Jatin Mehta

Jatin Mehta immigrated from Mumbai, India in 1975. Trained as a civil engineer in India, he had first come to the U.S. as a student, getting his M.B.A. from the University of Bridgeport and working in a financial investment firm. He returned to India, but then came back to the U.S. a few years later, and became a citizen in 1977. His sisters and parents later immigrated to the United States also, and his children and grandchildren have grown up here.  He is involved with Rotary and also serves on the boards of the YMCA and the Connecticut Institute for Refugees and Immigrants.  

On migrating to America: 

[Originally] I had no interest in migrating to this country; actually we were a new country after our independence from the British.  There were so many needs there that even as I was graduating from engineering, my aspirations were to do something there.  

My roots are sunk.  My one son was born in India but the other son was born here.  My parents followed, so my side of the family all of them came...  

Everything that I have is because of Bridgeport.  My American son, my American-born son, was born in Bridgeport, my first and only job was in Bridgeport, my first house was in Bridgeport. I always felt I always that I owed a lot to Bridgeport, Connecticut, and the United States.  Society was very nice to me, very generous, and that is my history.  That is my story.  

On giving back:

I felt obligated to give back to the society so I became heavily involved with the Bridgeport Rotary Club...My club and this Indian [Rotary] club got together and we provided smart boards to each and every class in Wilbur Cross School! So, it was a $60-$70,000 project! And bulk of the money came from abroad to Bridgeport! [...] And what is most gratifying to me, that an Indian club sent the money, too! So, this is what open borders cooperation does. And as an immigrant, I am very proud that we were able to do this project. if we are open-hearted, then lots of such things can be. This country, in my opinion […] is still the greatest country in the world. I’m very proud of India, very proud of Indian achievement, but USA is USA!  

I am a big part of the Indian community and its activities, including a folk dance festival that we do once a year for 40 plus years.  It’s a most colorful event with all the Indians and now some of the non-Indians also participate. Our children have now become part of the melting pot so their American born spouses also come. 

Adjusting to American society:

Coming from India to here requires a lot of adjustments. First, example I can give you, I told you I grew up in that community of 400 tenements. So there were so many neighbors and people around, and privacy was not even considered important, people just mixed. Now here, apartments and houses are far away. I just step out of my house during my golden childhood, and I would have 10-20 kids eager and waiting for me to play. Here, oh, you have to go to effort to bring the two children together so they can make what is called "play date." Never heard of that!  

I am vegetarian, so plus I like Indian food. [In the 1970s,] we used to go from Bridgeport to Manhattan, you know Canal Street, there was one store run by Jews, and God bless them, and they would sell Indian spices and Indian things there. So that was an adjustment.  

In my opinion, the success of this country, the best in the world, is because of its immigration policies, stated and otherwise over the years. And most good countries, powerful countries in the world, are somewhat open in their immigration policies, and I hope the pendulum will again swing in that direction.