At a recent event I attended in New York City, one of the panelists quoted Shirley Chisholm, the first African American woman elected to Congress, “If they don’t give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair.” The quote resonated in a room full of South Asian diaspora women. Today, our community is at the cusp of demanding these rights. As a desi immigrant with an aim to make our voices heard, just listening to everyone was personal for me.
The event was organized by Asia Society in honor of AAPI month. (Asian American Pacific Islander) A panel of women shared their immigrant stories with a full house. These women represent diverse fields. There was Anu Aiyengar, global head of mergers and acquisition at Morgan Stanley. From being told when she was starting out that she was the wrong gender, wrong colour and wrong country, Aiyengar proved all her detractors wrong, breaking banking barriers to reach a pinnacle in her career.
Another woman, Dr Sudeepta Verma, clinical assistant professor of psychiatry at the NYU Langone Medical Center, is someone who is featured on multiple television channels for her opinion on mental health and wellness. The other two ladies found success in less typical desi career choices. Jenifer Rajkumar made history as the first South Asian-American woman ever to be elected to a state office in New York. She is a lawyer and professor, but her heart lies in politics.
The last woman in this inspiring panel of trailblazing South Asian women is a young girl who believed anything is possible. Snigda Sur is the founder of an outstanding South Asian publication, Juggernaut. The name alone shows you the pride she takes in her Indian heritage, Juggernaut, the British bastardization of the name Jagannath but also something that is immovable and indestructible.
“If they don’t give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair.”
-Shirley Chisholm, the first African American woman elected to Congress
Moderated by yet another trailblazer, Kanika Chaddha Gupta, the discussion dwelt on a range of topics. Gupta herself has an awe-inspiring background. A Bombay girl, she moved to the US, launched a digital marketing firm, moved back to India as CNN’s local anchor covering among other events, the 26/11 terror attacks and Slumdog Millionaire winning the Oscar. She now headlines a successful podcast, Total Mom Sense, doing what she loves best, being a mom. Chaddha effortlessly got the panelists to share their journey, keeping the audience enthralled. And I was thrilled to discover she’s a close friend of EkWomen interviewee, Rujuta Vaidya.
Sur grew up in the Bronx and is also a New York spelling bee champion, like so many desi kids. She followed the usual finance route but knew in her heart she wanted to do something different. Snigda worked with Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine platform and figured, why not do the same for South Asian women. The seed bore fruit and thanks to funding by Y Combinator and Precursor ventures, her media company launched in 2018, to publish untold stories of South Asians.
The US Surgeon general, Vivek Murthy, recently went on record to address his depression and battle with loneliness. It isn’t an unusual phenomenon in the world today, which is why women like Sue Verma are so much in demand. When she was asked to do a 59 second spot to motivate people during a Covid marathon for Global nation, she landed on a simple mantra. Follow the four M’s of Movement, Mindfulness, Meaningful engagement and Mastery and keep loneliness at bay.
‘Be like Arjuna and just look at the eye of the bird’, was an oft repeated quote by Jenifer’s dad while she was growing up. Funnily enough, it’s also what my dad told me when I was in high school if I ever complained about being unable to concentrate because of external factors. When Jennifer announced her decision to run for office, even though there were only fifteen people present and no press, she persevered and eventually won a resounding victory. After taking office, she managed to push through a legislation making Diwali an official school holiday in all of New York State. EkWomen interviewee, Reshma Patel, whose mission is to mentor and help immigrants join politics, cheered enthusiastically. I also felt a moment of pride as part of a team that pushed the first ever USPS Diwali stamp.
When asked about the state of the economy today, Aiyengar admitted to the possibility of a recession but reassured everyone that by 2025, the outlook was much more positive. That brought a collective sigh of relief from her listeners. There is hope. Like Martin Luther King has said, ‘We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.’
The evening ended with a reception and dessert bar featuring yet more successful desi women. EkWomen interviewee, Kanchan Koya of Chief Spice mama, Surbhi Sahni of Tagmo, Alak Vasa of Element’s truffles and finally Barkha Cardoz, who is carrying forward the legacy of her late husband, the much-feted Chef Floyd Cardoz.
As the wine flowed and people sipped their hot chocolates or munched the sweet delicacies, the joyous mood was palpable. I roamed from group to group, relishing the many stories of success. Not only were these women approachable and happy to engage, but they represented the culmination of immigrant dreams. A young male lawyer admitted that not only was he impressed by the calibre of women, but it was also good to meet people of different ages, since guests at events he generally attended events were mainly young professionals.
I spent most of my life in India, raising a family and running my home, only starting a career after moving to the US less than a decade ago. That day I understood that it’s never too late. I also saw EkWomen’s idea of a global sisterhood coming to life in front of my eyes. This quote by Helen Keller sums it up, ‘Alone, we can do so little; together, we can do so much’.