INDIAN HEALTH - PART 1 - The Indian Health Problem

This is a summary of a great book and provided as community service to you. Your feedback is appreciated.  My advice: Buy the book and use it as a constant reference.

Book: The South Asian Health Solution, 376 pages

Author: Ronesh Sinha, MD

ISBN: 978-1-939563-05-7
A video by the author Dr. Sinha: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3mdTTB6v94Y

Note: This summary, in my own words, is to quickly get us moving in the right direction and is not a substitute for reading the book which abounds in case studies and much greater detail than what is presented here.

The Indian Health Problem

1.     Issue: Indians, including those in the West, exhibit a higher incidence than most other groups of chronic diseases like insulin resistance, diabetes, hypertension, inflammatory diseases, arthritis, and cardio and cardio-vascular problems.  A notable number, including some who appear to be otherwise ‘normal and healthy,’ suffer catastrophes like heart attacks and strokes at ages when these are not expected.  Some even die young and suddenly due entirely to preventable causes.  As a group, Indians are seen to contract various diseases about ten years before other categories of people like Caucasians.  South Asian women have greater difficulty than men in managing their health and in combating some underlying causes like obesity. Indian children run even a higher risk than other children as they will grow into adulthood, and that alone should motivate the adults of this community to learn more about health issues, to become good role models, and to rear children with good practices with regard to issues of health.

2.     Bodily Manifestations: Indians meeting healthy norms for body measurements and lab results form a very small minority.  Most Indians are fat or obese.   The typical Indian physique is ‘non-muscular’ and ‘with chicken legs and a large belly.’   Those who don’t appear to be so are not healthy either, but are ‘skinny fat’ (exhibiting what the medical profession calls sarcopenic obesity.) Their fat is visceral, hidden inside, and attacking key parts like the liver.  The excess fat they carry and their bad fat-to-muscle and waist-to-hip ratios make Indians highly susceptible to the risks of insulin resistance, inflammation, and coagulation, which have drastic health consequences in the form of chronic diseases and even early mortality.  Indian women have a much higher incidence of PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome), that the author calls 'The PCOS Epidemic,' which is attributable to extra fat tissue that causes hormone imbalance.

3.    Clinical Manifestations: The following are commonly seen clinical manifestations of underlying problems: high blood pressure; high cholesterol with improper LDL to HDL cholesterol ratios; high triglyceride levels, high blood glucose levels and/or elevated A1C levels.  In more extreme cases, one also sees: thyroid deficiency; Vitamin D deficiency, and poor bone density.

4.     Causes: While inherited genetic traits and family history are important, in a vast majority of the cases, the problems are attributable directly to an unhealthy life style marked by poor/unhealthy diet, lack of exercise (and  the right type of it by those who do exercise), a sedentary lifestyle, inadequate outdoor activities, high stress, digital/blue-light overload, and lack of adequate sleep.  With respect to diet, Indians, despite their sedentary life, have continued to ingest a diet of high carbs that is suitable for the "rickshaw puller' who exerts himself much physically.  Most worsen the situation with junk and fatty and highly processed foods and snacks.  Their parties and mode of hosting do not help.  The new age Indian worker has all these exacerbated even more by junk food freely available at the work place. 

5.    Myths: The above causes are exacerbated by various myths concerning various types of foods, exercise, and dieting.  Medical science has also erred by not paying adequate attention to key measures like triglyceride levels (especially triglyceride to HDL ratio) and does not obtain detailed lipid profiles  for higher levels of type B LDL and Ox-LDL which can cause much harm .  They have focused on the simpler and non-conclusive ratio of LDL to HDL only, and brushed aside certain other anomalies as normal for Indians and not be bothered about.

6.    Good News: Much new research and clinical data shedding new light are now available that show that: (a) By adopting the right food and exercise habits and with what one would call life style changes, the younger members who do not exhibit the symptoms can prevent them altogether.  (b) A majority of those already exhibiting the cited symptoms show considerable improvement even within six months of adopting certain recommended life style changes. (c) The changes needed are not too onerous and have been developed with the clear understanding that one reason people fail to adopt change or give up too soon is due to the onerous nature of some past approaches.

GOING FORWARD: Since our goal is to move at a fast pace in the right direction, we will in the next part describe the recommended body measurements and laboratory limits specific to South Asians, and then immediately get to the recommended diet, exercise and other life style changes.  The book explains the physiology and chemistry associated with these in substantial technical detail in an accessible manner.  I believe it is important to understand those to keep our motivation high.  I will cover them in a much later part, albeit only very briefly.  Again, you must consider getting the book and studying it if not now, but at least at a later time.

