The USA vs. India T20 World Cup match recently produced a lot of memes and online discussions about the players in the game. The irony of that struck the audience as particularly funny, considering that the majority of Team USA's players are of Indian and Pakistani origins. They soon started to follow online memes depicting the "Aadhar card vs. Green card" match. Saurabh Netravalkar, a software engineer from Mumbai, was the standout performer for Team USA. Not only is he a superb bowler, but he also plays for the US team and is of Indian descent. This curiosity about the player led to an inevitable conversation:
Do Indians and Indian Americans differ from one another?

India without doubt has the largest network of overseas Indians. Most remarkably, Indian Americans make up an estimated 1.35% of the 4.9 million population of the United States. The Indian Americans comprise the second largest number of South Asian Americans after the Chinese Americans. The primary reason for Indians immigrating to the US is for the job market and hope for a better life. Most of the workforce enters the IT industry, healthcare, civil engineering, etc. The ‘American Dream’ is the concept of the availability of opportunities to any American in the United States, driving people to aim for the highest aspirations and goals to be achieved. Immigrants strive for this same ‘American Dream’ and migrate for an easy and convenient life. Yet, in recent times, this entire idea of the ‘American Dream’ is being questioned by American citizens as well as immigrants. This is largely due to the income and wealth inequality soaring and inflation increasing day by day. Families are trying to get by with their earnings, so much that the luxuries they had in mind, are not so nearby. With this understanding of the lifestyle and living standard in the US, let us compare the parallel lives of desis abroad and the desis in India.
Cultural Identity
Indian Americans still hold strong connections to their cultural background in India. This can be through relatives in the country, Bollywood movies, food habits, social mores, marriage, etc. However, several immigrants who moved to the US from India have encountered struggles assimilating into the society over there. 33% of Indians abroad have said that they do not feel like a local, while 31% are similarly unsure about their sense of belonging. On average, international citizens who have moved abroad take around eight months to feel like they belong. While the motivation to move to the US was for an improved life, the journey of smoothly transitioning into society is a path long and filled with hurdles. Hence it is often found that Indian Americans often socialise within groups of other Indian Americans. In terms of cultural identity, there is not much of a difference between Indians and Indian Americans, as Indians born in the US are still practising their religion and embracing their culture. So much so that Diwali is now an official holiday in New York. Although it is important to note that, Indian Americans who are born in India are more likely to have strong cultural connections to India, rather than Indian Americans born in the US.
Political Ideology
There is a fundamental similarity between Indians' perspectives on US and Indian politics; the exception is the disparity between Indian Americans' perceptions of US and Indian politics. To further assess and break it down, it is essential to compare the political atmosphere of the two countries. Indian Americans have a huge say in the political affairs of India. While a large number of Indian Americans support the current government, a significant minority at the same time is not. With Prime Minister Modi’s travels to countries like the US, Australia, Germany, etc, the feeling of connection and home was amplified by the words of Modi to the Indian diaspora. Some have embraced the new economic policies of the government, and some have criticised the government for its discriminatory take on minorities in a democratic country. The choice of Indian Americans mirrors that of Indians as well. However, this is not to say that BJP is the only political party gaining votes in the US. Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party have also gained followers within the diaspora. What is the most imperative aspect to note however is that Indian Americans rally for democratic and progressive parties in the US, but support for more conservative policies and parties in India. This does not however make the majority diaspora in the US more pro-BJP than in India. This signals a split within the diaspora of its views on the political trajectory of India.
Racism

The case of Jaanhvi Kandula is an example of just that, as she was mercilessly run over by two police officers in Washington, with the perpetrators running free. `Racism has been prevalent within the Indian American community and has increased to a notable level after the 9/11 attacks. 65% of the Muslim community reported an increase in racism against them. The discrimination stems from multiple biases, the more prominent being skin colour. This is then followed by discrimination based on religion, caste, and culture. Discrimination based on culture begins as early as in school, with multiple incidents of kids bullying Indian American kids about their food or the gods they worship. Additionally, it has been noted that those who support the democratic party, are more likely to be discriminated against. While racism runs rampant in the US, it is as much prevalent in India as well. Racial discrimination is deeply embedded in the roots of India as a country. Colonialism has planted a seed of racism and colourism which is still growing in India’s society. Fair and Lovely ads, ‘untouchables’ being based on one’s skin colour, and calling North-Easterners as Chinese or Corono during COVID-19. These actions of discrimination are present in daily life and are going by not acknowledged as racism.
Perception of One Another
India has high views of the USA as a country in terms of influential power. 65% of Indians say that they have favourable perspectives of the USA and that President Joe Biden is making the right decisions. On the other hand, 33% of Indian Americans say that they would like to return to India. These percentage of Indian Americans are those who have lived longer in the US and would like to return due to the low living costs of India. However, Indians who have recently moved to the US are less likely to move to India, even though they have a high interest in the matters of India.
A few things can be said after evaluating the various facets of Desi's life both in India and abroad: first, being Indian is still very much a cultural identity in the US and should not be avoided. Instead, it is warmly welcomed. Both nations have high rates of racism, which affects Indians in comparable, if not very different, ways. The political ideology of the Indians has travelled to the US along with their cultural traditions. The majority of Indians and Indian Americans hold similar political beliefs. In summary, The Indian diaspora, regardless of whether they hold an Aadhar Card or a Green Card, shares the same cultural foundation as Indians in India and continues to cultivate and spread the rich Indian culture across the globe.