I'm a first generation Indian American (born and raised in the US), but this still felt like a call to arms to me personally, right in the gut. As I'm now enter

I'm a first generation Indian American (born and raised in the US), but this still felt like a call to arms to me personally, right in the gut. As I'm now entering a stage in life where I've really started to ponder the significance of family and lineage, I can't deny that there's a reason behind why I was blessed to have been born in the US: my parents left a life of few means for a foreign country in order to provide for their family members back home. I wouldn't be typing these words if it weren't for their struggles. It's a little odd that, while proudly bearing the "Indian American" label and caring very deeply about the US, I don't give much thought to the very serious issues India is facing right now. Generationally speaking, I'm not even that far removed from India. Maybe I have an existential debt to pay? Regardless, this open letter reaffirmed a notion that has been lingering in the back of my mind for some time: the big problems, the ones truly worth fighting for, can only really be found in places less fortunate. The $64,000 question is whether or not I can cultivate the necessary courage. On another note: the letter also casts an interesting light on the role of elite institutions, or on anyone in a position of power really.