What are Patels in A wife's story by Bharati Mukherjee?

Patel is a common Indian name, like "Smith" or "Jones" in the U.S. "At the beginning of 'A Wife's Story,' the narrator is offended by "Patel jokes"---jokes about people from India---in Glengarry Glen Ross, a play by the abrasive contemporary American playwright David Mamet."