So extending my maniac day trip culture to outside India, I did what counts in my books as a day trip to Dubai last week. First the rants :
1. No, not all people flying to "gulf" are malayalees...so don't assume I speak/ understand the language
2. So you probably got your job as an office in the customs department through reservation, bribing or sheer luck.....so if you don't understand what investment banking is and why I need to spend only a day in various countries after flying for hours together, its not my fault....its an existential question I ask myself too, but that doesn't absolve you of your dumbness
3. No, just because your bag is overloaded and mine isn't, I will not agree to carry your liquor and duty free stuff for you...yes we are all sons of the great mother India, but there ends our brotherhood...
4. And please someone tell me how can I break the jinx of sitting very close to a baby which feels like bawling every time I am desperate for sleep on a airplane? I love kids, and all that but please please please....
Ok now back to what I wanted to say....
It amazes me how the city has changed, I was there 2 years ago and boy it looks different. Billions ( trillions? don't think) of dollars have been invested and it shows. As my local contact said, Dubai offers western lifestyle, Indian culture, Arab belief in some things and proximity to India...better to stay there than in India...Has the downturn affected it, yes it has, you can feel it, but I am a believer in the sense that capital gets reallocated and infrastructure gets used - let others have access to it...and I think Dubai will go that way too....it will be back to its path to glory sooner than all of us scenario builders see it...
But the shock of completely illiterate/ low educated Indians going there in hope, the anticipation of redemption from a life of no hope in India to a better future, the knowledge that it might be back breaking work but visit home is just 2-3 years away and the scene back home will show the results of the hard work keep people going. Those last phone calls from the aero bridge, plane seat,the looks at the immigration stamp, the looks given to that boarding pass...I didn't realise what was a 4 hour trip for was a life changer to a lot of people...make it lot more back home who were related to those people....
On the return leg - the emotions were different - frantic buying at duty free, stuff for everyone without burning too much of the cash which can buy more back home, the 2 weeks/ months planned at home...it was a melee of emotions..
I found it very interesting, the range of human emotions, a cacophony of languages - the underlying thoughts seemed same. I was a snob in bits, the rants emerge from there, but as a person who has seen middle class life, I could not help but identify with some of those emotions. Have we failed as a country to educate this mass, create options to earn a decent living while living with loved ones, the quality of life .... but then those are questions I don't/cant/ want to answer...I am running my own race...
Narayan murthy, the Infosys founder, once said that it takes the sacrifice of a generation to uplift a family's standard of living, I would also add education and luck to that mix but I think what I saw was a plane load full of people who had sacrificed the happiness that proximity to family brings, the joy of being with people like you, walking the same streets with your kid as the ones you did with your parent to ensure the quality of life goes up for everyone....It was hope that one day you will return to what you love and this is a means to that end. Maybe not all felt that way, I am sure a few did...
Showing posts with label Travel lessons. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Travel lessons. Show all posts
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Sunday, November 2, 2008
observations from Europe
I did a whirlwind trip of Europe on work, screwup by Lufthansa meant I spent time in Paris, Munich, Brussels & Frankfurt instead of heading straight to Brussels, a place i have spent time in the past and have come to love. Brussels to me is the bangalore equivalent of Europe ( or should it be vice versa?) multi cultural, close to larger cities but with a distinct lovable personality of its own....
Its been 6 long years since I spent my last stint in Europe, so some changes I noticed...
1. There are beggars on the streets : I stomped around Europe last time and none of the main cities seemed to have them, some in Paris, but that was also very rare. This time, it was in your face, people at corners, reminded me of what a foreigner might face in India, women with kids, kids chasing you and youngsters with no apparent reason to be begging....what changed? Was astonished and my local contacts, they blame it on the new nations in EU, the slowdown and illegal migration but yes they too seem to notice the change
2. Understanding the demographic dividend - a lot of research reports talk of the youth and the push that will give India as a nation. Any public place in India will have screaming kids and across age groups, then you see youngsters on the verge of marriage and you know this engine is going strong for a few decades atleast....I roamed around in the streets of Brussels and the large other airports and only place I saw kids was Terminal C of Frankfurt and you guessed it right , thats where planes to India were departing from. Else, the concern of a greying economy, the strong social safety system and its future working, its impact on business, the world view that will emanate from Europe will be very interesting to watch
3. Investment in infrastructure : a constant thing you will hear from foreigners is the construction which seemed to be going on in China and India.... but what surprised me was the amount of construction I saw in Brussels, ofcourse, neighbourhoods looked vacant, the airport terminal too big for the number of passengers but the constant spending on upgradation, not general maintenance mind you, is so huge, I came back even more convinced we India need to do more. Our public planning systems are letting us down and our politicians doing us a disservice in planning public spending. The private sector is also not too behind, take the Bangalore Metro as a example, I have lost count of when they shut down half of MG road in Bangalore and Navayuga is taking all the time in world to even build the basic pillars....the full fledged metro is far away....no accountability is killing all of us....
