{"@context":"http://iiif.io/api/presentation/3/context.json","id":"https://houstonlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/iiif/jq0sq8rt39/manifest","type":"Manifest","label":{"en":["Sarma, Hiren [and] Usha"]},"logo":"https://d9jk7wjtjpu5g.cloudfront.net/organizations/logo_images/000/000/252/original/HPL_ArchiveBannerCDM2.jpg?1738348845","metadata":[{"label":{"en":["Publisher"]},"value":{"en":["Foundation for Indian Studies"]}},{"label":{"en":["Rights Statement"]},"value":{"en":["\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://rightsstatements.org/page/CNE/1.0/?language=en\"\u003eCopyright Not Evaluated \u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003ePermission to publish or reproduce must be obtained from the Foundation for India Studies, Houston, Texas.\u003c/p\u003e"]}},{"label":{"en":["Source"]},"value":{"en":["Houston Public Library Special Collections"]}},{"label":{"en":["Agent"]},"value":{"en":["Hiren Sarma and Usha Sarma (interviewee)","Krishna Vavilala (interviewer)"]}},{"label":{"en":["Date"]},"value":{"en":["2015-02-27 (created)"]}},{"label":{"en":["Language"]},"value":{"en":["eng (primary)"]}},{"label":{"en":["Description"]},"value":{"en":["Hiren and Usha Sarma interviewed about culture, family, and educational background, as well as migration, contributions to the community, and work experiences."]}},{"label":{"en":["Format"]},"value":{"en":["digital recording, sound"]}},{"label":{"en":["Subject"]},"value":{"en":["Houston (Tex.) (geographic term)","Oral histories (topical term)","Immigrants (topical term)","Community development (topical term)","Family life (topical term)"]}},{"label":{"en":["Keyword"]},"value":{"en":["indoamerican"]}},{"label":{"en":["Type"]},"value":{"en":["Moving Image"]}}],"summary":{"en":["Hiren and Usha Sarma interviewed about culture, family, and educational background, as well as migration, contributions to the community, and work experiences."]},"requiredStatement":{"label":{"en":["Attribution"]},"value":{"en":["\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://rightsstatements.org/page/CNE/1.0/?language=en\"\u003eCopyright Not Evaluated \u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003ePermission to publish or reproduce must be obtained from the Foundation for India Studies, Houston, Texas.\u003c/p\u003e"]}},"provider":[{"id":"https://houstonlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/aboutus","type":"Agent","label":{"en":["Houston Public Library"]},"homepage":[{"id":"https://houstonlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/","type":"Text","label":{"en":["Houston Public Library"]},"format":"text/html"}],"logo":[{"id":"https://d9jk7wjtjpu5g.cloudfront.net/organizations/logo_images/000/000/252/original/HPL_ArchiveBannerCDM2.jpg?1738348845","type":"Image"}]}],"thumbnail":[{"id":"https://d9jk7wjtjpu5g.cloudfront.net/collection_resource_files/thumbnails/000/210/356/small/open-uri20231027-1243258-gbec9t_1698433070.jpg?1698418670","type":"Image","format":"image/jpeg"}],"items":[{"id":"https://houstonlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2436/collection_resources/108911/file/210356","type":"Canvas","label":{"en":["Media File 1 of 1 - FIS-OH0033.mp4"]},"duration":2502.46663,"width":640,"height":360,"thumbnail":[{"id":"https://d9jk7wjtjpu5g.cloudfront.net/collection_resource_files/thumbnails/000/210/356/small/open-uri20231027-1243258-gbec9t_1698433070.jpg?1698418670","type":"Image","format":"image/jpeg"}],"items":[{"id":"https://houstonlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2436/collection_resources/108911/file/210356/content/1","type":"AnnotationPage","items":[{"id":"https://houstonlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2436/collection_resources/108911/file/210356/content/1/annotation/1","type":"Annotation","motivation":"painting","body":{"id":"https://aviary-p-houstonlibrary.s3.wasabisys.com/collection_resource_files/resource_files/000/210/356/original/FIS-OH0033.mp4?1698418665","type":"Video","format":"video/mp4","duration":2502.46663,"width":640,"height":360},"target":"https://houstonlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2436/collection_resources/108911/file/210356","metadata":[]}]}],"annotations":[{"id":"https://houstonlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2436/collection_resources/108911/file/210356/transcript/60430","type":"AnnotationPage","label":{"en":["Transcript [Transcript]"]},"items":[{"id":"https://houstonlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2436/collection_resources/108911/file/210356/transcript/60430/annotation/1","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"and then we were there for two years, then came back to Houston, and by the time he was born.  \nAlready we have a daughter; she was born in India. When I came here she was only four months old, yeah, three, four months old. Then he was born here and then we were here. And then again, I got another son, younger son, he was born after one year. He was transferred to Malaysia. We spent there for two years and then again he was transferred to Muscat, Oman, Middle Eastern country. We lived there for 17 years. \n\nThen we came back to Houston again in 2005.  Since then we are here. We have three children; we have a daughter, she is married, and we got two grandkids; one son, one daughter. \nKV: May I ask their names, your sons and daughter?