Indians non-committal about Wall Street protests

New Jersey, November 8: They may be one among the most educated and highly skilled workforces in the US, but Indians are not showing too much enthusiasm when it comes to participating in the Occupy Wall Street protest that has now taken on the characteristics of a global movement.

The protests, which began nearly fifty days back on September 17, when a group of protestors 'occupied' Zuccotti Park, a public park in the lower end of New York's famous Wall Street, has now spread to nearly 250 US cities and 55 countries around the world, with repercussions being felt even in Mumbai and Pune.

But within New York itself, not too many Indians are seen among the protestors, who are permanently camped in Zuccotti Park. The protestors are demanding, among other things, an end to economic imbalance in the US'and by extension, the rest of the world'and more stringent government intervention in the affairs of Wall Street firms. Mostly staged as a peaceful sit-in protest, the movement is so far leaderless and with no stated agenda.

Among the reasons many Indians give for not attending the protests is the fact that despite their position as America's model minority, there is distinct hesitation about head-butting with the authorities, especially the New York Police Department, which has so far arrested 1000 protestors.

'Though the issues the protestors speak about are important to all of us, I would rather not actively participate. Immigrants like me do not want to get arrested and jeopardize our legal status in this country.

That is the main reason why we shy away from active protests such as this,' says Pradeep Bothra, himself an investment banker, who has been rendered jobless when the Wall Street firm he worked for shut doors a few months ago.

Mr. Bothra, however, is all for supporting the Anna Hazare movement back home in India since he feels he is not likely to be victimized for that. In fact, he is a key organizer of an online discussion group that has several high-profile Indian businessmen and academics as its members.

Despite the generally lukewarm reception among the rest of the community, there are still a few Indians who are actively involved and who have emerged as spokespersons for the protest in general. One of them is Sheela James from Brooklyn whose grandparents emigrated to the US from Ahmedabad 50 years ago.

Ever since the protests began, Sheela has been one of the 'occupiers' of Zuccotti Park, spending all her time with the protestors and at times, even spending nights at the park, huddled inside a sleeping bag.

Though she identifies herself more as an American than Indian, Sheela feels the younger generation of Indians have a greater sense of insecurity, due to the ongoing recession.

'I have tried to talk to a couple of my Indian friends to play a more active role. They, however, are not too keen since their parents are not too happy with the idea of their children clashing with the police or sleeping like hippies in a park.'

Agrees Anup Desai, another spokesperson for the protestors. 'Indians need to realize that what happens with Wall Street affects the rest of the world. They cannot remain insular, especially when they hold such powerful positions within the mainstream.'

As the protests pick up in India and as more Indians lose their jobs everyday due to the economic crisis, it remains to be seen whether the typical Indian complacency will give way to more action.