Series:

South Asian Women in Los Angeles

Topic:

Asian American History

Community History

Biographical Note:

Immigrant from India.

Interviewer:

Hampapur, Veena

Interviewee:

Narasimhan, Padma

Persons Present:

Narasimhan and Hampapur.

Place Conducted:

Narasimhan's friends home.

Supporting Documents:

Records relating to the interview are located in office of the UCLA Library's Center for Oral History Research.

Interviewer Background and Preparation:

The interview was conducted by Veena Hampapur; B.A., anthropology, minor in South Asia studies, UC Berkeley; M.A., anthropology, UCLA. Her research focuses on conceptions of citizenship and identity in the South Asian American diaspora.Hampapur prepared for the interview by reading about the waves of South Asian immigration to the United States. As a graduate student in anthropology, she has conducted research on the South Asian diaspora in the United States which shaped the direction of her inquiries. Veena Hampapur gained access to the participants through her personal and academic networks. Before each interview, she reviewed her previous knowledge of the participant (if any) in order to tailor the interview for each woman's personal experiences.

Processing of Interview:

The transcript is a verbatim transcription of the recording. It was transcribed by a professional transcribing agency using a list of proper names and specialized terminology supplied by the interviewer. Narasimhan was then given an opportunity to review the transcript and make corrections and additions. Those corrections were entered into the text without further editing or review on the part of the Center for Oral History Research staff.

Length:

3 hrs.

Language:

English

Copyright:

Regents of the University of California, UCLA Library.

Audio:

Series Statement:

The South Asian Women in Los Angeles series documents the lives of a number of women who are first generation South Asian immigrants and who lived or currently live in the greater Los Angeles area. This project was generously supported by Arcadia funds.

Birth—Earliest memories in Calcutta—Nuclear family—Age limit for college—Medical school results—Moving around India—Child genius—Father's desires for children—Parenting techniques—Father's transfers—Parents' marriage--Childhood neighborhoods—Pressure to learn Hindi—North Indian majority—Extracurricular activities—Learning Tamil—Movies—Never envious of upper class—Radio—Differences from siblings—Religious teachings—Living in the dorms—Difficulties with medical school—Few Iyengar doctors—Arranging marriage—Family scattered—Fight for government quarters—Desire to be with parents—Marriage prospect—Classmates come to America—Lady police surgeon—Inspector General—Medical exams in Frankfurt—Frankfurt marriage proposal—Coming to America—Difficulties coming to New York—Issues getting a job—Internship.

Glass ceiling