\n\nUS: Okay, my daughter’s name is Devahuti, Devahuti Sarma; now she is Kulkarni. She is a doctor. She is a surgeon and now she is in North Carolina. She is doing another fellowship in breast surgical oncology. Then her husband is from Maharashtra, but he was born here,","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://houstonlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2436/collection_resources/108911/file/210356#t=151.0,227.0"},{"id":"https://houstonlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2436/collection_resources/108911/file/210356/transcript/60430/annotation/2","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"He is also a doctor. His name is Anirudh Kulkarni. He is also a Nephrologists.\nThen I have two sons; he is Suman. He is also a mechanical engineer. He is working in Shell Oil Company. Then my younger son, he is in Chicago. He is also doing MS and at the same time he is also working. \nKV: And your grandchildren, how many do you have?\n\nUS: Yeah, I have two grandchildren. \nKV: What are their names?\n\nUS: One name is Kiran","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://houstonlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2436/collection_resources/108911/file/210356#t=227.0,256.0"},{"id":"https://houstonlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2436/collection_resources/108911/file/210356/transcript/60430/annotation/3","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"and then daughter’s name is Anvi. Kiran","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://houstonlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2436/collection_resources/108911/file/210356#t=256.0,263.0"},{"id":"https://houstonlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2436/collection_resources/108911/file/210356/transcript/60430/annotation/4","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"is 3.5 and daughter is 2 years. We just came back from what you call, North Carolina recently to celebrate her, we went to celebrate her 2 years birthday. \nKV: So sons are married, they are not?\nUS: No, both are not married. We are looking for girls. \nKV: But you have a very good educated family, you raised the children with good education. Very good! Nice! And then before, tell me something about your culture, your marriage; you had an arranged marriage with Mr. Sarma?\n(","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://houstonlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2436/collection_resources/108911/file/210356#t=263.0,307.0"},{"id":"https://houstonlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2436/collection_resources/108911/file/210356/transcript/60430/annotation/5","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":")\n\nUS: Yeah, I had arranged marriage. \n\nKV: Arranged marriage, like most of the Indians have. \n\nUS: Yeah, Indians. \nKV: Okay. Successful arranged marriage.\n\nUS: Yeah. \n\nKV: How many years you have been married now?\nUS: We have been married --\n\nHS: Since 1973.\n\nUS: 1973, yeah. \n\nHS: Almost 40 years. \n\nUS: 40 years. \n\nKV: Very good! Now I will shift to Mr. Sarma to talk about his career before coming to the United States. What is your background of education and things you did in India before?\nHS: Before coming to your question, I would like to appreciate the FIS, particularly Mr. Krishna yourself and Veena, who is organizing all these things and it’s really a pleasure to learn about the things that what you are doing, that is where I got interested. \nGoing back to your question, I am a chemical engineer by profession. I graduated from Banaras University and did my Master’s in IIT Kanpur. And in 1971 I started working in Oil India Limited. \nKV: Where were you born?\n\nHS: Okay. I was born in a town called Jorhat, but after my birth we were --\nKV: Which year you were born?\nHS: I am 68 so it’s 1947 and after my birth my father was a revenue collector and he moved into a small village, so my first few years I was brought up in a village, and that has got a lot of impact in my life. I have written a lot about in my story book; I will talk about that later. And then we moved back to Jorhat, so I did my schooling in Jorhat, Jorhat Government School. And in 1963 I went to Banaras University and did my chemical engineering. \nKV: That was a very good university, started by Madan Mohan Malaviya.\nHS: Yeah. \n\nKV: That education is --\nHS: Absolutely! And then I moved into IIT Kanpur, did my Master’s and finishing that I joined Oil India, Limited, one of the reason being Assamese are very prolific in oil and that was more like in my backyard, very close to my hometown, so they offered me a job and I said that would be good. \nKV: What is the capital of Assam?