My Dadi and Dada are originally from India, and they migrated to North America in the 1960’s. My dad was born in Canada and my mom in Detroit. They met in the U.S. and settled down in Chicago where I was born. My mother once went to my grandparents’ house and saw an object that she loved. My Dadi gave it to her, and we now have it in my house. It was a statue of Ganesh, who is a Hindu god with an iconic elephant head. Around the world, people know this figure and it was very crucial to have this beautiful statue in our house. My Dada got his medical degree in India, but he was told there was a shortage of doctors in North America, so he migrated there and got a job there. He picked up and left everything that he and my Dadi knew and decided to make a journey to Detroit. However, My Dada realized he couldn’t stay there, because of the extreme race riots that threatened his safety, so he decided to travel to Toronto. The statue means a lot to me and my family because it shows us where we came from and how we connect to the rest of the world. It reminds me of the great diversity that revolves around me and I'm so happy to be a melting pot of all these religions and stories. 

– Nayan Khambhla

Relationship:  Grandchild of im/migrant Grandchild of im/migrant