Oral History: Where the Story Unfolds
Ever since I can remember, my mother has been the tradition bearer for our family. She was able to effectively bring over our traditions and teach my brother and I about our culture, all while being in a foreign land. This interview will allow me to get a first hand perspective on how life was in India as a native and in America as an immigrant. This helped me get some information that really gives my research a personal touch. My mom, Bharti Molleti (BM), loved talking to me about our culture and really enjoyed telling me her story.
AM: Lets start with the basics. Where were you born in India?
BM: I was born in Chirala, Andhra Pradesh.
AM: So you told me that you moved to London, right?
BM: Yes, when I was five years old.
AM: So how was life in London? Did you cook Indian food, rather did you eat Indian food or was it all British?
BM: Uhhh, it was mixed. I mean I was five, so I didn’t cook. So my mom used to make a lot of what you would call British food. A lot of hamburgers, fish fingers, and some traditional Indian foods—usually breakfast items like upma. I don’t remember much of the food though, just the hamburgers and fish sticks because those were my favorites as well as KFC, Kentucky fried chicken.
AM: Okay, what time did you move back to India?
BM: We spent four years in London so I was nine when we came back.
AM: And why did you move to London?
BM: My dad had an assignment. He was posted there by his company—he was a sales representative for that region.
AM: And you came back because…?
BM: His term ended. It was only a temporary assignment.
AM: When you came back, where did you move?
BM: We settled in Dehli.
AM: So northern part of India. Was culture there different from how it was in the South, in Andhra Pradesh?
BM: I guess… I don’t remember anything in Andhra Pradesh. I was too young to have any recollection of what happened in the South.
AM: Okay, so when you grew up, what kind of foods did you eat?
BM: In Dehli?
AM: Yup, like on a daily basis.
BM: Again, it was mostly rice. We’re South Indians, right, so it was a lot of dosa’s, idli’s, upma, and sambar.
AM: So a lot of South Indian food?
BM: A lot of South Indian food!
AM: So if you were ever to go to a friends house, would—
BM: Then that’s when I would get North Indian food. I would get chole bhature, chana, halwa (North Indian sweet), puri, paneer (that’s also North Indian), and samosa’s.
AM: And how often was biryani served as a meal?
BM: Biryani then was introduced as one of those kind of festive meals. Like a celebration meal for when we had friends or family over. It would be something to bring everybody together.
AM: Do you remember your first time having biryani?
BM: I remember the first time I had good biryani, I think. It was with a friends family. Their mom was the cook. I think I’ve had versions of it but never really knew what it was called. But I think this is the first time I had it. She came to our home, cooked the chicken and the rice, and mixed it together. It was like the best food ever! So I believe that was my first introduction.
AM: Do you remember when you started cooking?
BM: After marriage—well, really cooking. But before I would dabble in it when I was in 11th grade.
AM: What kind of stuff did you cook initially?
BM: Easy stuff, like scrambled eggs, and then enhancing it by adding onions and spices. Then I would make aloo (potatoes). You have to keep in mind that ingredients in India are very expensive so usually the cooking was left to the elders. So I would never go to meat, like chicken, lamb, or fish, cause those are expensive; so cooking in general were left for the older people. But potatoes and eggs were still affordable. So it was okay if anything goes bad, and we were able to experiment. From there, I eventually made cakes. The only twist here is that we baked over a stove; we didn’t have ovens at the time. We would make a makeshift oven by putting bricks on the stove so it would distribute the heat evenly under it.
AM: Woah, that’s really cool!
BM: That was my first cooking experiences, but when I really started cooking was after I came to the US. I didn’t know how to cook non-veg foods because meat was never a ingredient to experiment with. I came home one day and just tried to cook, so I self-taught. Obviously, I made a lot of mistakes at first like I put a looot of spices—like handfuls. But over the time, I’ve learned.
AM: So you said that you came to the US in the early 1990’s, right?
BM: 1993, yes. July 4th.
AM: What was your motivation to come here?
BM: Just, I guess, to build a better life. Everybody has the American dream and America had a lot of offer. So we came in search of better things.
AM: How was the transition from the US to India?
BM: Well culturally we had to adjust, obviously. People are a lot more nicer here in America. They also follow rules, which was a shock to us. For example, if you were at a bus stop they would actually wait to get in the bus in the line but in India, that’s not how it works—it’s like a mob trying to get on the bus. So small things. I’m also glad to say that I have not faced any of the discrimination. Even though I went to college, and even at work, I’ve never had people discriminate.
