Suburban Sahibs: Three Immigrant Families and Their Passage from India to America

S. Mitra Kalita

Rutgers University Press, 2003 - Social Science - 170 pages

Annotation America has long been a destination, then a launching pad, for newcomers seeking better lives. In recent years, immigration by South Asians to the United States has increased dramatically, doubling between the 1990 and 2000 censuses. Rather than settling in large cities, many are moving directly to the suburbs. S. Mitra Kalita focuses on three recent waves of immigration through the stories of three families: the Kotharis, Patels, and Sarmas. Readers learn why these families decided to leave India, experience the tensions they encountered upon their arrival here, and witness the realities of life in the United States for South Asians. Suburban Sahibs delves into how immigration has altered the American suburb, and how the suburb, in turn, has altered the immigrant. Middlesex County, New Jersey, is home to one of the largest Indian populations in the world outside India. Their mark on the region has been gradual but increasingly visible: auto-repair outlets named after "Deepa" and "Singh, " a thriving commercial strip of sari stores and sweet shops, valedictorians named Patel and Shah. The reception from long-time residents has not been entirely welcoming as Indian American shopkeepers regularly contend with vandalism. Yet, as Indians achieve economic success, their desire for political and social parity grows stronger and their acceptance is less a question and more a reality. Kalita began this book to shed light on the pursuit of the American dream for the estimated 1.7 million Indians living in the United States. What she found instead was that their experiences offer a window into what America has become: a nation of suburbs, a nation of immigrants.

Contents

• Deported from Home: 32
• The Patels Journey: 47
• A GoldPaved Entry: 65
• Exercising Rights: 86
• Wanting More: 92
• Shaky Ground: 98
• Destructive Times: 104
• Standing Room Only: 107
• Downturns: 122
• Under a Mango Tree: 128
• Meeting Elephants: 138
• Farewells: 147
• The Festival Family: 151
• Classified: 155
• The Victor: 158
• Epilogue: 162
• Notes: 163

Popular passages

Page 27 - God! Thou art the Giver of Life, Remover of pain and sorrow, The Bestower of happiness, Oh! Creator of the Universe, May we receive thy supreme sin-destroying light, May Thou guide our intellect in the right direction.‎

Page 2 - The one at school spoke in a thick Long Island accent, dreamed of a family past as storied as Laura Ingalls Wilder's, and vacillated between the black Cabbage Patch Kid and the white one, settling on the latter. I grew distressed if my two worlds collided, as they inevitably did.‎

Page 13 - American Born Confused Desi Emigrated From Gujarat House In Jersey Kids Learning Medicine Now Owning Property Quite Reasonable Salary Two Uncles Visiting White Xenophobia Yet Zestful Now you know your ABCDs.‎

Page 12 - During the 1980s, these areas—like many suburbs—offered good schools, a low crime rate, and a commute to New York City of less than one hour. Quite simply, immigrants wanted what most people moving to the suburbs want.‎

Page 11 - By the 1 980 census, of the 400,000 Indians in the United States, 11 percent of the men were physicians, while 17 percent were engineers, architects, or surveyors.‎

About the author

S. Mitra Kalita, a business reporter at The Washington Post, has written extensively about immigration and the South Asian diaspora. She has also written for the Wall Street Journal, Newsday, the Associated Press, the Baltimore Sun, the Star-Ledger, the Trenton Times and the Patriot Ledger.

Bibliographic information

• Title: Suburban Sahibs: Three Immigrant Families and Their Passage from India to America
• Author: S. Mitra Kalita
• Translated by: S. Mitra Kalita
• Publisher: Rutgers University Press, 2003
• ISBN: 081353318X, 9780813533186
• Length: 170 pages
• Subjects: Social Science / Emigration & Immigration; Social Science / Ethnic Studies / American / Asian American & Pacific Islander Studies; Social Science / Ethnic Studies / Asian Studies