It is mentioned in NRN’s biography that it was a unfortunate & painful experience during his hitch-hiking trips in 1970s Europe that converted him from a communist to capitalist. And that was the epihany that inspired his company. Here is the story in a little more detail.
Paris, 1974.
It had been several years since I was working in Paris. I was 27, and lived in a one-bedroom apartment on the 7th arrondissement.
The Europe of the seventies saw influences of leftism, socialism and liberalism. In 1968, there had been a student revolution, and its impact was clear. Students voiced their opinion on every major matter. Paris was then the safest city in Europe. There was no Charles de Gaulle then, but only the Orly airport. On most weekends, my friends and I would be out till 2am. We would walk home (it was the most well-lit city in the world), since the Metro would close by 1am.
My friends and I would frequently drive to London. There was no Channel Tunnel then. We would take a night train to Calais, and from there, a ferry to Dover. We would drive into the ship, park our car, sit in the lounge, and drive out after getting there. The process was not difficult, but it took about 6-8 hours.
Despite the fact that it was barely two years after the Munich Olympic massacre of 1972, the fear of people hadn’t percolated into everyday routine as it has now.
I had been thinking of enhancing my experience in Europe, and wanted to hitchhike across European countries. I had travelled around—I would take off once every month and had visited Germany, Holland and Austria—but had never backpacked, or gotten around in strangers’ cars. I thought about it for six months. I knew that if I didn’t do it then, I wouldn’t do it at all.
I had saved about USD 5,000 from my salary, of which I kept USD 450. The rest I gave away to an organization called Freres de Tiers Mondes, which translates to ‘Brothers from the third world’. Since I was hitchhiking, I didn’t need all that money.
As an Indian, I needed visa to travel. There was no Schengen then. So, it took me approximately a month and half to get visas ready for 25 countries. I bought a nice backpack, a sleeping bag, a windcheater and some winter clothes before the trip. There were no credit cards then, so I carried some traveller’s cheques.
I resigned from my job, and over the next 11 months, hitchhiked from Paris to Kabul, covering Italy, Austria, Germany, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Russia, Ukraine, Hungary, Romania, Jordan, Israel, Iraq, Iran, Serbia, Croatia (then Yugoslavia), Bulgaria, Istanbul, Greece and Afghanistan.
Across most of Europe, I got around by hitchhiking. Those days, it was very easy to get a lift. You just went to the gas station and stood there. There were no destinations – drivers would pick up people who were going in the same direction as them. Sometimes, they would also offer lunch or dinner. These days, one hardly sees people hitchhiking. Then, gas stations would be filled with hitchhikers, especially during summers.
Today, I am certain that one would not be allowed to sleep at railway stations in Europe. But, that is exactly what I did during the trip.
Usually one had to wait for an hour or two to be picked up, but I have also waited for six hours at times. I had a pocket radio, which kept me entertained while I waited. Meals would usually be easy-to-carry items like sandwiches with French fries. At that time, I was not vegetarian; it would have been very difficult if I were. Since it would get very cold often, I had with me a flask to store hot coffee or tea.
The biggest difference that I see between the world then and now, is fear. Today, people are so scared of other people. Nobody allows strangers in their cars. Despite the fact that it was barely two years after the Munich Olympic massacre of 1972, the fear of people hadn’t percolated into everyday routine as it has now.
Today, I am certain that one would not be allowed to sleep at railway stations in Europe. But, that is exactly what I did during the trip. Most drivers would drop you at railway stations. I would leave my sleeping bag and backpack in the locker — which came cheap at about 25 cents for a day — and went out to see the city. I would return at night and sleep on one of the benches, as many others did. The police would walk past and smile at us — there was no fear.
It was also very convenient — they were open 24 hours a day, were clean and pleasant, and had coffee shops and restaurants too.
***
Out in the world, there were many interesting incidents. For instance, while travelling from Pisa to Rome, I was in a car with this short Italian gentleman. He was very sweet — picked me up and also gave me lunch. I wanted to thank him for his kindness, and when we were just about to reach the destination, I said, “Te Amo”. I knew it meant, “I love you”, but thought it could also be taken to mean, “I like you”. The fellow was furious — he threw my backpack out and screamed, “Get out”. He thought I was homosexual! I wasn’t unfamiliar with Europe, but it was during this trip that I realized how different the east and west were.
The west was prosperous and people were free. They would sit with you and talk to you. Things were very easy — infrastructure was great and fees to enter places of interest were same for everyone; European or otherwise.
On the other hand, countries in the east — Poland, Russia, Hungary and Czechoslovakia — also known as “iron curtain countries”, were controlled by the Soviet Union. People were friendly, but wary of strangers. It was not easy to hitchhike; drivers who were willing to take you usually demanded a few dollars in exchange. There were also checkpoints on the road, and officials who manned the posts didn’t allow people if they didn’t carry enough hard currency cash with them. Communist countries were trying to get as much of hard currency as possible then. Entry fees for foreigners and locals to places of interest were different.
***
A defining moment of my life came from an unexpected incident that happened in what was then Yugoslavia. In Niš (now in Serbia), a kind man dropped me off at the railway station at 9:30pm, from where I had to take a train to Sofia the next day. The restaurant at the station refused to give me any food, since I did not have any Yugoslavian currency. The next day was a Sunday, and all banks were closed. I spent the day lying down at the station to conserve my energy and boarded the Sofia Express at 8pm.
Sitting opposite me in the train were a boy and girl. I was well-versed in English, French and Russian, and tried to strike a conversation. While the boy did not respond, the girl knew French and was kind and friendly. While we were talking, the lad walked up to a few policemen standing nearby and said something. The next thing I knew was that my bag was being ransacked. I was dragged out of the train and thrown into an 8 x 8ft room and my passport was confiscated. The room had just a toilet in a corner; the floor was hard and cold. There was no bed, no chair or table.
On Thursday morning, after about 120 hours without water and food, the doors opened. I was dragged out and locked up in the guard’s compartment of a freight train. I had lost the ability to think.
It had been almost two days since I had eaten anything. The next morning, I was hoping they would give me something to eat. When it was past breakfast, I thought there would be lunch at least. There was no lunch either. They had locked me up and were gone. At 4 in the evening, I thought I was going to die.
On Thursday morning, after about 120 hours without water and food, the doors opened. I was dragged out and locked up in the guard’s compartment of a freight train. I had lost the ability to think. They told me that they would not allow me to get down in Bulgaria, and that my backpack and passport would be returned in Istanbul. “You’re from a friendly country called India, so we’re letting you go”, they said.
I got my passport and backpack back, but the incident turned me from a confused Leftist to a determined capitalist. It left me disappointed in communism, and got me thinking about the method of governance that is best for a country’s development. While staying in Paris, I had also had a chance to meet George Marchais, the then head of the French communist party. I realized that a country can prosper only through the creation of jobs, and the only people who can do that are entrepreneurs. I realized, that a government’s job is not to create jobs but to make it easy for entrepreneurs to create jobs.
It happened many years ago and a lot has happened since, but I believe this event had something to do with the creation of Infosys.
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