Motels are also homes for owners.
By Deepak Chitnis
WASHINGTON, DC: Perhaps nowhere has the presence and influence of Indian Americans been felt more than in the hospitality sector; more specifically, in motel ownership. To honor this, the “Beyond Bollywood” exhibition that starts at the National Museum of Natural History here today, includes an entire wall dedicated to the impact and legacy of Indian American – and, in particular, Gujarati ownership of motels.
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Over 50% of all the motels across the entire US are owned and operated by Indian Americans, a staggeringly large demographic. In fact, as the exhibit proclaims, desis are largely credited with having resuscitated the dying motel industry, bringing it back from near-death and turning it into one of the most lucrative industries in the country.
But what the Smithsonian piece really highlights is not simply that desis own motels, but that they live in motels. Immigrants came to the US and began operating motels because they are not only relatively simple to run and maintain, but because they double as both a business and a home. Many Indian American families inhabit the motels that they also operate as a business, and the exhibit highlights the life of young desi children who grew up in motels.
One quote, featured prominently at the “Beyond Bollywood” display, talks about how an Indian American boy growing up in a motel longed for having a backyard with a swing-set, or having a basketball hoop outside, but couldn’t have these things because he didn’t live in a real house.
The largest portion of the motel exhibit is dedicated to showing a motel reception kiosk – but from the perspective of the Indian American owner. Rather than seeing what a guest would see, we see the other side, which has the typical things you’d expect – keys, cash register, and so on – while also having a Ganpati idol, a small mandir, and even an audio cassette of the soundtrack to Hum Aapke Hain Koun..!. At the center of the kiosk is an opening that allows the visitor to look into a mirror, seeing himself or herself in the reflection while standing at the reception of an Indian-owned motel.
The image of what lies behind the counter are in stark contrast to what people on the other side would see: American icons like flags and crucifixes, typical furniture and other such items to make non-Indians feels comfortable staying at an American establishment. All traces of anything even remotely Indian are wiped away so as to not drive away any potential xenophobes.
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While Americans tend to associate Indians with 7-11, cab driving, and more recently, doctors and IT professionals, it is truly motel ownership that has always been the forte of the Indian American. The Smithsonian’s “Beyond Bollywood” exhibition pays tribute to and recognizes this, shedding light on a little-known facet of the desi experience. Ironically, it’s bringing to light things that Indian motel owners have tried to keep hidden for the better part of 50 years, but the Smithsonian has rightly recognized that for Indian Americans, the time in the spotlight has come.
To contact the author, email to deepakchitnis@americanbazaaronline.com