India, Nov. 12 -- Indian American Amish Shah, a physician and former state legislator, was elected to Congress after flipping Arizona's 1st congressional district in one of the most closely watched races of the midterm elections. In an interview with HT, Shah spoke about his family's journey to America, the rise in anti-Indian sentiment, and the future of United States (US)-India ties. Edited excerpts:

Could you tell us how your family came to the US?

It was the late 1950s, in Zaveri Bazaar in Bombay (Mumbai). A man named Mark Howard, a retired judge from Michigan, was wandering around. This was before cell phones. It was a hot day. He nearly passed out, and he was clearly in trouble. So my mother's elder brothers went out, took him in,...