\n\nHS: It’s called Dispur. Dispur is very closet to Guwahati and they didn’t want to expand in Guwahati any further when they decided about 15-20 years back so they created this small town called Dispur, but it’s a continuation of Guwahati and that is where all the government establishment is there. \nKV: Previously the Standard, I think Oil Company, the Standard Oil Company of California. \nHS: Yeah, they had their -- Burmah Oil is one; that is where actually I worked. And when I worked it was still","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://houstonlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2436/collection_resources/108911/file/210356#t=307.0,3050.0"},{"id":"https://houstonlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2436/collection_resources/108911/file/210356/transcript/60430/annotation/6","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":", Burmah Oil, Indian government, but now it is completely Indian government undertaking, similar to ONGC. \nKV: There is more oil than gas or --\nHS: It’s still more oil; of course, when it came to Bombay, Mumbai offshore and all these places, Assam produces probably about maybe --\nKV: This is an onshore?\n\nHS: It’s all onshore, yeah, all onshore. But since then I have seen that Oil India has expanded all overseas. They have an office here in Houston in fact, Oil India, so they have gone out quite a lot internationally. \nAnd after working few years, like maybe I got a little bit, am I going to stay around here, do something else, coming to USA was kind of completely by fluke, I never intended to come. I was quite happy with the company otherwise. We got married. Somebody once told me that his hobby is applying for immigration everywhere; he applies to China, Australia, but he didn’t want to go. So he gave me this application for USA, I applied for it. When the interview request came, I lost the application, lost the interview request, because of lack of my interest, got married, two years passed very well. Then I started --\nKV: Which year was this?\nHS: That happened in 1972, 1973. \n\nKV: Before the emergency?\n\nHS: Before the emergency.\n\nKV: Indira Gandhi.\n\nHS: Exactly! So 1975, I got back again, consulate office from Calcutta, they asked me that, do you want to go really and then finally I decided we will go. \n(","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://houstonlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2436/collection_resources/108911/file/210356#t=3050.0,4201.0"},{"id":"https://houstonlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2436/collection_resources/108911/file/210356/transcript/60430/annotation/7","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":")\nWe talked about it and here we came in 1976 and she joined me in 1977. Yeah, I think on the hindsight it was a good thing, it opened me up to travel all over the world, but I still have a very strong connection back to Assam.\n\nKV: So really the push came for you to move to United States, it was not out of an economic necessity just for to, it was your own desire to improve your career et cetera and see the world you know, there are other reasons, see, a number of people came to America for economic reasons, though they are not doing well but you have a great job, you have a good family, you were just starting and still you wanted to come to America. Why?\n\nHS: So it was basically as I said happened by chance. I strongly believe in fate, lot of things happened in my life. I mean, I believe in two things, you have to work hard for everything. By sitting here, fate is not going to help you. If you combine both of those, I strongly believe in fate and things have happened in my life, like I met a beautiful lady, so that was my fate I am sure.\n\nAnd so, coming to America was almost by chance, then I got an opportunity to go back to Malaysia. That happened by chance because of downturn in 1986 in Houston in oil industry, I ended up there and that changed my whole life again. I ended up in Middle East, and I had an excellent career with Shell in Middle East, and of course 2005 when all our children got established here, we thought that we need a permanent home.\n\nSo we came back to Houston, bought a new house in Katy and Shell hired me so I am pretty lucky and pretty happy to be honest with you.\n\nKV: Shell is a great company to work for.\n\nHS: It’s a very good company to work for.\n\nKV: So, when you came to America in ’76 you said, did you face any problems of racial discrimination, what kind of adjustment problems you encountered?\n\nHS: Personally we didn’t face anything. There are few places in my workplace, the first year I worked in very remote places in Texas and offshore as well. So when I went to Texas, I went to place like Athens, Paris and all those kind of places in West Texas. I was working mainly my team was -- I was working in the field mainly and team was rest of the all crew is Caucasian crews here and some of those villages, they had never seen a brown person before probably and they were not hostile or anything, but they were very curious about me, but I think we might be lucky, we have not faced any of those. Adjustment is always difficult. I think even now I feel with very great neighbors but getting completely, maybe it is a difference of cultures we came from and other things. We are very good friends, we get invited, they get invited to us, but I don’t feel that 100% bonding.\n\nKV: Because you are dealing with colleagues, or equally educated, I understand. How about you Mrs. Sarma, did you find any problems?