Under the direction of the University of Washington Libraries, the South Asian Oral History Project plans to chronicle the history of South Asians in the US in the voices of the immigrants. The Project, launched in 2005 thanks to a grant from former South Asia studies librarian Irene Joshi, preserves these stories in transcripts and interviews that will be available in the library and online through the university.

The interviews cover three waves of immigration between 1950 and 1990. The first two phases of interviews are available to the public, and the complete package is expected by March.

The first phase comprises seven interviews with people from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh who came to the Pacific Northwest just as immigration restrictions were lifted in the 19505. The narrators shared remarkable experiences, like working on the early Apollo launches, joining the Peace Corps, attending the 1962 Seattle World Fair, and being some of the earliest South Asian students at the university.

Set up with the help of the university's South Asian librarian Deepa Banerjee, the second phase recorded experiences of South Asians who arrived between 1965 and 1980. These residents changed the face of work and community in the Seattle area.

The final phase of the Project looks at the 1980's.

Rao Remala, the first South Asian employee at Microsoft, migrated to the Pacific Northwest in 1981.

"As the community gets more integrated into the mainstream," he said, "they'll look back and wonder about the history of the first people who came here. A hundred years from now, people will look back and want to know, 'Why did they come?'"

Immigrants' activities in and around Seattle have ranged from founding music societies like Ragamala, to creating a political voice through organizations like the Indian American Political Advocacy Council. Many tackled social issues affecting the community, illustrated by the founding of organizations like Chaya, which works toward ending domestic violence.

That is largely what motivated Dr Shaila Kode to share her story. Kode, who has lived in the Seattle for 34 years, is an internal medicine specialist at Madigan Army Medical Center at Fort Lewis, Washington. The mother of three successful children, she is also a domestic violence survivor. She wants to encourage other South Asian women who hear her interview to have "patience, determination and confidence at an early stage" and to speak out against domestic violence.

She added, "I have seen younger women dealing with issues in silence partially due to the culture we are raised in. I think the Oral History Project will open up an avenue for them to find [strength] and guidance."

Raj Manhas, former superintendent. Seattle School District, and a 35-year resident of the area, saw his interview in the second phase as a chance for self-exploration.

"Reliving my life in Seattle," he said, "brought out a feeling of deep appreciation for the distance I have traveled and all the support I received from so many generous people in this region," he said. "I hope our stories will help in connecting our community's future with the richness of our past."

A book on the histories collected is to be co-authored by Amy Bhatt, doctoral candidate at the University of Washington and oral historian, and Dr Nalini Iyer, a project advisory board member at Seattle University. It is scheduled for publication in 2011.