Dinesh (91) & Kay Chaudhari (88)

Dinesh and Kay Chaudhari immigrated from India for more opportunity for their family and have a story many in San Francisco can relate to. They were interviewed together and their responses are in written form only and combined for every question. They shared wonderful pictures, as you can see, and their interview is below. Some of the responses were edited for clarity and privacy.

Date of Interview: April 18, 2022

Referred and Interviewed by: Patti Spaniak Davidson

Photo courtesy of Dinesh and Kay Chaudhari.

How would others describe you?

Dinesh: As a serious person, a hard worker (workaholic), loyal, and someone who has a sense of humor.

Kay: As someone who is hardworking, friendly, likes to help people, not keep for herself type of person {is generous with others}.

When did you come to SF and why?

Both Dinesh and Kay:

We lived in a village in India. Some of Kay’s friends were in San Francisco, and said they would help us settle here and that there was a lot of opportunity. They met us at the airport with a shopping cart and helped us with our luggage. We stayed with them for 3 months until we found a studio apartment for a $100 a month.

We immigrated in 1971 and sent for our three children after. Dinesh was already 40-years old, and at first he worked for $2/hour at the Fairmount Hotel in the banquet hall and in the kitchen. We didn’t have anything.

Dinesh went to school to complete his engineering education, and Kay was a nurse and worked at the Army Hospital.

In the 1980’s they considered buying a business somewhere in the US, a hotel for example, but did not find anything.

What do you enjoy about living in SF?

Both Dinesh and Kay:

The weather is perfect. Here there is more opportunity, good people, good neighbors, and a large community from India. We are active members of BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha temple.

When we are not sheltering-in-place, where are your favorite places to go?

Both Dinesh and Kay: We enjoy visiting our church, exercising with our Cayuga Community Connectors neighbors at Bethel {Church} and visit Cayuga Playground. We didn’t and don’t do a lot outside of our neighborhood. We were always working.

Kay: I like to go to the YMCA. And I used to love to go to the casino, but no more.

Is there anything you’ve experienced in your life that compares to the COVID-19 pandemic, and how did you deal with it?

Dinesh: I had the experience of the plague when I was in high school. Everyone moved to live in huts or makeshift shelters until the rats went away. Cooking, living, shopping, everything was done outside. People left their houses for about six months to a year. All the shops moved into shacks, and when the plague gone everything went back inside.

Is there anything that has surprised you about how your community is responding to the COVID-19 pandemic?

Both Dinesh and Kay: The city responded properly. They did a good job, and the mayor did well. Her communication was good and told us where to get vaccines and masks. Our neighbors came to visit us with music and signs in our driveway and ask us if we needed any help.

What does a typical day look like for you? How is that different right now?

Kay: I am back to taking walks to the Mission Y for bingo. And I love watching cooking shows on TV.

Both Dinesh and Kay: We only go out to the doctors. We walk around our neighborhood, three or four blocks. We like to watch travel shows on TV, we watch all of the public television shows.

What are you looking forward to?

Both Dinesh and Kay: We are looking forward to going to India for a month and a half. We want to do something good for our village and community. Something they will remember us by. This will be our last time going home. We both have sisters and nieces and nephews to see. We are also looking to our grand-daughter’s wedding in September here in California.

If you could give advice to younger people, or yourself when you were younger what would it be?

Both Dinesh and Kay: Education is the way you reach your goal. Teach your children to go to school. Work, work, work to get what you want. There are so many opportunities here.

What has been surprising to you about getting older?

Both Dinesh and Kay: Had we been in our country we would have been gone {have died already}. Healthcare is very good here and there are so many hospitals here. At this late age, we are still getting around.

How has technology changed your life on a personal level?

Dinesh: It has been very good. I have home computer, I do e-mail, check-in with my doctor, check my 401K, I look at the news. I’m a TV person, I watch news, I watch Jeopardy, Wheel of Fortune, Seinfeld, 60 Minutes.

What would you say are the major values or principles that you live by?

Both Dinesh and Kay: We value our family life. We value that we can ask for help from our church friends and neighbors and they will be there for us. We value honesty and real friendships.

What have you done lately that made you happy?

Both Dinesh and Kay: Seeing our neighbors come to our house.

What have you done lately for someone else that made you feel good?

Both Dinesh and Kay: Giving our neighbors lemons from our tree.

Describe one of the most defining moments in your life.

Both Dinesh and Kay: When our daughter graduated and became a civil engineer. And then when her daughter, our grand-daughter, went to Brown University and became a physician, and now is getting married in September. Our other daughter works in human resources and our son is an accountant.