SYRACUSENY: For the Chima family of Camulus, Syracuse it was a great occasion as three generations of the family took the oath of allegiance, this July and became U.S. citizens, Sardar Balwant Singh, father of Jasbir, Gessie) Chima had a long cherished desire to become an American citizen way back in the early 1900s when his father Mehar Singh had come to the USA as a farm worker, Balwant Singh was accepted as a student in the University of California, Berkeley. However, due to family obligations he was not able to join the University. However, his son Jasbir Singh was able to come to the U.S. in 1967 after studying in the Wayne State University in Michigan became a Mechanical engineer. He go this first job with the Ford Motor Co, and became a citizen in 1973. Now Jessie Chima at 50 is a methods and improvement analyst for Materials Control at the Niagara Mohawk, the biggest electricity producing utility company in New York. He is a devout Sikh and a father of three boys. Sardar Balwant Singh Chima came to the USA in 1985 along with his wife Sardarni Pritam Kaur, (she passed away in 1990). In India he was part owner of the ‘Guru Nanak Electrical Works’ an engineering firm in Phagwara, near Jallundar. He still retains the family house there. Robin Cheema, Jessie’s wife along with sons Shaan 12 and John 11 were the members of the family who were swom as citizens of this great land. Robin is senior social worker for the Onondaga Country and has a Master’s degree in Social Work. S.Balwant Singh, affectionately called ‘Papaji’ by the family members spends his time taking long walks, gardening and keeping up correspondence with friends and relatives who still live in Punjab. His ancestral village is Sikanderpur, in Jallandur district of Punjab in Doaba region. Now the family lives in Camulus, the suburbs of Syracuse, New york. Jessie Chima has worked for all the three boys Auto Giants of the USA during his career, was sent on deputation India in 1978 to look after the Ford Tractor plant in Faridabad; he returned to the USA in 1982 . The eldest son of Jessie and Robin is Navjeet22, who is on his final year of Collage and intends to join law School after graduation. Speaking to the World Sikh News, Jessie Chima said, ours is a devoted Sikh family. We have great faith in our, “Guru Granth Sahib Jee ‘and we thank Waheguru for his bounty.”

Article extracted from this publication >>  September 24, 1993