In the early days of the Iron Range immigrants from more than 50 countries came to area for mining, logging and support industries. India was not then among those countries. This past week India took center stage for a special regional conference and cultural program called “Focus on India” at Hibbing Community College. This comes after an Indian company Essar Steel announced it would invest $1.6 billion on the Iron Range in in a mine and steel plant in Nashwauk. The dynamic of this cultural exchange is noticeably different than the immigrant experience of the early 1900s. Essar is sending an Indian management and engineering team, not laborers.
Melissa Cox of the Hibbing Daily Tribune was there and wrote this story that ran Friday.
Lee Bloomquist at Iron Range Resources’ Rangeview blog wrote up this item and features a short video that explains the event and a cursory review of the Essar deal.
Watching modern Iron Rangers attempt cultural awareness is still a little awkward but it’s good to see the effort. India stands to grow by economic leaps and bounds in the next century and a warm relationship between the Range and India stands to benefit everyone involved. The only question left on the table is how the bad economy is affecting the Essar project. So far, so good we are still being told. Essar’s officials were all over this event which gives the impression they are serious about their presence on the Range.
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