Desi Obama Supporter
By Kamla Bhatt • Apr 20th, 2008Category: Americas, Diaspora, India, Interviews, Life, Video, YouTube Videos
Meet Mani Krishnan, a strong supporter of Barack Obama from Silicon Valley. In this video clip Mani talks about why he is a supporter of Obama. I asked him about the political gaffe that was committed by Obama and his camp about the Indian American community not so long ago. Obama referred to Senator Hillary Clinton as a senator from Punjab. What did Mani think of Obama’s statement about the Indian American community?
Mani is a long time resident of the Bay area, who is an accountant turned entrepreneur. He started off as an entrepreneur in the computer hardware business and is now a food manufacturer and distributor. His Shasta brand of idli, dosa and adai batter has become a staple in many Indian American kitchens.
Mani arrived from Matunga, Mumbai on August 18, 1977 to New York and the following month relocated to the San Francisco Bay area and has lived here since then. He has seen the Indian-American community grow and expand in the Bay area. From a small group of immigrants in the 1970s, the Indian American community has grown rapidly in the last 30 years and is now has about 200,000 people in this area.
Technorati tags: obama barack, mani krishan, democrat, presidential elections 2008, indian americans, hillary clinton, people
Kamla Bhatt is the host and producer of an Internet Radio show where listeners can find stories about the new and emerging India and the global Indian community. As a pioneer of 'internet radio' format in India Kamla started her first show News about India, followed by TalkNewsIndia in 2005. In 2006 she premiered her new show: The Kamla Bhatt Show: Life, People and Ideas. 
Kamla,
I wathched this clip with interest.
Reasons:
Like Mani Krishnan I too hail from Matunga.
I was born and brought up and schooled at Don Bosco. I left Mumbai for good in 1967. Mani and I are probably in the same age group.
Mani’s face voice and accent are so heart-warmingly familiar. There isn’t a trace of the American accent even after all these years. I suspect Mani and I may even have rubbed shoulders in the local trains or the BEST buses and probably played street cricket with tennis balls in the fifties and sixties in Matunga.
I am thrilled to hear about his success in selling Idlis and Dosas in USA.
They are my favorite items of food but I have only succeeded in developing a ravenous appetite for them, not selling them in a foreign country where beef and chicken are the preferred foods.
I have noted his enthusiasm and support for Obama. I fear he is being overly optimisic if he feels a Democrat (Hillary or Obama) is going to win this election.
As a neutral outsider following the proceedings from the other side of the globe, my opinion is that the Hillary/Obama Contest has been just too hot and not in the interest of the party which will suffer due to this internal polarisation. They have been opposing each other with a venom better reserved for their Republican rival. Added to that, the democrats have two handicaps. One of their nominees is a woman. The other is a black. Mc Cain is neither. This will be an asset to the Republican Party. Deep inside the average American voter is still conservative. On D Day, most of them will yield to their age old prejudices and allow either their resentment for a mere woman or for a mere black to cloud their political judgment.
How many are progressive enough in their thinking to actually vote and hand over the reins of power to a woman or a black.
On election day, the Republicans will anyway not vote for either Hillary or Obama.
I have a hunch that Hillary loyalists may abstain rather than vote for black Obama if he is the Democratic nomininee.
Likewise the Obama loyalists may do the same if Hillary(a woman) gets nominated.
Better a republican male than a Democratic Female !
Better a republican White than a Democratic Black.
I predict a landslide victory for the Republicans this time.
The few who had reservations because they consider Bush a nincompoop will now join the Republican bandwagon. In McCain they have a much better candidate than Bush.
Let’s wait and see.
Regards
G Vishwanath
Hello Vishwanath:
As always it is a pleasure to read through your long and thoughtful comments.
Watch out for a longer interview with Mani.
About the elections…it is difficult to disagree with your analysis. I have a feeling that the Republicans stand a good chance of winning, unless the economy really tanks. People do vote with their pocket books and if their pocket hurts any further ….then things will be very different.
Your comments got me thinking on a couple of things. What is interesting to note is that the focus is on the Democratic candidates, and very little on the Republican…wonder how that came about. There is a school of thought going around that Obama’s campaign tactics is forcing Hillary to spend (read overspend) and that she might be in a bit of a financial crunch.
The spin doctors are at work, but it is pale in comparison to the time when Bill Clinton ran for election…when you saw Carville in full form …remember that famous oneline “It is the economy, you stupid?” I don’t see any of that this time around….it is a bit tame.
Thanks for writing in.
Kamla Bhatt
Hello Viswanath
Thanks for your comments and analysis,I dont have any Major Disagreements on what you have said
I am still hopefull a Democart will make it this time.as the year rolls along I expect the economy to go down further and the Iraq situation to Deterioate and with those factors playing in heavily the chances that Mcain will make it i slimmer(some of it is wishfull thinking). Hillarys stand on Iraq and Iran really bothers me,on Iran she makes George Bush Look like an angel.any way lets see how it plays out
One other note about my lack of accent, even after 30 years in the Usa.I like to claim all my american freinds have Tamil accent
Cheers and all the best
Mani
Hello Mani,
Thanks for responding.
I too agree Hillary is making most unfeminine noises when it comes to dealing with Iran.
So unlike a woman.
I expected war-like noises only from the likes of Bush.
As regards the economy and its effects on the polls, many Americans may see it as a failing in Bush, rather than the Republican Party’s policies.
I still feel the Republicans will sweep the polls.
Kamla Bhatt and I have known each other for nearly a year.
I read her blogs regularly and comment off and on if the subject appeals to me.
That interview with you touched a chord in me.
You and I are so like each other, (Same ethnic background, linguistic group and perhaps age too)
I am happy to establish E contact with you.
I am a structural engineer by profession and worked for a Government undertaking for 26 years before launching off on my own.
I am now running a small knowledge process outsourcing unit and operate from Banglore.
I make fabrication drawings for steel structures for American steel fabricators.
We operate using the internet.
My daughter and son- in-law used to live in San Jose but are now settled in Fremont. She is an environmental engineer working for Caltrans and my son-in-law is a computer science engineer working for HP.
I have a son studying at Oxford University. He is one of the five Rhode’s scholars from India (2007 batch).
My wife worked in a Bank till recently.
We are now alone here and lead a semi retired life.
I hope to visit USA next year to look up my daughter and will be glad to try out your dosas and idlies and offer a true connoisseur’s comments on your products.
With regards and looking forward to a longer interview with you as promised by Kamla,
G Vishwanath
Bangalore
If interested you may like to continue this correspondence in private
My email address is
Kamla,
The email address in my previous comment got chopped off.
Probabaly it is the software that controls the blog.
Probably you don’t permit e maill addresses to be posted and your software acted as a dutiful sentry and showed it the door.
If so, could you please pass on my email addres to Mani?
Thanks
Vishwanath