AM: Well that’s good! When you moved, did you find an Indian community?
BM: I was looking for an Indian community! We decided to settle in New York, and it just happened to be that the place we rented was in an area where you could see a few Indians. It was not like New Jersey where there were entire communities of Indians, but it was not like that in the place we settled. But this was the time when we discovered Patel Brothers, a place where you can buy Indian ingredients and what not.
There was also a Hindu temple. These were the places that we had chances to meet Indians, but we never actually made friendships in New York. Maybe it was because everybody was new and trying to get settled in, or maybe had immigration issues. So mostly, people would tend to keep to themselves but even the people we knew, we didn’t get close to. There was comfort to seeing Indian faces, because it made it seem that we weren’t in an entirely foreign land even though we were. Maybe things would have been different if we settled in New Jersey.
AM: Hmm, okay. So after you moved here from India, was cooking difficult? Like I know you had just started learning and you found that Indian grocery store, but was cooking any different?
BM: Well, initially there was no Indian store. We found that later on, so I used to manage with stuff I found in the international aisle of our supermarket. There was a time I used paprika for red pepper, and obviously that didn’t give the food that spice level I was going for. So yes, it was difficult at first. But when we found the Indian store, things changed. Things change for the better when you make meals with the authentic ingredients made for them. It was missing that kick that you get from original spices; no matter how hard you try to substitute spices with very similar ingredients, it comes no where close to the traditional taste—it would still be an imitation of a knockoff.
AM: Do you still remember the first time making biryani?
BM: Uhh, I don’t really. I’m pretty sure I was impressed with it so that’s why I don’t remember it haha!
AM: Well, how about the first time you were actually happy with what you made?
BM: The first time must have been in New York before you and Anshul (my brother) were born. It must have been your dad’s birthday or my birthday. It must have been one of those times, not Diwali though because you know we don’t make non-veg on that day. Maybe Dussehra?
AM: Yeah, you told me that this festival was the only one where we celebrate with non-veg, right?
BM: Yup. People tend to eat mutton on that day.
AM: Okay, so what exactly are we celebrating on Dussehra?
BM: Dussehra? That’s when Ravan, the evil ten headed king of Lanka (aka Sri Lanka), was defeated in battle by Lord Rama, his brother, and his troops led by Lord Hanuman. Ravan was cursed by someone, I can’t remember who, but he could not force himself on another woman. During this time, Lord Rama is on exile, which is a whole other branch of this Ramayana story that I’ll explain to you later; the important part here is that him and his wife are living in the forest. As Lord Rama goes out to hunt, Sita (Lord Rama’s wife) stays at home; to provide protection, Lord Rama’s brother draws a line around the perimeter of the house which combusts anyone that enters. So when Lord Rama is out hunting, Ravan see’s Sita and he is mesmerized but knows that he can’t force her to be with him. He tried to get her attention in the form of a beggar by asking for alms. She replies by saying that she cannot cross the line thats surrounding her house. Ravan immediately recognizes what it is and tries to lure her out of it. So he uses his powers and transforms himself into a golden deer, and Sita gets entranced and does what she is told not to do by crossing the line. Thats when Ravan captures her and takes her to Lanka. When Lord Rama finds out, he forms an army, and defeats Ravan. The day that he kills Ravan is what we know as the victory of good over evil. So that’s the celebration of Dussehra.
AM: And people typically eat non-veg on this day?
BM: Apparently, people who truly celebrate this have to slaughter a goat. It’s not exactly a sacrifice but it’s something to eat for this day.
AM: When Anshul and I entered the family, how did that influence your life? How did it change everything that was going on?
BM: What do you mean?
AM: You moved after I was born, right?
BM: Yes. Well, we moved during my pregnancy. We moved because I was expecting you so we moved to a nicer apartment—the one that you know. But yeah, things do change when you have a baby. And the food changed tremendously, because I couldn’t cook with the same amount of spice as I used to. So food turned into versions that kids would eat, so no spice and less salt. Even I couldn’t eat spicy food, because it would go into the milk so I had to be careful of what I ate. So yeah, it was very different and eventually we did start to introduce the spice back.
AM: Would you say that you celebrated festivals in New York as much as you do here in Georgia?
BM: No, in New York we were very busy. I was working in my new job and you guys were very young, so we didn’t celebrate with that much gusto, I guess. But once we moved here, we know the festivals ahead of time because we know so many friends that remind us. We celebrate the festivals more now; Diwali we’ve been celebrating for the past eight years.
