An Indian Mom and Daughter Discuss the Importance of Voting

Where I’m From: Now and Gen features in-conversation pieces between generations — like a younger woman and her grandmother — discussing a topic like beauty rituals, finances, or marriage. For our latest installment, we chatted with Nandita Godbole, a journalist, food writer, and cookbook author, and her daughter, Viha Umashankar, a senior studying environmental economics and policy at UC Berkeley, about the importance of voting. Read their candid conversation below.

Viha Umashankar, 21, is ready to vote in her first presidential election this November. Since she was young, her mom, Nandita Godbole, 54 — who grew up in Mumbai, India, and has lived in the US since the ’90s — instilled in her the power of an informed vote. Their family history, coupled with living in a major swing state like Georgia, introduced discussions around civic duty.

The two first started talking about voting when Godbole started researching her own grandfather, a freedom fighter in India, for one of her books, “Ten Thousand Tongues.” “He wrote a historical account of his time seeing a country move from one power and into independence,” Godbole says. “[Viha and I] were talking about how those meaningful changes that impacted a country came about in a very grassroots version.” Coincidentally, this was around the 2016 presidential election. As the family sensed a “seismic shift” in their community, Godbole wanted to ensure her daughter understood how to use her voice.

Ahead, the mother-daughter duo discuss the importance of voting, what they’ve taught one another ahead of this election, and the prospect of electing America’s first South Asian and woman president.

On the Importance of Voting

Nandita Godbole: When I voted in my first election at 21, I thought I knew what I was doing, but I don’t think I had enough information. I was one of those young people who got really swayed by what was covered in the media and the propaganda that was happening around it. The politics that came were very divisive and it shook my confidence in what a single person can do. I always wanted to ensure that I could be better informed before I made a choice.

Part of the reason for me to encourage my daughter to actually understand her rights is that in the enthusiasm of this being your first vote and exercising your rights, I do want to emphasize more and more that whoever you choose — even though it’s one vote, it’s going to add up — will change the country you’re living in. You want to be really sure that that’s where you wanted to go and be willing to support it.

Viha Umashankar: From a young age, in the American education system, it’s instilled that it’s your civic duty to vote and make sure you’re participating in not just presidential elections, but also local elections. I hold that very dearly because I understand that that’s the one way that we can make a real difference.

Minority students don’t often get represented on the ballot, especially in Georgia. I found that when you’re submitting a ballot, you are that minority representation. During the 2020 election, we saw a big rise in They See Blue (a grassroots organization working to mobilize and engage South Asian voters), and I saw a space for myself as an Asian voter, specifically, to make my opinion and needs heard.

The concerns of an Asian person who is living in the South or even living anywhere often go unheard because we are still a minority. I want to make sure that we’re talking about those issues, not just voting for candidates who support our causes that would benefit our community, but also talking about the things that we want. That’s how you raise awareness and then those slowly start getting included onto the ballot.

NG: I’m happy that we are having these conversations. My parents never did. My parents were like, “Oh well, here is this person.” Not that they were uninterested, but there was a lot of media misinformation when I was growing up.

On the Prospect of a South Asian and Woman President

NG: India has had a history with women in positions of power who have led the country. So for me to see that happen here, I feel a tremendous sense of pride. Whether it was Hillary Clinton or if it is Kamala Harris, I love that the country is starting to see that we are just as equal to someone else on the podium.

You could make this race about gender. But it shouldn’t be. It should be about qualifications and what you bring to the people. Yes, I love seeing that a Brown person and a person of color is part of the conversation and we can hope that she is able to lead those conversations to influence change, to actually acknowledge the entire country as being a mosaic of different people.

VU: I love that there is a woman of color out there leading a presidential election right now. But realistically, that’s not all that matters. You need to be looking at their policies. You need to be looking at what they’re saying, what they’ve done in the past, if they are actually doing things that support your community.

I know that there are several South Asians who will not be voting for Kamala because they do not agree with her policies. There’s a history of South Asians voting red because of their tax policies. So from my perspective, it doesn’t matter. But I do think it’s very important that we have a woman and a woman of color up on that podium. But why did it take so long and why are we only seeing this now? Why have we been pushing the same kinds of candidates all over again? Why is that what we’re seeing in the media? Why does it have to take a different candidate dropping out for her to come to the forefront?

On the Most Personal Issues in This Election

NG: Two issues most personal for me are each candidate’s stands on climate change — what they’re doing with that and how they’re supporting sustainability initiatives across the country and our place in the world.

And of course, reproductive rights. It doesn’t impact me personally, but I have to think about the legacy that is there. It hurts to see that the younger generation has to struggle to make this decision. This country is about allowing people to make choices that are good for them. And I think taking that fundamental right away is far more hurtful than any other policies that we could be arguing about. I would like for my child to have the option to decide how she lives her life, how she makes her family, and how that family happens for her.

VU: Yeah, I agree reproductive rights are very top of mind. It’s really hard to pick one because there are a lot of issues that are so relevant and urgent that need to be talked about. But just because of the field I’m in, climate change and carbon neutrality are very important to me. More than just pushing clean energy, but climate equity and talking about how these kinds of climate policies may adversely impact some populations, and being honest about the fact that clean energy isn’t for everyone.

Immigration rights are very, very important and very prevalent during this conversation. You’re bringing up candidates’ backgrounds and you have racism in a public, presidential debate and that’s not OK. I think that a productive conversation about that needs to take place and policies that actually help people rather than hurt people need to happen.

On Looking Toward the Future

VU: What hurts is when I see people talking about elections in California. The discourse is not, “I need to go vote.” It’s, “My vote doesn’t matter.” Yes, you are in a historically blue state, but that vote still matters. We have to keep that momentum going towards being an active participant in voting, not just in general and primary elections, but also in state elections.

We have a very important election coming up that is probably going to change not just my life, but my kids’ life and their kids’ lives, right? These kinds of policies around reproductive rights, around climate policy, they don’t change year by year.

NG: It’s working towards a better future. It’s a commitment towards bettering your country, not just for the longevity of that term, but you’re putting in the groundwork, so that others who come after you will be able to continue a positive legacy that allows people to continuously feel proud of that country. And continue to participate in that country, be part of the economy, jobs, and the life that actually shapes it.

VU: I know that my vote will not just go towards my future, but I’m also voting for my kids’ future. I’m 21 and I really realistically should not be thinking about that, but that’s the discourse that’s happening right now. You’re voting for 10, 20, 30 years down the line.

Yerin Kim is the features editor at PS, where she helps shape the vision for special features and packages across the network. A graduate of Syracuse University’s Newhouse School, she has over five years of experience in the pop culture and women’s lifestyle spaces. She’s passionate about spreading cultural sensitivity through the lenses of lifestyle, entertainment, and style.