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There are 3 more parts to this summary.  Please find them by searching through the right panel.

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Author: Innovation by India for India, the Need and the Challenge.  available on amazon.com and flipkart.com

For a saner world that can overcome terrorism effectively

The Paris attacks that have mirrored the 2008 Mumbai attacks are acts of extreme inhumanity perpetrated against unarmed and innocent civilians. They cannot be justified by any arguments, and there can be no mercy for their perpetrators. There is great urgency for the nation states of the world, none of which is immune to terrorism, to unite honestly to put out this menace, without any selective tolerance for terror depending on where it occurs and without regard to differences in their own competing ideologies.  There should be zero tolerance towards terrorists and those who harbor and help them.

Passions are running high, with print media and airwaves filled with war cries demanding all types of widespread retaliation that may only shower violence and misery on even a larger number of innocents. Caught in the middle are also many helpless refugees driven away from their homes by poorly thought out deeds of some nations and their short-sightedness.   Mahatma Gandhi’s words, “An eye for an eye turns the whole world blind” takes an even greater significance today than ever.

Words of humanitarians like Father Jonathan Miller of the Archdiocese of New York ring a bell of reason that needs to get louder a lot more. As correctly stated by him, the immediate menace may need to be bombed out, but ideologies, good or bad, cannot be bombed out. When they are misguided, one needs to understand and acknowledge the underlying pathology and find lasting and stable solutions.

It is obvious that religion and justice are invoked as an alibi by sociopaths. But part of the blame for the increasing level of terrorism and escalation of repeated violence does lie in the deafness shown by powerful nations in proportion to their own quest for world domination and ability to destroy.  No longer can the world afford the hypocrisy, arrogance, or unchecked avarice of large powers.  History has seen much harm done to peoples of the world through Western colonialism, imposition of despots, and economic exploitation.  Much of it may well be water under the bridge, but there is definitely a need to repair some of the serious ills of the past to let the victims gain some semblance of economic and political stability and hope.   No longer is this a mere act of altruism; even self-interest of rich nations would dictate that.

It cannot be denied that a fundamental source of the problems is world poverty and inequality. Yes, there are aberrations among the rich like Bin Laden who become extremists. It is also obvious that the terrorists are helped by many who have had much schooling (not education, mind you). But by and large, people who are educated and have something to lose do not indulge in violence. The fundamental cravings of humans are the same irrespective of their color, nationality, or avowed religion.

A long term and sustainable control of what is now dubbed Islamic terrorism by a minority of Muslims cannot be achieved without addressing the root causes of poverty and injustice all around. This is a time when all nation states should introspect their own contributions to the instability of the world by their mindless exploitation and political machinations of all sorts. The so-called leaders of the world have an obligation to be human and humane first, even more than just being leaders of their own nations.  Even as they put out the terrorists, they need to win over the hearts of large sections of peoples who can serve as the first line of defense for humanity.  Therein lies the long term security of their peoples and the whole world.

This is a time when there is much heat. Let us hope some light does emerge, and that light does not get obliterated in the smoke and dust of greater indiscriminate destruction.

DETAILED REPORT ON OUR SURVEY ON BIAS AGAINST ASIAN INDIANS

You may download the pdf by using this link:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_YwcDddMAsYanM2UExKS3BhQkU/view?usp=sharing

Tribute to a Legend

R. KRISHNASWAMI

1936 - 2015

An Heir to th­­e Grand Tradition 

of the Chennai Legal & Cultural Elite

Connoisseur and cognoscente Kalaimamani Mr. R. Krishnaswami, Secretary, Narada Gana Sabha, Chennai, was a worthy heir to the grand tradition of stalwarts like Sangeetha Kalanidhi Justice T.L. Venkatarama Iyer, Justice M. Ananthanarayanan and Justice V. Krishnaswamy Iyer who adorned the legal, cultural, and intellectual milieu of Chennai and left an indelible mark on many fields.  A senior counsel of the Madras High Court, Mr. Krishnaswami was acknowledged to be a walking encyclopedia of civil law.  In addition, he was an erudite scholar of literature and religious texts in a multitude of tongues - English, Tamil, Hindi, and Sanskrit – with a masterly grasp of Hindu religion and philosophy.   He had put his silver tongue and tremendous scholarship to good use through his prolific speeches and writings on law, the performing arts, and Hindu religion and philosophy.  His numerous contributions to magazines like Thuglak, Bala Jyothitam, Gnana Bhoomi, Idhayam Pesugirathu, and Saavi displayed his scholarship, and compilations of these have appeared as books.  