\n\nUS: No, I didn’t find, because since I don’t work probably that is the reason, I stay home. I worked in long time days and at that time it was","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://houstonlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2436/collection_resources/108911/file/210356#t=4201.0,4444.0"},{"id":"https://houstonlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2436/collection_resources/108911/file/210356/transcript/60430/annotation/8","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"I used to work there, only few months, then he was transferred to Mexico, I followed him and then after coming back I took some courses like computer term courses, but I didn’t pursue my -- I didn’t work there. He was transferred to Malaysia, we were there for two years and I cannot work there and also after that I went to Oman, we went to Oman. Oman also I cannot work, I could have worked but since he is an American citizen that time I was an Indian citizen, I don’t get any benefit because they are going to -- they are always giving us one year -- after one year fare here, to coming here to Houston, but they will give me fare to India only twice only two years. There is a lot of reasons that I didn’t work. \n\n(","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://houstonlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2436/collection_resources/108911/file/210356#t=4444.0,4502.0"},{"id":"https://houstonlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2436/collection_resources/108911/file/210356/transcript/60430/annotation/9","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":")\n\nBut on and off sometimes there are these small schools, it’s run by Shell Oil Companies, secondary school. Whenever I note the","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://houstonlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2436/collection_resources/108911/file/210356#t=4502.0,4510.0"},{"id":"https://houstonlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2436/collection_resources/108911/file/210356/transcript/60430/annotation/10","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"for something, I used to work as a substitute teacher, but it’s a very small school like a play school, I used to work like there. But that’s why probably that is the reason I didn’t get any – face any problem. Also in Muscat is very good country, even though we were living in camp, PDO Camp, it’s called, lot of European people, our neighbors were English, Scottish, German, Norwegians, we had very good life there, they are very friendly with us, every Wednesday we had a coffee morning among ladies. We had coffee morning, then it’s a bit of outing also going out, it’s a very nice, I had very good time in Oman.    \n\nKV: Sure!\n\nHS: She loved Oman.\n\nKV: The advantage is that you speak English, so you can communicate with the European –\n\nUS: Yeah, we have also I think Portuguese neighbor, but they – she didn’t speak English as well, but I – yeah, just she can communicate.\n\nHS: I think going back to your basic question about if you faced any difficulties, it is always for first generation immigrant, it will be always be a bit difficult, yeah. As we grow along with our kids and other things, they are making more sort of mixing with people on other things. Yeah, we didn’t face that way, but it was always a difficult adjustment, and over the years -- but to be honest, personally myself, when I come from – when I go out anywhere, when I come back I feel, when I come to Texas, I feel that I am coming home.\n\nKV: Yes, this is your base basically. So you work now in Shell, still –\n\nHS: I am still working, yeah.\n\nKV: It’s very good. Now tell me something about your social life.\n\nHS: Social life is, lot of social work, life kind of a thing revolves around my wife and family and her friends. She makes a lot of friends and which I am not very good at it probably. So it goes around that, beyond that, both my wife and I, we attend a bhajan session, that is every Sunday, Shree Shakti Sivalaya, so we are devotees of that and she even sings some bhajans and other things. So around that we do some social work here in Houston. A group of about 8-10 families not a lot, so we – every first Thursday of month, we go to Downtown – \n\nUS: No, Saturday.\n\nHS: Sorry, Saturday of month, we go to Downtown and we distribute breakfast, we call it Breakfast Seva to the homeless people, there are a couple of Homeless Centers, about 120 people come out and we do that. Twice a year we distribute to them winter clothing and other things as well. So that is one part of my involvement there. Other than that socially I try to do some work back in Assam. I coordinate with an organization called ASHA for Education which is an American organization, non-profit fund raising type of things. They support us, and with couple of my friends back in Guwahati, we try to manage for schools which are in very remote villages of Assam, where even government school don’t get there very much. Yeah, so I get engaged in those kind of things.\n\nKV: Very good! And I see that you are very good in publications of profession, you had some --\n\nHS: I think until about, last about 8 years, I used to publish kind of technical articles based on my experience in standard journals like Oil \u0026 Gas or World Oil and all those things.\n\nKV: It’s in chemical engineering?