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How we made Thanksgiving our own: Blending Indian roots with American traditions
For many of our guests, it’s their first taste of Indian-style Thanksgiving — and they love it!
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Sunny Reddy - Sun, 23, Nov 2025
- 00:00 EST
- 8
Sunny Reddy and his wife Sirisha and daughter Neha. / Sunny Reddy
Thanksgiving has become one of the most special traditions for our family here in Michigan — a day when we pause to count our blessings, share a meal with loved ones, and blend the best of Indian warmth with American gratitude.
Our morning begins with motion. My wife, Sirisha, our daughter, Neha, and I lace up our shoes for the Mighty Gobbler 5K Run — a local Thanksgiving race that’s now a family ritual. It’s our way to start the day with laughter, fitness, and togetherness. On our way home, we stop to drop off food donations for local shelters — a small act of seva that reminds us to give back before we gather.
Once home, the real celebration begins in the kitchen. Sirisha takes charge, turning our Thanksgiving meal into a beautiful fusion of East and West. The turkey, of course, gets a desi twist — marinated overnight with yogurt, ginger-garlic paste, turmeric, red chili, and garam masala. Alongside it, there’s fragrant biryani, paneer tikka, spiced cranberry chutney with cumin and green chilies, and roasted vegetables with an Indian touch. Dessert is another fusion story — pumpkin pie sits alongside gulab jamun and sweet potato halwa.
By afternoon, our home fills with guests — friends, neighbors, and a few international students who can’t make it home for the holidays. It’s a diverse gathering that reflects our Indian-American life: conversations flow in English, Hindi, and Telugu; the kids play while adults swap stories about both Diwali and Detroit winters. For many of our guests, it’s their first taste of Indian-style Thanksgiving — and they love it!
Before we eat, we take a quiet moment of reflection. Each person shares something they’re thankful for — family, friends, health, opportunity. For me, it always goes back to my roots. My parents were farmers in India, and they taught me that true success isn’t about what you earn — it’s about what you give back. Their lessons guide everything I do, whether in business, community service, or public life.
Sometimes, Thanksgiving and Diwali come close together on the calendar. When that happens, we light a small diya near the dining table — a reminder that gratitude and light are universal. One celebrates thankfulness; the other, hope. Together, they tell the story of how we blend two cultures beautifully.
As the evening winds down, we pack up leftovers — turkey with biryani, pie with halwa — and send everyone home with full hearts and fuller plates. Later, after the guests leave, Sirisha, Neha, and I sit together, talk about the day, and share one last moment of quiet thanks.
That’s Thanksgiving for us — family, food, friendship, and faith — all wrapped in the warmth of two homelands we call our own.
(The author is an entrepreneur, community leader, and elected Member of the Wayne State University Board of Governors. He also serves as Treasurer of the Michigan Republican Party.)
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