Find out how Bobby Jindal, the 1st Indian American in the US Presidential run, got his name & more

Image courtesy: facebook.com

Bobby is a name so dear to us Indians that a boy—remember the cute curly boy in Barsaat—can be Bobby, a girl— the dimpled Miss Braganza of the 1973 cult flick —too can be Bobby. However, this time the Bobby that is doing the rounds is none other than the first Indian American governor in the United States Bobby Jindal, who has now become the first Indian American ever to run for the White House.

There’s an interesting story behind his name which we will share with you here.

On Wednesday, during an event at a convention centre in the New Orleans suburb of Kenner, he announced: “I am running for president without permission from headquarters in Washington DC.”

The Louisiana governor is the 13th Republican in the fray (and there are at least three others who are about to announce their bid). Though he is dubbed as a “backmarker” in the race and even his supporters call it a long-shot candidacy—under his leadership the state struggles with a $1.6 billion shortfall as he is alleged of focusing on laying the ground work for a presidential run than on addressing the state’s fiscal troubles– nonetheless his political career has been pretty impressive.

He became Louisiana’s health secretary at 25, took over its university system at 28, lost the governorship at 32 and won it again at 36.

Image courtesy: facebook.com
Image courtesy: facebook.com

And, now, he roars, “There are a lot of great talkers running for president already. We’ve had enough of talkers. It is time for a doer.”

Here are 9 things about the Indian American who is eager to take on Washington:

He is the 55th and current governor of Louisiana and the vice chairman of the Republican Governors Association.

Born to immigrants from Punjab in 1971, his actual name is Piyush Jindal. It was because of his fondness for the show The Brady Bunch, that he was nicknamed Bobby, the youngest Brady boy. Every day after school he would watch the show. He renamed himself as Bobby when he was 4.

The Brady Bunch (Image courtesy: facebook.com)
The Brady Bunch (Image courtesy: facebook.com)

Raised a Hindu, he later converted to Catholicism in high school. As a young convert he wrote about the intellectual and emotional struggles of his spiritual journey.

When he got a personalized Bible as a birthday present he dismissed it as a “boring gift”. But a movie about the crucifixion of Jesus moved him so much that since then he “surrendered” his life to Christ.

He graduated from Baton Rougue High School in 1987, attended Brown University with biology and public policy honors, and went to Oxford University as a Rhodes scholar. When Jindal was interested in studying history, philosophy or art history, his father suggested, “No you can be whatever kind of doctor you want to be.”

As a pre-med student, Jindal took more interest in healthcare policy than healthcare practice. Today, he is one of few candidates who has actually crafted the blueprint for an alternative to Obamacare.

Jindal asked Supriya out when they were in high school. He was politely turned down. In 1996, he found Supriya’s number and left a message: “If you are married, delete the rest of this message, but if you are not, give me a call back.” And it all started with this. A few months later, he proposed her. They have three kids.

Image courtesy: facebook.com
Image courtesy: facebook.com

He helped his wife Supriya deliver their third kid Slade despite having not made it to medical school. With a little coaching from the 911 operators, Jindal delivered a healthy baby boy in their bathroom when his wife went into labour before the ambulance could show up.

Image courtesy: facebook.com
Image courtesy: facebook.com

Amid his tight schedule, however, he never misses two things: daily exercise and chocolate chip cookies. His day starts with a hard workout session. He likes to bike and lift weights.  Believe it or not, he can give a tough competition to you in push-ups. He adores junk food like nachos and pizza with lots of cheese.

Image courtesy: facebook.com
Image courtesy: facebook.com

Lastly, he doesn’t like to be a hyphenated American. But he too shows equal respect to his roots that lie in India.

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