“Why Do You Look So Exotic?”
Jaya Harrover Saxena Astoria, NY My dad moved to America from India as a child. My mom’s family has been in America since the 1630s....
I miss eating Vindaloo with Dad.
Wilhelmine Taylor, Australia. My father’s family was originally from India, but his mother was Scottish/Danish. People tended to assume he was a white guy with...
Adopted from India lived in NH
Kayla Eckhoff, Denver, CO. I was just a year old when I was adopted, I was born in India and grew up in a small...
The Day After The World Changes
Duryan Bhagat-Clark, Aberdeen, NJ. My father is an immigrant from Bombay, India. He moved here to go to college and graduate school. He is Muslim....
Wow, you speak English really well!
Sharmila Guha, Oakland, CA. It was my first summer job after high school. A man in the lunch room one day tried to ask shy...
Jewish daycare, Catholic college, Hindu wedding
Charles Hirsch Mount Washington, MA I had the wonderful opportunity to grow up in a multicultural community. I attended daycare sponsored by the Jewish Community...
You’re Indian. Do you speak Indian?
Snigdha Gurram, Sunnyvale, CA There are many different languages in India and many other places in the world. The place is not the same thing...
Not Really Indian, American Born Desi.
Rahul Iyer Mesa, AZ Not Really Indian, American Born Desi is what could be used to describe me. Not Really Indian (NRI) is a term...
I will do what I can (to protect my children)
Michelle, India We all need to recognize our common humanity
Really? Are both your parents Indian?
Shevon Desai Ann Arbor, MI My parents emigrated from India to the US over 50 years ago. In terms of ethnicity, I think of myself...
Saudi born, ethnically Indian, I’m American.
Akul Nishawala New Orleans, LA This is usually the narrative of the story that answers the question, “Where are you from?” When I say I...
My name tells a great story.
Lise (rhymes with ‘please’), Austin, TX. My 6-word essay was originally “What kind of name is that?”– a question (both the polite and impolite versions)...
Sir, please take your “hat” off
Jasneet Kaur Palaha, Ann Arbor, MI. University of Michigan. Sikhism, a monotheistic religion from Northern India believes the idea of simplicity, therefore requiring to never...
Colour, power, difference, struggle, dignity, aesthetics
G. Arunima New Dehli, India I am visiting from India, and for many of us the civil rights movement, and the debates and politics of...