     Above all, what shines through is Mr. Krishnaswami’s illustrious service as a volunteer administrator shepherding many institutions.  Besides being the Secretary of Narada Gana Sabha for over five decades, he served as President of Asthika Samajam; Chairman of the Vidya Bharathi Trust founded by Sri Sri Bharathi Theertha Swami; Managing Trustee, Gnanananda Ashram Trust; Managing Committee Member of the P.S. Educational Society; Committee Member, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Chennai Kendra; and President of the Federation of City Sabhas.  Instrumental in founding the RAK Trust, a philanthropic organization of his family members, he organized the Kumbhabhishekam of the Gajendra Varadar Temple built by the Pallava Kings at Athalanallur, Tirunelveli, and brought it back from ruins into a vibrant place of worship.  He also played a pivotal role in constructing the magnificent Panduranga temple at Thennagur, which embraces the North and South Indian styles of temple structure (see http://shanthiraju.wordpress.com/2008/02/13/visit-to-thennangur/ ). This temple also houses the Guruji Medical Center (a multi-specialty hospital), a home for the aged, and a cow shelter, all of which remain popular establishments devoted to working for the greater good of the community.    Mr Krishnaswami’s philanthropic spirit has helped improve the lives of many needy persons and institutions. He has not only offered them pro-bono legal help but has also rescued many ill-fated artists and their dependents as well as a large number of bhagavatas and religious scholars from both professional as well as financial predicaments. Several famous performers of today will willingly acknowledge that Mr. Krishnaswami’s helping hand and encouragement did play a pivotal role in their rise to stardom. Mr. Krishnaswami has indeed enriched Chennai and Tamil Nadu through his tireless service and numerous significant contributions.

     Born in 1936 in Harikesanallur, Tirunelveli, which is famous for the great Carnatic composer Sri Muthiah Bhagavathar, Mr. Krishnaswami lost his father, Sri Ramasubbaier, within three weeks of his birth.  He was raised by his elder brother Mr. R. Surianarayanan (Gnanodaya Press Suri) and and his mother, Soundaram. Young Krishnaswami went to school in Madras and, eventually, graduated from Law College, Madras. After a brief apprenticeship with Justice K.S. Ramamurthy, Mr. Krishnaswami joined Solicitor General V.P. Raman’s flourishing practice.   Later on, he set up a private practice of his own with an extensive practice particularly in the areas of trial law, insolvency laws, and movie related laws.   He served later as a Senior Counsel of the Madras High Court.  He and his wife Srimathi Rajam lived in Alwarpet, Chennai, and  are the proud parents of two successful sons.

     Mr. Krishnaswami’s interest in music began at an early age through his brother, Mr. Suri, and his mother, Mrs. Soundaram, who both took him to several concerts and introduced him to several artists. This interest, eventually, led to his involvement with the Narada Gana Sabha ever since its inception in 1958. Thanks to his determination, energy, and untiring efforts, the Narada Gana Sabha has grown from very humble beginnings into a leading institution of high repute.  Today, it is recognized as one of the most notable sabhas in Chennai not only for its success in serving the performing arts in diverse and notable ways but also for its role as a pioneer in introducing many novel endeavors.  For instance, the Narada Gana Sabha Trust provides a pension to several aged artists who are in dire need.   The sabha, which is a citadel for Indian classical dance, conducts a dance wing called “Natyarangam” (with Srimathi Sujatha Vijayaraghavan and other volunteers) to support upcoming dancers and annual thematic dance presentations on a variety of subjects (see http://www.thehindu.com/arts/dance/article595991.ece ).  At an annual dance camp conducted by the sabha at Thennangur, many young dancers and gurus get advanced training and guidance from senior luminaries in Bharatanatyam (see http://www.kutcheribuzz.com/features/column/kiranrajagopalan.asp).  The sabha hosts many namasankeertan programs and religious discourses emphasizing the intertwining of our fine arts with the Hindu ethos.   Indeed, as noted by Sruti, the efforts of the sabha under Mr. Krishnaswami’s guidance and the leadership of Swami Haridoss Giri through the namasamkeertan programs have played a significant role in reviving the interest of the public in both namasankeertanam and in Carnatic music.

Mr. Krishnaswami continued to chug along almost to his end as a karma yogi, and his ability to do so stemmed from his deep religious faith and faith in his gurus, Swami Gnanananda and Swami Haridoss Giri.  May his soul rest in peace !

