American born cool 'desis'

Mumbai-born, New York-raised anthropologist Shalini Shankar spent three years “kickin’ it” with desi teens in the Silicon Valley for her book, Desi Land: Teen Culture, Class And Success In Silicon Valley. She spoke to DNA about how desi teens navigate the world of their immigrant Indian parents, American pop culture, and ‘model minority’ expectations.

While staking out US high schools, Shalini Shankar discovered how desi teens keep their dating lives on the ‘DL’ or ‘down low’ to avoid providing fodder to gossipy aunties. The intrepid anthropologist also got into her subject’s heads to discover the things they consider FOBby (uncool) and tight (cool). “I was expecting desi teens to be more angst-ridden, but I was pleasantly surprised,” said Shankar.   

“I have to admit I really liked them. They were fun and connected to their families. They weren’t the kind of teenagers who were embarrassed to be seen with their parents or loathing community events,” she added. Excerpts:

Are desi teens more comfortable in their skin than the “American Born Confused Desi” (ABCD) tag would have us believe?
I don’t find the ABCD tag offensive, but do find it out-of-date. I didn’t set out to argue against the stereotype, but wanted to investigate how relevant the category was. I found that the younger second generation Indian Americans born 1980s onward seems to have a much better handle on being Indian American in a multicultural America.

In Silicon Valley, where schools are ethnically and racially diverse, there is a lot more overlap between school and home, and being racially non-white is not so unusual. This may not be the case in some parts of America, but in metropolitan regions ABCD is not a useful term at all.   

Indian American teens win many Spelling Bees and academic contests. Is there a geek gene at work or are Indian parents goading their children to succeed?
I think there is nothing inherent or genetic about this intelligence. In 1965, the US began to recruit professional migrants from Asia, and this self-selected group didn’t come as refugees or agricultural workers. Indian immigrants who are surgeons and scientists are going to want their children to replicate their own success, and to that degree they do push them.

I also looked at Indian kids from working class families with lower educational qualifications. These parents had difficulties in getting involved in their kids’ schools and advocating for them. Many of these desi youth had a difficult time in school and didn’t go on to college — they were not winning Spelling Bees.

Are desi teens more driven about college, grades and jobs than their peers?
They are driven, but that drive doesn’t come without a price — stress really takes a toll. A lot of Indian American teens are completely over-committed. There is tremendous academic pressure on them from their parents and their schools. This is an angle we don’t hear often because these kids tend to do so well.

Does the pressure drive them to breakdowns, drugs or Red Bull at the very least?
Red Bull, I definitely saw, but I didn’t see much drug use. I think what helps is that a lot of these teens have a strong network of Indian friends who are under similar pressure, so they have some support.

Is this a good time to be a desi teen in America?
I think it is a good time to be a Hindu desi teen. I don’t know if it is a great time to be a Muslim desi teen. If someone like Shah Rukh Khan is detained at Newark Airport, what does that say about ordinary people who are racially profiled based on their religion? Post-9/11, Indian Americans don’t get a uniform reception — there is more suspicion and scrutiny.

Do desi teens have a swinging social life?
A chapter in my book deals with dating on the “DL,” or “down low,” which means secretly. Most parents don’t want their teens to date, so they don’t publicise it when they did it. Out of a hundred kids maybe there were four or five parents who were okay with them dating during high school.

India has changed a lot but the parents of most desi teens still hold onto the India they left behind in the ‘60s and ‘70s. I imagine some parents in Mumbai are far more liberal than parents in some of these communities, which have very conservative views on dating and sexuality.    

Tell me about living the Desi bling life.
While desi teens wanted to live the “bling” or opulent, high-end life in Silicon Valley, they were still invested in their community and religion. One could be a religious Hindu, Muslim, or Sikh and still drive a Lexus or Mercedes. While other people might judge these desis as being too materialistic, they didn’t view it as a contradiction. Keeping up with the Kapoors, so to speak, involves maintaining community standards, along with all the material displays.

How do Indian teens deal with things Indian?
The teenagers I met were proud of being Indian; even in school they would plan and perform Bollywood-inspired dances. Many of them were avid Bollywood fans and especially loved the Karan Johar-type films that have been marketed heavily to the diaspora and feature them as central figures. As a professor, I see Indian students in my undergrad classes who want to travel to India to do development work or public health projects. Those ties to India are very much alive.