Houston Supports Aruna Miller, Democrat for Congress
From left: Surendar Pullemla, Chandra Sirigiri, Raj Vakulabharanam, Vijay Devireddy, Brij Agarwal, Jugal Malani, Sri Parthasarathi, Bangar Reddy, Aruna Miller, Lakshmi Medi, Rishi Bhutada, Raj Pasala, Karun Srirama, Sridhar Kanchanakuntla, Vijay Pallod, and Asha Reddy. Photos: Dr. Nik Nikam
By Shravya Aparasu, Natasha Kulkarni, Rohan Perumalla
HOUSTON: Aruna Miller, an exceptional democratic politician who represents the State Legislative District 15 in Montgomery County, Maryland and is currently running for the 6th Congressional District seat in Maryland, stopped by the India House to encourage and empower Indians to make their mark in American politics
Unsurprisingly, most Indian Americans are wary of public policy and politics. Indian Americans make up 1 percent of our population, but only have five representatives in congress. Indian Americans are an incredibly successful group of people in America, yet they are absent in local and national government activities. Miller highlights this issue and stresses the importance of getting more involved with our local government. To quote Miller, “We can’t sit on the sidelines anymore. We have to be able to be an integral part of this country. This is not borrowed land. We are here. Own it.” She understood this power first hand in 2000, after officially being allowed to vote. Aruna Miller witnessed Al Gore, whom she casted a vote for, lose to George W. Bush by 537 votes. She was devastated to see someone who had worked so hard lose to their opponent because just 537 people chose differently. In her mind, if she had called up 538 other people and convinced them to vote differently, the outcome of the whole general election would have been different. This set the stage for her lifelong involvement in politics.
Born in India and brought to the United States at the age of 7, Miller has never forgotten her roots. As she said, “You can take the girl out of India, but you can’t take the India out of the girl.” She is unapologetically herself even in the fierce, harsh atmosphere called politics. Miller uses her heritage as an asset rather than an inhibition. Her culture, her religion, and her ethnicity are something she truly embraces and even flaunts. The simple principles of hinduism are something she learns from and uses in her everyday life from the way she works to the way she interacts with those around her. As she likes to say, we as human beings are not having a spiritual experience, but rather we are spiritual beings having a human experience. For her, Hinduism is not just a religion but also a way of life and a form of expression.
From left: Ankit Lohiya, Rohan Perumalla, Rishi Bhutada, Aruna Miller, Shravya Aparasu, Natasha Kulkarni, Namita Pallod, Bharat Pallod, and Megha Lohiya.
In her political journey, she witnessed the struggles citizens faced in their day-to-day lives. From seniors to millennials, Miller heard from all. She saw the impact of faulty immigration policies on fresh faced Indian immigrants and understood the impact of discriminatory regulations on H1B visas and the control they have on families across the nation. She observed the detrimental effect of sexual abuse on families in their darkest hour as she stepped up and shared their story to improve their lives. Time and time again she takes action against the cruel realities of the world and uses public policy as a tool to fight for those in need.
Miller is a breath of fresh air in the current, shifting political environment. She empowers, women, men, and youth across the country to be unafraid and bold. She not only fights for those that are vulnerable but also motivates others, especially Indian Americans who are eager to sit on the sidelines, to do the same.
A special thanks to Ramesh Bhutada, Jugal Malani, Vijay Pallod, Sudhir Sekhsaria, Bangar Reddy, Rammohan Konda, Sridhar Kanchanakuntla Rishi Bhutada and Indo-American Political Action Committee of Greater Houston (IAPAC) for planning such a great event! It couldn’t have been possible without them. Most of all, a huge thank you to Aruna Miller for sharing a message so many people need to hear!
It was an incredible experience for the three of us. “Aruna Miller is an astounding democratic candidate whose decisions positively affect the entire U.S. society”, said Rohan. Natasha agreed saying that she felt her speech was very empowering and that she is a very sincere politician who always gets the job done. For Shravya, it was incredible experience to see someone of color do something she’s always dreamed of.