Far from the madding crowd - I

Life is a web of experiences. Some are sheer highs while others are forgettable lows. The thing about lows is that they tend to leave strong footprints on your mind. They sometimes change your outlook towards key things in life or make you doubt its simple pleasures. They are so impactful that they can make pessimists out of eternal optimists.

But interspersed between these lows are the highs which makes life worth living for. These are those precious moments which you cherish deeply. When you are in one you can almost sense the stillness of time. You are drunk with sheer joy and content to delve deep in that euphoria. You feel free , you spread your wings and fly high from the clutches of everyday routines. Put simply Life is not defined by them, they define life !

I think that i am lucky that i have had two of those in the last two weeks. The first one was on the trip to scandinavia. Before coming to europe i had come across several mentions of Fjords and in particular Norwegian fjords. People described being there as one of key moments of their student exchange aka eurotrip. Now i for one could not comprehend their description. Because fjord for me was just a term which reminded me of the geography classes i had almost a decade ago. Something to do with a river and a glacier!

Wiki tells me that a fjord (pronounced as fyord) is 'a long, narrow inlet with steep sides or cliffs, created in a valley carved by glacial activity'. Now i thought what could be so great about such a place. Rest assured it would be a site of fabulous natural beauty, but then isn't that true about a lot of places in Europe i.e. Swiss Alps, Rhine Valley vineyards, Austrian countryside..blah blah blah. But i was to be surprised and that too in a big way.

So there we were on our first fjord trip. And we went to Hardangerfjord, famous as the 'Queen of the Norwegian Fjords'.

On first appearance they charm you and as you start to observe they grow onto you and you start to feel a profound sense of disconnect from everything.



You stand on the front deck of a steamboat which is blazing ahead. Wind beating against your chest, water fizz oozing on your face and a strong gale pushing you to the edge. You look around , you find huge green valleys scaling up on both the sides across the huge mass of blue water.




You try to inch ahead to the tip of the boat, but it feels as if you are climbing a mountain in a snowstorm. The effort leaves you wasted but all concerns have already been left on the shore. Worries have evaporated leaving behind a lighter you and suddenly the realization dawns that this is something truly special. You want the moment to persist, to stay on forever and ever !

After a while the panorama changes from green valleys to rocky mountains and the fog builds up. The cold starts to rise and a chill runs down through your spine. You stand shielded from the wind at the back of the boat and admire the way the boat cuts across the water, producing small white whirlpools.



Gradually the blue sky recedes in a snowy white haze. And while you were so busy admiring the landscape, it has changed subtly to give way to an ethereal environ.


Instead of the fjords you could only spot a glacial formation and you are the closest you have ever come to being in an Arctic climate.


You search your insides for that wee bit of spirit and move to the edge of the boat. You stand there now and spread your arms. The hood of your sweatshirt slides down to the other side under the furious gusts of wind. You move your right leg forward, press your weight on it, curve your hands to face towards the sky. Your face gazing in the dusky abysses of the clouds. And there you are in the Shahrukh Khan pose!



And you sense a perfect calm and feel that coming to Europe was the best decision you ever made!

Har Pal Yahan Jee Bhar Jiyo
Jo Hai Sama
Kal Ho Na Ho...

(To be Continued...)

India Shining !

I had my apprehensions and pretty strong ones as well. Holland is not as strongly inhabited by non resident Indians as the case may be for some other European countries like say U.K. and France. So are there signs of that vivid Indian touch i.e. the Indian brotherhoods and curry cafes which have grown to embellish U.K. and U.S. in a big way. With the hugely international nature of the University, what bells did India ring in the 'multinational hearts'. What with the worsening hue and cry over outsourcing and hike in Visa Fees in States and U.K., has there been a spillover of the same to continental Europe. Do they find the name 'India' distasteful and does it creates images of people from third world who are high on industriousness but low on sophistication.

I looked for answers to the above questions. And when i found them, to say that i was relieved would be a gross understatement. I was pleasantly delighted !

