It has been quiet, lately When I go out now, there are fewer people on the road, in the trams, and everywhere else. Trains are no longer full, and run on time. For the first time in maybe years, all trains are been cleaned. It is now easier to drive on the roads, fewer cars outside, no traffic jams. No crowds, no noisy neighbours, and when you sneeze, nobody turns around and says “bless you!”
If it was not for the
pandemic, and the fact that so many people have already died, this would have
been a much better world to yearn for. It is ironical that it took a disease to
tell us that there are indeed more powerful forces on this planet than brute
human strength.
March, 2020. This
month is going to live on in infamy. It took 3 months for the whole world to wake
up to the threat; a new, invisible enemy that our planet has to fight. In these
past days, two things have become ever clear. One: we are not prepared. Not
even the most developed and advanced countries on earth are prepared for a
pandemic of this proportion. All the while nations were busy fighting over each
other, stocking up arms and preparing for future wars. No one thought of other
ways their nations could be defeated: sheer human lethargy. Things have come to
such an extent that some nations have issued shoot at sight orders against their
own citizens, if they ever step out of their homes! Others have just resorted to
fines at the moment, while some have started using brute force, with no regards
to human rights and constitutional rights of its citizens.
Two: The borders
between the rich and poor have never been as clear and sharp than what is
exposed right now. Its easy for the govt of any country to declare mandatory social
distancing. But only those who have a home can stay home. Social distancing is
a privilege, enjoyed by the rich, or at least financially prepared. For the
poor, who live from day to day, and with no long term social security or
planning, it is simply not an option. While those with disposal incomes were
hoarding supermarket produce, ordering takeout delivery ,staying home and
watching streamed videos, those who couldn’t do it were struggling to pay their
and rent and buy the day’s essentials. Many lost their jobs, due to companies
running into overnight losses, and many others have been kicked out of their
homes, due to inability to pay rent. Buried within the statistics of COVID
deaths is an invisible count of people who died due to the shutdown, but not directly
due to the virus.
In India, the nation’s
stark difference between its rich and poor have exposed how unprepared the govt
is at managing a pandemic. While cabinet ministers are at home playing board
games, and PM is on tv shedding crocodile tears, a long line of poor, migrant
workers is snaking across the nation, in an attempt to get home. Ignoring all
calls to socially distance, millions of daily wage workers have come together
to strike for the day’s meal, or just ask for the path to travel home. Due to
public transportation being shutdown in most places, and borders between states
now being closely monitored, these workers have resorted to walking hundreds of
kilometres home through dangerous forests and treacherous terrain, to slip under the eyes of authorities.
Many have died in this exodus. The govt has tried to shift responsibilities to
its well to do urban rich, asking them to pay their workers during the lockdown,
blindly believing the non-existent trickle down economy will take of the lower
levels. The numbers of COVID infected are meanwhile, growing exponentially.
This event is undoubtedly
going to change the world. For the better, I sincerely hope. Now is the time to
see the benefits of social welfare programs taking care of a nation’s needy.
This is not the time to worry about a failing economy, but the failing
healthcare system. Already some world leaders have been infected, showing the
world that a pandemic like this does not differentiate between the rich and
poor. Or between religion and borders. Lets learn from this, and be better
prepared for next time.
PS: I am reminded of
Ian Malcolm’s ramblings in Jurassic Park, when he says the world and nature
will find a way to stop humans. This world was here billions of years before
us, and will persist fo billions more without us. Incurable diseases is just
one way of keeping escalating population in check.
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.
