Indian Diaspora News

South African Indian filmmaker bags top Venice award

–– JOHANNESBURG

A film with the theme of HIV/AIDS produced by South African Indian filmmaker Anant Singh has won the inaugural Human Rights Film Award at the 61st Venice International Film Festival.

‘Yesterday,’ the first full-length feature in the indigenous South African Zulu language, received a 15-minute standing ovation from the audience in Venice.

All films selected for the Venetian Horizons section of the festival were eligible for  the Human Rights Film Award. Among the criteria for the award was striking a balance between artistic quality and the theme of human rights as also focus on social issues normally marginalized.

‘Yesterday’ met all the criteria and, most importantly, dealt with the issues of the role of women in society and HIV/AIDS. Singh said that his faith in the film being able to move people into understanding the issues behind the HIV/AIDS epidemic through a feature film had been vindicated by the award.

“'Yesterday' is a truly inspirational film that pays tribute to South African women, especially the rural women who take sole responsibility of entire households in the absence of men who are forced to go to work in the cities, leaving their wives and children to fend for themselves," he said.

"This and the issue of HIV/AIDS, which was subtly dealt with in 'Yesterday,' set the film apart from others in the running for the award. This certainly is an achievement for the South African film industry, especially the talented creative and technical team of 'Yesterday.’"

South Africa has the highest number of HIV/AIDS cases in the world.

Huge Swaminarayan Temple opens in South Africa

–– JOHANNESBURG

More than 5,000 Hindu devotes from all over the world gathered at Lenasia, the huge Indian township south of here, to celebrate the inauguration of the first Swaminarayan Temple in South Africa.

More than 200 followers from the U.S., the U.K., Canada, Kenya and Tanzania joined devotees from all over South Africa as a world peace prayer ceremony (Vishwashanti Mahayagna) was held. The inauguration ceremony was spread over the weekend.

Hindu saints led the prayer ceremony on September 10 in which more than 350 people sat around 51 sacrificial fires. The temple is in the Indian traditional mould with marble carvings, columns, elaborately carved doors, a large throne for the deity and idols imported from India. Nine craftsmen were brought from India to assist with intricate carvings.

During the prayers, a chariot procession was taken out with five floats of the deities taken around major temples of the town to end finally at the new temple.

The installation of the four deities was done on September 11. During the celebration Sunday, members of the Indian community who have made significant contributions to advancement of South African society were honoured with a shawl and blessings from the head of the Swaminarayan sect in India, Pramukh Swami Maharaj.

There were also spiritual discourses and a cultural programme with traditional Indian dances and dramas presented by the youth wing of the Swaminarayan Hindu Mission in South Africa.

The Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS), which organised the inauguration, is a socio-spiritual organisation that has   worked on numerous social projects ranging from aid for flood victims in Mozambique to feeding schemes for homeless children in South Africa.

Indian restaurant entrepreneur scoops business award

–– LONDON

A young Asian entrepreneur of Indian origin who started an Indian restaurant in Britain as a novice and met with success has scooped a major award Asian business award.

Among others who were recognised for their work were the Art Design and Graphics and the Punjabi Music Dance Academy.

Rajpal Atwal, the entrepreneur, collected the best business start-up prize, after setting up the India Gates restaurant at Bilston, Wolverhampton.

He was a complete novice in the hospitality trade but built it into a successful concern and is now looking to expand.

The Art Design and Graphics, also based Wolverhampton, was presented the Asian Business of the Year Award 2004 at the third Black Country Asian Business Association (BCABA) Business Awards Dinner.

BCABA was set up in partnership with the Birmingham-based Black Country Chamber & Business Link three years ago with the specific aim of promoting and supporting Asian businesses within the region.

More than 350 representatives from the Asian and Black Country business communities attended the event at Wolverhampton Racecourse, Dunstall Park.

Kashor Kanda, who set up Art Design and Graphics in 1990, said: "When I first started the business 14 years ago, I faced the challenges of demonstrating a high level of creativity to potential clients.

"I am delighted to receive this award from such a respected business organisation."

The community excellence award was scooped by the Punjabi Music Dance academy, West Bromwich.

Over the past five years its artistic director Gurcharan Mall has focused ondeveloping the Punjabi Music Dance Academy to promote the development of Punjabi arts, culture and history, through a selection of workshops and courses.

