(All digital objects on this page are held by Minnesota Historical Society at their repository at the Minnesota History Center in St. Paul)
Collection Interviews & Transcripts
BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: Ramona Advani was born in Minneapolis. Her parents came to the United States as graduate students. Advani attended high school and college in Minnesota, and law school in Washington, D.C.
SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Parents, familiarity with parents' language, religion, school experiences, Indian community in Minnesota, similarities and differences in Indian and American culture, college experiences, difficulties of being a child of a first-generation immigrant, self-acceptance, future plans, Indian movies.
BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: Simi Ahuja was born in Pennsylvania, but grew up in Minnesota. She graduated from college in Minnesota and works in health care administration.
SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Parents, familiarity with parents' language, involvement in a women's group of second-generation children; family values; Indian community connections; spiritual life; self-acceptance, holiday celebrations; family trips to India; university experiences; future plans, advantages and challenges of being a second-generation child; struggle to balance cultural and familial expectations.
BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: Satveer Chaudhary was born in Minnesota. He attended high school, college, and law school in Minnesota. Presently he is serving in the Minnesota legislature.
SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Parents, familiarity with parents' language, schooling, extracurricular activities, travel in England, India, and South Africa, political work and law school, running for state office. Importance of education, loyalty to family, friends, hospitality, and Indian-American identity.
BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: Ina Ganguli was born in Minnesota. Ganguli attended high school in Minnesota and at the time of the interview was a student at a university in Illinois.
SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Parents, familiarity with parents' language, values, visits from relatives, important organizations in the Indian community-SILC (School of India for Languages and Culture) and the India Association. Advantages of having both Indian and American friends. Traveling to India as a child. Participating in extracurricular activities. Future plans, comparing and contrasting Indian and American values. Indian movies. Benefits and difficulties of being a child of first-generation immigrants.
BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: Alim Kassim was born in Minnesota. His parents are of Indian descent but born in Kenya. At the time of the interview, Kassim was attending college.
SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Parents, familiarity with parents' language, schooling, Connections with relatives in Africa. Friendships at school. African, Indian and American culture at home-art, music, food. Religious instruction. Parents' friends. High school activities. Music interests. Future plans. Travels to India.
BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: Suruchi Patankar Kelly was born in India. Her family moved to Minnesota in the 1970s. She attended high school in Minnesota, then college and medical school in Massachusetts.
SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Parents, experiences living in London, pride in Indian heritage. Family values, schooling, religion, experiences at college, Bharata Natyam dance. Plans for the future. Advantages and disadvantages of growing up in two different cultures.
BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: Geeta Saxena McGibbon was born in India. She and her parents moved to Massachusetts and then to Minnesota. She attended college in Minnesota.
SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Parents, familiarity with parents' language, values, religion, schooling, discrimination, socializing as a family, activities in high school. Contrasting Indian values of parents and relatives in India, travels to India, work experiences, volunteering experiences. Advantages and disadvantages of being part of an immigrant family. Experiences as a mother.
BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: Nirupama Misra was born in India and moved to Minnesota as a young child. She attended college in Florida and Minnesota.
SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Parents, familiarity with parents' language, traveling to India. Relationship with extended family, Arranged marriages. Experiences with Indian community in Minnesota, religion, family's values. Similarities and differences between American and Indian culture and values. Schooling, dealing with dual cultures as a parent. Benefits and difficulties of being a child of first-generation immigrants. India Association, experiences working for a state agency, experiences as a consultant and subcontractor.
BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: Naithani was born in Minnesota of parents who emigrated from India. She attended high school and college in Minnesota and Vermont.
SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Parents, childhood memories, familiarity with parents' language, maintaining ties to India through letters and visits. Family's values, religion, socializing within Indian community, traveling to India. College experiences in Minnesota and Vermont. Advantages and disadvantages of being the child of immigrant parents. Mitigating cultural differences. Indian food, movies and languages.
BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: Nambudiripad was born in British Columbia. He attended college in Minnesota.
SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Parents, familiarity with parents' language. Relations with extended family. Advantages and disadvantages of being the first generation born in American. Diverse cultures of India. Family's values, vegetarianism. Religion. Arma Chitra comic books. Experiences in Illinois. School experiences, discrimination, The School of India for Languages and Culture (SILC). College, work and volunteering experiences.
BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: Deepak Nath was born in the U.S. His parents emigrated from India in the 1960s. He attended school in Minnesota and college in Massachusetts.
SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Parents, familiarity with parents' language, childhood memories, socializing with other Indians, maintaining ties to India; family values; discrimination, high school memories, religion, future plans, travels to India, Indian films; Babson Dance Ensemble (Massachusetts); college life and experiences; balancing Western and Indian cultures, advantages and disadvantages of being a child of immigrant parents.
BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: Lisa Gada Norton was born in Minnesota. Her parents emigrated from India in the 1960s. Norton attended school in Minnesota and college in Wisconsin.
SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Parents, familiarity with parents' language, childhood memories, family values, Indian community, school experiences, SILC (School of India for Languages and Culture), religion, visits to India; discrimination, college experiences, vegetarianism; work experiences; advantages and disadvantages of being a first-generation immigrant's child; Indian culture.
BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: Aparna Ramaswamy was born in India. She moved with her parents to Minnesota where she was raised and attended college. She studied classical dance in India, and has performed with the Ragamala Music and Dance Theater founded by her mother.
SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Family life; interest in both Indian and American culture; studying dance in India; college life; Bharata Natyam dance; development and growth of the Ragamala dance company; participating in the School of India for Languages and Culture (SILC) in Minnesota; views on Hindu religious practice; Indian movies; melding professional plans with interest in Indian dance; importance of maintaining a sense of Indian culture.
BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: Rajiv Shah was born in Uganda. He and his parents came to the United States, where he attended school in Minnesota and college in Massachusetts. Presently, he is the director of a nonprofit program and is attending medical school.
SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Parents' background; familiarity with parents' language; childhood memories of Africa, United Kingdom, and Canada; discrimination; family's values; volunteering experiences; future plans; travels to India; advantages and disadvantages of being a child of first generation immigrants.
BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: Shah's parents came from India to the United States where he attended high school and college in Minnesota. He works as an institutional investment consultant.
SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Family life; importance of education to family; cooperation within the Indian community in the Twin Cities; learning Indian languages; growing up in Minnesota; frequent trips to India; an appreciation for one's roots; memories of elementary school; value of hard work and intolerance of violence; family relationships; Jainism; involvement in the School of India for Languages and Culture; high school memories; outdoor activities; traveling abroad; high school and college experiences; tracing Gandhi's footsteps; race relations on campus and in the United States in general; realities in dealing with both American and Indian culture in the second generation.
