Washington: The Indian American community in the United States is two million strong, but this large number has grown from small beginnings and an expansion of immigration within the last 30 years. Today, the two million strong Indian American Community makes them a formidable voting force.

More voting power has presented ample opportunities for Indian-Americans to become increasingly involved in the political system of the United States.

Several leaders from within the community have recently stepped up their effort to build a strong organised network with one cohesive powerful Indian American voice. One such fine organisation is USINPAC (US India Political Action Committee).

USINPAC advocates issues that are important to the Indian American community, and their agenda is driven by the opinion and the needs of the community. USINPAC conducts online opinion polls and traditional surveys to better understand which issues to advocate.

Some current issues include:

Improved Indo-US strategic relations

Improved Indo-US business relations

Immigration reform

Small business and entrepreneurship

Advocacy of appointment of Indian Americans in the US government

While USINPAC is very well known for its access onto Capitol Hill (USINPAC regularly meets with several Senators on various Indian American issues; Senator Hatch, Senator Grassley, Senator Biden, Senator Brownback, Senator Lugar and several others), very little is known about a effective and powerful grassroots organisation USINPAC carries with it.

Rupen Shah, Director of National Grassroots Advocacy explains, “The grassroots are the very lifeblood of any serious political effort—the real political force that makes it possible for one charismatic leader to change a whole society.

What this means is that, ultimately, "the grassroots" is an ATTITUDE. It is an attitude of freedom, of creativity, of unrestrained political enthusiasm, of willingness to band together with ordinary citizens for a common purpose. One can feel such energy and passion in Indian Americans across US. Every Indian American is beginning to talk in one voice and supporting USINPAC's objectives in getting the recognition that Indian Americans are long overdue for.

I have series of events planned across the US beginning with the Aug 15th Independence day events - San Fransico, Los Angeles, Houston, Dallas, Cincinnati, Carolinas, New Jersey, New York, Washington DC, Boston, Chicago and other places.

There are all kinds of Indian Americans supporting this movement, burning midnight oil and doing all what is takes to make it happen. Senior Citizens, Students, Professors, Housewife’s, Professional’s, People working for congressional delegates – People from all walks of life.

One such grassroot supporter is Anil Babbar residing in San Francisco. He is only 24. He has his degree in political science. He has interned for a Congressman in both his District and DC offices and is currently working for a Congressman from California as a field representative.

He says, “I feel that the Indian Community in the United States is severely underrepresented. We may be very prevalent in areas like technology, biotech, education, etc, but when it comes to representation, we have a long way to go. We currently rely on elected officials who aren't totally committed to the "Indian Agenda". My interests in USINPAC stems from in part, my background and interest in Politics and in part to my interest in assisting in bringing the level of participation of the Indian Community in the political realm.”

Then there is Arun Mehta residing in Los Angeles. He is Senior Citizen. He is born in 1935 and is 68 years of age. At the time of his retirement he was the associate professor at UCLA School of Medicine. At his age he is very enthusiastically pitching in to help and do whatever it takes to raise the profile of Indian Americans in US “I am impressed by the work of USINPAC in bringing the issues that affect people of Indian Americans to the attention of elected officials. Their bipartisan approach is commendable. Osama Bin Laden has listed US, Israel, and India as his enemies. In the war against terrorism, a lot of work still needs to be done. Organisations like USINPAC can be the catalyst required to foster better relations and cooperation between the US and India.”

Yet another enthusiastic supporter is Shawn Masarath, 22 years old. He is currently attending Texas A&M University, about to start his senior year as a chemical engineering major. His major source of inspiration is his grandmother who is currently a practicing attorney in the Supreme Court of India. He hopes to inform his fellow Indian Americans of the collective strength of Indian Americans and organize the local community with one voice through his support to the USINPAC.

Rupen Says “You cannot help but feel so touched by this tremendous outpouring of support coming from the community throughout the US. People have jobs and families to look after. In spite of their professional and personal commitments, they are very clear about their priorities. Indian Americans have long been a inactive community and its time to change that.” USINPAC is planning to do 60 grassroots events in the next four months across the nation. He is hoping to get the following milestones accomplished.

Establish a nationwide network of at least 1,00,000 USINPAC supporters;

Enlist the support and advice of respected national and local political leaders and public figures.

Coordinate activities with other regional and national groups.

Help principled individuals making a difference to our community get elected to public office throughout our country.

Become self-supporting through sustaining contributions.

Stage USINPAC events in every region of the United States.

Effectively disseminate the words and insights of USINPAC managing committee.

Setting up a strong state-by-state network of informed activist.

Influencing legislation at every level of government.

Running meaningful petition drives to promote a variety of urgent issues.

It will be very interesting to see how this force is going to create positive perceptions in the minds of American politicians; given next year is a crucial election year. Already USINPAC has moved to the next level by aligning with America Israel Political Action Committee (AIPAC) and American Jewish Committee (AJC) 5.2 million Jews and 2.0 million Indians--highly educated, affluent and attached to democratic homelands facing what they increasingly view as a common enemy --and is now seeking US approval for India to purchase Israel's Arrow ballistic missile Defense system.

Earlier in July, at the urging of the USINPAC, the International Relations Committee of the US House of Representatives unanimously passed an amendment requiring the Administration to disclose to US Congress and to the American people the extent to which Pakistan is fulfilling its promise to clamp down on cross-border terrorism, shutting down terrorist camps in Pakistan-held Kashmir, and halting the proliferation of nuclear weapons technology to rogue states and terrorists. The unanimous, bipartisan vote reflects the broad support that this issue garners across party lines.

“I think Indian Americans see the American Jewish community as a yardstick against which to compare themselves. It's seen as the gold standard in terms of political activism," said Kumar P Barve, the majority leader in the Maryland House of Delegates and the highest elected Indian American official in the country.

USINPAC in the past supported the election campaign of Barve. USINPAC is continuing to aggressively support other candidates as elections come closer and closer. Currently, they are busy supporting Bobby Jindal who is running for the Governor of Louisiana.