How hitchhiking through Europe inspired Narayana Murthy to set up Infosys

 

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.

They are out. Or they will be.

Pete Buttigieg, and Amy Klobuchar are out. And all clues point to Warren and Bloomberg going out too. The fight will be between Sanders and Biden.

Yes, I am following the US election news again. Its on the other end of the news,directly opposite the COVID-19 news. Both are killing nations.

To put it bluntly, Buttigieg never stood a chance. He is openly gay, and even America is not ready for this. Klobuchar has passed some bad decisions as an attorney. It might have made sense to her back then, but there are some things people don't forget easily.

This one will be a close call. Everyone loves Sanders, except other politicians. And Biden is known for NOT taking action, then the ones where he did.

Too close to call.

Viral of the bad kind.

There’s something in the air. And its not just love. Something viral. And its not any video, or much shared selfie. Nor is it any of those maths question which divides the internet .Pun unintended. And its also not a picture which fools the eyes.

In that last decade or so, the word ‘viral’ has gone on to take a meaning of entirely its own. People encourage it, creators tried to come up with new ‘viral’ content. So it feels strangely awkward, when the word returns to its true meaning in the common tongue. A new strain of deadly virus strain has emanated out of China, and has now travelled to 24 countries, including India and Australia. The number of people affected, cured and of those who have succumbed to the strain varies depending on which news agency one tunes to. But the general trend is that all three numbers are increasing. Yes, many have been cured, but then ten times more are affected by the next wave.

The new strain has now been named the 2019 Novel Corona virus. But after more than 2 months of the initial infection been reported, little is known about it more than this name. And the fact that ground zero is in China has not helped at all. All the news and reports coming out of China has always been heavily censored. The outside world does not get latest updates. And the attack of fake-news has entered into exactly this vacuum. False, unverified and hoax news about the disease now spreads faster than the strain itself. Along with the 1500 people who already succumbed, the strain affects global economy and supply chain networks due to misinformed fears. Countries and companies are refusing to trade with China; many countries have already placed blockades on flights originating from China. Travellers are warned, and are looked upon with suspicion.

And various places are reporting a growing behaviour of racism towards people from China. Some of the strain related news claimed that the original hosts of the virus were bats, or snakes, or pangolins. People in China are known to trade and eat these kind of game animals. Most of those affected in the first viral wave where workers in Wuhan’s meat market. It is now proven that the virus can spread through human contact, and it does not show symptoms for the first 14 days. This has resulted in people in other countries just avoiding places frequented by Asians, and the people themselves.

This is unprecedented. And all this is fuelled by the simple fact that all of mankind’s medical science have yet failed to identify the source of this strain, and the best ways to prevent its spread and it sure-footed cure.

The common consensus is that it will take he world’s scientists more months to properly identify and create the cure. A possible vaccine. Hopefully, mankind will come together and annihilate this freak of nature. Like how we fought SARS , and nipah. Because otherwise, the future looks bleak for us. Medical science needs to continue to grow and co-operate to fight these strains. 

Because if there is one thing this new virus has proven yet again, it is that we as a species, is more connected than ever before.

PS: Source of the virus or not, IMHO, people should just stop eating bats.

1917 - A Heros’ journey

1917 -  A Heroes’ journey

I watched 1917, Sam Mendes’s movie set in World War I, a week ago, and I still recall overwhelming scenes from it. By now the whole world is talking about it, about how the story unravels in real time, about how the whole movie appears to be a single , continuous take. Set in a few hours of the war, the story starts one fine afternoon, and the climax is set in next day morning.

This movie is an epitome of technical achievement in movie making. One of those projects which take months to plan and schedule, and if everything works out as predicted, could be shot in a few hours. The location they chose, building the French country side in England, the costumes, weapons, ammunition, all period correct. The soldiers all speak in different English accents, telling us the whole of the country has been called to action. The sounds , and sometimes lack of sounds of action. This is one big immersive experience. The movie may not win awards for its acting, but it will be talked about for its technical brilliance for years to come.

It was almost like playing a third person shooter video game. Those of us who have played the original Call of Duty video game will be able to relate to this kind of experience instantly. A single soldier , being tasked with a secret and vital mission to save lives, and has to travel through enemy territory armed with only a rifle and a few grenades.

It is not fully in real time, because a large part of the night is cut out, with our lead character soldier unconscious. This one, loud and clear cut is essential to the runtime of the movie, there is no way they could have told the story of the entire night if they wanted it to be in realtime. Overall, the soldier passes through every stage of the hero's journey, redeeming himself in the end.

