Teens showcase Indian community through newsletter

TROY — Local teens are helping to explore and celebrate Michigan’s Indian-American community via the “Little India of Michigan Newsletter.”

The newsletter was founded by Saanvi Saxena and Kai Mastrangel Sood in 2023 when both of them were 15 years old.

Both are juniors in high school, with Saxena attending Troy Athens High School  and Sood attending Shrine Catholic High School in Royal Oak.

The teens met while volunteering at the Detroit Zoo and bonded over recognizing Saxena’s brown suede bag from Patel Brothers, which led to their current friendship.

“We just started talking about what it meant to be Indian,” Sood said.

Saxena and Sood’s pride for their Indian heritage inspired them to start the newsletter as a way to further explore the stories of the Indian-American community in Michigan and beyond.

“It started with just Kai and I and we wanted to expand to use guest writers,” Saxena said. “Giving people the platform to share their stories is most important. We’ve accepted other students’ submissions. It’s mostly teenagers, but it’s definitely open to anyone.”

The newsletters cover a wide variety of topics based around the local Indian culture. This includes topics around cosmetics, food and confectionary businesses, student organizations, and government officials among other subjects.

“We covered a woman’s jashan chocolate business,” Saxena said. “They’re homemade chocolate with flavors like mango incorporated into the chocolate. We learned about her family and how (her) teenage son helps market the business.”

“If we can brighten someone’s day, we’re really, truly celebrating how much thought goes into what they do,” Sood said.

The newsletter is available online, although print versions can be found at various local Hindu temples and Indian businesses.

It has currently grown to over 800 readers and has gained interest with readers outside the Indian community.

“People from school have heard of it, which means our stories are reaching other people,” Saxena said.

After high school, Saxena is interested in becoming a veterinarian and Sood wants to study business law in order to help small businesses. Both are interested in continuing the newsletter after high school.

“We hope new readers see that so much is happening and start acknowledging people and ideas,” Saxena said. “Every single story has value and has taught us a lesson and we hope they’re inspired.”

For more information, visit littleindia.substack.com.