Through these interactions, a fascinating fabric of who is the Indian in America? emerged in our minds. Given the large numbers and inherent diversity of this group, this was obviously quite difficult to understand — and even more difficult to articulate without sounding cliché or academic. But we knew that what we had grasped intellectually now needed to be shared amongst the very group that it sought to represent.

The goal was to achieve a common insight into who we are, what we represent, our legacy and what we share — with each other and with the mainstream community and environment.

The result, put together in this special annual collector’s issue, is for you to read, enjoy, absorb and respond to. siliconindia is the most widely circulated publication targeted at Indians in America, which is one of the reasons why we deemed it appropriate to call this feature “The State of the siliconindian.” In this day and age, when technology has touched us all and will continue to do so more and more, all Indians in America are really siliconindians, with “silicon” representing a progressive attitude fuelling global economic growth.

So why is this something that you should care about?

This feature conceptually represents the pinnacle of achievement for the Indian community in America — individuals who have understood the net combination of their upbringing, education, personality, opportunity and luck, and made the best of it through hard work, dedication, honesty and drive. This is a reflection of what the Indian community in America is, as well as what it can be. The fabric of this group is a work in progress, and it has miles to go before it can be said to have achieved the highest level of integrity, achievement, contribution and consistency.

Understanding all of this is important — to appreciate and enhance the growing importance of India and Indians in the world, to participate more meaningfully on the India-U.S. platform, to give back more to the mainstream U.S. and the larger global society, and to find better ways of taking from it. In the current state of the world, everything you do is tempered by the global social, economic and political situation. And, in turn, anything you do can have a significant impact on this situation as well. The State of the siliconindian will, we hope, simply help you in putting this in perspective.