The academy will soon offer qualifications and is currently developing a syllabus on bhangra music.

Eat Indian curry to beat cancer

–– LONDON

Want to prevent cancer? Eat Indian curry.

Medical experts say that a trip to the local curry house is good for your health --- and  reports on this in the British press is expected to spark another Indian food boom.

Eating curry on a regular basis can actually stop you getting cancer, according to a professor of Chicago's Loyola University Medical Centre.

Research has revealed that turmeric protects against blood cancer leukaemia as it contains a chemical called curcumin, which stops cancer cells from multiplying. It also blocks the harmful effects of cigarette smoke and processed food.

In fact it seems that everything in curry is good --- cumin helps protect against heart disease, coriander is also known to lower blood pressure and garlic has many benefits.

Now curry houses in Birmingham are expecting a fresh surge of interest in Indian grub after experts gave it the bill of health.

Mohammad Nazir, head chef at the Royal Naim Restaurant, said: "This proves what we have been saying for years that curries are healthy for you.

"We definitely expect to see more people coming out to enjoy a curry now."

Congress urged to waive visas for Indian doctors

–– WASHINGTON

A powerful body of Indian-American doctors has demanded that Congress renew a programme that allows foreign-born doctors to stay in the U.S. after their temporary work visas expire.

The American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI) has joined rural and inner-city healthcare advocates in demanding the renewal of the Conrad-30 programme that expired June 1, 2004.

The Conrad-30 programme allows foreign-born doctors, also known as nternational Medical Graduates (IMGs), to stay in the U.S. after the expiry of their temporary J-1 work visas as long as they promised to work in America's most underserved communities like the rural areas.

Without this J-1 visa waiver, the affected IMGs -- many of them from India -- are required to go back to their country of origin before being permitted to apply to return to the U.S.

Representing the interests of over 38,000 doctors and 12,000 medical students and residents, AAPI is the largest ethnic medical association in the U.S. serving the Indian-American community.

AAPI believes that a key to ensuring quality medical care to as many Americans as possible is to scrap restrictions on the ability of Indian and other IMGs to practise medicine where their services are needed most.

Accordingly, beginning in the 1980s, AAPI has a longstanding history of advocating before Congress, state legislatures and state licensing boards on issues affecting this group of physicians.

Most IMGs enter the US under the J-1 visa programme for the purpose of graduate medical training and education. Between 1995 and 2002, the US Department of Agriculture helped 3,098 physicians in 48 states obtain J-1 visa waivers (from the Department of State) because they served an urgent need caused by a severe and continuing physician work shortage in rural America.

"The physician shortage in rural America is real. Physicians of Indian origin have traditionally been integral to filling this need and, equally important, to becoming long-lasting contributors to their community," said AAPI president Jagan Ailinani, who hails from rural Illinois.

"There is no doubt that this is a core issue for Indian-American physicians; in fact, ensuring quality medical care for rural Americans is a crucial policy issue for all of us in the healthcare profession," he said in a press statement.

Ashok Jain of Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, chair of AAPI's Legislative Affairs Committee, added: "It is incumbent on AAPI to take a leading role in educating Congress on the devastating impact on these communities if the J-1 visa waiver programmes are allowed to lapse."

AAPI's ultimate goal is to provide the White House and the 108th and 109th Congresses with a comprehensive solution for physician workforce issues, a component of which is continued existence of J-1 visa waiver programmes.

British Asian actors make a beeline for India

–– LONDON

The popularity of Bollywood in Britain has seen several British Asian actors travel to India to act in Indian films and return with gushing accounts about working with Indian actors and technicians.

Two such examples are Newscastle-born Shivani Ghai, who plays Aishwarya Rai's best friend in Gurinder Chaddha's ‘Bride and Prejudice,’ and Accrington-based Nadeem Ahmed, who recently shot along with Om Puri and model Sophie Dahl for ‘The King of Bollywood.’

Shivani said: "It has been a fantastic experience! We shot the film in Mumbai for two weeks and in London for another two. I was a little nervous first but once I got on the set I got on really well with everyone. It was great to be working alongside people like Gurinder and Aishwarya."

