Until the mid-2000s, few Indian Americans held public office, had a national profile, or occupied top positions in the worlds of corporate and finance. Hindus and Sikhs generally felt that the wider American public viewed them as “exotic” or did not care at all about their religions.

Over the past fifteen years, Indian Americans have made many inroads to increase representation and visibility in the United States. There are Indian Americans holding public office—The New York Times noted that in 2013 there were only ten Indian Americans in the state legislatures; this jumped to fifty elected officials ten years later. The Scripps National Spelling Bee championships brought Indian American names to a public audience.

Some city councils have designated Hindu temples as tourist sites. There are Indian Americans who write and star in popular television shows and who sit at the top of the corporate ladder. These developments have given the wider American public some education about the Indian American population.

This module provides an overview of the politics and public life of Indian Americans, offering a glimpse into how Indian Americans see politics in India impacting their lives in the US.