Letters from Readers
Tribute: My warm memories of Ratan Tata (1937-2024)
In the early 1960s, I was residing at the Engineers Hostel in Jamshedpur (India). One day I was waiting for a taxi at the hostel gate to transport me to my job at the TELCO factory that produced Mercedez- Benz trucks. Suddenly, an imported Impala stopped and the owner asked me to get in. He said he would take me to the factory. I had trouble opening the car door, but he patiently leaned over and opened it for me. The owner was Ratan Tata, a handsome young man of my age and heir to the richest family in India. He introduced himself and then asked my name. When he dropped me off at my section of the factory, the manager and all my bosses came running out with folded hands and saluted him. Mr. Tata said that, for the next week, he would give me a ride from the Engineers Hostel to the factory. He would eat breakfast with me every day and drop me off. His actions with an ordinary employee showed what a down-to-earth and generous person he was. I still remember his kindness to this day. Ratan Tata passed away on October 10, 2024, in Mumbai, India, and I was very saddened after reading the news. RIP, Ratan Tata.
Bal K. Gupta
Atlanta, GA
Our presidential choice reveals who we are as a nation
Thank you for your excellent editorial (“The Two Presidential Choices Are Miles Apart,” October issue) on the choices facing the nation in the 2024 presidential election.
There is something fundamental in this presidential election that goes beyond party politics or policy differences between the candidates. The candidate we elect will reveal to the world who we are as a nation. Starting from the rejection of the 2020 election results, former President Trump has unequivocally exposed his true character in the last four years. Regardless, there are segments of the population who will vote for the former president for their own reasons. One has to accept that reality. However, there is a significant number of erstwhile Republican (and independent) voters whose conscience will not allow them to vote for the former president because it is just wrong for the character of the nation. Republican leaders such as Liz Cheney, Dick Cheney, and Adam Kinzinger have eloquently stated their reasons for rejecting the former president and endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris. There are many more highly respected and influential Republican leaders, including former President George W. Bush and Senator Mitt Romney, who have not endorsed the former president but have stopped short of endorsing the vice president. I hope such leaders will be forthcoming in stating to fellow Americans their reasons for not endorsing the former president. That would have such an impact on the outcome of this election.
Prof. Kishore Ramachandran
College of Computing – Georgia Tech Atlanta, GA
More comments on the 2024 presidential election
For years I have had veneration for my Indian parents and my aunties and uncles for their incredible resilience, strength, and courage. They left everything behind and moved to a foreign country to have a better life for themselves, their families, and their future children. They endured racism, loneliness, judgment, alienation—and yet they persevered and built their homes here. The America they moved to in the 1970s was by no means perfect. However, it was a country that held the promise of freedom and opportunity. Here they built beautiful communities with deep friendships. I grew up learning their stories and being instilled with the values of caring for elders, respecting our communities, and treating others with respect.
That is why it’s such a shock to see some of those same Indians now voting for a country where their children are denied reproductive rights, are robbed of religious freedoms, have had environmental protections gutted, Social Security benefits threatened, and racism and bigotry celebrated. All the result of a Trump presidency, this will only get worse under a second Trump presidency backed by Project 2025’s Christian-nationalist policies. Have they forgotten what it was like to be teased and attacked for wearing their saris and turbans? Have they forgotten the pain of alienation? Have they forgotten that they moved here to create better lives for their children? If they have it in their hearts to remember why they moved here, it’s not too late to take a stand. Either they can tear down everything they worked so hard for by voting for the worst parts of our country in Donald Trump or they can vote for Kamala Harris whose platform is based on restoring the country which they moved here for.
As Kamala Harris said, “The American dream belongs to all of us.”
Sona Sood
Atlanta, GA
Dear Fellow Desis: We have a lot at stake in its outcome. I came to this country as a 21-year-old and was afforded the finest of higher education opportunities. Following that I had a long and meaningful career in healthcare and hospital administration. At every step of the way, I was never challenged about my national origin, the color of my skin, or my religion. I believe that this is true of most of our desi community.
Donald Trump and his MAGA followers and the infamous Project 2025 could potentially stifle any future contributions that our community could make to the nation by negatively impacting immigration. During his time in office, Trump spoke about the possibility of “denaturalizing” naturalized citizens for reasons that were obscure. Stephen Miller— remember that name?—was one of Trump’s most trusted advisors on immigration policy. He has a well-known hatred of anyone who is non-white—i.e., people who look like you and me! He was and will again be the architect of restricting every type of legal immigration imaginable.
Vijay KumarRevathi A-Davidson
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Interested in writing for Khabar?
Writers are invited to contact us at editor@khabar.com for submission guidelines. Please include links and/or attach copies of published articles, if any, as samples of your work. A review of our back issues online will give you a good idea of what we like to publish. Pitches or unsolicited articles that haven’t appeared elsewhere are welcome as well. If there is further interest, Khabar will respond with an offer or provide more information on our requirements.
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Note: Views expressed in the Letters section do not necessarily represent those of the publication.
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