Shivani is a graduate in film and television studies from Derby University and has landed roles in TV programmes such as ‘The Bill, Doctor and Spooks’ as well as stage productions. She feels things were definitely looking up for Asian actors, particularly on TV.

 She said: "I can't remember many Asian characters on TV when I was a teenager, except a couple on EastEnders. But things are different now and the past few years have been very good for many people. Acting is something I've always wanted to do. I did drama at school but not  much other acting until (I reached) university when I became interested in theatre."

She hopes ‘Bride and Prejudice’ will open more doors for her in the acting world. The film will be released nationwide October 8.

Nadeem Ahmed said: "I've always been intrigued by Bollywood films and when the opportunity came up it was something I wanted to do. It was amazing. I am no dancer but I had to do some Bollywood dancing and I gave it my all."

In the movie directed by Piyush Jha, Om Puri plays a fading Bollywood star. Nadeem plays a spoilt son of a rich father who buys him a part in a Bollywood film.

He said: "The filming took two weeks and was really intense. There were hundreds of people on the set. We had people that have trained some of the best Bollywood actors and it was brilliant to work alongside established actors like Om Puri and Yusuf Sultan who plays my father."

Nadeem, who has just returned from a modelling assignment in Dubai, said his first taste of Bollywood has left him keen to make more films. He said: "Indian films are really artistic and like a kaleidoscope. I didn't appreciate how talented these people are until I did this."

NRI novel to become $80 mn film

–– NEW DELHI

An acclaimed magic realism novel by a California-based Indian writer will soon be made into an $80 million lavish Hollywood production starring Bollywood queen Aishwarya Rai.

‘Mistress of Spices,’ a novel about the dilemmas of fitting in by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, is being made into a film by Paul Mayeda Berges, the screenplay writer-husband of British Indian director Gurinder Chadha.

"We are very happy to have Ash and we think she really fits the bill quite perfectly," Berges said in New Delhi, which he and Chadha are visiting to promote their film ‘Bride and Prejudice.’

"She brings this natural and yet exotic beauty to the screen," said Berges about Rai, who also stars in ‘Bride...’ The film would be Berges' directorial debut.

The 1997 novel tells the story of a young Indian spice seller who runs a grocery shop in the US, dishing out not only condiments for cooking but also counsel for immigrant woes of alienation, loneliness and exploitation.

But soon she faces her own traumas when she falls in love with a non-Indian as she fights to keep her heritage and forsake some memories.

Divakaruni lived in Kolkata for the first 19 years of her life, then moved to study at the Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio, and for a Ph.D. from University of California, Berkeley.

Her writings have been translated into 11 languages and she teaches creative writing at the University of Houston.

"The book has a lot of subtle flavours and intricacies about immigrant experience that I really wanted to play with," said Berges, whose wife is increasingly the voice of the Indian community in Britain with films like ‘Bend it like Beckham,’ ‘Bhaji on the Beach’ and ‘Bride and Prejudice.’

South African Indian's film heads for Oscars

–– JOHANNESBURG

A film produced by leading South African Indian filmmaker Anant Singh is the country's nomination for the 2005 Academy Awards in the category of Best Foreign Language Picture.

‘Yesterday,’ South Africa's first full-length feature film in the indigenous Zulu language, deals with the trials and tribulations of a rural woman fighting HIV/AIDS.

The movie has been acclaimed at film festivals across the globe in recent weeks and is drawing huge audiences locally.

"We are proud that 'Yesterday' has been chosen to represent South Africa at the Oscars next year," Singh said.

"Although we have had fantastic reactions to 'Yesterday' in South Africa and at the Venice and Toronto International Film Festivals, the selection of the film for Oscar consideration is the first step in a long process that will see it competing against films from a number of other countries across the world. We hope that we will find success in this extremely competitive category."

Singh added that the selection of the film was "an achievement for the 'Yesterday' team, especially director Darrell James Roodt, actress Leleti Khumalo and all the talented cast and crew of the film."

The film was made with support from the Nelson Mandela Foundation and the National Film And Video Foundation (NFVF).

Eddie Mbalo, chief executive of NFVF, was confident about the film's chances at the Oscars: "We are delighted to have backed the production of an indigenous language film, which will be the country's entry for the 2005 Academy Awards.

"The selection of 'Yesterday' for Oscar consideration is indeed encouraging  for local cinema. We believe in the film and its potential to bring an Oscar home to South Africa."

