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Hindustan Times
21 minutes ago
- Business
- Hindustan Times
Indian Americans fret over Big Beautiful law
On July 4, as Americans marked the 249th anniversary of the nation's founding, President Donald Trump signed into law his signature legislative achievement: The 'One Big Beautiful Bill'. Spanning nearly 900 pages, the legislation overhauls the US tax code, boosts spending on defense, border security, and infrastructure, and introduces a wide array of industry-specific incentives and subsidies. While the bill's sweeping provisions will affect virtually all Americans, immigrant communities, including Indian Americans, are poised to face a wide range of challenges due to its provisions. (AFP) In addition, the law slashes funding for some entitlement programmes, most notably Medicaid, to help offset the cost of tax cuts. Yet, it will still add an estimated $3 trillion to the national deficit of the US over the next decade. While the bill's sweeping provisions will affect virtually all Americans, immigrant communities, including Indian Americans, are poised to face a wide range of challenges due to its provisions. One of the many contentious elements of the legislation is the $170 billion allocated for border security and immigration enforcement. Of that, $75 billion — which is roughly the size of the entire annual defence budget of India — is set aside as additional funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), an agency that has drawn widespread criticism in recent months for its aggressive detention of undocumented immigrants and controversial deportation tactics. For the Indian diaspora in the US, recent enforcement actions have already provided a sobering preview of what expanded ICE funding could mean. India ranks second only to Mexico as the country of birth for immigrants in the US. According to the Pew Research Center, 6% of all US immigrants were born in India. Indian nationals also make up one of the largest undocumented immigrant populations in the country, estimated at approximately 725,000, trailing only Mexico and El Salvador. Earlier this year, dozens of undocumented Indian immigrants were deported in chains, triggering widespread outrage in India. With ICE now receiving a significantly expanded budget, many fear that such outrageous deportations could become more frequent. It's not only undocumented immigrants who are worried. The legislation's emphasis on enforcement and scrutiny is also creating anxiety among Indian nationals who are in the country legally, particularly those on H-1B visas to work in specialty occupations. Currently, more than a million Indian nationals, most of them on H-1B visas, are stuck in the so-called green card backlog. This is due to an outdated provision in US immigration law that limits any single country to no more than 7 % of the 140,000 employment-based green cards issued annually. As a result, Indian applicants are eligible for only 9,800 green cards each year, despite making up a much larger share of high-skilled foreign workers. This means that those in the EB-2 and EB-3 categories for workers with advanced degrees and professional skills, the wait can stretch for decades, and some may never receive permanent residency in their lifetime. It remains unclear how the new legislation will directly affect H-1B holders, but the mood within the community is one of heightened anxiety. Many H-1B professionals fear that the Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement's 'America First' ideological opposition to foreign labour, combined with increased visa scrutiny under the current administration, could lead to tighter restrictions or even targeted enforcement. This sense of uncertainty is not confined to the workforce. Indian students on F-1 visas are also feeling increasingly vulnerable, particularly in light of the administration's growing crackdown on campus protests and heightened policing of free speech. Beyond immigration and visa concerns, the law also contains financial provisions that could directly affect the diaspora households, especially a new tax on international remittances. Beginning next year, a 1% tax will be imposed on remittances sent by US residents to family and friends abroad. Earlier drafts of the legislation had proposed a much steeper 5% tax, but that provision was scaled back following intense lobbying from the money transfer industry. Estimates suggest that remittances from the US to India, primarily sent by Indian nationals and Indian Americans, range from $25 billion to $29 billion annually, making the US the single largest source of remittance to India. Another provision that will impact immigrant communities, particularly those lower-income households, is the significant cut to critical public services like Medicaid. According to projections based on estimates from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO), the legislation would reduce Medicaid spending by $1 trillion over the next decade, potentially leaving more than 10 million additional Americans without health insurance. While there's a common perception that Indian Americans are uniformly affluent, this is far from the truth. Many families, especially recent immigrants or those in lower-wage sectors, depend on public health programmes for essential care. All these provisions come with a substantial price tag. At the macroeconomic level, the legislation is drawing sharp criticism for significantly increasing the US national debt, which already exceeds $36 trillion. From visa holders navigating an increasingly hostile immigration landscape to families sending money home or relying on public health programmes, the ripple effects of the new law are wide and deeply personal. In attempting to fulfill its promise of putting America First, the 'one big beautiful bill' may leave many behind, including Indian Americans who have long believed in the American dream. Frank F Islam is an entrepreneur, civic leader, and thought leader based in Washington DC. The views expressed here are personal.
