Desi Roots and Wings
These galleries speak to the heart of the Indian American experience and explore its many facets through a curated selection of images and stories.
“Desi Roots and Wings” defines Desi Americans and the circumstances that led them to leave their motherland through photos, clothing, objects, and stories. Spanning more than 375 years, the exhibit opens with Roots, which narrates the little-known history of those who arrived from 1620 to World War I and documents their struggles to adapt and assimilate. These new immigrants participated in American wars and fought for freedom.
Desi Roots and Wings includes the Beyond Bollywood exhibit developed in conjunction with the Smithsonian, NIAM, The Field Museum and Chicago Community Trust. The traveling exhibit now has a permanent home at the National Indo-American Museum.