V. Ramaswami

BIAS AGAINST ASIAN INDIANS IN USA - A SURVEY BASED WHITE PAPER

By most accounts and given the high positions some of them occupy, the story of Asian Indians in the US is  a success story in America, and the US can indeed showcase its Asian Indians proudly as an example of how openly USA embraces diversity.  On their part, Asian Indians in the US have much to be thankful for as well.  But how well are they accepted in mainstream America ?  Are they subjects of any bias, or do they sense bias agains them?  We wanted to find out.  Ours may be the first such attempt through a survey.

SUMMARY:  An anonymous internet survey using SurveyMonkey was conducted by data scientists Drs. Vaidyanathan & Soundaram Ramaswami. Over the period 2/14/15 to 2/20/15, it yielded a sample of 99 valid cases.  The sample, though not representative of all Asian Indians in the USA, is still interesting in that most of its participants are college educated Asian Indians who are citizens of the USA.  The group had an adequate representation of both genders.  It was obtained through postings on three major social networks and direct mailings to several hundred contacts in the Asian Indian community.  Given these and the fact that response rate was low, there is no reason to suspect any systematic bias in the way respondents were generated. Data show that a non-negligible percentage of participants encountered incidents of "discrimination" in 2014, and that an overwhelming majority of them considered Asian Indians in the USA as being subjected to "discrimination". The term discrimination was deliberately left undefined so as to give latitude to the respondent to include any act they consider as such.   That, however, limits our ability to assess if reported instances of "discrimination" are properly classified as such by the respondents.   In spite of this limitation, one irrefutable conclusion that comes out of the survey is that bias against Asian Indians in the US is certainly  a serious topic for research especially given that our sample comprises mostly of college educated Indians who are US citizens, and even they feel "discriminated."  It appears entirely fair to ask:  Is this the tip of an iceberg? Would the results be a lot worse if one were to get a set of representatives from other sub-groups with less education, income, English Proficiency etc.? Here are some highlights.  A pdf copy of a detailed paper can be obtained by sending an email to vramaswami@gmail.com with subject line SURVEY REPORT.

STUDY SCOPE & LIMITATIONS:  Be careful in drawing definitive conclusions from this study, and do not quote its results selectively. The inferences here are preliminary and need to be re-examined with a larger study .  Such a study should be with a representative sample which involves collection of national level data and the inclusion of many additional variables like income, English proficiency, and geographic information.  Also, clear definitions of bias and discrimination should accompany any future survey.  It is also preferable to ask the participants if any of a  specific list of problems were encountered so that difficulty in interpreting results is minimized.  Survey results should also be corroborated by interviews, case studies, and the like.  None of this was possible in this modest pilot which, to the best of our knowledge, is the first of its kind.  This survey was intended for the main purpose of determining if there is even a need for a larger study and to obtain a list of important questions to pursue.  To that extent, it has certainly proved its value.  We hope some researchers in US and Indian universities will embark on a more detailed research.

PARTICIPANT PROFILE: Total 99 valid responses; Males 53; Females 46; US Citizen 87; Permanent Resident 7.  Four  (4) under 25; 55 in the age group 26-55; 40 above 55.  Ninety six (96) college educated.  Thus, the sample comprises predominantly of college educated Asian Indians who are citizens of the US with a fairly even gender distribution.  It has also given adequate counts in  age groups 26-55 and Over-55.  

ANALYSIS OF DATA/A BIRD'S OVERVIEW:

Experience of Discrimination in 2014: Claimed to be incurred by 24 of the 99 respondents, of whom 22 are citizens, all are above age 25, and college educated.  A 95% confidence interval based on the data would indicate that anywhere from 17% to 35% of Asian Indians (of the type studied) may have had at least one  incident in 2014 that they would call an act of discrimination.  Questions for a future study: Would these statistics still hold if discrimination and bias are clearly differentiated, and participants are asked to choose from specific lists of acts falling in the two categories? Would the number alleging discrimination or bias be much larger if the survey were to become more representative of all Asian Indians in the USA and included others like those who may not have adequate English proficiency or the level of income one would expect for the sample profile we have?

Sources of Bias in 2014: The 38 responses received in the survey (note that a person could have become subject to more than one event) broke up as follows by source: Police (9), Boss/Employer (11), Other (18).  Treating these 38 as a random sample, among bias incidents that happen to Asian Indians of the type studied, an estimated fraction (based on a 95% confidence interval) of 11% to 40% happen at the hands of police. Question: Is this high value a result of discrimination not being defined and a matter more of perception than reality ? Or can the real situation be worse if the survey were to include less educated Asian Indians than those represented by the sample?  Similar comments hold for other sources of bias as well.  We need a much larger survey to confirm or refute the estimates given here and to make generalizations to all Asian Indians.  Given the profile of the sample, and since managing perceptions is also important, the results cannot be totally brushed aside, but need to be followed up with a deeper examination.

