RICHMOND, VIRGINIA, USA, April 19, 2009: Following the trend of Asian Indian immigrants attaining important positions in the U.S. scene, Aneesh Chopra was appointed the new Secretary of Technology of the Obama Administration. At age 34, Aneesh Chopra is currently the Secretary of Technology in the Commonwealth of Virginia cabinet. Together with Chief Information Officer Vivek Kundra, their jobs will be “to make the government more effective, efficient, and transparent.
In an interview, Chopra explained how Hinduism’s asramas guide his life plan. “I think about life in terms of Hindu philosophy. There are four stages in life: educate yourself (bramacharya asrama), provide for your family (grihasta asrama), give to public service (vanaprastha asrama) and become one with God (sannyasa asrama). The challenge for me now is knowing if I have crossed over into the third, or if I’m bouncing back and forth between second and third.”
“My advice for South Asians who want to get involved in the community is threefold,” he says. “First, set a strategy and commit to it. Second, volunteer on boards and commissions. Finally, put time into a network, whether it’s the Indian American Executive Community, or even an university alumni network.”