# Bharat Barai Dr. Bharat Barai is a Munster, Indiana oncologist and a leading figure in the "American Sangh" — the U.S. network of supporters of Hindu nationalism and Indian prime minister [[Narendra Modi]]. He is a notable donor to and early organizer for [[Tulsi Gabbard]], making him a concrete link between Gabbard's political fundraising and Hindutva-aligned diaspora networks. ## Modi network Barai emigrated from Maharashtra in 1974 and built ties to Modi over many years, hosting him and organizing diaspora video conferences before Modi became prime minister. He was a primary organizer of Modi's 2014 reception at New York's Madison Square Garden and received the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman, India's top civilian honor for non-resident Indians. He has served on the advisory board of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad of America (VHPA), a U.S. arm of the Hindu-nationalist VHP. ## Connection to Tulsi Gabbard Barai organized a 2014 fundraiser for [[Tulsi Gabbard]] and, per campaign-finance tracking, contributed on the order of $16,000–$20,000 to her campaigns beginning in 2013. As a prominent American Sangh figure, he was part of the Hindutva-aligned donor base that helped fund and elevate Gabbard during her House years — context for the recurring scrutiny of her relationship to Modi and Hindu-nationalist politics (LittleSis tags her *hindutva*). ## KB significance Barai personalizes the otherwise abstract "Hindutva funding" thread in Gabbard's story: a specific, repeat donor who is simultaneously a documented Modi-network organizer and VHPA figure. He is a clean bridge node between U.S. campaign finance and the transnational Hindu-nationalist movement. ## Related - [[Narendra Modi]] — the leader Barai's network organizes around - [[Tulsi Gabbard]] — recipient of his fundraising and donations