The Diplomat
15 hours ago
- Politics
- The Diplomat
The United States Is Losing India
India is beginning to question the value of its strategic alignment with Washington and the United States has only itself to blame. U.S. President Donald Trump (right) shakes hands with India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi as he is introduced to the podium at the 'Howdy Modi' rally at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas, Sept. 22, 2019. In 2019, U.S. President Donald Trump stood alongside Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the 'Howdy Modi' rally in Houston. The atmosphere was electric. Indian Americans cheered, and New Delhi appeared fully invested in the Trump presidency. Trump's popularity in India eclipsed that of his successor Joe Biden and even Biden's vice president, Kamala Harris, who is herself of Indian ancestry. Trump's re-election in 2024 thus seemed like the beginning of a new, stronger chapter in India-U.S. relations. That chapter is now closing fast. India is beginning to question the value of its strategic alignment with Washington. And the United States is handing it every reason to do so. On July 25, when U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar in Washington to discuss trade and critical minerals, New Delhi took notice. This was not the first time a high-level engagement with Pakistan had stirred unease in India. But the timing, messaging, and broader context made this moment impossible to ignore. Why, many in New Delhi asked, would Washington deepen ties with a country that actively undermines India's security, especially after decades of painstaking work to build India-U.S. relations? Worse still, Trump's renewed talk of mediating between India and Pakistan, including on the Kashmir dispute, has reopened old wounds. India has long maintained that Kashmir and other sensitive issues must be handled bilaterally. Any interference, no matter how well-intentioned, is seen as a breach of sovereignty. Trump's talk of mediation thus sends a clear message to India that its core concerns are negotiable. If Washington is serious about deepening ties with India, such comments are at best a diplomatic misstep and at worst strategic self-sabotage on a grand scale. Pakistan's sponsorship of cross-border terrorism is a direct national security threat for India Any United States administration that ignores this point is guilty of diplomatic negligence. India does not ask for unconditional alignment, only consistency and respect for its core interests from the United States. This indifference is especially jarring now that India is recalibrating its foreign policy. No longer shielded by nonalignment, India has leaned into pragmatic engagement with the West. New Delhi has joined frameworks like the Quad, committed to expanding military exercises like Malabar, and demonstrated readiness to share responsibility in the Indo-Pacific. India is doing its part, but partnerships cannot be one-sided. Trump's mixed signals and public overtures to Pakistan are actively undermining India-U.S. ties, to unclear ends. Pakistan is economically fragile, politically volatile, and increasingly tethered to China. India, by contrast, brings capacity, credibility, and the geopolitical leverage needed to shape Asia's balance of power. By engaging Pakistan – a state firmly within Beijing's orbit – and wavering on India's core concerns, the United States is weakening trust and undermining the very alliances and partnerships it claims to prioritize. The United States must decide if it wants a steady, forward-looking partner in India or a string of transactional dealings with Pakistan that only breed mistrust. India is managing a delicate and high-stakes relationship with China, and despite this challenge, it remains committed to regional stability, alongside Australia and Japan. Yet none of these countries can uphold the Indo-Pacific vision alone while Washington continues to send conflicting signals. U.S. inconsistency hands Beijing a strategic advantage. It allows China to appear more predictable and, at times, more reasonable in contrast. The original rationale for closer India-U.S. ties was straightforward: India is the only democratic power in Asia with the capacity to balance China's growing assertiveness. That rationale still holds true, and the need is more pressing than ever. Beijing is stepping up pressure on Taiwan. The South China Sea remains volatile. The regional balance is shifting. Washington cannot afford to sideline its trusted partner in Asia, lest it weaken the Indo-Pacific framework from the inside out. As India and Pakistan traded strikes in early May U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance said of the conflict, 'It's none of our business.' If the Trump administration still holds this view – that what happens in South Asia is of no concern – then the United States should step aside. If the Trump administration does envision a role for itself in the region, then now is the moment to demonstrate that the United States sees India as more than a convenient partner. The Trump administration must clarify its long-term priorities. India is an indispensable and equal partner, and must be treated as such. Doing otherwise risks damaging a partnership that may never fully recover. Rebuilding trust will take decades; influencing India's increasingly confident strategic autonomy will be even harder. Ignoring India's concerns not only jeopardizes the bilateral partnership but also strengthens voices within India that argue the West cannot be trusted. As it stands now, the Trump administration is giving those voices every reason to say, 'We told you so!'
