Introduction

Namaskar (greetings) everyone!

This is my first post regarding my research for the DADHA Project. The project is a digital historical and contemporary archive of the stretch of Devon Ave east-west from N. Broadway to Kedzie Ave. DADHA essentially traces the histories of the experiences, past and present, of the individuals and communities of Devon Ave. This project is not only a research experience for me, it is also an opportunity for me to show the beauty of this developing neighborhood. I would also like to bring the experiences of the people within the community to light because they are unique and show the hardships and triumphs of immigrants in a large metropolis. I am Indian and Bangladeshi and actually grew up in the Devon area and have very close ties to the Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi community. Within two decades of living in this neighborhood, I have witnessed not only changes in the physical landscape of the area, but also the demographic changes with the migration of many Indo-Pak families to the suburbs of Chicago. The project has several parts and jobs pertaining to it. The tasks that I am assigned to for the following month are to take pictures within the Rogers Park neighborhood, specifically on Devon Avenue and visit the Chicago History Museum. I am also going to attend alderman and chamber of commerce meetings in the following weeks as well.  During my first week, I completed the CITI course. The course took me roughly four hours to complete, but it was well worth it because now I will be able to conduct interviews! I am really looking forward to this aspect of the project. This will enable me to conduct interviews within the Rogers Park neighborhood in the near future.

The picture above was taken by me and it is the north-east corner of Devon Ave and Campbell. This is the typical scene of  Devon with neon signs, posters of the newly-opened stores and remnants of closed down stores. Since one of my tasks is to take pictures of store fronts and people within the community, there will be tons of pictures to come in the future. So please stay tuned!