S1E28: Kamala Harris and Indo-Americans’ stunning rise in US national life

We chat with Mayank Chhaya, Chicago-based veteran chronicler of the Indian diaspora, on Kamala Harris’s appeal and chances in the upcoming Nov 5 US presidential election. Synopsis: Join The Straits Times' senior columnist Ravi Velloor, as he distils his experience from four decades of covering the continent. In this episode, Ravi speaks with the veteran journalist, author and broadcaster Mayank Chhaya, a former staffer with India Post in California and India Abroad, New York, on the rise in US politics of Americans with Indian heritage, including presidential hopeful Kamala Harris and Nikki Haley, who challenged Donald Trump for the Republican nomination. They discuss Ms Harris’s racial identity, her chances of victory, and whether America is heading toward being a post-race society. Mr Chhaya also comments on prominent Indian-Americans in the business field, including the heads of Microsoft, Google, IBM and YouTube, and why Indians seem to be doing so well in many facets of American life. Highlights (click/tap above): 1:30 Black, or Indian? ‘Harris has blended well’ 6:50 Trump’s ‘just a bit younger’ than Kamala’s father 8:40 Could America see a ‘whitelash’? 10:40 A lengthening list: Usha Vance, Nikki Haley, Ro Khanna… 13:00 Judiciary, tech to pharma, “Indian Americans are everywhere” 16:00 Secret sauce behind Indian-Americans’ success 17:50 The Modi effect Produced by: Ravi Velloor ([email protected]) and Fa’izah Sani Edited by: Fa’izah Sani Follow Speaking Of Asia Podcast every second Friday of the month here: Channel: https://str.sg/JWa7 Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/JWa8 Spotify: https://str.sg/JWaX Website: http://str.sg/stpodcasts Feedback to: [email protected] Ravi Velloor's columns: https://str.sg/3xRP Ravi Velloor on X: https://twitter.com/RaviVelloor Register for Asian Insider newsletter: https://str.sg/stnewsletters --- Discover more ST podcast channels: All-in-one ST Podcasts channel: https://str.sg/wvz7  The Usual Place: https://str.sg/wEr7u  In Your Opinion: https://str.sg/w7Qt  COE Watch: https://str.sg/iTtE  Asian Insider: https://str.sg/JWa7  Health Check: https://str.sg/JWaN  Green Pulse: https://str.sg/JWaf  Your Money & Career: https://str.sg/wB2m  Hard Tackle: https://str.sg/JWRE  #PopVultures: https://str.sg/JWad  Music Lab: https://str.sg/w9TX  --- ST Podcast website: http://str.sg/stpodcasts  ST Podcasts YouTube: https://str.sg/4Vwsa  --- Special edition series: True Crimes Of Asia (6 eps): https://str.sg/i44T The Unsolved Mysteries of South-east Asia (5 eps): https://str.sg/wuZ2  Invisible Asia (9 eps): https://str.sg/wuZn  Stop Scams (10 eps): https://str.sg/wuZB  Singapore's War On Covid (5 eps): https://str.sg/wuJa  --- Get The Straits Times' app, which has a dedicated podcast player section: The App Store: https://str.sg/icyB  Google Play: https://str.sg/icyX  #STAsianInsiderSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.