\n\nHS: Well, it is more an oil based. To be honest, in oil industry they are normally called upstream and downstream, I am sure you are aware of it. I went into upstream where it is and last 10-15 years, I am doing project management type of thing, so it is more of an experience basis, not very pure chemical engineering. So it’s basically technical, but related to upstream more. \n\n(","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://houstonlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2436/collection_resources/108911/file/210356#t=4510.0,4800.0"},{"id":"https://houstonlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2436/collection_resources/108911/file/210356/transcript/60430/annotation/11","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":")\n\nAnd, I’ve not written more technical articles for last 10 years or more, I am move into writing fictions. I write in Assamese language short stories and I would like to show you a magazine.\n\nKV: Sure!\n\nHS: This is a magazine we call it “Luitor Pora Mississippi” that mean from Luit is know in Assam as Brahmaputra, so from River Brahmaputra to River Mississippi and this is an annual publication from Assam Association of North America, which we have in Canada and U.S and this particular magazine for two years, my wife Usha and myself we were editor for that and this is here where I started writing short stories several years back.\n\nKV: In English?\n\nHS: I write in Assamese.\n\nKV: Assamese?\n\nHS: Yeah. And then, but this is in English and Assamese both, this publication is, and when I had enough stories about 17, last year some friends of mine they proposed that I should publish a book. So I ended up publishing this book, this is in Assamese and somebody translated it in English at the same time.\n\nKV: In English what does it say?\n\nHS: This is the name of one of our stories ‘The Great Italian Family Circus’.\nKV: An Indian writing Italian Family Circus, tell me something about it. It is interesting.\n\nHS: The interesting reason is that it was not my choice, but publisher said, if you put a name, this is name of one of my stories, if you put a name which is completely out of context, people will be curious about it and I think he is right. Everybody is asking why this name? So this is interesting.\n\nKV: Yeah. This is interesting.\n\nHS: This is one of the – I love circus, started with that, and most of my stories you’ll find myself like a lot, yeah, not in my, exactly my -- we use -- I use our name, I use my children’s name as the background of the story to initiate some stories. And in this particular story I was showing myself teaching in Guwahati Engineering College, Guwahati University and there is a very good looking girl, I’ve a little bit weakness for her, and she was a gymnast.\n\nUS: Did you feel jealous?\n\nHS: She feel jealous. Everybody is asking me. But those are fiction again, yeah,","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://houstonlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2436/collection_resources/108911/file/210356#t=4800.0,4957.0"},{"id":"https://houstonlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2436/collection_resources/108911/file/210356/transcript/60430/annotation/12","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"you don’t remember, there is no truth in it. So, she was a gymnast and I happen to be knowing about gymnast, so I used to take care of the whole gymnastic system in university and there a came a circus party, Italian Circus and she somehow was drawn into the circus and she left the family and I was not very happy because she is leaving and she went to join, but there are lot of things happened within the circus itself and she is gone, she left India and we meet back in Muscat, Oman. When my kids are small they wanted to go to a circus and they said this is the Great Italian Family Circus and I am making a flashback of the whole thing starting with that.\n\nKV: It is an interesting story, is it not? It is an interesting story. You know, the connection, the Italian connection. My mother tongue Telugu was called an Italian of the East by the British, because of her sweet","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://houstonlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2436/collection_resources/108911/file/210356#t=4957.0,5031.0"},{"id":"https://houstonlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2436/collection_resources/108911/file/210356/transcript/60430/annotation/13","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"kind of the reason why they said, out of all the South Indian languages, Telugu was Italian of the East. Also I have an Italian son-in-law. So there is an Italian connection --\n\nHS: Connection with you. So I’m glad that you can connect with that.\n\nKV: That is what, I am surprised that you a person from Assam talking about an Italian Circus.\n\nUS: How many children you have?\n\nKV: I have two daughters, both married. One married to Indian, one married to Italian.\n\nUS: Both are here in Houston?\n\nKV: No. Older daughter Monica is in Assam. Sorry, not Assam, Seattle.\n\nUS: Seattle, okay.\n\nKV: And she is a physician. And second daughter is here who is married to the Italian.\n\nUS: Okay.\n\nKV: Now coming back to this, this is, tell me, Assamese language has more Sanskrit words, right?\n\nHS: It does.\n\nUS: Yeah, it is derived from the Sanskrit.