AM: So we transitioned to Georgia because of your job, right? Do you remember the culture change between New York and Georgia?
BM: Well in New York everything was stressful, even dropping you for school. Parking was a hassle and in the winter it would be freezing; we would have to stand outside the doors until they opened the doors at 8:20. But in Georgia, there is the car rider line, where we can easily drop off/pick you up. We thought that was a luxury. Simple things like that really did make our lives less stressful, which made our transition here so much easier.
AM: So do you think you found the Indian community here better than in New York?
BM: Yeah definitely.
AM: Did you find it easier to cook Indian food here?
BM: Yup, very much so. Before we moved here, we knew that Sai Market was up the street so we knew we could get all our Indian groceries. Since there are multiple Indian stores in the area, we have so many options to choose from, so we have no problem in making Indian dishes.
AM: Do you think anyone will ever be able to create a dish that would taste like it was made in India?
BM: Well, it depends. If the grains and stuff were being imported from India, then its very possible. But the meat and oil are from here and can easily alter the taste. With all these GMO’s, it’s very hard to create authentic Indian food.
AM: What’s the one food you miss from India the most?
BM: Mangoes.
AM: What about a meal/entree?
BM: From India? Hmmm, I don’t know. I’m a big chole bhature fan. Although I love biryani, chole bhature was my go to food in college.
I would always order this when I went out to eat. All my good friends of mine knew that chole bhature was my favorite. So my love for North Indian food started by growing up in Dehli.
AM: Speaking more specifically about chicken biryani, what do you think the meal means to our family?
BM: I think that it’s one food that if made at home, I don’t have to say “dinner” or “lunch” more than once. Everybody would be down in once second. It’s something that is loved by everybody in the family. Again, as I said, it’s a comfort food. Mostly it’s used for celebrations and good times, but again its not a bad comfort food either. It’s also a whole food by itself, you have your proteins, and your carbs. You have green chiles for vitamin C and turmeric, ginger, and garlic, which are all good for your immune system. Add a little yogurt on the side and you have your probiotics. You know biryani is served with raita, which is yogurt with chopped cucumber, onions, and tomatoes, as an accompaniment for the dish. Sometimes the biryani tends to be dry so the raita provides some moisture to the dish. There’s something about the way that all the spices come together in biryani that gives an aromatic smell to the whole dish that makes it mouthwatering. I think it’s a dish that’s enjoyed by the whole family. If I were to ask, “Should I make biryani?”, I would get an emphatic yes. So yeah, it does unite the family.
AM: All this talk about biryani is really making me crave it.
BM: I know, me too!
AM: Well, let’s go eat some!
BM: Let’s go!
Smithsonian Questions
How does your tradition-bearer’s story relate to your community in both the present and the past? How does it relate to you?
My mother’s story relates to other immigrants coming into the United States for the first time; she and the others were experiencing the same foreign land. Although the experience might have been different for each person, the overall feeling was shared. Now, because we live in a mainly Indian community, my mother can relate to them by celebrating our traditional Indian holidays with an American twist. Her story relates to me, because every decision that she has made affects me in some shape or form. If it weren’t for her, I might not be in the United States today.
How did your perception of community history change, from before the interview to now?
Because I only lived in New York for a short time, I don’t really remember if we had an Indian community there. My mother was able to fill in the holes in my memories by telling me what she knows. I also never knew many of the experiences my mom discussed with me, like baking on a stove. All this information really does give me some insight to how India was to a native and how America was to an immigrant.
How did this project inspire you to learn more about your community?
I have always celebrated our Indian traditions and ate Indian food without really thinking about their origin. This project pushed me to go out and uncover some of this information. After I started to learn more about my culture, it was impossible to stop; there was so much I did not know. This project inspired me to discover things about my family history that I would have never thought to ask.
What were some of the challenges you faced during this project? What could you do differently in your next oral history interview?
One obstacle I faced was not being able to get any information from ancestory.com. Because my parents were immigrants, there was not much it could trace back; this left me with nothing to start off with. Although I had a rough start, I was able to talk to my mom and discuss our roots. Something I could do differently for my next interview is to communicate the topics I will cover to the person I am interviewing.
If the roles were reversed and you became the tradition-bearer, what stories would you like to tell?
I would like to talk about how I grew up in the States but practiced a culture that was not native to the place. I would discuss my stories and recollections of celebrating Indian holidays to its full scale when I would visit India. Since my mother was my tradition-bearer, I would definitely reference her and how she has been a big influence on my life by teaching me the Hindu culture.
