A stir was initiated in the United States of America, when the 44 year old Indian-American origin politician declared himself as a diligent for 2016’s race of presidency. With the arrival of Bobby Jindal in front of the world, many boundaries were redefined and history was re-written.
It is the first time for the state of Louisiana in USA to have a citizen run for presidency. If Jindal makes his way into the white house, he would be the first president from the state of Louisiana and also, the first ever Indian-American origin president.
The talented gentleman received some heart-felt appreciations as well as severe criticisms from people across the globe due to his beliefs and implications. Moreover, standing against the powerful name and fame Barack Obama has created the obvious difficulties and hurdles for Jindal. However, the knowledge, intelligence and lifestyle of Bobby Jindal are surely an inspiration for many and have boosted his appeal for the post of US president.
Jindal’s life is an interesting saga. Here is a list of events and facts about his life, that will shock as well as excite you-
13. Origin of “Bobby”:
Bobby was born on 10th June, 1971 and was named Piyush Jinal. He renamed himself after his favorite cartoon character Bobby Brad from the show “The Brady Bunch”. However, on legal documents his name still remains as Piyush Jindal.
12. The Unusual pair of parents:
Jindal’s parents share an interesting and unique history. Bobby’s mother, Raj Gupta Jindal, was originally from Punjab in India. When she got the scholarship pursue her PhD in USA, she brought her husband Amar Jindal, son of a shopkeeper, along with her.
In contrast to the well educated background of Raj, Amar Jindal is the only child among his nine siblings to have actually passed fifth grade. But as it is said, “Love is blind“, Raj and Amar fell in love and got married in India.
When Raj came to USA, she was three months pregnant with Bobby. As a working woman, she only received one month paid maternal leave. She got back to work immediately after the birth of Bobby at Baton Rouge in Louisiana.
11. Religious conversion:
Although Jindal was born and brought up in a Hindu family, he converted his religion to Christianity during his school years in Baton Rouge Magnet High School. In his interviews he has mentioned that Christianity taught him a serene way of living and brightened up his concepts about life. His strong religion beliefs and values can be clearly seen in his strong opposition against homosexual rights and abortion.
10. An eager learner.
Jindal was a smart and studious kid since his early days at school. Bobby completed his school education from the Baton Rouge High School in Louisiana.
His prime interest was in healthcare sector, therefore Jindal did his graduation from the famous Brown University with a B.S. in Biology and Public Policy. For post graduation, he joined Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar to receive his Masters in Health policy there.
Jindal’s genius is displayed by the university acceptance letters he received from Havard Medical College and Yale Law School, but he chose to continue his studies at Oxford. He showed immense interest in the development of healthcare and medical facilities of the country.
9. On the path of healthcare development.
Jindal’s initial career rotated around healthcare works. He worked at the Health and Hospital Department of Louisiana, and brought huge development for the center. Two years later, he became the executive director of National Bipartisan Commission on the Future of Medicare. There he worked for the improvement of medical facilities. In 2001, he was the assistant secretary for planning and evaluation at Health and Human Services department in Washington D.C.
8. Start of political Career.
After serving few years in healthcare department, Jindal decided to work for the wellness of people in all sectors. Hence in 2003, he ran for governor at his hometown of Louisiana. Unfortunately, he lost the election at second place. But the loss did not demotivate him, rather it aroused the fire inside of him.
Jindal’s first loss was his last loss. He was then twice elected as a governor of Louisiana in 2006 and 2011. With these wins, Jindal published new pages of history. He was the youngest and the first Indian-American governor of any state in the country and also the first non-white governor in Louisiana since Reconstruction.
7. Eventful family.
Bobby Jindal got married to Supriya (Jolly) Jindal in October 1997 and is the father of two sons, Shaan and Slade, and one daughter named Selia.
The delivery of their younger son, Slade, was a memorable event for the family. His wife woke up in the middle of the night with severe labor pain, and Bobby had to take the delivery instructions on phone as the baby came out before the arrival of ambulance. Plus his son, Shaan, was born with heart defects and had to undergo surgery as an infant.
6. Gain of fame.
Jindal got huge praise for his response to Hurricane Gustav in 2008. He prepared the evacuation of over 2 million citizens of Louisiana, and successfully saved the life of these citizens.
5. Hobbies and Habits.
Bobby is an exercise freak. He likes to take an hour off from his work schedule to work out each day, as he enjoys biking and heavy weight lifting. As a child, he was a huge rugby fan and played as a quarterback for his team.
Although slim and fit, Jindal does not shy away from the fact that he enjoys chocolates, cookies and nachos. He has named Chocolate Chip cookies as one of his major weaknesses. Moreover, he loves to read and travel with his wife and kids.
4. Bond with “Duck Dynasty”.
Jindal shares a close relationship with Robertson’s family from the infamous TV show “Duck Dynasty”. In several occasions, both the sides have shown support to each other publicly. The members of the family have claimed that Jindal is one of the most intelligent people and have strongly backed him up in his run for US presidency.
3. The viral Facebook video (Campaign Announcement).
The first announcement of his candidacy in the run of US presidency was relieved in a hidden-camera video which went viral on Facebook. In that video, he was telling his three sons about his interest in running for the campaign. Later he did the traditional announcement with a speech at New Orleans, surrounded by hundreds of enthusiastic supporters.
2. Pro-Life Approach.
Bobby is an immense supporter of saving the life of the unborn, and has strong religious beliefs regarding the same. Therefore, he has always been against abortion and research on embryonic stem cells. However, he does not oppose emergency contraception in cases like rape, and understands the requirements of abortions under such circumstances.
1. No to same Sex Marriage.
Finally, a part of Bobby Jindal’s opinion that got a lot of attention was his views against the concept of homosexual marriage. In Federal Marriage Amendment and Local Laws Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act, he voted against the legalization of same sex marriage. Jindal believes that every child deserves a mother and father, hence homosexual marriage is a not proper act in the society.