A Missive to Modi
Dear Mr. Prime Minister,
Sir, I was born in the great land of India, but I left on June 15, 1980. I was adopted by a white family residing in the United States. I returned to India in 2001 with my family.
Then I interned with an Indian NGO in 2011, where I fell in love with a woman named Sasmita. Now we’re married.
I know you don’t count me as a ‘true Indian,’ because I’m not a Hindu, nor do I live in India. But I have Indian blood. I will always have affection for her.
In graduate school in Washington, D.C., I studied peace and conflict resolution. It was at American University that I first heard your name. You were then, the Chief Minister of the Indian state of Gujarat. To say you were controversial is an understatement.
You were lauded for the economic development of the state. But under your watch, hundreds of Muslims died in the 2002 Gujarat riots. It was an orgy of Hindu-Muslim violence. I’ve read accounts of survivors in human rights reports.
I even wrote a long paper about the search for justice. Justice, which remains elusive for thousands of Gujaratis. Many blamed you for the pogrom.
This unfazed you. Even when the US government banned you from the United States, because of your involvement, that made no difference.
