“Being Indian, or being part of any race, class, or creed for that matter, can be a complicated thing. It may not always be, and doesn’t surely have to be. Sometimes who you are or where you come from will not change everything for you. But, it does play a large role for me — from my religious beliefs, to the food I eat, to my sense of presence, and all my relationships — being an Indian national does affect me. I know it from the days I would bring my own cultures dope food to the table in the third grade, and being laughed at, to making Indian food for my white friends to be told it was the best meal they’d ever had. These things are push and plays. Stop and starts. It’s developed a different mindset in me — one that pushes success, an appreciation for humor, as well as a realization of human suffering. And, it’s not always easy being my color in the commonly western dominated societies I have been in. But, what has always interested me is that, for generations my family, sprawling and huge, can trace its descent back to one or two villages in some vicinity of each other. That idea is substantial to me… that idea roots me.”