"We need films like 'Yesterday', which tell us about the challenges and  about difficulties but more than that, it is about hope. Mandela has been full of praise for this film because he sees the film as an important way of fighting discrimination and stigma that is attached to the AIDS pandemic," said John Samuel, chief executive of the Nelson Mandela Foundation.

Desai's Syntel richest small business in US

–– NEW YORK

Bharat Desai's Syntel, a Nasdaq-listed computer and data services company, has been named the richest small business company in the U.S. by ‘Fortune’ magazine.

Desai's total ownership value in the company has been estimated at $550 million.

With its headquarters in Troy, Michigan, Syntel was co-founded by Desai with a savings of $2,000 in 1980 along with Neerja Sethi, now its vice president.

Bharat Desai, its chief executive and chairperson, has a master's in business administration from the University of Michigan.

The company provides customised outsourcing solutions in IT and related services and has over 4,000 employees in 23 locations including Chennai, Mumbai and Pune.

A 40-acre campus to house some 9,000 software engineers in 12 buildings over the next few years was launched recently at Pune, Maharashtra.

The company was an early bird in outsourcing development work from India when it established its global development centre in Mumbai in 1992.

It crossed $50 million in revenues in 1994, $100 million in 1997 -- when it launched its initial public offer and was listed on Nasdaq -- and $179 million in 2003.

Indian, Indonesian, Thai dancers enthral US with Ramayana

–– CHICAGO

Performers from India, Thailand and Indonesia came together in the U.S. state of Illinois for a fascinating dance drama on the Ramayana.

The performance was well received by critics and was witnessed by a large number of Americans at the prestigious North Shore Centre for the Performing Arts in Skokie, Illinois, considered one of the most ethnically diverse in the US.

Elaborately costumed dancers from the three countries presented various episodes from the Ramayana.

The Indian group from the Natya Dance Theatre performed the wedding of Lord Rama and Sita. The dance depicted a scene where Rama breaks a bow to win the hand of Sita.

The Indonesian group performed the "the disappearance of Shinta (Sita)". The episode starts with Rahwana (Ravana) setting court with the intention of taking revenge on Lord Rama after his sister Surpenake (Shurpanakha) says she has been insulted by Lord Rama. He sends Kolo Marico (Maricha) who transforms himself into a deer to lure Sita. The episode ends with Ravana's abduction of Sita.

The Thai troupe performed the episode "The Nagapasa war" which dealt with the war waged by Inthorachit (Indrajit), the son of Thotsakan (Ravana), against Lakshman in which Indrajit's arrows bind Lakshman and his army with a multitude of serpents.

The Indonesian and Thai performances were marked by intricately designed costumes, use of cymbals and deliberate hand movements. It was not just the names of the characters that varied in the Thai and Indonesian performances. In the Thai performances, Hanuman was a semi-comic figure who scratched himself and did somersaults.

The grand finale was the Kecak dance, a re-enactment of the battles described in the Ramayana. Also called the monkey dance, it originated in Bali and featured 60 dancers from the three countries.

The Ramayana dance ballet has been a regular annual feature organised by the International Ramayana Institute of North America. The audience has steadily grown over the past six years.

Skokie Mayor George Van Dusen, who attended the event, called the Ramayana a "great epic with symbolic and religious overtones of peace and harmony."

Skokie, which has residents from 60 countries, is a very diverse community,  Van Dusen said, adding that the village's Heritage Park would have the unveiling of a Gandhi statue October 2.

"Gandhi symbolises peace and harmony. That is why his statue was chosen to be the first," he said.

Indian Consul General Arun Kumar said: "The Ramayana is not as well known in the world as the Bible or the Koran. The Ramayana has transcended all barriers. It is popular in Thailand, which is a Buddhist country and in Indonesia, which is an Islamic country."

In June 2005, the Ramayana Institute is to host the International Ramayana Conference at the Northern Illinois University.

The conference will have seminars on "Ramayana and interpersonal relationships, its acceptance in various countries, literary, poetic and artistic forms of Ramayana, its influence on various cultures and its influence on public governance."

Over 20 percent of Chicago cab drivers from South Asia

–– CHICAGO

Over 20 percent of taxi drivers in Chicago are from South Asia, the highest figure for all metro areas in the U.S.

