With a mix of humorous stories about everything from losing her virginity to being cast as tooth decay in her elementary school play, Vijai Nathan brought laughter and a South Asian comedic perspective to campus last week.
Almost 80 students of diverse backgrounds filed into Houston Hall on Thursday to hear Nathan tell of her experiences as a "repressed Indian girl" and first-generation American struggling to find her place.
Nathan's one-woman show was brought to Penn by Sangam, a South Asian organization devoted to " focusing on issues sensitive to the South Asian community," according to Sangam member Shanti Mulpuru, a College senior.
Although Sangam has only been in existence for about six years, the group has over 70 members. Sangam sponsors frequent "chai chats" where South Asian students can talk about any number of important issues, ranging from sexual violence to alternative career paths.
As a South Asian comedian, Nathan has managed to "break down a lot of racial barriers" in an industry where minorities have often been punchlines rather than the creators of comedy, Mulpuru said.
Nathan spoke frankly about issues that have traditionally not been openly discussed in the South Asian community. She spoke of her love of performing and her need to escape the traditional path of Indian women.
"I knew that I was destined for something different than the school science fair," Nathan said.
As a young girl, Nathan wanted to be anything but "different." Yet, when dealing with racism so prominent that people labeled her "a goddamn foreigner" in the middle of the grocery store, she said she felt powerless.
Even her mother would not react to such incidents, and Nathan "felt furious at her for not protecting us." Later, Nathan said she would discover her mother's perseverance and struggle to accept her traditional role when "she had wanted to be so much."
In Nathan's eyes, her mother became a "domestic warrior goddess."
Nathan finally realized her true problem upon entering a multi-racial relationship. After hearing her fiancee's parents make a racist comment, Nathan could not be mad, "because I had done it to myself," she said.
By denying her heritage, Nathan said she believed she had humiliated herself and her family.
"I pretended not to be different, but I was," Nathan said. "And I love bright saris and the smell of curry, and I love not having to go to the beach to get a tan... and I love my parents."
Even though the relationship ended, to Nathan, the story was complete. In the end, even though the girl didn't get the guy, "she gets herself."
Students overwhelmingly said they enjoyed the performance. College senior Caroline O'Reilly applauded Nathan's creativity and openness in discussing issues that were, what O'Reilly called, "very universal."
Nathan was "very open, considering she's Indian," College junior Veena Abraham added.
To Mulpuru, Nathan's words are needed for students to come together in discussion.
"I think she would be incredible for the whole school to see," she said.
