The South Asians in Silicon Valley Initiative aims to record, preserve, and share the South Asian legacies in the Bay Area.
Highlights of our Exhibits and Events
Learning alphabets
Hindu children's literacy begins with writing alphabets for the first time during Saraswati Puja.
Location: Fremont, CA.
Photo: Nick Szydlowski
Performance — Sri Lanka (Balia)
Traditional coconut grater and knife
Once used in many homes in eastern India before handheld kitchen knives became popular, the head of this 'boti' (grater cum knife) is used to grate coconut while the S-shaped blade is used to chop vegetables and fish. This tool is used in Sri Lanka as well.
Location: India
Photo: Nandana and Jaideep Das
Performance — Nepal (Sarangi)
Sri Lankan community pay their respects at a memorial service
Service held for victims of Easter Sunday attacks in Sri Lanka in 2019.
Location: Sri Lanka
Performance — Tamil Nadu
Gourds at Patel Brothers
Varieties of gourds used in Indian vegetarian dishes on display at Patel Brothers market.
Location: India
A Poem by Rumi
A Farsi poem by 12th century Afghan poet Maulana Jalaludin Balkhi aka Rumi. Translation courtesy: Hamid Latif
Location: Afghanistan
Performance — DHC3
Ranil and Dharini Abeysekera
Dharini and Ranil Abeysekera, both long-time Bay Area Sri Lankan activists, carry signs at the Oakland Women's March. Dharini carries a poster designed by Micah Bazant in collaboration with Sabiha Basrai of the Design Action Collective.
Location: Oakland, California
Photo courtesy: Anirvan Chatterjee. Photographer: Anirvan Chatter. Date: 1/22/2017