Usha Srinivasan left her home in Hyderabad, India, and moved to the United States for her master’s in electrical engineering more than two decades ago. She followed that with a business degree from Stanford and an illustrious tech career that spanned fifteen years. Despite her success, Srinivasan had doubts about her relationship with Silicon Valley and its community.
“We came here seeking incremental growth: a degree and then professional pursuits,” she said about first-generation immigrants like herself. “And before we knew it, it was 20 years later, and we are trying to make this our home!”
Srinivasan realized that establishing a strong cultural identity within the community was key to making a place home – not just for immigrants like herself, but also for Indigenous communities in the U.S. She founded Mosaic America with a vision to organize cultural events and support artists, dancers, and musicians who are preserving cultural traditions from all over the world, right here in the Bay Area. The Mosaic Festival has become one of the most awaited cultural events of the year for locals thanks to its fine display of the Bay Area’s e cultural diversity.
In recognition of her service to the communities of Silicon Valley, Srinivasan was selected as one of the 101 remarkable individuals featured in a unique art project called De.Coded – A Human Atlas of the Silicon Valley.
De.Coded – A Human Atlas of the Silicon Valley
On the afternoon of October 28, Usha Srinivasan joined the distinguished group of artists, activists, professionals and scientists, who gathered at the Mexican Heritage Plaza for the launch of De.Coded – a special art project that celebrates their contributions to Silicon Valley society.
De.Coded is the latest edition of British artist and photographer Marcus Lyon’s Human Atlas series which features the stories of change-makers from a geographical region, along with a detailed DNA analysis that maps their journeys to that region. After successfully completing such projects for Brazil, Germany and Detroit, Lyon set his sights on the Silicon Valley, a cradle of innovation that is home to many ethnic communities from all around the world. The final product is a book that contains portraits, quotes and DNA analyses of the 101 individuals, 15 of whom are South Asian. The book also contains QR codes leading to each of their oral histories, and every element including the typeface, layout, illustrations and the portraits is thoughtfully designed.
The 101 change-makers featured in the book, represent the best of Silicon Valley across disciplines. They were nominated by a committee of grassroots community leaders from all over the Bay Area. The project was commissioned by the David & Lucile Packard Foundation, with support from the American Leadership Forum,
Lyon’s Human Atlas series has its roots in his own family – his Brazilian wife and their two children. “The idea started because I wanted to make sense of our own ‘Brazenglish’ family and its heritage” he said at the launch. That endeavor culminated in Somos Brasil, the first edition of the Human Atlas series, followed by a similar exploration of Detroit, Germany and now, the Silicon Valley.
In Silicon Valley, Lyon and his team found a colorful mosaic of people from all over the world. While he noted that the community was built on the blood and sweat of Chicano and Indigenous people, he also pointed out subsequent waves of immigration from Asia and Africa had helped shape the Silicon Valley community as it exists today.
“This,” he said addressing the gathering, “is the story of all your migrations.”
Lyon has already started work on the next edition in this series, in which he will conduct a similar exploration of the city of Los Angeles.
A representative snapshot of the South Asian community
The book features a breadth of human experience – from computer scientists like DJ Patil, to decorated military officer Vishaal Hariprasad, and artists like Kathak performer Shambhavi Dandekar.
While the stereotype of the South Asian engineer or doctor continues to persist in the American psyche, Srinivasan is heartened by the recognition of diaspora artists – and by extension, the cultural wealth they represent.
“The all American identity was really conferred on one group of people and everybody else is like a hyphenated American,” she said. “My work at Mosaic really came from my need to understand and navigate my place in Silicon Valley as an Indian-American.”
Kathak dancer Shambhavi Dandekar is one such culture-bearer. When she was first notified about her inclusion in De.Coded, Dandekar ignored the email, believing it to be a scam because the recognition was so unexpected!
“I’m honored and humbled at the same time, especially because in the field of art, recognition comes very late in life,” she said. Since moving from Pune to Sunnyvale in 2012, she has founded Shambhavi’s International School of Kathak, which trains students and teachers from all around the world through a distance learning model. While years of hard work have brought well-deserved success, Dandekar is grateful to her community for allowing her to bloom as an artist and a teacher.
“I think in India, one takes for granted their Indianness. And then when you step out in the world, that becomes your identity,” she said. “The Bay Area community has helped me look beyond my existence as an Indian artist, and helped me find my existence in a global setting.”
You can read more about De.Coded and buy the book here.
