Dr. Nagamani Beligere Dharmapuri (Masala Chat Project)

Description

Nagamani Beligere Dharmapuri, 82, is a pioneering pediatric physician who came to the US on her own in the early 1960s. The interview includes discussion of her fight throughout her life to defy expectations of her gender and to be paid what she deserved. She discusses her early life and the influence of her father who was a progressive politician and a devotee of Shaivism. Nagamani benefited from the help of a diverse array of people who helped her acclimate to living in the US alone, but she eventually met and married a fellow Indian doctor. She discusses the balance required to have children and practice medicine successfully, and therefore opened her own practice. Other topics discussed include: the importance of music in her life, the financial incentives for working in the US, the politics of wearing her sari, and her involvement in community organizations.