Mindy Kaling's brother claims he pretended to be black to get into med school
Mindy Kaling's older brother took the phrase "fake it til you make it" to a whole other level.
Vijay Chokal-Ingam is making headlines after alleging that he faked his race on medical school applications in 1998 and 1999. "The Mindy Project" star's sibling says he changed his race to black on his applications after originally applying to the University of Pennsylvania, Washington University and Mt. Sinai and being wait-listed.
"Would you rather accept racism or defy those who want to discriminate against you? I chose the latter and applied to medical school as black," Chokal-Ingam posted on his website Almost Black.
Explaining the length he went to look like another ethnicity, the Indian-American said he "shaved my head, trimmed my long Indian eyelashes and applied to medical school as a black man."
"My change in appearance was so startling that my own fraternity brothers didn't recognize me at first. I even joined the Organization of Black Students," Chokal-Ingam continued.
Chokal-Ingam attended St. Louis University Medical School, but dropped out after two years. However, the papers he posted are not from this school, so it's uncertain as to whether he applied as a black man to this particular institution.
Kaling's brother, who also resides in Los Angeles, is working on a book. "I am writing this book to show my opposition to affirmative action discrimination, specifically at my alma mater UCLA but in the American education system in general," he wrote on his website.
So what does Chokal-Ingam's famous sister think of his campaign? "I love my sister to death," he told the New York Post of her reaction. "She says this will bring shame on the family."
Kaling's rep told Us Weekly, "Mindy has been estranged from her brother for years. She was not aware of his decision to apply to medical school under a different name and race."