\n\n(","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://houstonlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2436/collection_resources/108911/file/210356#t=5031.0,5100.0"},{"id":"https://houstonlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2436/collection_resources/108911/file/210356/transcript/60430/annotation/14","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":")\n\nHS: Yeah, like most of our","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://houstonlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2436/collection_resources/108911/file/210356#t=5100.0,5101.0"},{"id":"https://houstonlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2436/collection_resources/108911/file/210356/transcript/60430/annotation/15","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"modern/northern language, it’s derived from Sanskrit.\n\nKV: Sanskrit, yes.\nKV: And you call a Luitor Pora --\n\nHS: Luit is the name in Assamese, Brahmaputra.\n\nUS: It’s called Luit in Assamese.\n\nKV: Oh really? Brahmaputra is Sanskrit word, completely.\n\nHS: And the Brahmaputra is the backbone for Assam, everything happens around Brahmaputra, so since we migrated from Assam Luit, to Mississippi, so that is how we picked up the name almost this association was formed in 1980s and every year we meet. This year we’re meeting in the Las Vegas, and it happens always on July 4 weekend, always, every year.\n\nKV: Mississippi, because you worked there in Mississippi?\n\nHS: No, no. We are talking about the whole Indian Assamese Community. Coming to America is sort of, if you connect a river to river, it’s from Brahmaputra to Mississippi, bank of Mississippi.\n\nKV: Not from Ganges to Mississippi?\n\nHS: Well, because we came from Assam, right?\n\nKV: Of course!\n\nUS: There is an American flag that is also --\n\nHS: American flag --\n\nUS: --and that is design of Gamosa, Gamosa means, it’s in Assamese language --\n\nHS: Yeah, I should have brought one actually. So this is a sort of a towel that –\n\nUS: Towel.\n\nKV: Tell me something unique about Assam? Your home state original, I mean, of course you’re wearing a Assamese --\n\nUS: Yeah this is -- that part is called Mekhela that part is called Chadar.\n\nKV: Is it a two piece or one?\n\nUS: Yeah, two piece, yeah, two piece.\n\nKV: Oh! Two piece, okay?\n\nHS: To specifically to your question if I can take that, there are three things we talk about Assam, three to four things. One is what she is wearing called Assam silk, and it’s very unique because it is made out of saliva of worm.\n\nUS: Yeah, you know how silk is made.\n\nHS: Yeah, worms, yeah.\n\nUS: Silk worm.\n\nHS: Yeah, so this a whitish, this one, another one is called “Muga” which is a bit brownish. That’s very typical in Assam and they are expensive, because they are made very laboriously and that is one. Next thing is Assam is known very well for tea. I think everywhere Assam tea is very famous. We have plenty of oil and those are the three I think basic things I could tell that you would recognize Assam.\n\nUS: Also Assamese food is not same as other, you know, state, you know, food like Indian other food, and our food consist of rice.\n\nKV: Mainly, staple food is rice and you produce lot of rice.\n\nUS: A lot of rice, yeah.\n\nHS: That’s right.\n\nUS: Like you know, our like breakfast cereal are also made out of rice, like lot of – we use a lot of rice in Assam, for breakfast, for like large dinner.\n\nHS: Yeah, our staple food is rice and we got a very unique -- I think she will be able to better to -- unique curry made out of tomato, we call it Tenga”, Tenga means sour. So Tenga, and we thought that that is a very typical of Assam, nobody outside Assam would like it, but now she introduced about 10-15 years back, everybody loves it. You say any other Indians, Europeans, Americans they love that curry quite a lot.\n\nUS: Are you vegetarian?\n\nKV: Yes.\n\nHS: We can make it vegetarian, non-vegetarian both.\n\nKV: So how many Assamese people are here in Houston?\n\nHS: Probably about getting close to 50 families. Yeah, lot of them have come in the last 10 years and even now, younger generations connected to lot in the Oil Industry or IT, so lot of people that have come are very new. There are few families from the older generation -- our generation.\n\nKV: In the United States total you think how many --\n\nHS: I don’t think all of them come, but every annual function we meet at Assam convention, we get about 400-500 people coming, so maybe 200-300 families.\n\nKV: And, you know, Assam is in North-Eastern part of India, remote from the rest of the country. However, you’re connected by, I guess religion, and then culture and the emotions, you know, because of the history connection. I mean for most of the say rest of the country, Assam is you know, of course I --\n\nHS: Faraway, yeah, we","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://houstonlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2436/collection_resources/108911/file/210356#t=5101.0,5395.0"},{"id":"https://houstonlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2436/collection_resources/108911/file/210356/transcript/60430/annotation/16","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"that many. As you said that we’re the first Assamese family you met, right?