4. Spoilt by Taj : I have in the past spent a lot of time at Taj palace, Mansingh road, Delhi and trust me they have spoilt me. I stayed at the Airport Sheraton in Brussels and while I have no complaints, the small touches by Taj, the personal warmth simply make every stay that much more comfortable. I am sure if they can get it right, the hospitality industry from India can rule the world.
5. The growing irritation about Muslims : The one thing I thought very highly of Europe was the sense of fairplay and their ability to recognise another culture and work with it. To a level, I think Europe is ahead in terms of such refinement but this time, the number of people who spoke to me of growing disenchantment with the local muslim populace was surprising...as one person said, I am ready to accept their practices, but are they ready to accept me? I used to think the ghettoisation of muslim communities was a very India specific phenomena due to our peculiar vote bank politics, but seems its a larger issue... I am not sure of the causality, but the clash of civilizations seems a larger issue and on the ground far widespread...
6. Queue control : a minor issue, I was standing in the queue at Brussels and when someone tried to barge in the lady manning the counter just stood up and asked the person to join the queue....that simple act increased the sanctity of the queue, in India the person at the counter somehow doesnt think its his job to manage this part of the equation and leads to situations. We Indians due to our scarcity mentality have a disrepute for being able to stand in a queue but I think the other part of the equation is also required.
Bottomline, I had my doubts about India slowing down and all the fear mongering in the media about our economic prospects, but I came back more convinced that India, if we help ourselves, politicians willing, bureaucracy moving its wide bum (I would be happy if the last 2 dont add anything as long as they dont screw up) we will move forward....
Its been 6 long years since I spent my last stint in Europe, so some changes I noticed...
1. There are beggars on the streets : I stomped around Europe last time and none of the main cities seemed to have them, some in Paris, but that was also very rare. This time, it was in your face, people at corners, reminded me of what a foreigner might face in India, women with kids, kids chasing you and youngsters with no apparent reason to be begging....what changed? Was astonished and my local contacts, they blame it on the new nations in EU, the slowdown and illegal migration but yes they too seem to notice the change
2. Understanding the demographic dividend - a lot of research reports talk of the youth and the push that will give India as a nation. Any public place in India will have screaming kids and across age groups, then you see youngsters on the verge of marriage and you know this engine is going strong for a few decades atleast....I roamed around in the streets of Brussels and the large other airports and only place I saw kids was Terminal C of Frankfurt and you guessed it right , thats where planes to India were departing from. Else, the concern of a greying economy, the strong social safety system and its future working, its impact on business, the world view that will emanate from Europe will be very interesting to watch
3. Investment in infrastructure : a constant thing you will hear from foreigners is the construction which seemed to be going on in China and India.... but what surprised me was the amount of construction I saw in Brussels, ofcourse, neighbourhoods looked vacant, the airport terminal too big for the number of passengers but the constant spending on upgradation, not general maintenance mind you, is so huge, I came back even more convinced we India need to do more. Our public planning systems are letting us down and our politicians doing us a disservice in planning public spending. The private sector is also not too behind, take the Bangalore Metro as a example, I have lost count of when they shut down half of MG road in Bangalore and Navayuga is taking all the time in world to even build the basic pillars....the full fledged metro is far away....no accountability is killing all of us....
4. Spoilt by Taj : I have in the past spent a lot of time at Taj palace, Mansingh road, Delhi and trust me they have spoilt me. I stayed at the Airport Sheraton in Brussels and while I have no complaints, the small touches by Taj, the personal warmth simply make every stay that much more comfortable. I am sure if they can get it right, the hospitality industry from India can rule the world.
5. The growing irritation about Muslims : The one thing I thought very highly of Europe was the sense of fairplay and their ability to recognise another culture and work with it. To a level, I think Europe is ahead in terms of such refinement but this time, the number of people who spoke to me of growing disenchantment with the local muslim populace was surprising...as one person said, I am ready to accept their practices, but are they ready to accept me? I used to think the ghettoisation of muslim communities was a very India specific phenomena due to our peculiar vote bank politics, but seems its a larger issue... I am not sure of the causality, but the clash of civilizations seems a larger issue and on the ground far widespread...