The Hindu
19-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Hindu
Maulik Pancholy on ‘Murder at the Patel Motel': ‘I wanted to write a complicated Indian American family'
Maulik Pancholy's Murder at the Patel Motel, the comedy podcast from Audible, is a fun Agatha Christie style murder mystery. 'I always thought it would be nice to write something centred around an Indian American family,' Maulik says over a video call on a hot day in New York. 'While people know of Indian American families running convenience stores, I am always surprised at how few people know of the phenomenon of Patel motels.' Nearly 50% of motels in the United States are owned by Indian Americans, the 51-year-old Maulik says. 'People in the know jokingly refer to them as the Patel motel cartel, because they have such a huge interest in the hotel lobbying industry.' Coming home Maulik plays Milan Patel, who has just got his big break in New York as the event planner for the Met Gala. He visits his parents at the family-run motel in Montana for a weekend family get-together, which quickly gets complicated with the appearance of a corpse. 'I never felt comfortable in my skin in the town that I grew up in,' Maulik confesses. 'I always thought I had to get away to become who I am.' The 30 Rock-actor wanted to explore what it would be like to return to the past to face one's demons. 'What would happen if the person that you needed to reconcile with suddenly wasn't around? That's where the idea for this murder mystery set in a small town motel came about. I wanted to write a complicated Indian American family. I wanted to write a lead gay character. And I wanted to write something that I can play (laughs).' On location The Montana setting, Maulik says, came up after a chat with a writer who described her small town in Montana where there was just one Asian family. 'We set the story in a town where this family is isolated. And the Patel motel became the framework for this family and what it means to them. There's the immigrant story of Milan's father, who started this motel, and the dreams that he got to fulfill or not.' The audio format suits mystery, Maulik says. 'You have to listen carefully for someone walking down a hallway or heading into a dark, isolated basement. How do the echoes of their voice off the wall sound? How do you build tension through the way the voice sounds, the whispering? Sound designer and editor, Daniel Brunell did such a beautiful job.' Sound options Though Maulik was writing in the audio space for the first time, his co-writers, Zachary Grady and Achilles Stamatelaky, have written audio series before. 'Their perspective was helpful on multiple levels. You can't cut to somebody's reaction,' Maulik says laughing. 'You have to communicate the story to the producers who are going to give your notes to the sound designer… The way you write, including descriptions of places, has to be from an audio perspective. We're working on how the listener is going to hear this world.' Writing a gay Indian American protagonist was a way for Maulik to mine the breadth of his experience. 'Milan's identity in the show is one of the reasons he has a troubled relationship with his past and his town. I'm interested in telling stories that we don't get to see enough of. I hesitate to say normalising, or evening it out, but we are just saying these characters exist, and they go through the same things that any other character would. It was important to me that we create a nuanced, complex LGBTQI character of colour. And I get to play a detective (laughs) which was exciting too.' Ensemble cast Murder at the Patel Motel features a stellar cast, which includes Murray Bartlett as Milan's partner, Karan Soni as a poor relation and Poorna Jagannathan as Milan's no-nonsense mother. Working with the cast was a joy, Maulik says laughing. 'I can't tell you how many times we were cracking up in the sound booth. I've known Murray, Karan and Poorna for such a long time, and I was so thrilled that they said yes to the project.' The recordings moved quickly, Maulik says. 'We were barreling through it, and it's a challenge, for actors to stay fully present, and track their arc from episode to episode. Every single person was not only funny, but also brought so much depth and heart into the show.' Surprise appearance Padma Lakshmi makes a delightful appearance as herself in the podcast. 