Feature Picture Story - First Place, “Telugu Americans”From left, Keerthi Sanivarapu, 35, Ridhay Vemuri, 2, and Pavan Vemuri, 37, celebrate Diwali (the Hindu festival of lights) by lighting fireworks at their residence in Novi, Michigan. They also adorn their home with lights, a tradition often confused with Christmas lights in the United States. (Akash Pamarthy / Ohio University)
Feature Picture Story - First Place, “Telugu Americans”Ridhay Vemuri, 2, and his mother Keerthi Sanivarapu, 35, pray to the Indian deities in their prayer room at their residence in Novi, Michigan. (Akash Pamarthy / Ohio University)
Feature Picture Story - First Place, “Telugu Americans”Keerthi Sanivarapu, 35, feeds her son Ridhay Vemuri, 2, with her own hands at their residence in Novi, Michigan. Feeding a child with the hand is normal gesture in Indian tradition and part of the culture. (Akash Pamarthy / Ohio University)
Feature Picture Story - First Place, “Telugu Americans”Pavan Vemuri, 37, and Keerthi Sanivarapu, 35, along with their son Ridhay Vemuri, 2, shop at the Pandey Indian store for monthly groceries. “Raising a kid with dual identity, we are not the first people to come to the US and experiment with it. Many people have already done it and it is our turn right now in our life. It is not easy. We are trying our way let us see how successful we get at it.” says Keerthi. (Akash Pamarthy / Ohio University)
Feature Picture Story - First Place, “Telugu Americans”Keerthi Sanivarapu, 35, bathes her son Ridhay Vemuri, 2, at their residence in Novi, Michigan. Keerthi sings and makes her son recite some Telugu songs during the shower time. “We make a conscious effort of talking to him in Telugu. Hopefully it will last long. If we are a little easy on not showing our culture, that’s right, and it’s totally switched off and we just don’t want that to happen. Surprisingly we don’t have to put in a lot of effort to teach them a language but must put in a lot of effort to continue to talk in that language,” says Pavan. (Akash Pamarthy / Ohio University)
Feature Picture Story - First Place, “Telugu Americans”Ridhay Vemuri, 2, closes his eyes as his swim instructor Kylie Modreski, 15, holds him during his swimming class at the British swimming school. According to Ridhay’s parents, once he is at a conscious age to make his own decisions, they want him to embrace both the cultures and respect them. When he is outside of home, he is exposed to American culture but at home it is going to stay Indian. (Akash Pamarthy / Ohio University)
Feature Picture Story - First Place, “Telugu Americans”Immigrant parents make sure their kids participate and follow few aspects in the household recognizing and respecting their roots dating to India. It is inevitable that they would pick up western things from school and other social environments, but they would also learn Indian way of things at home. The second generation kids are always on the line as they are not accepted completely as Americans nor Indians. (Akash Pamarthy / Ohio University)
Feature Picture Story - First Place, “Telugu Americans”Ridhay Vemuri, 2, and his parents share moments at home, from around the dinner table as photos of family back in India hang in their living room wall. “Our generation is like the only generation which is neither here nor there. We are the bridge between the kids and folks in India. It is lot tougher for us to balance upbringing with two cultures. If you take my family or her family, we are the last generation who can follow and pass our Indian culture to the next and that is a huge burden and responsibility,” says Pavan. (Akash Pamarthy / Ohio University)
Feature Picture Story - First Place, “Telugu Americans”Ridhay Vemuri, 2, rests on his mother's lap at their dinner table in Novi, Michigan. “He might adapt things from the American culture or other cultures and feel a little different compared to the other kids but should not receive it in a negative aspect but embrace his dual identity,” says Keerthi. (Akash Pamarthy / Ohio University)
Feature Picture Story - First Place, “Telugu Americans”Ridhay Vemuri and his mother Keerthi look at the passing fall colors on their way to the Indian store in Novi, Michigan “We are so rooted to our culture our things and do not want to change things. We do not want him to totally go away from our culture and our roots but have a good balance,” says Keerthi. (Akash Pamarthy / Ohio University)
