Kala Bagai was born on April 15, 1893, in Amritsar, British India, into a Sikh family. She married Vaishno Das Bagai, who was from a Hindu family. After their marriage, they moved to Peshawar, where they had three sons: Brij, Madan, and Ram. In 1915, seeking a better life and an escape from colonial oppression, the Bagai family immigrated to the United States when Kala was 22 years old.
Upon their arrival in San Francisco, the Bagais were among the few South Asian families who immigrated together during that time. Like many Asian immigrants, they were detained at Angel Island for several days, questioned by authorities before being allowed to begin their new life. While Vaishno spoke English, Kala did not. She quickly adapted, learning English with the help of a local German family, all while raising her children in a completely unfamiliar country.
Some of what we know about Kala Bagai’s life comes from an oral history interview she gave in 1982, where she recounted her experiences. One of the most painful memories she shared was her family’s attempt to move to Berkeley in 1917. After purchasing a home in the city, they arrived only to find that their neighbors had barred the doors, refusing to let them in because of their race. Concerned for her children’s safety, Kala and her husband decided to leave Berkeley and return to San Francisco, deeply hurt by the racism they faced.
Their struggles didn’t stop there. In 1923, a U.S. Supreme Court decision revoked Vaishno’s U.S. citizenship, along with many other South Asian immigrants, depriving them of the right to own property or run businesses. This loss drove Vaishno into despair, and in 1928, he took his own life in a hotel room in San Jose. Kala, left to raise their three sons on her own, persevered. Despite not having citizenship herself, she ensured that all three of her children went on to attend college.
In 1934, Kala remarried Mahesh Chandra, an old family friend from Berkeley, and moved to Southern California, where she became a key community-builder in the early South Asian immigrant community. She organized cultural events, welcomed new immigrants, and worked to build bridges between Indian and American society. Her efforts earned her the affectionate title of “Jhaiji” within the community.
Kala Bagai passed away in 1983 at the age of 90. While Vaishno Das Bagai’s story is often better known, Kala’s perseverance as a community builder, experience facing both neighborhood and institutional racism, and unique position as an early South Asian American immigrant woman have drawn increasing attention from Asian American scholars.