'She's so funny, and I'm so thrilled that people are getting to see just how talented an actress and comedian she is. I've known Padma for a long time, and I reached out to her and I'm so grateful that she made time to do it.' Murder at the Patel Motel straddles three genres, Maulik says. 'It is a nuanced family story, a comedy and a murder mystery. We tried to ground the characters as much as possible, and put them in these situations that were comedic. Everybody's playing these situations as though it is completely real, even as the circumstances start to get weird. We also looked at shows and films like The White Lotus and Knives Out, to see the dynamics, especially about pushing between comedy and mystery.' Universal themes One of the cool things about the show, Maulik says, is, even though it is an Indian American family, and the lead character is gay, it touches on universal themes. 'What is it like to go home? What is it like to lose someone that you are unsure of how you feel about? What is it like to navigate relationships?' It has been a busy year for Maulik. 'I just finished filming a movie written and directed by Jesse Eisenberg with Julianne Moore and Paul Giamatti. It's his first movie post A Real Pain, and it was super fun. We just wrapped on Season Five of Phineas and Ferb. I am writing my third novel, a young adult romantic comedy set between worlds of Bollywood and Jackson Heights Queens in New York. It is slated for a summer 2026 release.' At the end of the podcast, there is another murder. On whether there is going to be a season two of The Murder at the Patel Motel, Maulik says, 'We wrote it that way, and no one told us to make it more final. So perhaps there will be, I will keep you posted as soon as I know.' Murder at the Patel Motel is available on Audible
Hindustan Times
19-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Sanjena Sathian: 'There's a very thin line between utopia and cults'
What was the driving force behind Goddess Complex? Author Sanjena Sathian (Courtesy the publisher) I started writing Goddess Complex in 2018, and it began as a project about the decline of a relationship between a 23-year-old woman named Sanjana (or Sanjena – I kept switching it up) and her husband, Killian. The doppelganger conceit was always present: the narrator was going to find herself obsessed with Killian's ex, another Sanjana (or Sanjena). But when I wrote further into that version of the project, I realised that the whole thing rode on sort of a cheap reveal, essentially, that Killian was a fool. After several years of work, I threw away the first 150 pages of that version of the novel – which I'd actually sold as a partial manuscript to my American publisher – and started over. The discourse around motherhood in both the Indian and the American contexts is heavily laden with social and religious conservatism which your novel delves into in a nuanced manner. Was this discourse and the way the reproductive medical industry functions what you wanted to explore through fiction? I never start a project thinking that I want to use fiction to explore a set of political ideals; if I did that, I think my books would not be very much fun to write or read. I usually start by thinking more about what's funny or strange or mysterious about the world, and in my life and my friends' lives. At the time that I was rewriting Goddess Complex, what was funny and strange and mysterious in my life and my friends' lives was the decision-making process around childbearing, the way some of us were choosing to parent and others were not. These are personal dramas that have undeniable political significance, but I start with the micro, petty stuff – e.g. for Sanjana, 'my best friend is having a baby and I feel neglected' (rather than 'I am mad about reproductive rights!) – and eventually end up saying something macro, the political. 