There are also more doctors, engineers, scientists, accountants and economists driving taxis in Chicago than in any other U.S. city, with the exception of Washington, D.C., a survey has found.

"These are highly qualified people but the qualifications are different," said Jack Nichols, manager of Flash Cab Company that operates 560 cabs.

"If they are doctors back in Pakistan, there are not necessarily licensed to be a doctor here. If they are an accountant (in their native country), accounting practices here are different."

In 1990, 34 percent of Chicago taxi drivers were foreign born. By 2000, that figure had jumped to 59 percent.

"I'd say the biggest group in Chicago is Pakistani," said John Mohberg, president of the Checker Taxi Association that has 1,200 cabs and 3,000 drivers. "Though right after 9/11 there was some apprehension among drivers, I've seen no long-term effect."

Many immigrants turn to taxi driving when faced with difficulty in getting their degrees recognised in the U.S., and in some cases because of the language barrier, said Richard Kaye, a labour economist with the Illinois Department of Employment Security.

Among them is Vijay Kalhon, who has a master's degree from Delhi University. He drives a cab owned by an Indian American but plans eventually to get teacher certification. "The best part is that I am my own boss and I can work flexible hours," Kalhon said.

Kalhon prefers driving in Chicago downtown where there are a large number of conventions, passengers easy to come by and tips generous.

According to the Illinois Department of Employment Security, the median income for a taxi driver is around $22,000 a year, assuming a 40-hour workweek and 52 weeks a year.

But Kaye said: "In the taxi business, I would say a 40-hour workweek is a definite understatement."

Mohammed Khan, another Indian American cab driver, said a better estimate would be between $24,000 and $36,000 a year. "If you are young and can work hard, you can make more. No one comes in and says, 'I am going to do this permanently,’" said Khan, "but the freedom of being by yourself catches hold of you."

Nichols of Flash Cab agreed. "Everybody gets into this as a temporary thing and most end up staying."

There was a perceptible decline in business following the post-9/11 economic decline but business has begun to pick up, Khan said.

But now cab drivers like him are facing another problem. Khan said that fuel prices, taxes and other costs have increased dramatically since the last fare increase in 2000. Khan and fellow cabbies have petitioned the City of Chicago to hike fares.

A city official said it would be a few more months before officials made a final decision. "They have made a compelling case," she said, noting that any increase would be tied to new regulations mandating service improvements.

Mahatma Gandhi in list of 10 greatest South Africans

–– JOHANNESBURG

Mahatma Gandhi is up against a pioneering surgeon, a golfer, a cleric and President Thabo Mbeki on a shortlist of nine people to find the second-greatest South African of all time.

Former president Nelson Mandela was voted the top man by an overwhelming margin when the list of the greatest 100 South Africans was announced by the South African Broadcasting Corporation's SABC3 channel on September 26.

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, the lawyer who was destined to become the Mahatma, was the only nominee in the top 100 who was not born in South Africa. The role that Gandhi played in the freedom struggle in South Africa was highlighted by his selection as a finalist in the top 10.

He also got more votes than other great South African leaders and contemporaries of Mandela like Walter Sisulu and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Chief Albert Luthuli.

The other contenders are: Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, former wife of Nelson Mandela; former state president F. W. de Klerk; golfing legend Gary Player; former Archbishop Desmond Tutu and deceased nominees Chris Barnard, who performed the world's first heart transplant, Xolani Nkosi Johnson, a young lad who won millions of hearts with his public appearances speaking about fighting HIV/AIDS before succumbing to it, and former prime minister Jan Smuts.

Gandhi, who spent time in the country at the turn of the 20th century as a young lawyer, went on to formulate his philosophies after being booted off a train compartment reserved for “Whites Only” in Pietermaritzburg.

Viewers will now see a weekly documentary presented by a “champion” trying to convince them to vote for who they believe should be in second place behind Mandela. The documentary on Gandhi will be presented by veteran broadcaster and journalist Brenda Kali.

The final list of the top 10 will be announced on December 9 as each champion argues a final motivation for their choice and votes come in live.

Renowned sociologist and historian Fatima Meer and the late Dullah Omar, who served as minister of justice and then of transport before he died of cancer earlier this year, were the only South Africans of Indian origin in the list of 100.

