I come from a family split in almost every way. As the daughter of a first-generation Indian American mother and a third-generation Irish American father, I owe my character to a combination of two contrasting cultures. My maternal side, the Jhanjis, value education as the top most priority and encourage me to engage in intellectual conversations. Conversely, my paternal family, the Duffys, see more worth in hard work than formal education and would rather I did not discuss politics at the dinner table. I have always lived with my mom, and consequently, I have developed her family’s values; however, my father has played a significant role in my understanding without judgment of cultures different from my own. He has acted as a bridge between his family’s culture and my mother’s, and in turn, he introduced different perspectives to me as alternative values rather than conflicting sides. My paradoxical upbringing has taught me to value tolerance, education, and intellectual curiosity. I highly regard such characteristics, not because of what I have learned from one side of my family, but because of what both sides have shown me. Not only have my values been shaped by the two halves of my family, but my aspirations have as well. My desire to photograph and capture different people, cultures, and countries stems from my wish to take on the role my father played in my life and apply it to the world. I hope to one day act as a bridge between worlds known and unknown, to engage in various new perspectives, and become the connection for the viewers of my photography.
