USA, Canada, Germany -1993 & Mumbai Blast

I was a part of joint team of MECON and Shree Precoated Ltd, Pune to a visit to USA and Canada in March 1993 for evaluation of old mill equipment and to locate vendors for refurbishing as well as for new supplies. I also was required to visit independently Berlin for evaluation of Elpro AG  an erstwhile East German company for tie up or joint venture. We left Bombay with visa stampings for UK, USA, Canada and Germany.

We reached Mumbai then called Bombay on Sunday 14th March just 2 days after infamous bomb blast and while travelling on Monday 15th of March from Hotel Citizen near Juhu Beach  to Our Office in World Trade Centre in Cuffe Parade, Mumbai  we passed Mahim and Air India building and the devastation was quite visible.. remarkably Bombay was up on its feet and moving! We met officials of M/s Shree precoated Ltd at their Fort office and finally after completion  of formalities  got foreign exchange on Sat 19-3-1993 a bank half day working (curtsey good liasoning of local officials with banks) and then left for USA on 20-3-1993. 

Story in pictures below. The pictures are scanned from film camera pictures are are not original digital photos. Excuse me for the quality of pictures. 

In Pittsburgh with NELCO and AEG personnel regarding repair of large motors.

Downtown Pittsburgh and Ohio bridge.

United Office, Pittsburgh (Now Danielli United) 

Parking lot of K-mart the super market near our  Hotel our usual evening past time. Mr K Bhattacharya of M/s Shree Precoated Ltd is 2nd from left.

With Mr Om Sharma of Sherman International in the lobby of our Pittsburgh Hotel. He moved us around Pittsburgh and we visited a grand Vekateshwar Temple with him. We saw a cellular phone he used during the drive for the first time. I still remember idly which we ate as 'prasad' in the temple. Another visit was from Mr Swain (Ex Meconinan) & family. They visited us driving over 600 km to Meet our Mr PC Sahu - wanted us to convince his younger son born is US for agreeing to return to India.

From USA we visited Kelk, Toronto Canada for 2 days. Though Nigara fall was very near, we could not visit, though we visited Niagra falls in 2007 as part of family trip.

In side 553 meter high iconic CN tower at Toronto. The lift moved up with a remarkable speed of 60 kmph. The swinging of tower due to wind was scaring. The tower was highest man made structure that then. 

Lunch in Kelk office. Mr John Michell is on extreme left. 

From Toronto we returned to Pittsburgh and while the team returned to Mumbai / Bombay, I travelled to Berlin via London and Frankfurt for another assignment. I had valid UK Visa but could not go out of Heathrow due to time constraints. 

While taking the British Airways flight to Frankfurt, the airline staff insisted on having my hand baggage as registered bag as it was too big, and hence I reached Frankfurt without any thing in my hand. To kill time I moved from one terminal to another at FF few times and this caught the attention of a security officer who got suspicious hence I had no luggage in hand and I did not look like a bonafide passenger. He  took me to a Lufthansa counter to ascertain my identity. 

Another interesting event happened when I arrived Berlin at 10 PM. As per plan some one from Elpro Ag, Berlin was to receive me at airport to  take me to hotel booked for me. As per Fax I was to arrive their 10 O'clock - evening. Elpro took this as 10 AM and one who came had waited and gone in the morning. I did not even know name of the hotel and other details.  I made several announcements over a public address system available for the passengers.  It did not yield any result and then I used the Hotel Booking electronic board, which as a new thing for me, to book a Hotel my self and went using a taxi. 

My hotel in West Berlin. This was located in side a neighborhood meant for retired people and senior citizens. How ever I was brushed aside when I wanted to help an elderly lady with her grocery. 

At Elpro  testing facility (East Berlin)

Berlin wall west site.

368 m tall Berlin tower,Fernsehturm

Two Germany's had united 3-4 years back but the difference between East and West Berlin was still visible. Affluence in west side Berlin and effect of prolonged communist government in the east side Berlin was evident. The Berlin wall ie Berliner Mauer still existed as tourist attraction. There was gate too.
Two weeks ended with my travel back via Frankfurt. There was some issue of Extra baggage since allowance to-from US was 65 kg & from Europe it was 20 kg. However German speaking Elpro people helped me. As a last hitch had to  pay custom duty at Mumbai for a  VCP purchased in Germany.