad, Union Health Minister of India, and H.E. Meera Shankar, Indian Ambassador to the US.

It will facilitate AAPI members in reaching out to the lawmakers and make their concerns heard especially those of J1 visa waiver and increasing Residency slots to start with. Also on cards is an initiative to create a physicians supported nonprofit which will work with other prominent professional bodies such as AAHOA, generate funds and lobby hard in interest of the community. AAHOA has been hosting legislative meetings in Washington DC to lobby for conditions in which the lodging and hospitality industry can grow and thrive.

When the new AAPI President Dr.Ajeet Singhvi took over the charge from outgoing president Dr.Vinod Shah at the AAPI annual convention he vowed to focus on getting more young doctors involved in the organization. Though Indians comprise less than 1 per cent of US population today, in next few years 20 % of all graduating medical students are predicted to be of Indian Origin. Hence it becomes critical to get them onboard he said.

Working with the Indian government to increase the scope of medical care and the give and take between the doctors was another proposal to be worked upon by AAPI. The convention gave an opportunity to take stock as well as find ways to take concrete steps to improve the future of the medical practice in the US.

And that should be the motive of most community gatherings and mega-events taking place across the country by Indians. Moving away from the meet and greet rituals, the diaspora can use the opportunity of conventions to address major issues faced. It is equally important to celebrate one’s culture and heritage and pass on the knowledge to generation next but that should not be the only objective behind taking all the pains to organize annual get togethers.

Besides, one also wonders why we can’t have one major convention involving all Indian associations rather. Be it Gujarati, Marathi, Malayalee, Rajasthani, Bengali, Tamil or Telugu. When we decided to make the US our home we also became a part of a multicultural environment which respects individual freedom. But we forgot along the way that it is also important to remain united and present a common force – instead of being divided by Indian geographic and linguistic regions. The ideal of unity in diversity needs to be brought home here as well.

- Editor