Whakarāpopototia te tuhinga:  E kī ana a Vijay Chokal-Ingam i whakatakoto ia hei tangata pango i a ia e tono ana ki ngā kura rongoā i te tau 1998 nā te mea i whakapono ia he nui ake te tūponotanga kia whakaaetia ia. Whai muri i tana whakatuwheratanga mo ana wheako mo te ahua o te tangata pango ki te tono ki nga kura rongoa, kua kii te tuakana o Mindy Kaling<unk> kaore tana tuahine i whakaae ki ana mahi. I runga i tana rangitaki, Almost Black, i kii a Vijay Chokal-Ingam kaore tetahi o tona whanau e whakaae ki tana pukapuka, i roto i tana whakapae he tautohetohe i whakaaetia ia ki te kura rongoa i te mutunga o nga tau 1990 na te mea he tangata pango ia. "Ko taku tuahine Mindy Kaling (Vera Mindy Chokalingam), o te Mindy Project me Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?, e tino whakahe ana ki taku pukapuka", i tuhituhi ia. <unk>I kī mai ia, <unk>Ka whakama tēnei pukapuka ki tō tātou whānau<unk>. Kāore te toenga o tōku whānau e whakaae ana ki te pukapuka. Heoi anō, e whakaute ana rātau ki tōku tika ki te whakatau i aku ake whakataunga ki taku mahi", tāna. E kii ana a Chokal-Ingam i runga i tana tuhinga i whakaaro ia me whakarereke e ia tona ahua kia uru atu ai ki te Whare Wananga o St. Louis mo te Kura Hauora me te whakaeke nui i nga kaupapa here whakamana i te United States. 'I tino whakatau ahau ki te noho hei taote, a, i mohio ahau ko nga paerewa whakauru mo etahi tokoiti i raro i te mahi whakapuaki, me kii... he iti ake te kaha?' i tuhituhi a Chokal-Ingam. 'I uru ahau ki te kura rongoā nā te mea i kī ahau he pango ahau. Ko te mea whakamiharo, ehara ahau i te mea.' E kii ana ia i te tau 1998 i haehae ia i tona mahunga, i tapahi i ona 'ngau Indian roa' ka uru atu ki te Whakahaere o nga Akonga Pango i te wa o te mahi. Ahakoa tana paetukutuku, AlmostBlack.com, e whakaatu ana i nga tohu me nga pikitia o Chokal-Ingam hei tangata Inia-Amerika (maui) me te tangata pango (matau), kaore ia e tohu mena i uru ia ki te tukanga tono rite ki te tangata Inidan-American i a ia he tangata pango. Ko tana huringa i roto i te ahua he 'he mea whakamiharo e kore e mohio ki ahau e aku teina o te whare wānanga.' 'Ko Vijay te tamaiti Indian-American frat i riro ko Jojo te kaitono Afro-American Affirmative Action ki te kura rongoa,' i kii ia, e kii ana ko Jojo...
E kī ana a Vijay Chokal-Ingam i whakatakoto ia hei tangata pango, ā, i whakaaetia ia ki te Whare Wānanga o St. Louis School of Medicine i te tau 1998. I whakatau ia he pai ake tana whai wāhitanga ki te uru atu ki te kura rongoā mēnā he pango ia, ehara i te tangata Indian-American. Ka kōrero i ōna wheako i runga i tōna ake rangitaki, Almost Black, ā, ka whakahe i ngā mahi whakamana. E kī ana ia i haehae ia i tōna matenga, i tapahi i ōna 'ngākau Indian roa' me te whakauru atu ki te Whakahaere o ngā Ākonga Pango. E mea ana a Chokal-Ingam ko te tuahine taitamariki a Mindy Kaling 'he tino whakahē' ana, ā, ko tōna whānau 'kāore e whakaae ki te pukapuka'