My Father's Letter
This letter is a cut paper installation created in 2018 at New Americans Museum as part of a Smithsonian show called Beyond Bollywood. I am blowing up and cutting out a letter my father wrote to me when I was 25 and halfway across the world from him.
My father, Umedrai Harjivandas Mehta, was born in the rural town of Ahmednagar years before India gained her independence from over 400 years of British colonial regime. The family was large and poor but he has fond memories of wandering the town with friends searching for empty cigarette boxes to do paper crafts. As a teenager, he lost both his parents within a year of each other and went on to study engineering with the support of his siblings.
My parents and extended family made enormous sacrifices for me to be in the United States. In this letter my father gives me an implicit permission to do with my life as I choose, while keeping alive his lifelong belief that education was my ticket out the restricted existence deemed likely for a disabled woman.
The familiar immigrant story with its worries of money combined with the idea of constantly applying oneself for a better future flows through my father’s letter. By sharing this very personal message, I want to celebrate his intelligence and generosity, as well as honor each immigrant’s right to persevere.
My parents and extended family made enormous sacrifices for me to be in the United States. In this letter my father gives me an implicit permission to do with my life as I choose, while keeping alive his lifelong belief that education was my ticket out the restricted existence deemed likely for a disabled woman.
The familiar immigrant story with its worries of money combined with the idea of constantly applying oneself for a better future flows through my father’s letter. By sharing this very personal message, I want to celebrate his intelligence and generosity, as well as honor each immigrant’s right to persevere.
Process of cutting and installing