252pp, ₹599; HarperCollins In Gold Diggers there was a strain of magical though the thematic concerns placed it well within the genre of a social realist text. In Goddess Complex you include a character with your own name though she is far from a literary self portrait. Is this use of the 'uncanny' something that you seek out while writing fiction, almost making it a play with what one considers to be 'real' vs the 'fantastical'? Very well-said; in a word, yes. Gold Diggers is an immigrant coming-of-age story that uses magical realism to say something about the familiar, even prosaic world of Indian Americans growing up in the US suburbs. Goddess Complex, by contrast, uses the uncanny to say something about the visceral (yet often creepy) experience of being a woman in her 'reproductive' years. In both cases, I've found it fun, and also natural, to blur real and unreal, in service of saying something true. In the novel, Sanjana notes how being an objective anthropological observer was akin to being 'a concept instead of flesh'. Did having an anthropologist as your protagonist add another layer to how you examine the role of the storyteller in your own writing? Yes, anthropology is sort of a stand-in for writing, but it was also a way for me to fictionalize and comment on some of my experiences as a journalist. Reporters perform a kind of ethnography. Ultimately, though, the real reason I was excited about writing an anthropologist was because I knew I wanted to write about a cult of some sort in the second half, and anthropologists make great literary tour guides into cultic organizations. They study belief, and many of them are curious about or fascinated by belief, but are not themselves believers. That's fascinating on a character-level to me. Much like in your book, there is an examination of the mother-daughter dynamic in contemporary literary fiction which then also delves into larger questions about identity, existential angst and worldmaking (Rosarita, The Illuminated, Girl in White Cotton to Tomb of Sand, Stone Yard Devotional). What drew you as an author to explore this dynamic? I'm a daughter who has chosen not to become a mother. I couldn't not be interested in that dynamic. I think the choices we make about whether or not to parent – which is ultimately the subject of Goddess Complex – are fascinating because they're about us, but they're also about our families, in the sense that our picture of parenthood is informed by our parents. There are attempts at a visualisation of several alternative modes of existence that draw in those who are searching for meaning in a late capitalist world. What was the inspiration behind constructing these (from Moksha to the Shakti Centre)? Alternative modes of existence is a nice way of putting it, because it shows sympathy for why people form those groups; I share that sympathy. Cults is another way of putting it. I'm an American-raised millennial, which means I belong to a generation that is extremely susceptible to cultic thinking. We were told that we were incredibly special, and that we need to find meaning in all aspects of our lives – do what you love! Then, we started looking for meaning in a recession-riddled landscape. Naturally, we start to look around and wonder – is there some other way of being? Some of those thought exercises result in really important productive social conversations – and some of them result in organisations that try to control your behaviour. There's always been a very thin line between utopia and cults. There are many literary allusions sprinkled throughout the text (from Jonathan Swift to Virginia Woolf and Edward Albee). Was this also another way in which you were tracing how fiction functions as a truth telling exercise, across historical eras, in society? Perhaps an exercise, though rooted in make believe, which might give shape to a more authentic portrayal of the world we inhabit than the digital double lives that most of us lead today? I don't think of my work as tracing the function of fiction, though that's a nice way of reading. I just read a lot, and my characters read a lot, so they're going to talk about their own lives through literature and art. I specifically chose Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? because it's such an important piece about fertility, family formation, and the imagination. Having written short fiction as well as full length novels, which form of literary expression are you organically drawn to and why? I'm most natively a novelist. Short fiction is great, and I've gotten better at it, but it doesn't come quite as naturally to me. I thrive in longer forms. What are you working on next? I'm superstitious and don't discuss it! Simar Bhasin is a literary critic and research scholar who lives in Delhi. Her essay 'A Qissa of Resistance: Desire and Dissent in Selma Dabbagh's Short Fiction' was awarded 'Highly Commended' by the Wasafiri Essay Prize 2024.