My first experience, though a little unrelated, was in the flight from Delhi to Istanbul. I was sitting next to an Italian who was just coming back from a spiritual visit to the Gangetic Plains. Understandably he spoke with such enthusiasm about India and how it has shaped the way he has started to live in the recent past. He invited me to a visit to the Ferrari Museum near Milan where he was maître d’ .

The one encounter which helped a great deal to put those apprehensions aside was with the girl who came to pick us up at the Amsterdam Centraal Station. When i told her that i was from India, she remarked instantaneously with a very likeable positive energy and beaming face, 'Oh India ! Its wonderful to have you here'. Moving on to the reservation office, i was again to be astounded. The clerk who had a distinctive Asian feel, said after stamping on my eurail pass, 'Bhai Jee, ye to ho gaya, maje kariye'. I developed an instant liking to the place.

After reaching the main guesthouse, I juggled with the near impossible task of towing my 4 oversized bags through the lift to the second floor. And to compound the matters were the security enhancements of the guesthouse which required multiple openings of the locks. And i was aided by a very charming American girl who came rushing across the corridor to first hold the door for me and then helped me with two of the bags. When she came to know that i am from India, she instantly asked which part of the country i am from and said she is so very interested in going to Rajasthan and New Delhi. Moreover her roommate back at the campus was also an Indian.

The latest but one of the most profound experience i had during my trip to the Belgian countryside in a desperate search of a bicycle. There i met a middle-aged Dutch lady who was also visiting the small town. She started by remarking that i reminded him of his Indian friends and went on to add about his multiple trips to the country wherein she explored the length and breadth of the country with special mentions of Kerala and Kashi. She was in love with the place and was a planning another visit to the country which according to her was like none other , both diverse and soulful.

The most unexpected one i had last night during final welcome party for the exchange students. I was standing by the dance floor helping myself to a beer and gently swinging with the music. Out of the blue, a guy standing next to me remarks, ' Don't tell me dude, that you are from India'. He turned out to be a Greek guy named Osteritus ( thats what i heard or i assume i heard in the inebriated state..). Apparently Osteritus had been in Punjab for the past year on a medical care internship in various clinics. He continually said the same thing, 'I love India' . Dunno if it was the liquor talking, nonetheless he recollected images of his stay and the incredible pace of Delhi, how he traversed the dusty roads of Panjab and drank lassi.

The one experience closer to home is of the South Korean girl living in the other room of our apartment. On a dinner of wine and lamb steak which one of my partner's friend painstakingly prepared, she talked of her stay in Delhi , Uttaranchal and Himachal. She remembered some phrases which she used to haggle her way out of the autorickshaw-wallahs in Delhi- "baiyyan, mahengaaa haiiii, thoadaa kaam karo". We were amused listening to them coming out of her mouth with her slightly anglicized accent. She also fondly remembered the naturally brewed wine in the mountains which she developed a great taste for.

All of these experiences have made me realize that India does not spark an image of a third world country which sends cheap and skilled manpower to steal jobs or a neighboring state of terror torn Pakistan. Its much more than this. Its high achievers are held in high esteem for their proficiency in technology and business. Its workers are commended for their long hours.

In all, its not just a dot on the horizon but a state which people has grown to admire for its diverse and strong cultural roots and learned to respect for its philosophy of spiritualism and simplicity.

I feel now that i could fit seamlessly within this society with a bubbling pride and resonant optimism !

Dutch Deconstructed

My attempt to explain the Dutch..

