“We are together, because we are alone”

Posted on September 19, 2015 by Raghav/Raghu

Even simplest of the chores, when away from home, in a different country, can be daunting. After more than two years in Sweden, I still can’t get a decent haircut – mainly because I cannot convey myself clearly – and I don’t blame the people working in the salons for my plight.

With such trepidation that has become a common feeling now, I finally made up my mind to trim the shabby dark mop that sits over my head. I went to the usual salon, behind my university and work place. I used to visit a different place initially. Now, of late, I have settled with this one. In the last 6 visits, never have I seen the same person run this shop. They are all different, only denominated by their nativity and the generous warmth.

The place is a meagre establishment, and not a posh salon. I must admit here, I have tried to imagine how different the experience in these exorbitant places could be, when all we want to is to let go off some hair. In any case, this place is run by second generation Swedes – a weird euphemism that categorises people whose parents migrated into Sweden. Most of them from the middle East, and not for happy reasons. This family is from Iraq, I learned.

The man who was running the salon today must have been in his late forties, and had all the qualities of the patriarch who was running the show. Slightly large, but he seemed agile with his movements when performing his meticulous art on another customer. Occasionally, also whistling along the radio. Mostly out of tune.

When my turn came, he ushered me warmly to the seat, and immediately asked if I was from India. I nodded, as if to acknowledge the stereotype about our multi-purpose nods. After I confessed my lack of Swedish skills, he confidently said “litet Engleska”. Assuring me we could do just fine with his little English skills and I gave him a thumbs up, assuring him I would contribute my two cents of Svenska.

The first words that he spoke were a series of names – Bachchan, Gabbar Singh, Hema Malini, Dharmendra- I captioned the series with ” Sholay”. He gleefully nodded and said that he was a big fan. I thanked Bollywood for being that bridge (not necessarily a proud one) between some of India and rest of the world. After our bond was made based on the greatest film (or so it is perceived) to come out of Bollywood – Sholay – we got along pretty well for the next half n hour.

Our Bollywood chats spanned the same course, as with any foreigner from the middle East – few songs, some more names and immense fondness. Even I miss the 70’s and early 80’s Bollywood. Bollywodd today is trash in comparison. I refrain from delving into further details of our Bollywood conversation here.

This man did know a few phrases from Indiska – the Swedish name for Hindi – presumably because it is still falsely believed across the world that Hindi is the main language spoken in India. As I know Hindi, I did not get into a discussion on the linguistic diversity of India. A useful phrase he expertly used was “Mushkil hai”, which can mean anything ranging from “it is difficult” to “it is infeasible”, or even “it is sorry”. He started saying “Vatan (country) mushkil hai”, “jahan (world) mushkil hai”, “jung (war) mushkil hai”, “gareebi (poverty) mushkil hai” and ended with the Swedish word for loneliness, which because I could not grasp the word, he had to animate it to me and declared even that was Mushkil.

We spoke some more in broken sentences about various other things – religion, humanity, wars, movies, families, democracy and world politics. He came across as a passionate and caring human being.

In the end, he said he had love, in fact he used the Hindi/Urdu term – Mohabbat – towards all mankind. Next, he started listing some countries in his Mohabbat rankings. In decreasing order of love, he said – Iraq was on top of his list – meaning he loved his home country the most. Then came Iran, India (maybe because I was there), Sweden, the Arab world and everyone else. He paused. And as if to correct something he had missed out, he said “But not America. They are shaitan”.

Shaitan is the Urdu/Persian word for evil, or the devil. He then added, if not for their (USA’s) oil greed and the wars they started, he would have still been in his glorious Iraq of the 1970’s and not have had to flee and come to Sweden. “We are alone. All of us (the migrants) are together because we are alone”, he softened. He then moved around me finalizing my hairdo, of which I had lost track of and was now short enough to show my scalp, and he sighed again: “America is shaitan”. I nodded, again, in acknowledgement. Thinking to myself, if my analysis of contemporary world politics were reduced to three words, it might end up around his version.

Posted in People, Sweden | Tagged | Leave a comment

Still talking about race eh?!

Posted on August 30, 2015 by Raghav/Raghu

The question of race, as sensitive as it might be, it must be dealt with. Different societies have taken up different approaches. In Sweden for instance, I was surprised at the huge importance given to the notion of racial discrimination and the protection from discrimination. Personally, there have been no incidents based on racial discrimination at all. Or nothing tangible that has affected me. But as a Swedish friend pointed out, my joy ride of not having been seriously discriminated based on my racial identity could be due to the academic diaspora I primarily interact with, and supposedly also due to my skill of acclimatising with new people. The same might not be the case for the people from those unfortunate and battered countries, who are now trying to rebuild their lives here in Sweden.

Growing up in India, one is accustomed to a perpetual propaganda about skin fairness. While I was a kid, there were very many attempts to make me feel inferior due to my dark complexion. These personal incidents apart, other routine tantrums ranging from ads for products that can make the skin paler, to the outright equating of skin fairness to success in life, and in extreme scenarios equating darker skin colour akin to the demons in us; I have grown up in a society that is bluntly racist. And we are not even conscious of this racism. This is why I am taken aback, when some of my fellow Indians who practice extreme racism back at home, rile up in rage even for the slightest hint of the distinction made based on their racial identity.

While, white supremacy is a heated topic of debate and a certain force at play, one must not forget that any paler shade of brown also has a supremacy over the darker ones. For proof, watch the ads for skin fairness products in India.

