An Indian Family In Philadelphia In The 1960s

Photo: India Day, Free Library of Philadelphia, Walnut Street branch. 1963. (c) Shirish Kavadi.)

(Photo: Kavadi family at Thanksgiving Dinner hosted by the McNeills, Philadelphia, 1964. ©Shirish Kavadi.)

August 19, 2024

By Shirish N. Kavadi*

From 1960 to 1965, my father Naresh B Kavadi was in Philadelphia to help prepare teaching materials for the study of Marathi, the language of Maharashtra state, at the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn).

In 1962, my mother Kusumavati, younger sister Shubha, age 6, and me, age 7, joined him. UPenn covered the travel costs of only the spouse and two children. My older siblings Sharad and Shamala, who were in Marathi language high schools, stayed back in Solapur, India, living with my maternal uncles and aunt.

We lived in an apartment building at 135 South 40th street. It was opposite the Walnut Street branch of the Free Library of Philadelphia. The building was replaced by a McDonalds in the 1970’s.

At the library, my mother took free English language classes held for non-English speakers. Shubha and I became members of the library, borrowed books and watched children’s films which were screened there such as the French The Red Balloon. 

We enrolled at the Henry C Lea School, part of the free public school district, on 47th and Locust Streets. The school, located in University City, was headed by Martin Warnick. It had a very good academic reputation, which was not surprising since several of the parents were either faculty members or employees of UPenn.

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