Are Asian Indians discriminated in the USA? About 75% of both males and females assert that there is "discrimination" in the USA against Asian Indians.   Similar caveats as stated in the previous paragraphs hold.   The high percentage (75%) of those under 25 who assert the presence of discrimination  deserves highlighting since we hold the hope that those born in the US and growing up with their peers in the US will not be subject to as much bias as the older generation of mostly first generation adult immigrants.  But we have only a sample of size 4 from this subgroup.  Again, a much larger study is needed for the reasons stated above.  Age specific bias perceptions is an important topic for a future study.  A pertinent variable in this context may also be the number of years the participant has been in the US.

Are Asian Indians Doing Enough? 74% of all survey participants, and 91% of those who would not assert that there is no discrimination, consider that the Asian Indian community in the US is not doing enough to prevent discrimination of its members.  An exploration should be made into what inhibits the Asian Indian community from actively participating in efforts to curb bias against their community ?

Ability to Stop Discrimination: 80% of even those who would not affirm the absence of discrimination feel that they have the ability to stop discrimination against their community.  We find this reassuring of the confidence of the community, and indirectly also their faith in the US.  Does this hold at large, or only among the types of Asian Indians represented in this study ?

BOTTOM LINE:   A non-negligible fraction of Asian Indians surveyed believe they have suffered "discrimination" in the year 2014, and a  majority consider themselves as being "discriminated."  But at this time, we do not know what each one understood by the term "Discrimination."  Suppose that instead of being given such an open ended question without clear definitions of the terms, participants are given a specific list of discriminative or bias related acts to choose from.  Then would statistics similar to those in this survey continue to hold, improve, or get worse ? We do not know. Nevertheless, the fact that most participants are college educated US citizens makes many of the findings particularly important in that they belong to a group most of whose members have done well in the US professionally and financially, and one would expect them to think that they are not discriminated.   It also raises the more troublesome question whether the numbers would be even more inflated if a more representative sample of Asian Indians were to be considered.   What is really the source of the angst and how pervasive is it ?  Those deserve an in-depth study.  The real contribution of this survey is that it firmly confirms the need for a national study and has helped to identify a set of important questions to explore.

INVESTIGATORS:  Dr. V. Ramaswami has a Masters in Statistics and Ph.D. in O.R.  As a researcher in probability he recently retired from AT&T Research and was previously Chief Scientist at Bellcore.  Dr. S.  Ramaswami is a faculty member at the Educational Leadership department of Kean University teaching Research Methodology & Statistics to doctoral students.

ACKNOWLEDGMENT:  We thank all the participants and SurveyMonkey.

DISCLAIMER:  This is a strictly private effort.  No comments of any sort should be attributed to employers or groups the authors are affiliated with.

INQUIRIES: For comments or inquiries, contact vramaswami@gmail.com

WHITE PAPER: Obtain a 19 page White Paper with references, many data tables, and analysis by sending a request to vramaswami@gmail.com with subject line SURVEY REPORT. The report should be useful particularly for sociology faculty and students looking for important topics for research.

OTHER RELATED BLOGS:

http://veeraam.blogspot.com/2015/02/the-terrible-apathy-of-indian-in-america.html

http://veeraam.blogspot.com/2015/02/the-burden-of-asian-indian-ethnicity-in_21.html

THE BURDEN OF ASIAN INDIAN ETHNICITY IN AMERICAN CORPORATIONS

This is an edited version of my article that was published in the  Divesity Newsletter of my company  and also in some ethnic Indian newspapers a few years ago.  The present set of news items on violence against Asian Indians in the USA has drawn focus on certain acts of overt discrimination against them.  Lost in the noise, however, may be the subtle bias many suffer on a day to day basis which is the subject of this article.  Much as some new age corporations  (wonder why talent flees to these?) and even the U.S. federal government seem to have moved on to a new paradigm embracing diversity honestly, it is fair to say that classic corporate America has remained stagnant in this arena paying only lip service to diversity.  The anecdotes are based on real life stories although some names have been altered to protect the identity of certain individuals.  In Part 2, we will discuss how the Asian employee may deal with bias. 

