Indian Americans make piles of cash, right? But clout? When it comes to elbowing their way through the array of lobby groups on Capitol Hill, and elsewhere across the US political arena, Indians perform pretty awfully compared to the Jewish, Chinese, and some say even Tibetan immigrants. Plugging that gap in power play is cardiac surgeon Dr Romesh Japra, who has been relentlessly working to give the South Asian community a voice of  its  own.   A  first   generation immigrant who came to the US in 1973, Japra wears a passel of hats and wears   them   with   panache,    be   it

From its basement beginning as a newsweekly, Japra’s venture under the banner, Post Media Inc, has transformed itself into a global business, a high octane media company with diversified interests in TV (India Post TV), event management, and the Internet via its B2C website, ValueIndia.com. 

As an influence chaser for his community, the heart specialist operates at the very top. He is serving as a commissioner for a three-year term on the meritorious award commission appointed by president George Bush to raise over $400,000 to endow the first ever chair in India studies at the University of California, Berkeley. 

The charismatic Japra believes with near-missionary zeal that for Indian Americans to have a say in the mainstream, they should take some time off from the pursuit of wealth and get involved in politics, be it at the local or the state level, and then move on to higher posts. Identifying this as a critical need of the community, Japra, a graduate of the prestigious All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi, set up the "Civil Rights Commission" under the Federation of Indo-American Associations (FIA) of Northern California in 1990 and the Indo-American Political Association of Northern California in 1991. These two associations have done commendable work in furthering the cause of Indian Americans and building solid clout in the centers of power. 

The political fat cats have recognized the doctor’s contributions. Japra th was awarded the certificate of recognition by the 10 Senate District California Legislature and the special Congressional recognition for the Who’s Who in the Republican Party. 

It's said that heart surgeons — who are used to performing marathon sixhour surgeries — have tremendous reserves of energy. Japra’s reserves seem inexhaustible. As the president of the Federation of Indo-American Associations of Northern California (FIA), a non-profit organization consisting of over 40 different member organizations, Japra’s passion has successfully brought together the entire Indian American community for the Festival of India every year. Coinciding with India’s Independence Day on August 15, the two-day festivities attract a record number of people — 100,000 at the event in 2003.

 However, while playing hardball with the giants, the doc hasn’t forgotten the small guy. From organizing free medical camps in India and the US, he has been instrumental in disbursing medicines and medical care worth over $150,000 to underserved communities, including senior citizens and visitors from India who often do not have adequate insurance cover.

 After the Bhopal gas tragedy in India, and the Bangladesh cyclone, he organized associations to raise funds to provide medical equipment including ambulance vans, nuclear scanners and medicines for the victims. 

As a member of several organizations dedicated to the medical fraternity, Japra has paved the way for further medical research and studies in India and the US. 

Japra, who lives in Fremont with his wife and three children, has ensured that when he finally steps aside, there won’t be a vacuum. Thanks to his crusade, GenNext Indian immigrants such as Bobby Jindal are ready to assume more important roles in mainstream America.