{"@context":"http://iiif.io/api/presentation/3/context.json","id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/iiif/gq6qz23f00/manifest","type":"Manifest","label":{"en":["P. Ramaswamy and Radhika Mohan Oral History"]},"logo":"https://d9jk7wjtjpu5g.cloudfront.net/organizations/logo_images/000/000/010/original/Aviary_QPLlogo_192x192.png?1578574261","metadata":[{"label":{"en":["Description"]},"value":{"en":["\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eClip 1\u003c/strong\u003e: Mr. Mohan states that during the 1970's, immigration was difficult unless you were a high level working professional. Eligible family members would sponsor each other to get green cards. Now this has changed, instead of high level professionals, there people coming to the United Sates investing in software and motels.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eClip 2\u003c/strong\u003e: Mrs. Mohan states that when she moved to the United States she wanted to preserve her traditions by continuing to wear a sari and bindi.  People asked her a lot of questions about her style of dress.  When the Mohans became more prosperous they experienced racism and Mrs. Mohan was afraid to wear signs of her tradition. However, she did wear pants because she liked it. The Mohans feel there is less discrimination now, especially in New York.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eClip 3\u003c/strong\u003e: Mrs. Mohan says she felt safe in her neighborhood when she lived in Woodside. She had a lot of Indian neighbors. The Mohans say they took precautions by not going out late at night. Now they live in Bayside where they feel safe, and they have several properties.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eClip 4\u003c/strong\u003e: When the Mohans first moved from India, there were not many Indian shops in Flushing, and they used to go to Jackson Heights. Now shops on Main Street in that were Indian-owned have been bought by Chinese owners. Many Indians are moving to the suburbs of Long Island and Westchester. Most of the new immigrants who are devotees at their temple, live in Queens.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eClip 5\u003c/strong\u003e: The Mohans discuss their son and daughter.  Their daughter is married with a family, but is not religious. Their son likes to come to their temple when he is in New York and feels attached to it. Their children were both born in Queens and are more assimilated into American society.  The Mohans have had to make more of an extra effort to fit in than their children.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eClip 6\u003c/strong\u003e: The Mohans discuss their experiences as immigrants in the United States including the process of convincing those around them of their abilities. They describe proving their English language skills to shopkeepers and gaining promotions at work as a result of making positive contributions. A close family friend was originally a coworker of Ram's who had never before met an Indian person.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eClip 7\u003c/strong\u003e: The Mohans used to speak to their son and daughter only in Tamil when they were young.  They are proud of their native language its history. Radhika believed that if she did not speak in Tamil to them, they would lose the language. As a result, the children had difficulty in school, and Radhika took their teacher's advice to speak to them in English. After that, they lost their ability to speak Tamil but can still understand it. The children's friends were so ethnically diverse growing up in Queens, they used English and not Tamil in social settings too.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eClip 8\u003c/strong\u003e: Mrs. Mohan states that the devotees consider sound vibrations from the mantras important because they bring life to new statues of deities.  This sound sound energy is produced during the 9 day festival, Sri Ganesha Chaturthi.  The festival is very social and there are many ways to volunteer.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eClip 9\u003c/strong\u003e: The Mohans describe the 9-day festival, Sri Ganesha Chaturthi, when the temple's goal is to reach 400,000 chants. On last day, the deity is taken in a chariot around the neighborhood and down Main St in a procession called the Ratha Yatra. This enables people who can't come to the temple to view the deity.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e Summary of Full Interview\u003c/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRadhika and P. Ramaswamy Mohan are Indian-American members of the Ganesh Temple who are active in the Temple Committee and as a Temple Trustee, respectively. They offer rich descriptions of the temple's practices and the meanings behind many ceremonial traditions. The couple has resided in Queens since the 1970s when they were among the first south Indian immigrants in their neighborhood. The Indian community is now a large and vibrant contingent in Flushing and other Queens neighborhoods.\u003c/p\u003e"]}},{"label":{"en":["Rights Statement"]},"value":{"en":["\u003cp\u003eCC BY-NC-SA Contact digitalarchives@queenslibrary.org for research and reproduction requests.\u003c/p\u003e"]}},{"label":{"en":["Date"]},"value":{"en":["2010-07-07 (created)"]}},{"label":{"en":["Type"]},"value":{"en":["Audio"]}},{"label":{"en":["Agent"]},"value":{"en":["P. Ramaswamy Mohan (Interviewee)","Radhika Mohan (Interviewee)","Natalie Milbrodt (Interviewer)"]}},{"label":{"en":["Coverage"]},"value":{"en":["1970-2010 (temporal)","Queens, NY (spatial)"]}},{"label":{"en":["Language"]},"value":{"en":["English"]}}],"summary":{"en":["\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eClip 1\u003c/strong\u003e: Mr. Mohan states that during the 1970's, immigration was difficult unless you were a high level working professional. Eligible family members would sponsor each other to get green cards. Now this has changed, instead of high level professionals, there people coming to the United Sates investing in software and motels.