National Indo-American Museum in Chicago launches oral history initiative

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The National Indo- American Museum (NIAM) in Chicago launched its latest Oral History initiative called Broadening Narratives on July 19, 2024.

The event, held at NIAM’s Umang and Paragi Patel Center in Lombard, and was attended by the Consul General of India in Chicago Somnath Ghosh, other invited speakers, and members of the community including those whose stories are already featured on NIAM’s website https://oralhistory.niam.org/

Funded by the Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelly foundation, the Broadening Narratives project seeks to go beyond the portrayal of Indian Americans as a highly educated and successful immigrant group, a press release from Asian Media USA said.

The Museum expects to diversify its Oral History collection by adding the voices of Indian Americans from a broad range of socio-economic levels, including marginalized and under-represented groups, such as LGBTQ+, retail clerks, gas station attendants, people living in shelters or on government assistance, and the undocumented.

The Consul General spoke of the importance of a community capturing its own story in authentic, first-person voices instead of leaving it solely in the hands of others to interpret the Indian American experience.

Board members of NIAM explained the process by which interviewees would be sought out and interviewed by well trained professionals on the project team.

Team members including Project Director Padma Rangaswamy, Board member Devalina Law, Exhibition Chair Raja Nadimpalli, and Project Manager Amita Banerji, addressed the audience.

NIAM digital archivist Ina Cox and NIAM consultant Peter Alter, Chief Oral Historian at the Chicago History Museum gave the audience a fuller understanding of how to get the most out of the NIAM oral history web pages. The new oral histories will be posted on the NIAM website and made accessible to the widest possible audience, including historians and researchers.

Members of the audience also viewed NIAM’s latest exhibition,  Desi Roots and Wings, which narrates the little-known history of Indian immigrants to the US from 1620 to World War 1. Among the many individuals whose story is told in the exhibition is revolutionary freedom fighter Har Dayal Mathur (1884 – 1939) who lived in the US and devoted his life to the cause of Indian independence from the British.  His great granddaughter, Nisha Grover, was one of the featured speakers at the Broadening Narratives event.  She presented a family story of her great grandfather, his worldwide travels, and his connection to the homeland.

Desi Roots and Wings is open to the public at 815 S. Main St. in Lombard on Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays from Noon to 4 pm. Group tours at other times are available by appointment. Admission is $10, free for children 5 and younger. Free parking is available.