Josh Mysore, an American student with Indian roots opts for 'Hindi' in the US; here's why

From Google’s Sundar Pichai to Microsoft’s Satya Nadella, from IMF’s Gita Gopinath to Democratic vice-presidential candidate Kamala Harris, people of Indian origin, or at least with Indian roots, are making India proud globally with each passing year. But, while Indians everywhere are successful in various fields and their intellectual prowess is generously applauded worldwide, how successful has their fame been in spreading knowledge and increasing awareness about the rich culture of the country and the many diverse languages spoken within the country?

The significance of Indian languages and culture has until now not been in focus as have other global languages such as Spanish or Chinese given the fact that a larger percentage of people speak the aforementioned languages. While India does not have one common national language, for all practical purposes, Hindi (which is the official language of the constitution) is widely spoken across the nation and also understood globally by the Indian community, thanks to the popularity of Bollywood films and music. However, this trend of only a small percentage of people having to know ‘Hindi’ or any other Indian language, is soon bound to change given the possibility of India growing to be a major centre of trade and business in the near future, especially with China having taken a back seat in the trade & manufacturing sector since the outbreak of the pandemic.

Though there hasn’t been much awareness of Indian languages and culture in the US, programs such as the National Security Language Initiative for Youth (NSLI-Y), an initiative of the US government, seeks to provide opportunities to American youth to learn about foreign languages and cultures and prepares them to be leaders in a global world. The program believes that it is important that Americans have the necessary linguistic skills and cultural knowledge to effectively communicate internationally. The inclusion of Hindi in a US state department initiative is a matter of significance for India as it speaks volumes about the growing relevance of Indian leadership on the global platform.

Tell us a little bit about yourself and introduce us to the NSLI-Y program; what does it entail?

Hello. My name is Josh Peitro Mysoré, and I am a seventeen-year-old American of Indian heritage. My father’s family was from Karnataka and my mother’s family was from Tamil Nadu. My father immigrated to America in the mid-80’s followed by his siblings and parents; and my mom immigrated in the late 90’s. Having been born in Dallas, Texas, both my sister and I have been proud to call America home.

The National Security Language Initiative for Youth (NSLI-Y) program was launched in 2006 to promote critical language learning among American youth. From 2006 through 2008, NSLI- Y offered study abroad opportunities in only two languages: Arabic and Chinese (Mandarin). Since then the program has expanded to include eight languages including Arabic, Chinese, Hindi, Indonesian, Korean, Persian, Russian, and Turkish. The U.S. Department of State, in cooperation with American Councils for International Education, has awarded and administered full merit-based scholarships to high school students for participation in summer and academic year immersion programs in locations where the eight languages are spoken.

When did Hindi get introduced to this prestigious initiative for American students?

As someone of Indian heritage, I have always wanted to speak an Indian language. But because my parents do not share a common Indian language and both went to English speaking schools in India, they defaulted to raising me exclusively in English. I did, however, go to Sunday school at Chinmaya Mission in Dallas and learned about Indian history and culture. Though I am American, I have always pursued understanding my Indian heritage; and as a result, I am familiar with Vedic scriptures, Indian mythology, different regions, major religions, and Indian festivals.

However, I always lacked language as a tool of culture. So, I set out to learn Hindi on my own. I learned basic phrases and vocabulary thanks to online resources, and once I discovered the NSLI-Y program, I applied without hesitation to study in New Delhi for six weeks. The feeling of getting past the semifinalist round, acing my interview, and being offered a scholarship validated my efforts to learn Hindi and connect closer with my heritage. Even though the program moved virtual and I am not in India, I love learning Hindi and getting a deeper look into India culture.

How many entries does the program generally receive and how tough was the selection process? Why did you choose Hindi?

This year, the program received 3000+ applications and admitted 500 students (approximately 16.6% acceptance rate). Given that the program is a full scholarship from the US Department of State, the process is very competitive. I chose Hindi as my top choice to connect to Indian culture.

Did your roots, coming from an Indian background give you a head start?

My Indian background has only helped me bond with my teachers/classmates and understand the cultural aspects on a deeper level. I did not grow up speaking any Indian language, so I have no advantage in learning Hindi grammar and vocabulary. But my pronunciation, though not formal, is far better than other Americans because I have grown up around Indian accents and some Hindi words (pooja, paani, etc.) in daily speech.

Do you think Indian culture & Hindi as a language have more global appeal than other competitive global languages?