Meer, who has written on the life of Gandhi and Mandela, will be the champion for Winnie Madikizela-Mandela.

A rapidly rising South African Indian sports presenter, Kass Naidoo, will champion the cause for golfer Gary Player.

NRI penning Merchant-Ivory film

–– NEW DELHI

New York-based author Suketu Mehta is penning the next Merchant-Ivory production ‘The Goddess,’ starring Tina Turner in the lead role.

Directed and produced by the duo of Ismail Merchant and James Ivory, ‘The Goddess" is inspired by an old Indian fable of a ghost who asks riddles to a king.

"Tina Turner is playing the goddess and she will sing four songs composed by tabla maestro Zakir Hussain," Mehta said. He is now on a tour of India to promote his new book on Mumbai, ‘Maximum City: Bombay Lost & Found.’

"The songs would be in English with snatches of different languages," he said.

Improved India-US ties not thanks to diaspora: study

–– NEW DELHI

India's market reforms and Washington’s perception that the country is an emerging power are responsible for an improvement in bilateral ties, rather than the efforts of the 1.7 million-strong Indian diaspora in the U.S., according to a study.

"The development of significantly better ties between India and the U.S. has come about not primarily because of the lobbying efforts of Indian Americans, but instead, due to a changed political perception in both countries," the study says.

The study -- ‘The Indian Diaspora's Political Efforts in the U.S.’ – was done by Amit Gupta, an Indian American working in the Department of Strategy and International Security at the U.S. Air Force War College in Montgomery, Alabama.

Gupta was a visiting senior fellow at the Observer Research Foundation, a New Delhi-based think tank, during August-September.

In the U.S., in the latter part of former president Bill Clinton's administration, there was increased recognition of India's market reforms coupled with the perception that the country was an emerging power. At the same time, New Delhi recognised it had to adjust to a uni-polar international system.

The study discounts the impression that the improvement in bilateral ties is driven by an increasingly prosperous and Indian American community that is beginning to use its influence in politics.

"Diaspora groups tend to support the home country as long as it fits into the interests of the host nation," it says, quoting Yossi Shain in his book ‘Marketing the American Creed Abroad: Diaspora in the U.S. and Their Homelands.’

"When these interests diverge, the diaspora group tends to side with its country of domicile rather than its country of origin."

But the report acknowledges that the Indian-American community has "arrived," in that its political participation has shifted from symbolic to tactical strategic goals.

"The objectives of Indian Americans were usually symbolic for they aimed at such gestures as getting a local politician to attend cultural events or to sign a photograph," it says.

"Indians tend to sell themselves cheaply and American politicians know it. Sometimes giving a contribution just to get a photo with your Senator is considered a great accomplishment," it quotes an Indian-American activist as saying.

The study attributes several reasons as to why the community has become more politically active.

"It has reached critical mass, with a concentrated population in certain major metropolitan areas," it says, adding the community's strength had doubled from 1990 to 2000 to touch 1.7 million.

"Further the community is prosperous and can, therefore, potentially, organise fairly effectively."

It says two major events -- growing India-Pakistan tension and the 9/11 terrorist attacks -- worked to raise political consciousness and mobilize the Indian diaspora.

Indian groups also worked actively against the sanctions imposed by the U.S. on New Delhi after its nuclear tests in May 1998 by forging a strategic relationship with other groups, particularly influential Jewish organisations.

The study says a strategic relationship was forged with Jewish groups under the assumption that there was a mutual interest in curbing radical Islam and more particularly, terrorism, and to counter Pakistani lobbying efforts in the U.S.

"Of these the link with the Jewish groups is the most interesting since it is an attempt to piggyback on the lobbying skills of these groups to achieve certain political ends -- most notably the sale of defence technologies like Israel's Phalcon airborne warning system and the Arrow anti-ballistic missile," as they had American components and required U.S. permission.

The study says the terrorist attacks on the U.S. catalysed Indian-American political action because some 15,000 members of the community lost their jobs following feder al regulations specifying that only U.S. citizens could man airport security checkpoints.

"Thus the invisible and prosperous Indian minority suddenly found that being wealthy and law abiding did not prevent an individual from being pulled out of line at an airport or being ejected from a plane because the pilot did not feel comfortable having a dark-skinned Indian onboard."