Ethnicity: Indian American
About these Stories
Since 2017, Southern Mix has been conducting oral history interviews with Asians and Asian Americans throughout the American South. This collection of distinctive and powerful interviews engages in meaningful conversations about race, identity, migration, and the pursuit of belonging in the multifaceted landscape of the South. Browse through to listen and read some of these stories.

Chavi Khanna Koneru
Chavi Khanna Koneru is co-founder and Executive Director of North Carolina Asian Americans Together (NCAAT). Koneru was born in 1983 in Oakland, California and moved with her family to Durham, NC in 1989. She describes the culture shock she experienced … Read more
Asian American, Hindu Punjabi, Indian American, Sikh, South Asian, Telugu, India
Jhana Parikh
“I mean, I was born in Raleigh, North Carolina. I have never lived anywhere else. So, yeah, I’m pretty comfortable calling myself a Southerner.” Jhana and her father, Snehal. / Photo courtesy of Jhana Parikh. Indian immigration to North Carolina, … Read more
Asian American, Indian, Indian American, South Asian, India
Moni Sawhney
“I live in the South, but my identity is not Southern.” Dr. Moni Sawhney poses for a portrait at his home in Raleigh, N.C. / Photo by Maydha Devarajan. For nearly 30 years, Moni Sawhney was a white man — … Read more
Indian, Indian American, South Asian, India
Saroj Sharma
“I can [say I’m] Southern. Because always, I stayed here. So I have to be. It’s all learned from here.” Nestled just off Aviation Parkway in Morrisville, N.C., the Hindu Bhavan is more than just a mandir. It’s a dream … Read more
Asian American, Hindu, Indian American, South Asian,