SEATTLE — After a decades-long push, Indians and Indian Americans are celebrating the arrival of the first Indian consulate in the Pacific Northwest.
While Indians in the region have been advocating for the consulate for years, India first announced their plans to open an office in Seattle seven years ago.
In June of last year, Prime Minister Modi and President Biden issued a joint statement announcing the new consulate would finally open at the end of the year.
Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal led the push to bring the Indian consulate to the Pacific Northwest wanting to see it open before other big cities in the country.
“It's a negotiated process. That's why it's been on the table for many years, both countries have to prioritize it. My work as a member of Congress was to make sure that the Indian government was prioritizing this one over others” said Jayapal.
Jayapal says the decision to bring a consulate to a new city depends on factors like its Indian population.
But, despite an influx of Indians to Seattle, some say they still feel the weight of not belonging.
For Indians like Hardev Juj, a retired chief engineer, facing racism was part of his new life in America.
It's a lesson he learned the hard way in graduate school at Washington State University in the '70s when a professor once told him to never forget his skin is brown.
"He put his hand there and said put your hand there. He said look at your skin he said until you speak or tell somebody or somebody knows you, that's the person who they are going to know who Hardev is," said Juj who also says the new consulate is a symbol of hope.
"Very emotional, in 44 years that’s the first time I felt that ok now we are being recognized by the community," said Juj.
KING 5 sat down with the new Consulate General Prakash Gupta about what it means to finally be in the Northwest.
"We come here with a lot of hope and a lot of promise for the Indian community ," said Gupta.
The new consulate, which officially is set to open in March, will represent the Indian government here. They will process Visas for people who want to visit India and for Indians who are here for work.
Located in the Federal Reserve Building in downtown Seattle, it will serve as a gathering place for Indians to celebrate holidays and special events.
Gupta says his priority is also to build business and educational relationships with a focus on the tech space.
"A lot of what happens in cities like Bangalore or Hyderabad in India is either thought of there and taken to a product state in Seattle or what's thought of here is taken to that next stage in those cities," said Gupta.
It's welcome news for the fastest-growing minority groups in the region.
The US Census shows in 1990, about 4,000 Indians lived in King County.
When Microsoft started a big hiring push, we saw that number jump and today more than 150,000 Indians and Indian Americans call Washington State home.
"That's where our role comes in. As a bridge on the consulate side," said Gupta.
When it opens, the Indian consulate will be the largest in the country serving nine states including Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Nebraska, Oregon, the Dakotas, and Wyoming.
Big picture, its presence means both countries value the contributions Indians are making in western Washington.
"We can celebrate people like Satya Nadella and others who lead major companies here in the region, but also all of the industries, you know, the engineers, the doctors, the restauranteurs," added Jayapal.
For those people, it means having a small piece of their native home in their chosen one.