David Rai on His Punjabi-Mexican Heritage
By kamla bhatt • Aug 9th, 2012Category: Diaspora, Featured, India, Life
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“I am an American-Punjabi-Hispanic,” is how Lal David Rai, a second generation Punjabi-Mexican describes himself. Meet David, a 3rd generation farmer from Yuba City, Sutter County in Northern California. He comfortably straddles all 3 cultures.
Over 100 years ago David’s paternal grandfather moved from Punjab in India to the USA and eventually settled down in Arizona. David’s mother Mary Singh Rai moved to Yuba City, where she married and settled down to raise a family. David’s grandfather and father were Sikhs.
David grew up straddling 3 different cultures: American, Punjabi and Mexican. At home his parent’s spoke Mexican, which is how the early Punjabi immigrants referred to Spanish, as well as Punjabi and English. Growing up in Yuba City David went to a Catholic Church and the Stockton Gurudwara, which is the oldest gurudwara in the US.
Photo credit: Leela Rai
Related Links:
David Rai: A Farmer’s View on Shortage of Food (podcast)
Dave Teja of Yuba City (podcast)
Desis in California - Dave Teja (video)
Desis in California: Prof. Karen Leonard
Kamla Bhatt is the host and producer of an Internet Radio show where listeners can find stories about the new and emerging India and the global Indian community. As a pioneer of 'internet radio' format in India Kamla started her first show News about India, followed by TalkNewsIndia in 2005. In 2006 she premiered her new show: The Kamla Bhatt Show: Life, People and Ideas. 
