Ms. Ranjana Bhargava (Masala Chat Project)

Description

Ranjana Bhargava, 70, is an experienced civic and non-profit professional with a background in social justice. In this interview, Ranjana highlights the moments of her past that helped shape her passions and later her career. She describes her experience growing up in Allahabad in her large family’s home, the dynamics of her family, and the journey she took from receiving two degrees in India, marrying her husband, and moving to the United States. In the beginning of this interview, Ranjana discusses some of the frustrations she experienced growing up as a young woman in India and her instinct to rebel whether at home or at the convent school she attended. The stories of her youth and young adult years set precedent for the path of her career, in which she has held several administrative and consulting positions for various social service organizations and non-profits across the city of Chicago. Throughout Ranjana’s descriptions of her life from Allahabad to Chicago, themes of family, social justice, and identity emerge.