Diwali Gifts
My father immigrated to the United States in 1969 from a small village in South India. He earned a scholarship to attend college, and was offered an opportunity to complete his PhD in the United States. His marriage to my mother was arranged, based upon one condition, she would only marry him if he agreed to not remain in the US. My mother had spent 8 years of her own childhood living in rural Pennsylvania as her father, my Tata, completed his PhD. She felt fearful of the experiences her minority children might suffer growing up in this country. But alas, my sister and I were born, and they made the courageous decision to remain in the US so their girls could have access to the educational opportunities in this country. They intentionally moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to live near the SV temple, the first Hindu temple in the United States. This temple attracted many immigrants from India and had a growing community of traditional Hindus, all with hopes of finding a sense of conne