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SWARN (A SIKH) IN USA - 1950's
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SPEAKING TO VARIOUS GROUPS
TV appearance on two consecutive Sundays has already
been mentioned.
Typical questions at such gatherings used to be:
What are the basic tenets of Sikh Religion?
Details about my family?
How long were my hair and turban?
Would I marry an American?
Do people in India sleep on the streets?
On the political side, there were queries on India and
Indians' attitude towards Britain and Russia.
I cannot resist quoting myself at one gathering when
questioned on broader Indian national issues:
"Freedom brought its complicated problems to India
and the Nation needs time to develop a stable economy.
The average Indian has no grudge against the British.
They left in a very cordial atmosphere. There are as
many British officers there as in the past. He expressed
need for American aid. In speaking of Russia, he said,
'We are not against Russia, but against the political
system there. The Nation needs private investment to
raise its living standard, now regarded as one of the
poorest in the world".
No wonder the local Librarian asked me how come I was
the largest borrower of books on India. I had to learn
about my country in these three years to answer the
variety of questions thrown at me. I made some good
friends who ensured that I was well looked after
socially and otherwise. Moundsville turned out to be too
small a town for me. I decided to shift to a service
apartment in a larger town, Wheeling.
It was with a heavy heart that I left for Europe enroute
to India visiting UK, France Spain, Italy, Greece, and
Egypt. I also got an opportunity to work in Austria for
a couple of months. But that is another story, an
interesting one too.
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