 

In the mid Seventies, working a summer job as a door-to-door book salesman in rural and suburban Georgia, I sometimes became the recipient of an unsolicited advice  that went something like, "Son, them people are colored; they don't need no books."  Sometimes a stronger term emphasizing African descent replaced the more sophisticated epithet "colored" in describing the neighbor I was advised to pass, and irked me even more.  For us,  Indian students who had sought this unusual employment to augment our graduate fellowships, these were indeed our war stories. We indulged in protracted discussions about race relations, typical of some Indian living rooms even today, displaying all the way from intellectual snobbery - "How come, these idiots don't even know that white is a color too?" - to unabashed opportunism - "Hey, at least he didn't call you that and did buy from you, right?"  Not all were cynical, of course. One of us had even ventured to show outrage once by saying, "You sure love them, don't you?" only to get a prompt repartee, "Sure son, I love 'em. I sure love 'em.  Would love to own a couple of 'em."

  What is described above is blatant racism and bigotry in its ugly form that is easily recognized and unequivocally condemned by all decent people.   We have come a long way since the mid Seventies, and I doubt if even in rural Georgia such things as described above occur, at least with the frequency with which they did long ago.  Across America, the power of the railway track, highway, or creek to cruelly divide towns into racial subcultures is suffering a slow but sure decay.  Along with those sweeping social changes, the work place of the white collar Indian or Indian American has also become increasingly characterized by policies that do not tolerate discrimination. In the rare occasions when  failure does occur to implement corporate policy or the mandate of law, recourse is available in several forms both within one's corporation and within the legal system [although the latter gets steadily abridged by the USC].  This two part article is thus not about discrimination as defined in legal texts or as arouses mass protests, but about the subtle ways in which one's ethnicity affects one's work life and, more importantly, some thoughts on dealing with it.

The Faces of Bias

Lest one should doubt the existence of a subtle ethnic bias in Corporate America, let us begin by considering some real life stories.

A Rose is a Rose ...?

 Soon after joining an employer, I was asked by a colleague and former acquaintance, let's call him Tom, who the head of my  new department was.  The name, Raj Devaprakasam, was predictably unpronounceable to Tom, but his spontaneous reaction, "Whatever happened to the Americans?" was a total shock to me, given especially that Tom is a strong believer in the virtue of immigration as a catalyst for U.S. economic and scientific growth.  

The story above exemplifies a peculiar position the employee of Indian (and similar other Asian) origin finds himself repeatedly.  As of this moment, I do not yet know if Dr. Devaprakasam is or is not American, in the legal sense of being a U.S. citizen.  And if he indeed were a U.S. citizen, then what would make him less of an American than the many other types of Americans that we run into in our day-to-day lives who would not invite such a question?  Indeed, when I recently hired an American of Indian origin, I had to consciously correct colleagues who kept referring to him as the Indian who had  been hired recently, or more particularly those offering 'innocent' jibes, "The Indians are takin' over."  The common and unchallenged tendency to see a colleague of Asian origin as nothing other than "Indian", "Chinese", etc., and the inability to ponder over the possibility that he or she may well be an American are  irrefutable realities of corporate life in America.  To me, this attitude is as absurd as considering everyone wearing a yarmulke an Israeli or everyone speaking English a Britisher. Yet, it represents the mind set of even some of the most fair and intelligent among us as my friend Tom.  If Tom had to decide on the promotion of an Asian American, could he bring himself to act in his favor, or would he be searching for his brand of American?  I cannot help wonder!

Guilt by Association?

One may debate whether Tom's remark is indicative of  a subconscious bias or is just an inadvertent gaffe.  But, consider the following true story.

Anand is asked by two of his superiors to take into his group, temporarily for evaluation, an Oriental woman whose performance  ability, to them, is suspect. Instead of giving the employee a fair opportunity to be evaluated independently by Anand, Anand is, however, told that the employee may have been overrated by her own supervisor "whose objectivity could have been affected by the fact that the supervisor is also an Oriental woman. " Had this suggestion not come from two managers whom Anand genuinely respects for their demonstrated track record of promoting deserving minority employees and encouraging them actively in their career development, Anand would conclude right away that this is an instance of blatant bias and racism.   Yet, he finds it hard to accept that two bright, and more importantly otherwise upright, managers failed to recognize the unfairness of their innuendo, which had it been aimed at members of some other minority group would have immediately brought on them labels as racist, anti-Semite, etc.

