WP: Indian Americans Take Note of Obama, Thanks to Hanuman

[Pirate Smile]

Indian Americans Take Note of Obama, Thanks to Hanuman

By Matthew Mosk

-snip-
But now a surprise revelation during an off-the-cuff exchange in Albuquerque, N.M., has turned Barack Obama into the talk of the Indian news media.

At a town hall meeting, a woman asked Obama what kept him grounded, and in response he emptied his pockets. "People are so generous to me, investing their hopes in me," he said, holding up a cupped hand full of trinkets. "This I usually don't show in these town hall meetings. I have all these things that people give me -- all these different little good luck charms."

One of the trinkets, it turns out, was a tiny figurine of Hanuman -- the Hindu monkey god.
"It's a big deal," said Bhavna Pandit, 28, a political fundraising consultant based in Washington who thinks the revelations will lead to new interest in Obama among Indian American donors.

Pandit said news of the Obama trinket has swept across Indian American living rooms and through Indian newspapers and TV networks. She said the people she knows as "aunties and uncles" -- women and men from her parents' generation -- are suddenly taking note of Obama in a way they had not done before. "They think it's kind of neat. They rarely see our religion played out in the mainstream media in America."

And, she said, "In India, they're like, 'Wow! The person who can be the president has a connection to us that's very personal.'"

http://blog.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/06/27/indian_americans_take_note_of.html

[babylonsister]

1. That confused me for a sec; I had read this story

before, about Indians and Hanuman and the trinket, but you threw Indian 'Americans' in there and I'm thinking American Indian tribes, wondering how they're connected to Hanuman.:crazy:

[Cha]

2. Yeah, me too. 'Cause I knew

Native Americans were well aware of Obama and I really didn't know what Hanuman is.

That pocket thing sounds serendipitous.

[dkf]

3. Especially in New Mexico.

I had to look up Hanuman...

Symbolism of Hanuman

The monkey symbolism of Lord Hanuman is related to the notion that a human being's mind is ever active and never restful, hence the depiction of a human being with the face of a monkey. Furthermore, Lord Hanuman symbolically stands for pure devotion, complete surrender and absence of ego or the lower self. As the son of Vayu, symbolically he also stands for the subtle body consisting of the breath body, the mental body and the intelligence body. Here we explain Hanuman as the mental body in a human being.

The mind, being ever fickle, jumps from place to place, obtaining everything in its path and engaging in numerous activities that brings no peace to the surroundings. The mind can travel to any place and fly anywhere and cross to other parts of the world such is the power of the mind.

The mind can also expand or contract, and if it remains under the control of animal passions and sensory activities, it will become instable and devious. Hence, the mind of Hanuman is always under this fluctuation.

However, once surrendering occurs to the inner self and the mind becomes devoted unconditionally, the mind can obtain miraculous powers and perform stupendous feats like that of Lord Hanuman. When one's mind reaches this state in working for the divine, it helps the lower self (Sita) and Soul (Rama) to come together and become united.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanuman

[Bobbieo]

4. To avoid confusion I prefer Native Americans rather than American Indians.

[1Hippiechick]

5. I believe Indian American is East Indian, but not sure. My heritage is Native American, and I know

that I am not Indian American.

[nsd]

6. I think American Indian always has meant Native American.

Asian Indians are typically called Indian-Americans, in a way that's analogous to African-Americans or Italian-Americans.

[1Hippiechick]

8. ??? The OP is about Indian-Americans, not American Indians or Native Americans...are we on the same

page? LOL

[FrenchieCat]

7. Here's another story on this.

Indians pray to Lord Hanuman for Obama’s victory in polls

Wednesday, June 25, 2008 at 2228 hrs A dozen priests chanted around a sacred fire in New Delhi on Tuesday as many Indians offered prayers to Lord Hanuman asking him to grant US presidential hopeful Barack Obama an election victory in November.

Several dozen people took part in the prayer ceremony held at a Hanuman temple. Many said they believed an Obama victory would bring positive change to the world.

“From the land of Gandhi we convey our best wishes to Mr. Obama for the forthcoming presidential elections in the United States,” said Brij Mohan Bhama, a local businessman who organized the event.

Bhama said an Obama victory would be good for India and the rest of world ‘because he stands for change’ and would help stem rising prices, poverty and terrorism.
more.....
http://www.financialexpress.com/news/Indians-pray-to-Lord-Hanuman-for-Obamas-victory-in-polls/327043/

[JI7]

9. here is an auntie for Obama

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0artwl0v6qc&eurl=http://www.safo2008.com/Blog.aspx