The Second Generation

In this episode, I sit down with Hazel Hunter, a young South Asian woman of Indian background. We met in my apartment and had a conversation about her experience of coming out to her Indian parents as a lesbian in her early 20s. In this episode, Hazel describes how she came out to her parents and how the dynamic between her and her parents has changed over the years. Hazel also talks about finding (and creating!) LGBTQ+ spaces for South Asians and allies in Toronto. Last but not least, we touch on themes around mental health, and Hazel shares her experience of being diagnosed with bipolar disorder and how she has learned to fully embrace all aspects of her identity through things like yoga and mindfulness.

This episode is about the gentrification of what used to be Little India, or Gerrard India Bazaar in Toronto.  

I share my experiences growing up in Toronto in the 1990s and 2000s, and how Gerrard India Bazaar was a central meeting space. The area was a dynamic, bustling enclave of shops that catered to South Asian immigrants living in Toronto, including the very first Bollywood theatre in all of North America – the Naaz Theatre. This neighbourhood was a central meeting space for South Asian immigrants who were craving a piece of home in a foreign environment. It was a place where friendships, love, and community was created.   

The episode explores how the area has changed over the years due to gentrification and other factors, and shows the perspective of a local shopkeeper (owner of “Desi Burgers” store) who has run her family business in Little India for 24 years. We conclude with discussion about the increase in rent in Toronto, the impact it’s having on mom and pop shops like hers, and how Little India is slowly disappearing and disaggregating, along with the vibrant community it hosted for so many decades.

This is a story about how my first language was Urdu, and how I learned English as a 3 and a half year old…It’s also a story about how teaching me English backfired a little, and how my parents forced me to retain the ability to speak Urdu. 

While growing up I resented getting in trouble for something as silly as not speaking Urdu at home, this relatively minor effort that my parents made gave me a gift that allows me to access a whole other world.