Indian-Americans

Indian-Americans have been a significant part of Clarkstown and Rockland communities, helping to fuel a noteworthy rise in Clarkstown’s Asian-American population. There were 1,648 Asian-Americans in Clarkstown in 1980, 4,050 in 1990, 6,486 in 2000 and 8,800 in 2010. Indian-Americans have been the largest group of Asian-Americans in Clarkstown for some time, with their population in the town rising from 2,454 to 3,576 from 2000 to 2010. Local Indian-Americans have preserved and showcased Indian culture by organizing numerous programs and festivals in the area. The India Cultural Society of Rockland, formed in the 1970s, has held many events celebrating Indian culture over the years. The most notable of these events is the annual India Day Parade commemorating India’s independence which was first held in Pearl River and Nanuet in 1999 and has since been moved to New City. The program features parade participants in traditional Indian clothing as well as traditional Indian music, performances of traditional dances, and Indian food, jewels and other items for sale.      

 

Significant People

 

Yash Aggarwal left India in 1971 for the U.S. He worked as a seismologist at the Lamont-Doherty Observatory, becoming the first seismologist in the U.S. to predict an earthquake successfully in the 1970s. He became a very involved member of the Rockland and Clarkstown community, serving as chairman of the Asian-American Coalition of Rockland and the local coordinator for AARP. The New City resident also ran to represent New York’s 20th Congressional District, which included Rockland and some neighboring areas, in the U.S. House of Representatives in 1996. He won the Democratic Party primary but fell short in the general election.       

 

His wife, Hemu Aggarwal, who came from in India in 1966 and served as president of the graphic design company AQ Graphics in New City, has also been very active in the community. She founded the Asian Women’s Alliance for Kinship and Equality and also organized Worldfest New York, a festival featuring musicians and dancers from various countries that was held in Rockland in the late 1990s and early 2000s. 

VJ Pradhan was the first Indian-American elected to the  Rockland County Legislature. Pradhan was an actor in India before coming in 1973 to the U.S., where he established a successful dental practice. A resident of West Nyack, Pradhan became chairman of Rockland’s Human Rights Commission and worked with many other civic organizations. He was elected to the county Legislature in 1997 and he represented the 14th District, which included West Nyack, Nanuet, and Bardonia. As a legislator, Pradhan fought for a law requiring all dwellings to have carbon monoxide detectors, helping it to pass after several tries and despite many obstacles.  

 

Bibliography

 

Blain, Glenn. “Democratic leaders unite behind Aggarwal.” The Journal News, May 4, 1996, accessed on August 5, 2016. https://www.newspapers.com/clip/6122517/democratic_leaders_unite_behind/.

 

Cacioppo, Nancy. “India, Pakistan feud not felt locally.” The Journal News, July 19, 1999, accessed on August 5, 2016. https://www.newspapers.com/clip/6122343/india_pakistan_feud_not_felt/.    

 

Carlsen, Paul. “Indian Point should stay open now, quake expert says.” The Journal News, December 6, 1976, accessed on August 5, 2016. https://www.newspapers.com/clip/6122633/indian_point_should_stay_open_now/.

 

County of Rockland, Department of Planning. 1990 Rockland County Census. New City, New York, March 1991.        

 

Easley, Hema. “Group to mark Indian independence.” The Journal News, August 7, 2011, accessed on August 4, 2016. https://www.newspapers.com/clip/6087915/group_to_mark_indian_independence/.

 

India Cultural Society of Rockland. Accessed on August 2, 2016. http://www.icsronline.net/.  

 

U.S. Census Bureau. 2000 Census, Clarkstown, town, Rockland County, New York. Accessed on August 5, 2016. http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/community_facts.xhtml.

 

U.S. Census Bureau. 2010 Census, Clarkstown, town, Rockland County, New York. Accessed on August 5, 2016. http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/community_facts.xhtml.

 

Winiarski, Kathryn. “India’s independence celebrated in Rockland.” The Journal News, August 23, 1999, accessed on August 2, 2016. https://www.newspapers.com/clip/6086853/indias_independence_celebrated_in/ (page 1), https://www.newspapers.com/clip/6086915/indias_independence_celebrated_in/ (page 2).  

 

Woller, Barbara. “Hemu Aggarwal.” The Journal News, March 30, 2003, accessed on August 5, 2016. https://www.newspapers.com/clip/6122135/hemu_aggarwal_the_journal_news/.  

 

Zimmerman, Linda. Rockland County: Century of History, 1900-2000. New City, NY: The Historical Society of Rockland County, 2002.       

 

“VJ Pradhan.” The Journal News, October 11, 2008, accessed on August 2, 2016. https://www.newspapers.com/clip/6087000/vj_pradhan_the_journal_news_october/.