“Hill” Krishnan, a native of Tirunelveli in deep southern Tamil Nadu, is contesting as a Democratic candidate for New York City Council. If elected, the NY University professor will be the first South Asian to enter the prestigious NY City Council. He is confident “because there are thousands of Indian Americans in New York city and they will support me”, says Krishnan who had changed his surname ‘Thirumalai’ to ‘Hill’ to make it easier on campus when he arrived in 2001.
Born in the village of Dohnavur, Krishnan, scored centum in mathematics and 98 per cent in science in grade 12 at CMS matriculation HSS in Coimbatore and got a seat in Guindy engineering college. “Mom had inspired me to work hard in both academics and extracurricular activities like acting, dancing and debating,” recalled Krishnan, 36, in an interview with DC.
Among many achievements at Guindy was acting as villain in K Balachander’s TV serial and also winning prizes for his own play. “The irony is that the play was a political satire. Little did I imagine that one day I would go to US and become a politician myself”, Krishnan said.
The journey to America was no cakewalk. His visa was rejected the first time. When he arrived at NYU campus, he had little money and spent the nights in the library while showering in the gym until a friend offered to share a small apartment. Allowed to work part-time on a campus job to make some precious money, he met Debbie, also a NYU student, and the two married within a year.
While he had gone to the US as a poor man with the dream of making money and fame, Debbie came from a background “that emphasised service”. Presently teaching in NYU’s school of continuing and professional studies while finishing his dissertation, Krishnan is deep into local issues, which is why he got sucked into politics.
“If I get elected to the council, I will focus on education reform”, said Krishnan. “New York City has the largest education system in America. The current standards are terrible. My life has improved through education.”