Ratan Tata: A Life Settling at Cornell (An Excerpt)

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Ratan Tata joined Cornell University in September 1955 to study mechanical engineering. This marks the beginning of his student life at Cornell and sets the stage for his early experiences as an inter…

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Alpha Sigma Phi was the fraternity Ratan Tata joined at Cornell. A fraternity is a social organisation for male college students, and it became an important part of his college life and friendships.

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Philip Handler, also called Phil Handler, was Ratan Tata’s junior from the BArch 1964 batch. He researched Ratan Tata’s college life in detail and made the film Ratan '59: The Cornell Story. He also d…

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He faced problems because he was an Indian student with dark skin in a society that was not very accepting of people of colour in the 1950s. Some people were biased, so he had to adjust to both cultur…

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One fraternity member stood up and said that Ratan was a great guy, and that influenced the others. This shows how personal support and fair judgment can challenge bias.

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He was assigned a room in the sixth block of the Rockledge fraternity building, next to the dorm counsellor Dick Barger. This close placement affected his daily experience in the dormitory.

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Dick Barger was the dorm counsellor at Rockledge and Ratan Tata’s neighbour. He described himself as both a policeman and helper. His presence made Ratan feel watched, which added to his anxiety.

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The first week was scary for him because everything felt unfamiliar. He had to adjust to a new environment, a strict dorm system, a watchful counsellor, and a large university that felt impersonal.