DescriptionThis interview was conducted as part of the New Jersey Historical Commission Grant-funded Multi-Ethnic Oral History Project. The interviewee is Mr. Upendra Chivukula who is from southern India. He came to the United States in 1974 to go to graduate school at City University of New York City. Mr. Chivukula discusses his life growing up in India and the village he lived in. Mr. Chivukula is married to a Cuban American and discusses the differences in their cultures. He was mayor of Franklin Township in 2000, and then became the first Asian-Indian member of the New Jersey Legislature in 2002. The interview also delves into his political upbringing and views; and also his stand on civil rights for the Asian-American community.