Indians have been a part of America for a long time. But for the first time in its history, U.S.A., witnessed the swearing in of an Indian American Woman as a mayor of California State’s city. The city of Cupertino, famous for being the headquarters of Apple witnessed this change. An MBA graduate, Savita Vaidhyanathan, who worked as an officer in a commercial bank and a nonprofit organization was sworn in as the Mayor of Cupertino.
The swearing in ceremony was attended by her mother, who flew from India and her husband and daughter. Addressing the packed auditorium, Savita said, “This is definitely a very momentous moment in my life.” She expressed her interest in working with the members of the city, and said, “We have some really interesting times ahead of us.” She also said, “Yes, we will debate. Yes, we may argue, but we all bleed Cupertino. I look forward to your help and inspiration. I will continue to reach out to you for your input and suggestions, and we will definitely help make Cupertino shine because it is a crowning jewel in the Silicon Valley.”
Her first proclamation as the Mayor of Cupertino, after two days into the charge, came in Education. Cupertino, according to Forbes, is a highly educated small town, while most of the Public schools in the city have a very high ranking. Based on a campaign website, Savita has been a resident of Cupertino for more than 19 years. She was also actively involved in several community activities and services in Cupertino.
Savita said that she has received several congratulatory messages for being the first woman Mayor of Indian origin. She said, “Yes, I do take a lot of pride and prestige in that, but I do want to thank the residents of the city of Cupertino that voted me in not looking at ethnicity at all. Thank you for your trust in me, and maybe we did break that silicon ceiling and put a few more cracks in that glass ceiling.”
With Trump’s presidential win many were speculative about how relations between India and America will be, and also how Indians in the USA will be treated. This can be considered the first positive step in building a better relationship between the two countries.
