Allen later denied that he knew that the word “macaca” referred to a species of monkey. He also stressed that he hadn’t meant to malign Sidarth as an immigrant. But Allen, who had even harboured Presidential ambitions, never recovered from the storm of controversy. Sidarth appeared on major television channels; his op-ed was published in the Washington Post. Allen lost the election narrowly by about 9,000 votes out of a total of 2.4 million votes cast. In a tight election year, Sidarth was credited for having helped the Democrats regain the Senate by a single seat.

His parents migrated from India more than two decades ago, and Sidarth was born in Arlington, Virginia. He is now 23, working as a Democratic Party staff-member at this convention. Sidarth told me that he believes that the “macaca” incident guided him to his “calling.” He will work in politics all his life. His enthusiasm for Senator Obama is based on the fact that as a person from a diverse cultural and racial background, Obama understands the place of immigrants in America. Sidarth says, “His story resonates with Indians.”

Sidarth is tall and well-built, with a slightly shy manner, often looking away when making his point. But he was emphatic that there is “unprecedented excitement” about Obama. He said, “This is like a rock concert with the most famous band in the world.”

Journalist, author and academic Amitava Kumar is professor of English at Vassar College, New York.