6. Queue control : a minor issue, I was standing in the queue at Brussels and when someone tried to barge in the lady manning the counter just stood up and asked the person to join the queue....that simple act increased the sanctity of the queue, in India the person at the counter somehow doesnt think its his job to manage this part of the equation and leads to situations. We Indians due to our scarcity mentality have a disrepute for being able to stand in a queue but I think the other part of the equation is also required.
Bottomline, I had my doubts about India slowing down and all the fear mongering in the media about our economic prospects, but I came back more convinced that India, if we help ourselves, politicians willing, bureaucracy moving its wide bum (I would be happy if the last 2 dont add anything as long as they dont screw up) we will move forward....
Saturday, November 17, 2007
The day I stopped a tram in its track....
And before you guys start thinking I did something our Indian film heroes regularly do with their little finger on the left leg with ease and say so what, let me explain.....
I went on a student exchange to Belgium. I was with Solvay Business School, University of Brussels. I loved my stay there ( and the Belgians, I think they were wonderful!). My hostel was about a km from the university campus and was an awesome place. More of a living community, with people protesting against war, sun bathing( when the damn thing came out), coffee with music and music performances... sigh those were awesome days. Anyways, back from the detour.
The Belgians are probably the most courteous people I met on my trip to Europe ( I saw, trekked, traveled to some 7 countries!!). On the main signals, there are anyways pedestrian requests, where you request for the traffic to stop, which then turns red to let you pass. On most other roads, all you need to do was to step near the Zebra crossing and the vehicles would stop to let you go. You acknowledge their courtesy and off you go..... it took me a while to get used to cars stopping completely to let me pass.... I would usually be dumbstruck as to why the heck are they stopping :) problem of upbringing...
And one fine day, I was listening to Bob Marley on the discman, having hot waffles and out I step on the street from the pavement and realise a huge gush of air around me ..... and then I realise, the tram which was on the street stopped to let me go.... jackass that I was :) I apologised to the driver, acknowledged and moved. And surprise he didn't swear at me nor did the others who were waiting to cross....
Now lets play that scene in Indian frames... Deepak steps on the street, driver says "B#@$%^, iski to aaj main le loonga" and pushes the throttle, wham, passengers say " sahi hua saale ki dimaag thikaane aagaye" and then me, with a few handicaps (not the golf types mind you) would be seeking treatment and sympathy!!!
I think about this and try to attribute why we Indians will not let people cross even when the signal is red.... vehicles do a 'creeping acquisition' of the Zebra crossing, swear, spit,scream and honk... I tell myself maybe we are an aggressive race, maybe we are trying to catch up on lost time under the sun, maybe people have urgent work, maybe population trouble leading to too much competition leading to high levels of aggro behaviour but its plain lack of culture I decide, lack of courtesy and respecting someone on the road.... I might be guilty of the same conduct, but trying to change...
I went on a student exchange to Belgium. I was with Solvay Business School, University of Brussels. I loved my stay there ( and the Belgians, I think they were wonderful!). My hostel was about a km from the university campus and was an awesome place. More of a living community, with people protesting against war, sun bathing( when the damn thing came out), coffee with music and music performances... sigh those were awesome days. Anyways, back from the detour.
The Belgians are probably the most courteous people I met on my trip to Europe ( I saw, trekked, traveled to some 7 countries!!). On the main signals, there are anyways pedestrian requests, where you request for the traffic to stop, which then turns red to let you pass. On most other roads, all you need to do was to step near the Zebra crossing and the vehicles would stop to let you go. You acknowledge their courtesy and off you go..... it took me a while to get used to cars stopping completely to let me pass.... I would usually be dumbstruck as to why the heck are they stopping :) problem of upbringing...
And one fine day, I was listening to Bob Marley on the discman, having hot waffles and out I step on the street from the pavement and realise a huge gush of air around me ..... and then I realise, the tram which was on the street stopped to let me go.... jackass that I was :) I apologised to the driver, acknowledged and moved. And surprise he didn't swear at me nor did the others who were waiting to cross....
Now lets play that scene in Indian frames... Deepak steps on the street, driver says "B#@$%^, iski to aaj main le loonga" and pushes the throttle, wham, passengers say " sahi hua saale ki dimaag thikaane aagaye" and then me, with a few handicaps (not the golf types mind you) would be seeking treatment and sympathy!!!
I think about this and try to attribute why we Indians will not let people cross even when the signal is red.... vehicles do a 'creeping acquisition' of the Zebra crossing, swear, spit,scream and honk... I tell myself maybe we are an aggressive race, maybe we are trying to catch up on lost time under the sun, maybe people have urgent work, maybe population trouble leading to too much competition leading to high levels of aggro behaviour but its plain lack of culture I decide, lack of courtesy and respecting someone on the road.... I might be guilty of the same conduct, but trying to change...
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