PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER: The region’s Indian population grew enormously last decade, doubling to more than 80,000 in South Jersey and Southeastern Pennsylvania and climbing as much as 200 percent in parts of Philadelphia and the surrounding counties, according to the 2010 U.S. Census.
With rapid growth has come a feast of Desi traditions: dozens of new Indian restaurants and groceries; Sikh societies, Muslim mosques, Indian churches, and Hindu temples in cities and towns; coming-of-age rituals of song, dance, and ceremonial first haircuts; grand celebrations for Diwali, the fall festival of lights; and spectacular wedding marathons, such as the one this past week for 600 guests in Philadelphia and Newtown set to span five days and four venues, including the Loews Philadelphia Hotel for a garba raas folk dance and henna-tattoo party, the Water Works plaza for tying the knot, and Sunday’s reception at the Please Touch Museum…
Generally fluent in English, tech savvy, and often professional, Indians are America’s most educated and affluent immigrant group, giving them “advantages in negotiating their way in the U.S.,” said Fariha Khan, associate director of Asian American studies at the University of Pennsylvania… (more)
