Sunday, January 20, 2008

Curry lynch maybe?

Yet another Indian student was found murdered in the US in what looks like another hate crime. This time it was Abhijit Mahato in Duke University, NC who was found shot in the head. Another free spirit was silenced and the Indian dream of making it in the US after doing getting a graduate degree was tainted with blood.
Cue to the incident where two Indian students at Louisiana State University were found shot in the head. One of them was bound with a computer cable. Nothing was taken from house of Mr Allam (one of the victims) where Mr Komma (the other victim) was visiting him. The idea of robbery being the motive is laughable simply because...well..they were graduate students! In all seriousness, they were bound and shot in the head once apiece. This looked like a hate crime.
There are more reports that criminal gangs are on the attack against Indian students in particular.
Back to Abhijit Mahato, this guy was an MTech from IIT Kanpur and worked with GE for a couple of years. This was a promising, qualified and happy-go-lucky researcher who was killed probably by some two-bit idiot who could not differentiate mechanical engineering with being a mechanic.
When you actually analyze this possibility of Indians being the target of hate crimes, you wonder whether you have been transported to the 80's when this was an actual problem. The level of education in America about interracial harmony is simply not good enough. It seems to be restricted to the coastal blue states but the rest of America still wants things lily-white.
With a Democratic congress and most-likely Democrat future President, one hopes that the tolerance level of this country will improve and that there will be more acceptance of Indians and other foreigners.
For the time being however, the Indian community in America, the ones who are well established with their US citizenships or on their way to US citizenships, should form some kind of organization to spread awareness of Indian culture and differentiate us from the people in the Middle east. Indians are a proud and culturally aware people or at least that's what we hope to be. We need to spread this message.
We need to recognize that education is the only long-term solution to hatred. Let us pray for the souls of Abhijit Mahato and other victims of hate crimes and hope for a better tomorrow in this country which truly is a beacon of hope for people everywhere in search of democracy and freedom.

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