Sikh parents raised us to be strong, says Haley

United Nations, April 4

Nikki Haley, the tough-talking and blunt US Ambassador to the UN, has said she was raised by her Sikh parents to be “strong”. Haley, 45, brought up her Indian heritage while addressing a press conference after assuming the role of president of the Security Council for April.

On her qualities of being able to speak freely and openly, Haley said: “Every position that I have ever had, people have assumed that I’m looking towards something bigger when in reality I’m the daughter of Indian parents who said to me ‘whatever you do be great at it and make sure people remember you for it’. That is all I am trying to do,” Haley said.

“That is all I have ever known how to be is to try and just do my job to the best of my ability and if that comes out blunt and if that comes out strong — I’m one of two brothers and a sister — my parents raised us all to be strong,” she said.

Haley was born Nimrata Randhawa to Ajit Singh Randhawa and mother Raj Kaur Randhawa, who had emigrated from Punjab to Canada and then to the US in the 1960s. — PTI