Nalayini Gunanayagam and Yagulan Srikumar
Recorded
August 13, 2020
Archived
August 13, 2020
41:03 minutes
0:00 / 0:00
Id:
mby019965
Description
Yagulan Srikumar (19) interviews aunty Nalayini Gunanayagam (66) about what it means to be Tamil Sri Lanken, the impact of the 1983 riots on their individual families, and keeping a relationship to the motherland as part of the diaspora.Subject Log / Time Code
Naliyini Gunanayagam talks about the identity of Sri Lankan Tamil.
Yagulan Srikumar mentions visiting Sri Lanka: "My sister and I were scared to go to this country that caused our parents so much pain."
N.G. and Y.S. discuss the importance of cross generational friendship and care.
N.G. talks about the way she is perceived in the U.S. As a woman who carries signs of her culture, people often assume she does not speak english or they speak english slowly to her.
Y.S. remembers interactions with schoolmates. "I never assumed someone was being racist. I thought they were just being mean or ignorant."
Y.S. recalls schoolmates saying "ew" about the food his mother packed him for lunch.
Y.S. says he cooks and loves cooking, but he doesn't actually know how to cook Sri Lankan food.
Participants
- Nalayini Gunanayagam
- Yagulan Srikumar