Nikki Haley’s governorship

Nikki Haley’s governorship
19th January, 2011
http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2011/01/19/letter-nikki-haley%E2%80%99s-governorship.html
I have always believed and said that it is Indian people’s creativity-much more than its political leadership or its natural resources-that has made India leap-frog to become a leading economic and industrial powerhouse, staking its claims to become a global power, a permanent member of the UN’s Security Council with a veto power and a country that other countries can ignore only to their disadvantage.
We Indians are proud to have played our part, albeit microscopically small, in our country’s march to the forefront of the community of nations in the world.
Recently we played host to Prime Minister David Cameron and Presidents Barack Obama, Nicolas Sarkozy and Wen Jiabao. All came to India for closer cooperation in economic and trade activities and for their share in the growing Indian market.
Not only in India, but Indians are making their presence felt in the US, their adopted country. In the foreseeable future, an Indian-American might be US president. President Obama has already made a breakthrough in that direction.
The swearing in of Nikki Haley as South Carolina’s the first woman Indian-American governor (and, at 38, the youngest one) was a proud moment for us Indians. Bobby Jindal, governor of Louisiana State in the US was the first Indian-American governor when he took office in 2008.
Nikki Haley took oath on Jan. 13 and started her inaugural speech by saying, “I stand before you today, the proud daughter of Indian immigrants,” swelling every Indian chest with pride!
Born in Bamberg, South Carolina, to Sikh parents from Amritsar, a holy Sikh city from India’s Punjab State, Nikki (Namrata) Randhawa is married to Michael Haley and has two young children. Pointing to her mother in the audience she said, “When you grow up with a mom like her, the word ‘can’t’ is not in your vocabulary!”
What a coincidence that Nikki Haley took the oath of office just two weeks before India’s 61st Republic Day wherein this year we warmly welcome and honor Indonesia’s President who will be the Chief Guest at our Republic Day parade and celebrations.
K.B. Kale, Jakarta