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This is fresh air.

I'm Dave Davies.

You might know our guest Ali Velshi from his work on MS NBC, where he's chief correspondent

and a regular presence, hosting his own weekend show

called Velshi and filling in frequently for the network's prime time anchors.

He also hosts the Velshi Band Book Club on MS NBC and a podcast of the same name.

Velshi has written a new memoir, and it's mostly not about his career in journalism.

It's a remarkable family history which begins in a village in

India in the 19th century and winds over the generations through South Africa, Kenya,

Canada, and eventually the United States.

His ancestors' travels were driven by powerful currents of history, and its members encountered

some notable figures on the journey.

Felch's grandfather, for example, could be found as a little boy riding on the shoulders

of Mahatma Gandhi, part of a relationship that would have a lasting impact on the generations

to follow.

Velshi's book is a compelling narrative about a family in the Indian diaspora and reflection

on the meaning of citizenship in its many forms.

Besides his work on MS NBC, Velshi is a weekly economics

contributor to NPR's here and now. He spent years reporting on business and

...