Lokvani had a chance to talk to A. Buttar, U. Sengupta, Y. Adkins, R. Devaguptapu, N. Chokshi and S. Vanka, Indian-American delegates on the floor of the DNC in Boston.

Amarjit Singh Buttar is from Vernon, CT. He has been involved in the process for over 25 years. He has served on the School Board for the past 10 years including the past two years as its Chairman. In 2002 he was instrumental in convincing Connecticut legislature to reverse its policy of requiring written documentation from people who do not want to remove their religious headwear for their driver's license photos. “The town and state have been very good to me and it is time for me to pay back,” said Buttar. “Education is the backbone of any country and I want to have a say in not only keeping up the academic standards but in raising the bar.” He has two kids, works for the State Workers Compensation office and is a lawyer by training. He was the only Indian American in the CT delegation.

Uma Sengupta serves at the District Leader, 25th Assembly District, Queens, New York. She is the first South Asian candidate to be endorsed by Queens Democratic Organization for an elected party office. She had the support of the New York State Democratic Committee and all the big names in the Democratic Party in New York. On Tuesday July 27, 2004 at the DNCC, she was the first South Asian Indian woman to be honored for her contributions to the South Asian community. Sengupta, who came to the U.S. in 1970, is founder of Rainbow Montessori School. “My focus is on good life, quality education, housing for all children, and long-term care of elderly immigrants,” said Sengupta. She is currently in the process of setting up an agreement between NY and West Bengal as sister states of promoting business and education.

Yamini Adkins is an “elected” delegate from the 13th Congressional District, Akron, Ohio. She is a lawyer who works as the Director of Labor, Summit County, OH. She is a mother of three children and has been active in Democratic Party politics for years. “My primary issues deal working moms and those that are typically important to Asian Americans including family, education, and health care,” said Adkins. She strongly recommend that all Indian Americans to have a voice and be part of the process only then can we have a meaning discussion of issues that our important to us.

In addition to delegates, there were a number of Indian American volunteers at the convention.

Raghu Devaguptapu is originally from Wisconsin and now works for the Legislative Campaign Committee as Political Director. As a youngster, he was first inspired by Bill Clinton. “My goal is to help improve the quality of life for people of color,” said Raghu.

Niraj Chokshi from West Hartford, CT is currently doing his Journalism degree at Bates College. His brother, who works as the Assistant Press Secretary in Washington DC, got him involved with DNCC. He has been interested in politics for a long but working as a volunteer at DNCC has had a major impact on him. He plans to be lot more involved when he gets back to school as “I realize how important it is to be involved,” said Niraj. “I feel the Democratic party is more concerned with the general population and represents more groups around the country.”

Sarita Vanka is currently a student in Political Science/French at University of Illinois, Urbana Champagne and was initially involved with Sen. Liberman’s campaign. “It is an amazing experience and I strongly encourage all kids be a part of it in the future,” said Sarita.

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