Echoes of Home
Placemaking by and for Bhutanese Refugees in the Midwest
Placemaking by and for Bhutanese Refugees in the Midwest
Interviews: Rojika Sharma | Artwork: Bikash Rai
The gathered interviews highlight community members who are actively involved in creating spaces for Bhutanese people in Central Ohio. It features community organizers, artists, educators, business owners, and elders. These conversations reveal the complexities of their migration journey–including the intersections of gender, age, education, socio-economic status, and an evolving South Asian American identity. The stories delve into themes of displacement, memory, home, resettlement and future aspirations, highlighting the resilience and determination of Bhutanese refugees as they establish their place in the Midwest. This project is dedicated to Bhutanese refugee diaspora, those who have felt their stories have not been heard.
Thank you to Bikash Rai whose artwork vividly captures each theme and story.
Sita
“At some point I always wanted to go back. Like leave the U.S. and go back, but I didn’t have a place to go. Even though we were Nepali, we had the Nepali originality, the Nepal government never gave us citizenship. Still some people are over there.”
Sudarshan Pyakurel
“The cycle of trauma that is happening in the community needs to come to an end. And my hope is that if we are able to open a relationship with Bhutan, allow people to go back to Bhutan, address the refugee crisis for those that didn’t get a chance to come. If we could finally dismantle the refugee camp and we achieve the right to go to Bhutan whenever we wanted to visit and meet our family members despite what happened in the past, I think this will end to some extent the cycle of trauma and violence. And that is my last hope.”
Ram Sundash
“When we lived in Nepal, we lived in the camps for 18 years and for 15 years out of the 18 I gave my volunteer services to my community. I did what I could and others were able to make a living and now the people that I taught are in many different countries. Seeing them do good and make a good living makes me happy.”
Priya Chhetri
“My mom is always cooking…she will say this is how my mom used to cook and make them for us and I grew up watching her and I think that really influenced the way I am in terms of food.”
Yogita Khanal Timsina
“When we came here it was totally different. Life is very different here, it is way better than what I expected. I never thought that I would have a full time dance class.”
Mani Biswa
“When we came to the U.S. you know this religious freedom was one of the best things I ever experienced. Nobody can tell you why you go to church, nobody can tell you what you do at church.”
Tika Acharya
Tika presents a heartfelt poem in honor of the mother and child who lost their life.
Uma Acharya
“Community means where I belong…people moved in here just for the community because we are able to give that in a safe and secure place…for me it’s home and I feel very safe here.”
Rojika Sharma (she/they) is an organizer, artist and a graduate student of geography at The Ohio State University–within her studies she is working to map and answer questions related to identity and cultural movements. As a former refugee, Rojika has engaged and led projects centered around art, mental health advocacy, and fundraisers to support the refugee and immigrant population in Central Ohio. Rojika's fellowship project will focus on the Bhutanese-Nepali community in Central Ohio, where she will gather stories in connection to land practices, attachment to place, and aspiration of community spaces. She hopes her project will highlight narratives of South Asian refugees living in the midwest and contribute to the larger conversations of South Asian Americans.
The Archival Creators Fellowship Program is made possible with support from The Institute of Museum & Library Services.
The Archival Creators Fellowship Program is made possible with support from The Institute of Museum & Library Services.