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PROFESSIONAL VISITS
Summer job provided useful visits to mines which in turn helped build contacts with industry. During one such visit to Ohio, Swarn was offered a job. Although in India, Sikhs are exempt from wearing safety helmet, we decided to comply by the local laws. Swarn's Professor wanted him to take up research on explosives which was declined as it was felt it would not be of help in the Indian job market on return. Instead Swarn did his research on coal cutting machines which did away with explosives. As fate would have it, on return, Swarn joined ICI, a British Multinational, in their Explosives Division. Fate is supreme.



HE WALKS AT NITE!
At the Mining Show in Cleveland, Oh, as a Sikh Swarn was quite a star attraction. All display booths would want a photo opportunity with the turbaned guy including "Coal Beauty Queen". There was interest by Mining Equipment Manufacturers to sell their machines to India and to set up local manufacture. India was of interest to the Americans but was considered a difficult market due State ownership of industry. But all agreed that India, one day, would be a large market. This cartoon was drawn by an artist in Cleveland and the caption speaks of how intrigued they were of a turban.


FAR REACHING CHARM – MISS CLAIRE ANN CARNEY, 1958 “PENNSYLVANIA COAL BEAUTY QUEEN” AND SWARN, A SIKH FROM INDIA.