India Today
17-07-2025
- Business
- India Today
Where in US will Indian-Americans save big with Trump's new law
US President Donald Trump's One Big, Beautiful Bill Act, signed into law on July 4, is projected to bring significant financial savings for Americans through tax cuts and wage-related provisions. Among those likely to benefit meaningfully are 5.2 million Indian Americans, one of the fastest-growing and most economically influential immigrant communities in the White House said the bill will boost real wages, increase take-home pay, and offer tax exemptions on overtime, tips, and Social Security Trump administration on Tuesday released an interactive map outlining projected state-by-state savings, with data on income gains, tax relief, and job protection tailored to each state's population, compared to if the bill had not been passed and signed into law. Notably, real wages refer to the income a person earns after adjusting for inflation, reflecting their actual purchasing tops the chart for real wage gains, with inflation-adjusted increases ranging from $4,900 to $8,800 over the next 4 years, followed by Washington, where projected gains fall between $4,700 and $8, announcement by the White House comes even as there is rising public discontent over the law, with tens of thousands expected to participate in coordinated "Good Trouble Lives On" protests across 1,600 locations, opposing the administration's positions on immigration, women's rights, healthcare, and civil Indian Americans, the bill's long-term impact is of particular must be noted that Indian Americans represent 21% of the total Asian American population and are among the highest-earning demographic groups in the country, according to a Pew Research Centre report published on May 2023, Indian-headed households recorded a median income of $151,200, with immigrant-led households earning an even higher median of $156,000, compared to $120,200 for US-born Indian Americans, the report earnings for Indian Americans aged 16 and older averaged $85,300, well above the overall Asian American average of $52,400, the report also said.A UC Berkeley AAPI Data report reveals the highest concentrations of Indian Americans are in California (902,621), Texas (507,479), New Jersey (432,883), New York (431,368), and Illinois (276,519).Here is how they will benefit:CALIFORNIAHome to over 900,000 Indian Americans, California could see annual real wage gains of workers between $4,900 and $8,800 (approx. Rs 4.22 lakh to Rs 7.58 lakh), by an inflation-adjusted range over the next 4 years, while a typical family of four may take home $8,500 to $12,500 more (approx. Rs 7.32 lakh to Rs 10.76 lakh) annually, compared to if the new law wasn't 4% of the labour force in tip-based industries, service workers – especially in hospitality and ridesharing – are set to benefit from the no-tax-on-tips bill is also expected to protect 737,000 jobs in the state. With 19% of employees regularly working overtime, many could also benefit from the no-tax-on-overtime home to over 500,000 Indian Americans, sees comparable gains. Workers are projected to receive an annual real wage boost of $3,900 to $6,900 (approx. Rs 3.36 lakh to Rs 5.95 lakh), by an inflation-adjusted range over the next 4 of four may retain $7,500 to $10,700 more (approx. Rs 6.46 lakh to Rs 9.21 lakh) in take-home pay, compared to if the new law wasn't no-tax-on-tips benefit is expected to support about 5% of the workforce, while 27% could gain from the no-tax-on-overtime estimated 580,000 jobs are set to be protected across the JERSEYIn New Jersey, which has a population of over 430,000 Indian Americans, the law provides substantial relief. Workers could see annual gains of $5,000 to $9,000 (approx. Rs 4.31 lakh to Rs 7.75 lakh), by an inflation-adjusted range over the next 4 years; while families may retain an extra $8,600 to $12,700 (approx. Rs 7.41 lakh to Rs 10.94 lakh) each year, compared to if the new law wasn't 1.6 million seniors are likely to benefit from the tax exemption on Social overtime exemption is also relevant here: 21% of workers log extra hours, and 60% hold jobs eligible for bill could protect 179,000 jobs YORKIn New York, home to over 430,000 Indian Americans, workers may see annual wage increases of $4,400 to $8,000 (approx. Rs 3.79 lakh to Rs 6.89 lakh), by an inflation-adjusted range over the next 4 years.A family of four could gain an additional $8,000 to $11,700 (approx. Rs 6.89 lakh to Rs 10.08 lakh) in take-home pay, compared to if the new law wasn't state's 3.3 million seniors are also expected to benefit from the tax-free Social Security 22% of employees working overtime and 62% holding jobs likely eligible for it, the overtime exemption may affect a Act is also expected to protect 405,000 jobs in New Illinois, which has over 275,000 Indian Americans, workers could receive annual wage increases between $4,000 and $7,200 (approx. Rs 3.45 lakh to Rs 6.20 lakh), by an inflation-adjusted range over the next 4 a typical family of four may gain an extra $7,600 to $11,000 (approx. Rs 6.55 lakh to Rs 9.47 lakh) annually, compared to if the new law wasn't 2 million seniors in the state could benefit from tax-free social security, and the bill is projected to protect 252,000 jobs Big Beautiful Bill's long-term impact remains to be seen. However, if the promised benefits of the legislation are realised as outlined, the Indian American population could see notable gains.- EndsTune In