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eClip 2\u003c/strong\u003e: Mrs. Mohan states that when she moved to the United States she wanted to preserve her traditions by continuing to wear a sari and bindi. \u0026nbsp;People asked her a lot of questions about her style of dress. \u0026nbsp;When the Mohans became more prosperous they experienced racism and Mrs. Mohan was afraid to wear signs of her tradition. However, she did wear pants because she liked it. The Mohans feel there is less discrimination now, especially in New York.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eClip 3\u003c/strong\u003e: Mrs. Mohan says she felt safe in her neighborhood when she lived in Woodside. She had a lot of Indian neighbors. The Mohans say they took precautions by not going out late at night. Now they live in Bayside where they feel safe, and they have several properties.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eClip 4\u003c/strong\u003e: When the Mohans first moved from India, there were not many Indian shops in Flushing, and they used to go to Jackson Heights. Now shops on Main Street in that were Indian-owned have been bought by Chinese owners. Many Indians are moving to the suburbs of Long Island and Westchester. Most of the new immigrants who are devotees at their temple, live in Queens.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eClip 5\u003c/strong\u003e: The Mohans discuss their son and daughter. \u0026nbsp;Their daughter is married with a family, but is not religious. Their son likes to come to their temple when he is in New York and feels attached to it. Their children were both born in Queens and are more assimilated into American society. \u0026nbsp;The Mohans have had to make more of an extra effort to fit in than their children.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eClip 6\u003c/strong\u003e: The Mohans discuss their experiences as immigrants in the United States including the process of convincing those around them of their abilities. They describe proving their English language skills to shopkeepers and gaining promotions at work as a result of making positive contributions. A close family friend was originally a coworker of Ram's who had never before met an Indian person.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eClip 7\u003c/strong\u003e: The Mohans used to speak to their son and daughter only in Tamil when they were young. \u0026nbsp;They are proud of their native language its history. Radhika believed that if she did not speak in Tamil to them, they would lose the language. As a result, the children had difficulty in school, and Radhika took their teacher's advice to speak to them in English. After that, they lost their ability to speak Tamil but can still understand it. The children's friends were so ethnically diverse growing up in Queens, they used English and not Tamil in social settings too.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eClip 8\u003c/strong\u003e: Mrs. Mohan states that the devotees consider sound vibrations from the mantras important because they bring life to new statues of deities. \u0026nbsp;This sound sound energy is produced during the 9 day festival, Sri Ganesha Chaturthi. \u0026nbsp;The festival is very social and there are many ways to volunteer.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eClip 9\u003c/strong\u003e: The Mohans describe the 9-day festival, Sri Ganesha Chaturthi, when the temple's goal is to reach 400,000 chants. On last day, the deity is taken in a chariot around the neighborhood and down Main St in a procession called the Ratha Yatra. This enables people who can't come to the temple to view the deity.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026nbsp;Summary of Full Interview\u003c/strong\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eRadhika and P. Ramaswamy Mohan are Indian-American members of the Ganesh Temple who are active in the Temple Committee and as a Temple Trustee, respectively. They offer rich descriptions of the temple's practices and the meanings behind many ceremonial traditions. The couple has resided in Queens since the 1970s when they were among the first south Indian immigrants in their neighborhood. The Indian community is now a large and vibrant contingent in Flushing and other Queens neighborhoods.\u003c/p\u003e"]},"requiredStatement":{"label":{"en":["Attribution"]},"value":{"en":["\u003cp\u003eCC BY-NC-SA Contact digitalarchives@queenslibrary.org for research and reproduction requests.\u003c/p\u003e"]}},"provider":[{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/aboutus","type":"Agent","label":{"en":["Queens Public Library"]},"homepage":[{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/","type":"Text","label":{"en":["Queens Public Library"]},"format":"text/html"}],"logo":[{"id":"https://d9jk7wjtjpu5g.cloudfront.net/organizations/logo_images/000/000/010/original/Aviary_QPLlogo_192x192.png?1578574261","type":"Image"}]}],"thumbnail":[{"id":"https://d9jk7wjtjpu5g.cloudfront.net/public/images/audio-default.png","type":"Image","format":"image/png"}],"items":[{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/73955/file/159695","type":"Canvas","label":{"en":["Media File 1 of 9 - 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