Column | Model minority blues: How Vivek Ramaswamy got mean, got whupped and lost his soul

Ohio republican guebenatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy during a campaign rally in 2025. | Photo Credit: Getty Images Indians all over, but especially desi Americans, owe a debt of gratitude to Vivek Ramaswamy.The race for Ohio governor should not have made big news internationally. But it did, thanks to Ramaswamy. The one-time presidential hopeful was everything the Indian American dream promised. He is young, smart, wealthy, successful, and ambitious. He’s from Harvard. He’s from Yale. A Soros fellow. Plays lawn tennis. But also, worships at the Hindu temple in Dayton, Ohio, and has photographs with Narendra Modi. He founded a biotech firm called Roivant, the “Roi” referring to return on investment. But he himself seemed like the real return on investment in the American Dream: the model of the model minority. Published - November 11, 2026 02:39 pm IST