Mandarin Chinese, Arabic, and Korean tend to attract the largest number of applicants but the cohort size is also limited to keep the NSLI-Y program competitive. To put it in perspective, among the 500 students accepted at NSLI-Y, Korean has a cohort of approximately 50 students and Hindi had a cohort of 17 students (before we moved virtual this year). Indian culture and Hindi as a language are still growing in popularity within the United States and will take time to garner as much attention as Asian languages such as Chinese or Korean or traditional European languages such as Spanish, French or German.

I wish to be part of a movement which popularises learning about Indian culture and languages in America. Among Indian languages, Hindi will be a forerunner because of its national status in India, but I hope to see other Indian languages eventually make their ways into America.

Why do you think Hindi has only been recently introduced into the program even in a climate when Indians have often and consistently outperformed their overseas counterparts in technology and innovation?

The NSLI-Y program started in 2006 with just Chinese and Arabic. Over time, they have expanded the program to include other languages of importance from a geo-political perspective to the US. The achievement of Indian immigrants and Americans of Indian heritage, especially in technology over the past 20 years and the growing importance of India as a geo-political powerhouse has resulted in the introduction of Hindi at NSLI-Y. Spanish, French, and Chinese are the most common foreign languages offered in high school. That being said, bilingualism is nowhere near as common in America compared to the rest of the world (especially the EU and India). I hope to see Hindi rise in popularity in the upcoming decades.

Do you think there’s been a change in how Hindi, and Indian culture is accepted in the US since the BJP came to power in India? Do you think the Trump-Modi friendship has had any impact?

The real change in US-India relations took a new turn for the positive in the 21 st century, first during the Bush administration and later during the Obama administration. From my perspective, there has been no change in the velocity of acceptance of Indian culture and Hindi language since Trump entered office. The Trump-Modi friendship has economically and politically boosted US- India relations, but in terms of real life and interactions between citizens, the trajectory has remained unchanged but is moving in a positive direction.

How has the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic affected your life as a student?

The coronavirus pandemic has upended the lives of all, but I have undergone quite a lot first- hand. I was studying in Zaragoza, Spain, on a School Year Abroad program when the pandemic broke out first in China closely followed by Italy, France and Spain. Even though I was supposed to stay until the end of May, I was sent home on March 11 th to the US when the Trump administration announced the EU travel ban and the immediate return of all US citizens. Within a span of 48 hours, I was forced to say goodbye to friends, teachers, host family, and Zaragoza to return to Dallas. As a young person, coping with all this change has been challenging, leading to struggles with motivation and work/play balance. Nevertheless, I feel hopeful for the future and am finding ways to engage myself online in pursuits such as NSLI-Y Hindi program and working with a legal firm as an intern helping persecuted refugees from Cuba and Venezuela immigrate to the US.

What do you hope to achieve from this program and how do you plan to leverage your learnings on a global platform?

From this NSLI-Y VSI program, I want to progress my Hindi to basic conversational fluency and understand Indian culture’s nuances on a deeper level. Then, I will continue learning Hindi in the future to advance my language skills and will take my newfound knowledge about Indian culture and share those aspects with my friends and community. On a global platform, I wish to be a cosmopolitan man, aware of many cultures across all continents. By learning more about the world around me, I can understand strangers on a more profound level consistently and can improve my own behavior.

Do you think there are biases about Indians in the US? And what is the role of youth in changing this perspective?

Indians officially began to enter the United States in the mid 1960’s when Lyndon B. Johnson signed a ground-breaking immigration law. For the next 20 years, Indians who immigrated to the US came from two ends of the spectrum. There were the highly qualified doctors, engineers, academics; on the other hand, there were the small businessmen who set up motels and convenience stores across the US. Indians had the unique advantage of knowing English with varying degrees of fluency and strong regional accents. The first group assimilated easily into the American culture. The result of that specific influx gave way to two large stereotypes in America about Indians: some Indians are very smart and rich (doctors, engineers, academics) and others are poor and scam artists (convenience store owners and cab drivers). These stereotypes are present in American TV shows, movies, and pop culture (i.e. The Simpsons). With the increase of the Indian population in the US, I am more confident that these stereotypes will define us less and less as time goes on.

India opened up trade with the US in 1991 and through the first two decades of the 21st century, we have seen a boom of technology that has led to a new wave of highly qualified IT professionals immigrating into the US. That cohort has spawned some of the biggest American technology companies, which are led by Indian immigrants and Americans of Indian ancestry. Today, even with four million Indian Americans, we see Indians emerging in several other professions such as journalism, law, banking, and politics. However, even my generation sometimes faces discrimination and assumptions. We, the youth, hold an important responsibility in terms of upholding Indian culture and stopping some inherent discrimination. And we must continue to demonstrate that while we revere our heritage, we are American and are able to contribute into this unique melting pot in various ways.