PEORIA MAGAZINE August 2022

Sanjay Bhai owns Swagat Food and Grocery at 6926 N University Street in Peoria, meeting place for the Indian community to shop and socialize

(AICCP, aiccp/web.org) and the Indo American Society of Peoria (IACP), for example, with the goal of educating others about their culture and, increasingly, giving back to central Illinois through acts of philanthropy and volunteerism. Indeed, August –whichmarks the 76th anniversary of Indian independence, on Aug. 15 — is a very big month in Peoria’s Indian-Asian community. India Fest is to be held Aug. 14 on Peo ria’s RiverFront, featuring traditional Indianmusic and dancing, authentic In dian cuisine, shopping opportunities and even an always spirited cricket contest. Meanwhile, the annual Passage to India fundraiser for Easterseals is to be held on Aug. 5, having generated more than $4.5 million to help children with disabilities over the years. There is a Mahatma Gandhi Conference Room at Children’s Hospital of Illinois. Other beneficiaries of the Indian community’s largesse include St. Jude, Ronald McDonald House, NeighborhoodHouse, Carver Center, Peoria Public Schools, andmultipleSTEM(Science, Technology, Eng ineer ing and Mathemat ics) programs at schools across the region. Today, it is far easier to emigrate to the United States and specifically to Peoria than it once was, when this seemed like “the final frontier” and individuals and families from very far away had tomuster the courage and the resources to pretty much fly solo. Many American businesses and universities now have a physical presence in India. Those who paved the way and now lead organizations such as AICCP and IACP provide considerable assistance helping with the transition, including food, shelter, jobs, education and citizenship classes.

go to their practices and school events. And the traffic is never in question.” “Peoria is a small town but has a big town outlook,” added Srinivas Vuppuluri, who is “happily retired” after a career in the university classroom and at Caterpillar as a software project manager, here since 1999. As to the old saw of “Will it play in Peoria,” Vuppuluri said “it is playing here. Peoria is on the edge of somemajor success,” with the Indian community ready to help make that happen, in education, in economic development. “We have a positive regard for Peoria. We appreciate Peoria for the home it has given us,” he said. “There are issues but … it’s a good place to grow.” It certainly has been for Velpula, who brags the kind of résumé that is in demand andwho has had opportunities to leave – for Los Angeles, for Minnesota’s Mayo Clinic, for Harvard in Massachusetts. Alas, he built a family –which includes son Jai, 14 – and a program here, teaming up with Dr. Andrew Tsung, an OSF neurosurgeon, to develop the Velpula-Tsung Laboratory at UICOMP, where they work on groundbreaking gene therapies to defeat cancers. And the med school stepped up when he was on the fence about a move. “The community …had trust inme, my abilities, and my dedication to what I do … That is the beauty of Peoria. That is why we stayed … and why I want to give back,” said Velpula. “This is home. I can’t go anywhere else … This is where I want to live the rest of my life.”

And it can be a transition. Macwan, who hails fromAhmedabad, India, remembers the first time he landed at O’Hare International Airport in Chicago. The first thing he noticed was that “the trees did not have any leaves,” as it was November, and suddenly he wished he had a jacket. He thought, “What country did I come to?” Meanwhile, no matter how fluent their English, some things still got lost in the translation, such as when a shopkeeper would ask, “May I help you?” Macwan remembers thinking, with a laugh now, that “I don’t need any help. I’m OK.” And the food, of course. Let’s just say that sometimes spice is nice. Nonetheless, “If you make a little at tempt … you discover that underneath that outer shell, we’re all the same,” said Macwan, for whom the appeal of life in this country remains strong. “We look at the American culture, American values… Thefirst thing that attractedmewas that you could be whatever you want to be.” Still, he was surprised at the reaction he got fromcolleagues in Chicagowhen he told themhe was moving downstate. “People askedme, ‘Why are you going to Peoria?’ like Peoria didn’t exist. “Everybody who comes here says, ‘We’ll try it out in Peoria for a year or two. Then Peoria grows on you so significantly” that it becomes 20, 30 years. “This is like a hidden gem. When I came here, I never wanted to be anywhere else.” And he, like many others, remains bullish on Peoria. “You can get the reward of a (medical) practice…without the tension of a prac tice,” Macwan said. “Your family life is muchbetter here. Youcan raise your kids,

Mike Bailey is editor in chief of Peoria Magazine

AUGUST 2022 PEORIA MAGAZINE 23