-0f35ca04bc594772It was a historical moment for Indians living in America. Last Sunday Nina Davuluri, Miss New York, was crowned the winner of the 2014 Miss America Pageant. This was the first time that an Indian descent girl has won the Miss America Pageant. All Indians around me were sharing, talking –they were happy.

 

Nina Davuluri, is just not beautiful, she is aspiring to be a doctor and belongs to a respectable Indian family from Fayetteville, New York. Her parents emigrated thirty years ago and her father is a gynecologist. Unlike other Ms. Americas, she has much more to her credit than just winning beauty pageants. She was on the dean’s list and earned the Michigan Merit Award and National Honor Society nods while studying in University of Michigan.

 

She is a second Ms. New York to win the coveted Ms. America title. Looks like nobody is talking about her being from New York or her merits as a scholar –everyone is pointing out her Indian roots. There is nothing wrong in that, it’s just that she is as American as the white girl next door whose grandparents were from Germany.

Yesterday night the social media went abuzz –and not all the noise was positive one. Many were tweeting, commenting negatively about her, some even linking her to be part of the terrorist group. Todd Starnes from Fox News & Commentary radio tweeted

toddstarnes ?@toddstarnes

The liberal Miss America judges won’t say this – but Miss Kansas lost because she actually represented American values. #missamerica

Miss Kansas, a gun-toting, deer-hunting, military veteran was America’s choice – but not the liberal Miss America judges’ choice.

 

Apparently the liberal Miss America Pageant judges weren’t ready for a patriotic, gun-toting, deer-hunting Miss America. #missamerica

 

Diversity is what has made America what it is. America is a melting pot of cultures where people celebrate diversity. When a person like Todd Starnes makes such stupid tweets, it makes you question the tolerance levels of certain section of American people.

 

Most American White people have no idea or a vague idea of Indians. They tend to group all brown people as Muslims. Indians are peace-loving people and those living in America are as proud to be an American as their White neighbors. They believe in education and also hate terrorism, like their White colleagues. If you have an Indian neighbor – I ask you to knock on her door tomorrow –and I can guarantee you that you will be offered a cup of tea. They are friendly people who want to live in peace and harmony.

 

White Americans often complain about the smell of curry from Indians- then let me tell you that as an Indian vegetarian the smell of sea food or meat is not appetizing to me either. But, I don’t complain or look down on those people because I respect other cultures and their right to live the way they wanted.

 

Maybe, it’s time to broaden your outlook. If a white girl from my city had won the Ms. America title, I can tell you that I would have been filled with the same amount of joy that I am now feeling seeing Ms. Nina Davuluri win.  As a true educated woman, – Nina Davuluri has decided to not pay attention to the negative criticism she is receiving

“I have to rise above that,” she said. “I always viewed myself as first and foremost American.”

 

 

Written by Riya Singh