Valli Sundaram, a programmer with IBM, goes to the movies dressed in a fine silk sari. Much like a Saturday evening in her hometown of Mysore. Her family snack on samosas and watch Tamil films at a cineplex in Norcross. Though Valli does not drape 6 meters of silk to work, a pottu  and gold bangles and necklaces are permanent accessories  Satellite dishes rising above potted plants on balconies continually transmit desi  programs . While the Sundarams do not download Indian movies from the Internet — like their friends — they tune into the Tamil channel. "Now our children can actually see what we left behind," said Kalyana Sundaram, Valli's husband.

South Asians in Atlanta gather at weddings, festivals and places of worship in addition to sold-out performances by Bollywood film stars. Cricket, curry, candy-coated fennel — it's all here .The Indian tradition of matchmaking a la "Fiddler on the Roof" also is alive and well. The Sundarams hope to arrange marriages for their daughters, Shala, 24, and Viji, 20, neither of whom date. "When they finish their education we will identify possible grooms and do  the background check. The girls will have the final say," explains Kalyana.

 In an attempt to preserve her dialect Valli Sundaram teaches children Tamil at the Hindu Temple in Riverdale. "My daughters speak only Tamil with us and all our relatives — most of them live in Atlanta," she said. "Shala and Viji have also learned Bharatnattyam  and Carnatic music. It is easy to find teachers in Atlanta today."

Immigrants, especially from countries with expanding economies like India, are drawn here for the economic opportunities, but they are less likely to trade their native cultures for the traditional hyphenated-American status that was once the goal of most American immigrants. For full story read Reetika Khanna Nijhawan’s article, ‘Cultural roots thrive in America’, Atlanta Journal Constitution) 

A related piece – ‘When in San Ramon do as Indians do’