Thanks to the efforts of NAACP, ADL and similar organizations, some communities are spared the indignities that one of Asian origin still has to bear. The success of these organizations and their efforts also underscore the important role ethnic organizations can play in creating the necessary sensitivities with respect to such issues.

By the way, the two Asian females of our story vindicated themselves subsequently with the subordinate moving on, under the same Asian, female supervisor, to earn an interim raise as a reward for quality service to customers beyond the call of duty.  That also helped to restore Anand's confidence in the two superiors, for, they had  to approve that raise.  But, the incident has left him often wondering if he, an Asian, enjoys the same trust from his superiors that his more fortunate colleagues can take for granted.

Not for the Store Front?

A recurrent complaint of Asian employees is that the pleasure of presenting the results of their hard work and innovation, be it a proposal or a final report, often goes to white colleagues even when the latter have contributed least to their development.  Their best subordinates, recruited, nurtured and developed by them, are sought after for work on key projects, but the projects themselves are assigned to other managers, white of course.  Instances also occur when such assignments are made without even consulting the immediate Asian supervisor.  When the latter protests on grounds of unfairness or points out the potential impact these actions could have on the morale of his group and his ability to lead and maintain the necessary chains of command, he or she is typically brushed away as overreacting and given a ton of advice on team work and co-operation, which, had it been applied in the first place to the erring raider, would not have become necessary for the victim.  The injury is sometimes also compounded by the insult of a condescending explanation that this is a "cultural" problem.

Generalizations and Stereotypes

Sometime ago, a wire line news story on the computer bulletin board, reported how a handful of fans of a movie-actor-turned-Chief-Minister in India had committed suicide upon his death.  Included was a gratuitous remark, "It is customary in India to self immolate oneself upon the death of a leader."  I was amused at the level of ignorance that characterized this statement, and could even laugh loudly.  In case this looks far fetched, ask yourself how relevant is the ethnicity of the driver in reporting the tragic accident that took the life of  Bob Simon, the great reporter of CBS?

Just as in the media, so also in Corporate America, does one see a tendency to make unfounded generalizations and offer outlandish explanations (for even legitimate concerns) based on unknown custom or culture.  Such recurrent appeals to culture as a giant carpet under which every questionable act of bias can be swept or the generalizations that result in the stereotypes of ethnic minorities are unfortunately not amusing.  In fact, a course on Diversity Management offered in our corporation was totally built around "culture" and made it appear as though all difficulties come simply from not understanding the "cultural background" of the minority employee.  Ironically, most often, difficulties seem to appear from not ignoring the irrelevancy of one's cultural background!

The above should suffice to exemplify the existence and nature of the subtle bias towards Asians in general, and the double jeopardy it creates for them. They lose if they suffer it silently, but also lose if they complain.

Acts of Omission 

One must note that the above are what one may call acts of commission, capable of discernment and correction by a perceptive superior.  The more insidious form of bias that almost always goes unseen, however, is manifested as acts of omission whereby meritorious employees are not selected for key projects with high visibility or recognized and rewarded for exemplary performance.  This also happens to be the most frequent complaint of the Asian employee.

     In today's impersonal corporations, to reap a reward, outstanding performance needs to be aided by the presence of a superior who has the imagination, courage and, above all, fairness to take initiatives to let one's special deeds known to those who collectively decide upon the selection of recipients for awards, be they raises or other rewards.  To the best of our knowledge, there is no effort undertaken (even by the minorities) to determine the efficacy with which reward processes work in the case of minority employees or to train superiors to be particularly sensitive to watch out for such acts of omission. The significantly large attrition rates among Asians, and particularly Asian managers, may have much to do with this sad state of affairs.

Certainly, many more examples than the few cited here could be given to exemplify the conscious and subconscious bias against Asians, but these columns are better spent discussing some solution approaches.  That then will be the subject of our Part 2.

ROADS TO HELL IN "GOD'S OWN COUNTRY"

The state of Kerala in India is a land of exquisite beauty, and Keralites call their land "God's own country."  There can be no quarrel about that since its beautiful beaches, coconut and mango groves, back waters of the Arabian sea, mountains of the Western Ghats, serene temples, etc., do captivate one's heart and make one feel a special affinity to nature there.   This blog , however, is unfortunately not about that beauty but about the roads of Kerala which are the worst death traps of absolute lawlessness and chaos.

Every life is precious, and Kerala, like any other state, owes to do its best to protect those of its citizens and visitors.  Bereft of much industrial development, the state depends on tourism and is becoming a major destination for international tourism. The sustenance of that industry and the ability to ensure that visitors return and recommend the state as a tourist destination make it absolutely critical that the State acts decisively and firmly to improve conditions on its roads.  Also, it should be a matter of pride and self respect for any state that it does not have to suffer a blog like this one.  In short, this is being written not to ridicule or vent but to inspire a clean up which takes only better driver education and some rules and their efficient enforcement without corruption.

