His special contribution was in the field of consolidation of fragmented land and creating an irrigation network, both through canals and tubewells. He did singular service in resettling refugees from East Punjab and during his tenure Punjab made significant progress in creating educational, medical, and other infrastructural facilities. Much of his work in the government was concerned with vital details, the removal of hurdles, the creation of opportunities and the psychology and will for work, and the belief in change.” He held the position for eight years.Īs Professor Harbans Singh says: “First as the Development Minister and then as the Chief Minister, Partap Singh Kairon led Punjab in all-round progress and change. On January 23, 1956, he was sworn in as Chief Minister, and shortly thereafter again in April 1957. From 1947 to 1949, he was a minister in the Gopi Chand Bhargava’s Cabinet and from 1952 to 1956, was a minister in the Bhim Sen Sachar cabinet. Kairon was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Punjab for 26 years. He entered the Punjab Legislative Assembly as an Akali nominee in 1937, defeating the Congress candidate, Baba Gurdit Singh of Sarhali. Kairon joined the Akali Party initially, but later changed over to the Congress and was jailed on three occasions. He started a weekly paper in English, The New Era, from Amritsar on April 13, 1931, that was closed down when he became active in politics. He returned to India in 1929, and for a while pottered around. He also studied and was awarded a Master’s degree in political science by the University of Michigan.ĭuring his stay in the USA, he came in contact with the Ghadar Party activists. He plucked fruit and worked as an industrial worker for the Ford automobile company. Like most immigrants of that time, he had to work hard. Partap Singh did his schooling in the village, and then went to Khalsa College, Amritsar, from where he left for the United States of America in 1919. He founded a Sikh school for girls in his village, Kairon. He was one of the five children of Nihal Singh, a retired soldier who was active with the Singh Sabha movement and was a pioneer of women’s education. Partap Singh was born on October 1, 1901, in Kairon village. As for the books, Uncle Tom’s Cabin still remains my favourite.”īut then Kairon was not someone you could slot easily. Pat came the answer: “Abraham Lincoln, Lenin, Tilak, Gandhi, Patel and Nehru. Khushwant Singh recollects when he asked Kairon the question about what men and which books had the most influence on him. Kairon, his appearance notwithstanding, was quite cosmopolitan. The foreign correspondents should not have been so surprised. This was one of the anecdotes that Sardar Hukam Singh, a former Speaker of the Lok Sabha, often narrated. At the end of the meet, one reporter got up and said: “We have been asking ourselves ‘Who after Nehru?’ Well, we have received an answer today.” At the press conference, the confident Kairon spoke in English with an American accent. People wondered how he would address the foreign reporters. There was some of sniggering - Kairon was not known for his sartorial elegance or urban sophistication. Foreign journalists had been invited by the State government and were told that the Chief Minister of Punjab, Sardar Partap Singh Kairon, would address a press conference. The occasion - the inauguration of the Bhakra Dam. Sardar Partap Singh Kairon was born on October 1, 1901 Kairon: Punjabi dynamism, American accent, lasting legacy
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