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Santosh Jain
Sonali’s paternal grandmother
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Chaman Jain
Sonali’s paternal grandfather
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Manu Jain
Sonali’s father
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Sonali Jain
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Mita Jain
Sonali’s Mother
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Madhusudan Patel
Sonali’s maternal grandfather
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Sushila Patel
Sonali’s maternal grandmother
This is the story of three generations of Sonali Jain’s family, starting with her paternal grandparents, the Jains, and her maternal grandparents, the Patels. Both sides of the family arrived in the United States in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Sonali’s father, Manu, grew up in Bloomington, Indiana, while Sonali’s mother, Mita, grew up in Chicago and Des Plaines, Illinois.
Family was central to both the Jains and the Patels throughout their journey.Sonali grew up in Chicago, influenced by this value.
Click to explore their stories
Click to explore their stories
Mita and Manu Jain
In 1999, Mita and Manu met each other for the first time when they attended a friend’s wedding in Michigan.
Both Mita and Manu felt it was important to maintain ties to their Indian background, culture and values
They got married in 2002 and had two children
Mita and Manu at their wedding.
Sonali’s Baby Shower Annoucement.
Sonali Jain
Sonali grew up with her sister in Chicago. They also played sports because their father encouraged them to do so as a way to help them integrate into their community, just as he had.
Sonali’s maternal grandparents, Sushila and Madhusudan, have built a tight-knit community in Chicago, hosting frequent gatherings with their daughters and their families.
Sonali’s paternal grandparents, Santosh and Chaman, live on in artifacts around the house. Baby clothes Santosh made for Sonali and her sister are stored carefully in their home. The traditions that Sonali grew up with, like Thanksgiving dinner, are a continuation of their legacy.
“It was really nice to have growing up,” Sonali said. “I didn’t always relate to the traditional Thanksgiving experience but I think mine might have been better.”
Baby clothes that Santosh made for Sonali and her sister.
Santosh’s cookbook lives on a living room bookshelf in the Jain house.
Santosh passed away when Sonali was young. However, her parents say that Sonali is similar to her grandmother.
Sonali said her family found ways to incorporate the Indian aspects of their identity into their everyday lives. Her mom still speaks Gujarati to Sonali’s grandparents and aunts. Her dad eats Indian snacks every night.
“I know immigration for them was really hard,” Sonali said, “but I think they found a really great balance between both the American part and the Indian part of their identity.”