The artifact I chose to represent me is a statue of one of the avatars of god in Hinduism with his divine consort, named Krishna and Radha. Growing up, my priorities were always education, family and my religion. In fact, my name relates back to my culture, to my religion, which is why I chose this artifact in the first place. For context, I chose this specific statue because it’s been with me for over half my life. As long as I can remember, the idol has been in my house, a symbol of nostalgia, love, connection, and spirituality. Krishna is known for his divinity, wisdom and love while Radha (who’s referred to as his “eternal beloved”) is the personification of supreme devotion, the need for yearning and divine love. Their story was always told to me as a kid, and it’s one that whenever I look back and reflect upon it brings a smile to my face. They’ve been there every morning when I woke up, when I went to sleep, when I cried, and when I laughed. They’ve been there with the family as a whole through tumultuous years, conflict, struggle, happiness and times of joy. It holds a special place in my heart for being a silent witness to the most important moments of my life. My name actually relates to them in many aspects. For one, it just means one of the many other names of Radha, almost a nickname. On the other hand it also means a divine, wish fulfilling cow associated with Krishna. To conclude, when I'm around this simple, marble made, effigy, I'm always connected to my childhood, my ethnicity, roots and culture. It's my symbol of me. 

– N.M.

Relationship:  Child of im/migrant Child of im/migrant