\n(","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://houstonlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2436/collection_resources/108911/file/210356#t=5395.0,5401.0"},{"id":"https://houstonlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2436/collection_resources/108911/file/210356/transcript/60430/annotation/17","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":")\n\nUS: Assam, also the culture is very unique and because we had lot of immigrant from outside, outside means like other states --\n\nKV: So you have immigrants within the country.\n\nUS: Within the country, yeah, yeah, they are not illegal immigrant --\n\nKV:  Bengalis are there, Oriyas are there, Biharis are there.\n\nUS: Bengali, Oriya, Marwari, Bihari.\n\nKV: U.P.\n\nUS: U.P.\n\nHS: Those we don’t have any issue with, I think this copy I brought it for you, you look at the editorial on that, I have written very clearly, Assam is facing a very similar situation what we are facing in Texas and it is the issue of illegal immigration.\n\nUS: From Bangladesh.\n\nHS: Only thing I am trying to make a differentiation there is here religiously we are same, mostly Catholics that come from South America and assimilation is better where I have a concern about language assimilation, I noticed that about 30 years back when I came that we need to make sure that people get to speak to English as starting it is happening now, so the assimilation gets better than America.\n\nIn Assam, the unique problem is that illegal immigration is extremely heavy; no abetment there at all but it is --\n\nKV: How do you define illegal-legal in India? How between states --\n\nHS: No, no, not between I am talking about coming from Bangladesh.\n\nKV: Bangladesh is an issue.\n\nHS: Yeah, because there is a porous border and people on the border districts of Assam, lot of people speaks Bengali and the people from Bangladesh speak Bengali now what is -- people are getting very concerned, I mean we are all secular yeah, we all know about it, but there is a limit somewhere that when you have lot of illegal immigration coming and that causes demographic change completely on the basis of religion that’s a big alarming situation in Assam and --\n\nKV: Is a porous border, right?\n\nHS: Yeah, it’s a big border –\n\nKV: Collaboration in Assam.\n\nHS: Yeah, it’s easy to cross, there is nothing there. And I have written one the stories, I don’t have a copy right now, I will give you a copy in future, one of the stories I have shown that very clearly that what is the impact of the illegal immigration that is happening in Assam and --\n\nKV: And how about the religious conversions?\n\nHS: Conversions has happening in India, people like Assam it happened, Assam used to be a seven states, seven districts, yeah, and it has broken down to now seven states, yeah.\n\nKV: Seven states!\n\nHS: Yeah, like Assam stayed in the center, you know about Shillong used to be a known place, that is called Meghalaya right now, it’s a completely separate state, we’ve got Arunachal a separate state, we’ve got plenty of -- Nagaland, all are separate states and --\n\nKV: And Tezpur is which state?\n\nHS: Tezpur in Assam.\n\nKV: Assam only.\n\nHS: Yeah, yeah and those places are basically bit of a tribal areas, yeah, and when it is our fault when Assamese people they used to speak Assamese, they don’t do it anymore. When we neglected them, at least our government and our -- personally our people as well","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://houstonlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2436/collection_resources/108911/file/210356#t=5401.0,5590.0"},{"id":"https://houstonlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2436/collection_resources/108911/file/210356/transcript/60430/annotation/18","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"that’s fine, they don’t look -- they are similar to us and that alienated them and there was the Christian missionaries when they came there they took big advantage of that, you will find a lot of them becoming converting to Christianity, okay.\n\nAnd recent illegal immigration is causing problems, which is converting as well to Islam. So it’s a pretty chaotic situation there and government had been extremely poor and there is no governance and people are hoping that now seven MPs have been elected from Assam to go to central government, things will change and I hope it does and I am personally a little bit affiliated to BJP not that I am saying BJPs are saint here and they have their own political issues as well but people are hoping that something might change, we don’t know.\n\nKV: Now, in America, your kids settled here and in my opinion they are not going to go back, they are very rarely, few people are going back.\n\nHS: Don’t expect it.\n\nKV: So when they grow up, your grandchildren you want them to be Assamese or how culturally at home they are probably you can retain some percentage of your own culture at home, but in the mainstream they grow-up like any other American kids, so what is your wish, I mean how do you want them to get connected with?\n\nUS: Yeah, I grew up them to be an Indian not like Assamese or Marathi because my son-in-law is Marathi because I want them to follow the Indian culture, religion as well and they are also Hindu and we are Hindu. Then we want them to be raised like an Indian, not that like Assamese or Marathi.\n\nKV: So are you concerned that these kids growing up in America are slowly getting disconnected from India or India's culture? They are more Americanized than being Indian?