Made It In America

Made It In America
This post was published on the now-closed HuffPost Contributor platform. Contributors control their own work and posted freely to our site. If you need to flag this entry as abusive, send us an email.

In my last article, I wrote about scanning photographs from old family albums found in Udaipur. While a majority of the images depicted India, I kept finding little collections from when my parents first moved to the United States.

The photographs had been sandwiched at the back of the albums; their glossy finishes sticking to one another. They were not protected by plastic sleeves, as they had rips and rough edges. I can imagine my relatives passing them around, with cups of chai close by.

2016-02-03-1454540467-8263809-nanired122Edit.jpg

I recognize a handful of photographs, however most of them are new to me. On their shiny surfaces, they looked like ordinary family photographs, but they are actually a glimpse into the immigrant experience.

From a technical standpoint: the horizon lines are crooked, there are color shifts, the rules of composition don't seem to apply, and body parts are consistently chopped off.

2016-02-02-1454455683-1731880-naniblack17.jpg
2016-02-03-1454469712-7780819-nanired61.jpg

However, despite all of the imperfections, they are perfect.

These photographs tell a story about how my parents made it in America. They left India, proved their worth, and learned how to assimilate on the fly. It's their version of the American Dream, full of culture clashes and bad haircuts.

The more time I spend with the photographs, the more I can decipher. I can learn about the people that are in the photographs, as well as the people that are not. In the hundreds of photographs that I scanned, I did not find a single picture of my mom's dad. He was never part of our life, and it's evident in his absence.

My nani (my mom's mom), on the other hand, is everywhere. She is always full of energy and love, even if she wasn't always thrilled about the snow.

2016-02-03-1454537475-6267700-nanired93.jpg
2016-02-03-1454537783-1971860-sara045.jpg

These images also make me wonder about my dad's parents. I was much younger when they passed away, and I always wish I could have spent more time with them. How did they feel when my dad, their youngest son, left Udaipur? What did they think about the United States when they visited?

My parents were in constant motion, as they hopped around different states. They started in Connecticut, headed south to Alabama, then north to Michigan, then back east to New York, before coming full-circle and settling in Connecticut. This is the freedom that we always associate with America. The ability to pack everything up in a station wagon and hit the road. Grabbing hold of new opportunities while leaving failed ones behind.

While in India, my mom finished at the top of her class in medical school and completed her residency before even meeting my dad. After arriving in the United States, she was required to repeat her residency all over again. However, this time she had to also deal with my older brother and Detroit winters. The struggle was very real.

2016-02-03-1454468224-5708782-nanired48Edit.jpg
2016-02-03-1454466943-8625044-nanired67.jpg

My dad, on the other hand, came to the United States on an education visa. He bounced between jobs in the nuclear field, but eventually reevaluated his long-term career goals. With very limited experience, he switched fields and started his then-little medical equipment company, in a tiny strip mall in New York.

2016-02-03-1454538773-756547-naniblack77.jpg

Amidst all of the chaos of my parents' new American lives, these images still capture moments of peace; where we let our guards down and are lost in our thoughts. Even if we notice the camera, there is a comfort level that allows us to just be. We have nothing to hide.

No matter how much I used to make fun of them, I have to admit that my parents have always had great style. Appearance is a key part of assimilating into any new culture, even if it means buying oversized sweatshirts and wearing ridiculous flat hats.

2016-02-03-1454468339-937852-sara103.jpg
2016-02-03-1454471104-988953-sara079.jpg

My favorite part about these images are that they are layered with meaning. They have these subtle details that connect me to my childhood as well as hints of a cultural fusion. These are the people and places that laid the foundation of my identity, and I can keep coming back to these images and discover something new.

As the years and people pass, the photographs will evolve and take on new meanings, but I will always know that everything that my parents worked and struggled for was for the love of my brother and I.

I just can't get passed the little irony, though. I went all the way to India and returned with photographs of America.

Popular in the Community

Close

What's Hot