SAN FRANCISCO - Hoping to translate their growing economic clout into political influence, a new group of Indian Americans gathered here Saturday to inspire budding politicians and discuss tricks of the political trade.

"If we really want to be part of the political process, we need to get more people elected," said Varun Nikore, president of the Indian American Leadership Initiative. "This is the last frontier for Indian Americans."

Over the past four decades, Indian immigrants and their children have achieved success in fields such as medicine, engineering and business, becoming one of the wealthiest and best-educated ethnic groups in the United States.

Yet the nation's 1.7 million Indian Americans have yet to make waves in one important arena: politics. Nationwide, there are only four state legislators of Indian descent, and no members of Congress.

A new generation of Indian Americans wants to change that, and they have formed the new group to recruit, train and fund a fresh cadre of Indian American political leaders.

The Saturday meeting was the group's second training and networking conference, and about 100 aspiring politicos heard tips on how to develop a political message, tap family and friends for campaign money and hire the right consultant.

The group sponsored a similar event in Washington, D.C. earlier this year and plans other conferences in major U.S. cities.

Nita Itchhaporia, an immigration attorney in San Jose, attended the event because she wants to get more involved in politics and policy. She's seen an increase in racial discrimination since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, she said.

"I realized I want to have a voice in the changes," said Itchhaporia, 38, who hopes to run for office in the near future. "I want to be involved in the decision-making process."

The first major wave of Indian immigrants came to study at U.S. universities in the 1960s and ultimately settled here with their families. Fueled by the tech boom's demand for skilled workers, the Indian American population doubled in the 1990s, with large clusters growing in California, Illinois, New York and the Mid-Atlantic region.

Like many immigrant groups, the first generation focused on establishing themselves economically and educating their children, said Lovely Dhillon, one of the event's organizers.

"They didn't think of America as their country," said Dhillon, who also directs the Law School Consortium Project in San Francisco. "Our generation is the first generation that's entrenched in America. We see America as our country."

The only Indian American to serve in Congress was Dalip Singh Saund, who served as a California representative from 1957 to 1963. Indian Americans now only hold state legislative seats in Iowa, Maryand, Minnesota and New Jersey.

As Maryland's House majority leader, Kumar Barve is the country's highest-ranking and longest-serving Indian American official. When he first ran for the Maryland Legislature in 1990, few people in the Indian American community thought he had a chance.

"Ten years ago, there was no interest in politics," said Barve, 43, whose grandfather immigrated to the U.S. more than 90 years ago. "It was assumed we couldn't win."

Nikore, 36, came up with the idea for the new initiative in early 2001 after he worked as budget coordinator for Al Gore's unsuccesful presidential bid. He noticed that Indian Americans made substantial campaign contributions, but didn't get much in return.

"We can give money until we're blue in the face, but in the end, all that matters is having one of your own at the table," Nikore said. The new group's goal is to elect 10 Indian American congressmen by 2010, he said.

Some high-profile Indian American candidates are energizing the community. Chirinjeev Singh Kathuria, 38, is a Republican running for state senator in Illinois. And Bobby Jindal, 32, is a Republican running for governor of Louisiana.

Speakers stressed that candidates could not run only as Indian Americans, because they must represent diverse districts or states with only small Indian American populations.

Kamala Harris, a candidate for district attorney of San Francisco, told conference participants that one of the biggest challenges is overcoming the stereotypes associated with an ethnic name.

"It's like reading a Tolstoy novel," said Harris, whose is half Indian-American and half African-American. "If they don't know how to pronounce it, they're intimidated by it."