\n\nUS: Yeah, like we go to India every year. Last year we went and again, we are planning to go this year. And then especially my son, this son, he is very much Indian. He likes to go to India every year but he is quite Indian. That’s why we are looking for a girl from Assam.\n\nKV: Oh okay, he will get chance.\n\nHS: He is checking it and his mummy is looking for it. Can I add a little bit on that one?\n\nKV: Sure! Sure!\n\nHS: I think where I differ with my wife is that, I like my kids to be grown as an American-Indian, not Indian-Indian, American-Indian. And when you say ‘Indian’, it is a wish, we use the word ‘wish’ there. We wish definitely that my grand-kids could speak Assamese or Marathi or something like that, but as a wish, two generations is going to go away, unless somebody is very kind of stubborn or passionate about it to keep it, I don't see in my family it is happening very much. And because more-and-more generation, we have brought them here, right? They are open to this society. So we cannot expect them to go back every time that go into, it's good to do that. I have noticed among the South Indian families that passion is a little bit more than the North Indian families, at least from -- but it is again one-to-one, I don't know we are doing a very good job on ours, we are letting it go and it happens. We have a family I knew and they met a local Caucasian boy and that guy tried to speak in Assamese, yeah, and he goes to temple more than his wife, Assamese wife.\n\nSo things can happen that way as well. But I do not, whatever we wish, I think three generations you will give it maximum is going to India.\n\nKV: And become part of the melting part.\n\nHS: Yeah. It will be more like now you are passionate about leaving this legacy of Indian-Americans for a future generation, which is I really applaud it, it's a good idea and we have thought about it, so it's a good idea, but hope many more people will do that in future.\n\nKV: Exactly! When your grand-kids grow up here and then their kids, when they look back and say that we are from India, but then where are we really from, which state, and who are our grandparents, how did they come here? They can go back to this video which will be in the digital archives, and they can trace back and they can, in fact, number of elementary school children and middle school children, they are -- like teachers they ask them to write about their grandparents, because in America not many people have connections with their grandparents. So they are asked to interview them and write about their grandparents. So there is an attempt to trace back to their roots like, yeah.\n\nHS: Which is a very good attempt.\n\nKV: So this project is meant for future generations.\n\nUS: Yeah.\n\nKV: So that is an interesting story, first to being you are the first Assamese couple we are interviewing for the project, and we hope more-and-more Assamese people will come forward to spread the word.\n\nUS: Yeah.\n\nKV: So is there anything else you want to share with us on the project about yourself, anything which I did not cover during this conversation, and you can tell anything which you think we ought to know or you want to record in the project?\n\nHS: I think about personally for myself, and I think she is going to support it, I am contemplating to retire this year, and these are the kind of things that I would like to be associated with, if require any support I do will need to allot here, and I wish you all the best. It's a good effort, with your little bit of down health right now, still you are keeping it up.\n\nKV: We will talk about it. It is your interview.\n\nUS: Okay.\n\nHS: So it's a big opportunity and I want to go back to writing full time, so in a year or two you might see some novels coming out of my --\n\nKV: Wonderful!\n\nHS: Whatever standard it is I do just for my own pleasure, and when we published this one, it was appreciated by some good, big writers in Assam, that is where","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://houstonlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2436/collection_resources/108911/file/210356#t=5590.0,6029.0"},{"id":"https://houstonlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2436/collection_resources/108911/file/210356/transcript/60430/annotation/19","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"KV: Actually, there is a-- we have been able to get space for Indian languages in the Houston Public Library and there are five languages, of course, Hindi is one of them and then Urdu is there, Bengali was there, a section is there, Tamil and Telugu, so total five sections. If you go to the Central Library they are there, and you can add an Assamese collection if you can raise funds and give them the books, they will add a section called Assamese. So that way you will perpetuate your language and culture.\n\nHS: So that’s in the Central Library?\n\nKV: Central Library.\n\nHS: Okay.\n\nKV: We already got five languages. Assamese can be one more then.\n\nHS: Sure! We appreciate it.\n\nKV: And that’s it, thank you very much for your time coming along and --\n\nHS: All right! Thank you!\n\nUS: Thank you very much!\n\nKV: Thank you!\n\nUS: Thank you!","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://houstonlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2436/collection_resources/108911/file/210356#t=6029.0,2502.46663"}]}]}]}