DI Families: Meet the Vattis!
This week we sat down to talk with the Vatti family in their apartment on Seven Farms Drive. We met dad, Sarat, a VP of Strategic Accounts with ValueLabs, a technology partner of Benefitfocus; mom, Mary Sushma Gopu, a former assistant professor of management studies; and daughters Varshitha and Dedeepya, in 5th grade and kindergarten, respectively, at the Daniel Island School. As is customary in India, we were invited to stay and enjoy a traditional, delicious (and spicy!) Indian meal of curried chicken Sambhar (a lentil soup), Biryani (rice cooked with spices), Chicken Tandoori (an Indian version of fried chicken), white rice, a mix of cooked vegetables, Raitha, a special yogurt and Roti, a popular Indian bread.
Where are you from originally? How did you end up in the Charleston area, specifically on Daniel Island?
Sarat Vatti (SV): We are from Hyderabad, a city in southern India, known as “The City of Pearls,” because of all the pearl trading there centuries ago. Our families have been living in and around that city for many generations. Mary and I have been married about 14 years. It was an arranged marriage, which is customary in India. In India, marriage is a coming together of families and not just two individuals where you both learn about each other and your families and make a life together.
As for coming here - I have been to Charleston - and Daniel Island, among other cities in the US, several times over the past seven years, for work. My company offered a long-term assignment here; I felt it was a good opportunity for my family to see another part of the world. Of course, we chose Daniel Island to be close to work, at the Benefitfocus offices. But, also, I had seen the quality of life here on the island and I knew it would be the right choice for my family. I have been all across the U.S. and have never felt more welcome. This is the perfect place to raise a family.
Mary Sushma Gopu (MG): Moving here was also an opportunity for us to spend time together as a family. With my husband traveling for long periods of time for work, it was hard on the children.
When we arrived here on Daniel Island, about 14 months ago, it felt amazing. I just fell in love with the place. So much water around us, greenery, parks, clean air, scenic beauty! Hyderabad is an inland city, so we don’t see the ocean. And everyone here was welcoming, especially the women at St Clare of Assisi!
Varshitha Vatti (VV): We were excited to move here!
Dedeepya Vatti (DV): I wasn’t. I didn’t want to leave India. I didn’t want to leave my friends.
Can you tell me something more about India and its diversity?
MG: India is a big, very diverse country with 5000 plus years of history. It is actually called a subcontinent, with 29 different states, most with a different spoken, written language and customs. In Hyderabad, we speak our state language, Telugu, as well as Hindi, the national language and English. We speak Telugu at home to preserve the language for the children.
It’s also a country of many religions and cultures (we call it Unity in Diversity) like Hinduism, Muslim, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism, among others. Two percent of the Indian population is Christian. Christianity, and Catholicism, had been brought to India generations ago. Not just by the British, who colonized us, but other explorers before them. We are Roman Catholic and go to St. Clare of Assisi here on the island.
Do your names have any specific meaning?
MG: Yes, Sushma, my middle name in Sanskrit (ancient Indian language) stands for “beautiful flower.” My husband’s name means the season “fall,” Varshitha means “rain showers” and Dedeepya means “lots of light.”
Where do you like to hang out on Daniel Island - and off the island as well?
VV: We like to go to the parks to play. Etiwan Park, Center Park and Turtle Park (Daniel Island Children’s Park). I love to watch the crabs running around and spend time near the water at the Turtle Park.
SV: Off Island, we like to go to the Isle of Palms, downtown is another favorite place for the family to hang out. Kids love to go to the arcades and other fun places around Charleston.
What restaurants do you enjoy going to?
SV: We like Orlando’s, Wasabi, Dragon Palace, Agaves and trying restaurants on Shem Creek. We have gone to a few Indian restaurants in Charleston, although we prefer the ones in Columbia, Persis, that’s more authentic. We’d really like to see a good Indian restaurant come to Charleston.
Do you prefer to eat out - or stay in and cook meals?
MG: We prefer to cook meals at home. We have more control of the quality of traditional Indian meals that way. My mother often sends me special spices that we can’t find here.
Have you tried any Southern American foods that you like?
MG: I love grits.
SV: Fried chicken.
VV: Bacon and cereal.
What has surprised you here in America?
MG: I wouldn’t say surprised but few things needed getting adjusted to, like driving on the other side of the road, getting used to the culture, food, how we dress up. I am also used to having a lot of help for household work in India, but here you have to do most of the things yourself.
SV: I am surprised by how fast Daniel Island - and Charleston in general, is growing. There are so many more people, businesses and traffic on the island now. But that shows growth of the community and an opportunity for more businesses to come to the island.
VV: I was surprised by how many ways school is different. In India, I was studying the Indian Revolution, but here I’m studying the American Revolution. Also, I like some of the activities at my school like the community crusaders program, Girl Scouts etc. I love my new chrome book they gave me at school.
SV: On the subject of schools, I should add that I would like to see some kind of orientation for families from other countries to introduce our children to the classroom culture here, how teachers teach and how students learn. The transition to the school here was difficult for the girls initially. It’s a brand new culture, a new way of learning, of doing things. An orientation would help to ease their way into the system.
Do you take any day trips or overnight trips away from the area?
SV: We’ve gone to Atlanta, Orlando, Raleigh, Washington DC, New Jersey and New York. Mary has family in Long Island. We like going to Columbia some weekends to watch an Indian movie and buy Indian groceries.
VV: I like going to New York because I have a cousin there and we have a really good time together.
Do you have any special traditions that you celebrate?
MG: On October 30th, it was the Festival of Lights, or Diwali. This festival celebrates the victory of good over evil. Lights are up everywhere! All kinds, from candles to Christmas-style lighting. And firecrackers, too. Festivals tend to be very bright and colorful in India. Also Rakhi, every August, is a ritual that celebrates the special bond between a brother and sister. And then there’s Holi, in March, where everyone splashes a brightly colored powder on one another but no one is allowed to complain. At the end of the day, everyone and the streets are all covered in bright colors.
Music, food and dance are very much a part of our culture, an important part of every celebration. So all the families and friends come together to celebrate.
Do you have any Vatti family traditions?
MG: With all the various Indian festivals and family celebrations, there’s no time for any others. Family celebrations are a big part of our tradition; the whole family gets together to celebrate key phases throughout the life of an individual or the family.
If you could describe life on Daniel Island in a few words, what would they be?
SV: Welcoming. Daniel Island is a perfect place to raise a family. We are glad to be here.
MG: Peaceful. Calm.