The truth is that although political leader and nationalists glorify war, the ground reality was the polar opposite. Big or small, wars are horrible. Countless young lives have been lost in order to preserve the way of life of the free world. You could read a thousand books about the sheer pointlessness of wars, or you could watch a movie like this one, which instantly transports you to a different time and place. And shows you how brutal and painful it really was.

Caught my eye:

1.   Fantastic story bookending. The movie begins with corporal Schofield sitting below a tree, and it ends with the (spoiler) corporal sitting under a different tree on the new battle ground. He finally gets to rest after his epic journey.

2.   This is a moving film. Not that kind of moving, emotionally moving too. There is a death scene right before the half time mark, which is totally unexpected. Gut wrenching. When Blake asks a question, Schofield hesitates to answer. The film makers further ensure that the face of the person about to die turns pale; he is loosing blood, and we get to see it before they do.

3.   There is an Indian soldier in the movie. This is factually accurate and kudos the movie for setting aside one of its thousands of on-screen soldiers as a sikh solder from India. This sepoy ni he movie gets on well with his comrades, but points out to them that “you eat meat”; implying that he probably is vegetarian. Over one million Indian troops served overseas, of whom 62,000 died and another 67,000 were wounded. Some of their letters have been preserved and tell shocking and sad stories.

14.   Loved the music. Thomas Newman. Who also composes for Disney animations. Haunting and inspiring at the same time. He has been nominated again for an Oscar for his score. I hope he finally wins one this time, after all those nominations for his genius.

KNPH - 20 year review

Happy New Year. 2020 ! Well, who would have known ? Time does fly by , doesn’t it. As Ferris Bueller adviced, life is fast. If you don’t pause once in a while, you could miss it. Or something of that sort.

Now I really did not want to start this new year discussing a movie. But I too, sadly , am running out of time. A tonne of things happening in my life, but no time to really discuss it, contemplate it. Today, while in the gym, all of a sudden, I felt like listening to some old tunes. I have been thinking of my younger days for some time now, ever since this new year. Oddly, I thought of looking up old hindi music, a genre which I totally avoid nowadays. The hindi movie and music industry is garbage these days. And my search for hindi movies landed on Kaho Na Pyaar Hai. Now at the time, I did now know that it came out 20 years ago on 14th January. I found that out later in office. What a coincidence !

On hindsight, it is amazing how positively this movie was received in its hayday. Today, the absolute cheesiness and pothole size plot holes are obvious. But back then, it seems the world’s largest democracy did not care about these things. Back then, they got something they have wanted for long, but never got to vote about. 3 hours of feel good,  movie time, with good sights and good music. Some of the songs still hold up. But the movie itself does not.

Like swiss cheese, the movie is riddled with clichés. The whole double role story, rich girl – poor boy track(second time the guy is rich too), the girls father is a bad guy, so he arranges for the boy to be killed, he serenades her with songs, he has a loyal and shorter sidekick, and a kid brother who is too young, all her friends are ok with him, she has a rich cousin in NZ who is best friends with the rich double role guy, she also has a rich male good friend but never sees a romantic relationship with him, the rich desi in NZ has never been to India, but speaks hindi & urdu without any foreign accent, sings hindi songs, they are so rich that he never has to work, he just rides around on big bikes and cars, he goes to India to find bad guys and all its dangers,and gets shot right at the airport !, finally beats up all the baddies and decides to return with the kid brother, and she finally falls for his looks again.

The End.

If released today, a movie like this would have bombed. Hands and feet down. But this was 20 years ago, so the audience and critics lapped it all up. Me too. The songs in the movie ruled the charts, people got some new dance moves, and all the cheesy dialogues, and the nation got a new actor they began calling the greek god.

It would take Hritik many more years , and countless more movies to properly act in character, and I think that movie was Jodhaa Akbar, when he finally learnt to and spoke bespoke urdu ! I now read that the movie itself won so many awards that it entered some record books. For what, you ask ? For serenading viewers and critics aside.

Those were truly fun times. We are all equally guilty of eating into the chocolate hero movie. In a cheesy movie.

And a part of me is still there.

PS: Sample plot hole: In India, everyone already has cellphones. Mallik and Sirjee converse on cell phones. In NZ, Sonia’s cousin, Neeta, has to get out of her convertible to go to a red phone booth to call home. So she leaves her car on the main road ! It is at this time that Raj comes by without wearing a helmet.