Masala Chat Project - Ms. Daksha Patel

Full Oral History Interview

Transcript (Document)

Birthplace

Description

Daksha Patel, 76, is a pioneering neonatal physician who now consults for the Department of Social Security. The interview includes discussion of her average day as a child and how she charted an uncommon path in her family by deciding to become a doctor and hot having an arranged marriage. She describes facing difficulties of social isolation, discrimination against women in medicine, and the guilt of not returning to India permanently. She reflects on different housewife duties of across the generations of her family and how her marriage, to someone she fell in love with, is a happy partnership. Daksha spent most of her career at Cook County Hospital and believes it is important to enjoy your work. Other topics discussed include: difficulty of getting childcare, speaking Hindi to her children, and Americanization.

Identifier

oh613

License

Creative Commons License (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)

Date Recorded

January 20, 2017

Interviewer

Anna Takada

Extent

01:15:59

Date Of Birth

March 1941

Date of Immigration

1965

Reason for Immigration

Medical training

Port of Entry

New York, NY

Occupation

Physician, neonatology

Occupation of Parent(s)

Cotton mill business (father); Homemaker (mother)

Number of Siblings

5

Family's Religion

Hinduism

Schooling

Shantaeve Grammar School; Suniti High School for Girls; Elphanston College; medical school in India

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