Indian population booming in Philadelphia area

Last year, when a Time satirist showcased "the new Edisonians" of Edison, N.J., as chutney-loving " 'dot heads' . . . whose gods have multiple arms and an elephant nose," Indian immigrant groups were outraged.

But in Upper Uwchlan, Chester County, Vini Nair had to chuckle. The 37-year-old software developer had seen his town's Indian population soar - from 20 when he arrived in 2000 to 993 last year.

Stereotypes be damned, he thought. In the affluent exurb where his ethnic group had gone from 0.3 to almost 9 percent of the population, he would have the last laugh.

The region's Indian population grew enormously last decade, doubling to more than 80,000 in South Jersey and Southeastern Pennsylvania and climbing as much as 200 percent in parts of Philadelphia and the surrounding counties, according to the 2010 U.S. Census.

With rapid growth has come a feast of Desi traditions: dozens of new Indian restaurants and groceries; Sikh societies, Muslim mosques, Indian churches, and Hindu temples in cities and towns; coming-of-age rituals of song, dance, and ceremonial first haircuts; grand celebrations for Diwali, the fall festival of lights; and spectacular wedding marathons, such as the one this past week for 600 guests in Philadelphia and Newtown set to span five days and four venues, including the Loews Philadelphia Hotel for a garba raas folk dance and henna-tattoo party, the Water Works plaza for tying the knot, and Sunday's reception at the Please Touch Museum.

The marriage of Langhorne dentist Ekta Patel and groom Nirav Amin, a physician training at Hahnemann University Hospital in orthopedic surgery, was announced with a crimson-and-gold invitation printed at the finest shop in Ahmedabad, India.

The celebration of the two 30-year-olds blends the traditions of their ancestors from the state of Gujarat with Schuylkill-side fireworks set to the "Jai Ho" soundtrack of Slumdog Millionaire.

"You want to try to marry in the culture. That's the mind-set," said the bride, who stepped in to organize the nonstop nuptials after her overwhelmed wedding planner quit.

Generally fluent in English, tech savvy, and often professional, Indians are America's most educated and affluent immigrant group, giving them "advantages in negotiating their way in the U.S.," said Fariha Khan, associate director of Asian American studies at the University of Pennsylvania.