1. Dutch love their bicycles. Even 80 year olds ride on a cycle. Although, that doesn't mean there are no Mercs or Bentleys on the road. But more often than not, they are Cabs !
2. Maastricht has daylight till 8 on most days but the supermarkets close at 6! The most logical reason we could come up for this is that it gives the people extra time to party hard..:P
3. Dutch love electronic music. Almost everyone on the street, be it a pedestrian or a biker travels with his earplugs on.
4. Dutch have no respect for hierarchy. Students call their professors with their family names. I wonder what would happen if i addressed a prof as Mr. so & so in India. ;)
5. Stealing bicycles is considered okay! This theft is a cultural thing.
6. Dutch are perceived historically as stingy people! They explain it to be more of a thrift thing and say only few among them are really stingy.
7. Pedestrians rule the world in dutch traffic. Cars stop to give way for the passersby on foot. They also have a button for the pedestrians that can be pressed on most traffic lights and which can mould the traffic lights to their convenience !
8. Dutch people are categorically blunt in their conversations. A famous story speaks of a difference in British and Dutch culture wherein in a Dutch seminar if a guy speaks poorly he is laced with criticism but given a chance to speak again the next time. Whereas in a British setting, if a speaker is sub-standard, he is offered niceties and pleasant reactions but never to be invited again !
9. Dutch students love to party. And they consider the nerdy German students who spend their nights in a library , a shame to the society.

will keep adding more as and when i find them..

Oranje !

My first reaction to the dutch weather was that of a shock. There was sunshine littered all round. We have been asked over and over again to bring woolens and with this weather i regretted leaving my t-shirts behind. So a little perturbed i made my way to the baggage counter, where my worst fears made a retreat. What if my luggage isn't really arriving. I noticed a sign for the collection of inappropriately shaped luggage and wondered whether mine would qualify in the same. I rambled here and there. Time passed to no avail.

Finally from the corner of my eye i saw two huge bags coming my way. Relieved i moved to the arrival hall. And then i met the first dutch person of my life or should i say the first dutch chick, our very own University Pickup Service! And as someone said first impression is the last impression. Teething with excitement, blunt, continuously laughing, extremely affable and endowed with ample assets [:P] . For my friends in India who would be salivating by now, my apologies for not having her picture. [;)]

On the first appearance, a dutch station screams of neatness and efficiency. Colorful trains hobbling along like in Disneyland.




We somehow just managed to catch the train with a hell lot of luggage. But that meant that we didn't find any seats. Standing just next to the door of the driver's compartment we sat on our luggage and prayed that it was not illegal to stand in the train. And i had the realization that Indians can make every country their own..sitting on oversized luggage on compartment doors..:P

The train ride was scenic, interspersed with green pastures, blue rivulets and small wooden buildings.



The small hillocks and bricked houses seemed to be straight out of a Enid Blyton book.

I tuned in to the soundtrack of Udaan.

Aankhon Ke Pardon Pe Pyaara Sa Jo Tha Woh Nazaara
Dhuan Sa Ban Kar Udh Gaya Ab Na Raha
Baithe The Hum Toh
Khabon Ke Chaahon Ke Tale
Chodh Ke Unko Jaane Kaha Ko Chale

It felt as if time passed in small fractions. The moment seemed perfect, both pristine and serene!

And we neared Maastricht, our abode for the next 4 months.

And so the Journey begins...

For introductions to the few who may not know me, i am a second generation Indian who somehow got the chance to make a Eurotrip. And Yes you are right, i leaped at the opportunity ! ;)

Aboard a Turkish Airlines plane, i had a few doubts. Doubts which were increased by my overenthusiastic and geeky friend. He went to the trouble of finding that Turkish was the worst airlines of all except the Russian. Now, i being the thrifty Indian, had been delighting in the fact that i managed to get the best flight offer- 40 kgs baggage & 10 k cheaper than all the other options. There were horrible reviews which ranged from banning the airline to stories of missing baggage which they never laid their eyes on ..again.

With all the above in mind and plenty else, i boarded the flight with an impossible luggage which only a north Indian could manage. 40+ in the airplane trunk and 20 odd in the hand baggage. The plane flew!

Now Turkish Airline, however it may be has the best air-hostesses and the finest on-board economy dining. The doubts slowly evaporated and a smugness crept in. Then came Istanbul and supposedly a very tedious stopover.

But i was to be surprised! The transit lounge in istanbul was fascinating, boasting of all the famous global brands one after the other.








Designed to give an old world feel , it reminds one of distant legends and magical tales..



And the best part were the saleswomen, whom i fall short of words to describe. Elegantly dressed and dazzlingly pretty, they knocked the wind out of me! There and then i became a fan of everything Turkish. You read it here..

Now to Oranje !