  

It is the curse of India that at Independence it was left with little broad roadways except the very very few that the colonial powers had built leading to ports in Calcutta, Bombay and Chennai primarily to ship its shameless loot to England and to its markets.  While India has added much to its road network since independence, limitations in resources for expansion - and even more acutely for maintenance - have resulted in a situation where most roadways are narrow and in disrepair.  In Kerala, the problem is compounded (like in West Bengal) by decades of Communist rule that has created an entitlement minded, lazy, and unruly labor force and cadre of public servants.  Communist rule also left the state without much Central government support from the ruling Congress party over many decades.  But those alone do not explain away why road trips in Kerala are a death defying experience.  I have traveled in many cities and countrysides of Europe where roadways are narrow and even of cobble stones etc, and people do manage much better.  It is more a matter of discipline, law and order, and the efficiency and truthfulness of law enforcers.  In this, we can't blame the Britisher or anyone else but ourselves when we fail.

In case you are wondering what I am complaining about, let us take a typical experience of travel say from Coimbatore to Palakkad.  There is supposedly a highway with two lanes in each direction, but intermittently long stretches of the lanes are closed for repair or clogged up by long lines of trucks waiting for clearance from state authorities.  Traffic in a direction is rerouted onto a lane meant for the opposite direction and that too into the passing (overtaking) lane.  But there are hardly any warnings that the roadway in the latter direction has turned into a two way with only one lane available for each side.  One also wonders if such warnings would matter, for, even after near collision like experiences, drivers of all types of vehicles continue to recklessly overtake each other risking head on collisions at high speed.  See the short video clip






which is one of the benign ones I shot and can show since most others came out too shaky from all the last minute coliison avoidance efforts of our driver.

Indeed, even when two lanes are available in each direction, it is common for vehicles to use one in the wrong direction to gain speed, and sometimes they do this right under the nose of police officers who stand and watch.  See the video clip





An Australian friend of mine once described road travel in India as a macabre game of chicken, and the ones in Kerala are versions meant for the champion dare devils only.  Are there any studies on the rate of traffic accidents and those resulting in serious injury and deaths in Kerala and those especially related to careless overtaking ?  Why can't authorities post clear warnings of traffic reroutes repeating them periodically as reminders, make the affected sections no-passing zones, and above all enforce the rules strictly?  Aren't these a matter of common sense or a part of their duty?

In the least, authorities can stop contributing and adding to the problem.  Once again, the Vazhayar check point along the Coimbatore Palakkad route is a worthy example.  Many vehicles including trucks are stopped here by authorities right on the roadway causing tremendous headaches and delays for all. Tourist taxis and commercial vehicles are required to buy an interstate permit but do this at the check point shed leaving the vehicle on the roadway adding to the clutter; why can't this be done online and receipts simply collected or checked at a toll booth on a pass through basis?  Not only does a tourist taxi have to buy a permit to cross the state line, the driver has to go to a booth and pay a ransom in cash, an  extortion fee with no receipt, to avoid harassment and delay and that explains why the system encourages drivers to park and come into a shed.  The last time we got stuck there and endured this was not some random day but when the RTO was inspecting the check point. So much for official oversight.  Rumor has it that everyone from the constable to the ministers has a share in the extortion monies collected.  All we know is that our driver caughed up a 100 rupee bill with no receipt given.  Everyone complains but complies as though it is a God ordained ritual and rule to follow.

Look at the long lines of trucks with all kinds of industry and retail material and find out about the typical delays suffered by them at the check point which is measured frequently in days and not even in hours, and ask yourself what is the impact of all this on the productivity and economy of both Kerala and Tamilnadu.  It is fair to surmise that what we see here is a microcospic example of what goes on across the country.  Will some university economists and departments of economics study the economic impact of this and similar problems and suggest remedies instead of writing papers getting lost in mere words?  So also for the so called think tanks.

Whichever way you cut it, Kerala and any other place in India that is similar, needs to clean up its act if it is to progress and make life better for its own citizens.  Please pass this blog to someone if you agree and take steps to pressure the governments to act.

This is written on January 22, 2015.  I note this specially because nothing will please me more than to have to write someday that my blog of this day has become irrelevant since matters have improved significantly.

Tamaso ma jyotir gamaya !