Bardu Ali for South Asian American Digital Archive2024
From Hooghly to Harlem is an illustration commissioned by the South Asian American Digital Archive for their Spotlight series. This was inspired by the story of Bardu Ali—a jazz musician, promoter, and emcee credited for recognizing the talent of Ella Fitzgerald—and his father’s journey "From Hooghly to Mississippi to Harlem," as written in Vivek Bald’s essay for Our Stories. The artwork highlights the different places in his father’s journey from Hooghly to Harlem, including periods in New Orleans and Waveland, Mississippi.

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All work is © Kruttika Susarla unless stated otherwise.