Localising the talk to Sweden: While there is incredible consciousness in the population and the system to subdue racial discrimination, there is but one major lacuna in their story of racial reconciliation. In my two years of travel in Sweden, I have seen thousands of couples. But, I might have barely spotted a fraction of those couples who are inter-racial. This when raised to a Swedish friend, he frankly accepted that he does not find women of other skin colour attractive. Of course, I would like to think that I am mistaken in my observation, and that it is only him and maybe a small minority who would reason this way. Nonetheless, the problem of integration still remains in this part of the world.

Racial discrimination, both consciously and collectively as a culture, is as an embarrassment to all humanity. That we are still faced with this obstinate menace, in this time and age, is all the more depressing.

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Catharsis

Posted on August 16, 2015 by Raghav/Raghu

The process of learning a language is truly fascinating. Not necessarily learning a new one, but also the process of learning further a language, one has known for all cognizant life. An essential aspect of grooming one’s linguistic dexterity can be accomplished by assimilating newer words. Not merely comprehending and committing them to memory, but to use them appropriately. It is in this process of picking up new words, there resides the possibility of attaching rich experiences to them.

Can you think of the last new word that you committed to your vocabulary? Do you remember how you learned it, and if you remember being exulted at understanding what it really means? If you can think of one such word, reminisce about it; the anecdote attached to it might well be a good story to tell.

The most recent such word I have been grappling with is catharsis. Going by the usage of the word, when I did not really know what it meant, it sounded almost as a diagnosis of some peculiar behaviour in people. And I consciously acknowledge this word to Jon Stewart’s monologues. Jon is a comic genius driven by clear principles and is someone I immensely admire. Towards the end of his tenure as the host of The Daily Show, the frequency of Jon using catharsis was increasing, and to me then, it was occurring in some of the most nuanced of situations he had set up in his dialogue.

Since then, as I have understood, catharsis means purging of extreme emotions by means of people’s artistic expression. It is the artist’s urge to express when their emotions are driven full to the brim. Originally a medical jargon, Aristotle is attributed to using it as a metaphor, which in contemporary English means the aforementioned process.

It can be for instance, the anger that drove Charlie Chaplin to make The Great Dictator, the sympathy that brought out the ‘I have a dream’ speech by Martin Luther, the hurt that was converted into 1984 by George Orwell, the concern that was voiced in the life of Safdar Hashmi, the outrage that was embossed in the short stories of Saadat Hasan Manto, the social fury that lead to the Vachana movement in Karnataka, or even the empathy that drove Che Guevara towards the Cuban revolution. Many monumental pieces of art that have shaped humanity and steered the course of history are in fact the catharsis of their makers.

The word catharsis, to a great extent, captures the purest form of humanity: The eruption of human emotions as artistic expression. Isn’t it a wonderful word to know!

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From Romania, with love.

Posted on April 26, 2015 by Raghav/Raghu

With the impeccable local transport operating in Gothenburg, which is always on time, there’s rarely a need to wait in the bus stop. The precise travel planner application never lies, and one can plan to arrive at the bus stops with not an extra minute to while away, in those usually barren shelters that cling on to the pavements. That’s for most others, who want to be efficient and not waste time waiting for buses. I don’t specially like it. Except unless I have an appointment to make, I never check the application and simply wander towards the bus stop. Worst case I might have to wait for fifteen minutes, and most times, I like to spend that time out in the bus stop, hoping I will strike a conversation with a stranger.
When was the last time you spoke to a stranger? Wasn’t it strange and special, as it is supposed to be?

After living in Sweden for close to two years, I seem to have figured out one of the important things I miss – talking to strangers. It is beyond normal here to talk to strangers, I think, and for reasons that might be justified, which I don’t want to delve into in this post. We shall call it culture, for convenience in this post. Returning to my point, even in this culture, I miss striking conversations with strangers, and peeking into their lives for those few minutes, and letting them into my world for that time. Does it sound like intrusion? I like to think of it, more as being social.

I like stories,  and more so when it is of real people. Hence, The Motorcycle Diaries is my all time favourite book. During my long travels, I lay back and discreetly study the faces of the people who are sitting across, or passing by. Trying to guess what their lives are about, what extreme events they would have to narrate to me, or what their struggles are. Each one certainly has a wonderful story to tell. From another person’s point of view, I might look a normal Asian guy, but barely can they even guess the turmoil, joy and experiences I could have in my narrative. It is simply fascinating to talk to strangers!

With these subtle motivations driving my unscheduled arrivals at the bus stop, yesterday I had 8 minutes to spare. It was unusually chilly and windy in a week that was otherwise bright and sunny. I huddled into the bus shelter, smiled at a Swedish lady who was already in there; she hurriedly shrugged away, as it is the case with every other Swede. The ones who don’t shrug away, return a warm smile, and it makes me feel connected. Without making her uncomfortable, I moved to the other side of the shelter and was standing beside the bench, when three Eastern Europeans by the look of them, were trickling towards the bus stop. One of them was digging into the trash bin, to spot any recyclable cans – each can can pay 1 SEK, and I was thinking that it being a Saturday, he would not have found many inside Chalmers, but the city centre might have plenty, and it could earn him little money to push the day off.

The leader of the pack, seemingly, had a gait that exuded in casualness, and was wearing a pant with logo of the local super market, printed all over. He got into the bus stop and sat on the bench next to me. He was smoking, and got into the shelter puffing out smoke. I looked behind just to remember if it was allowed to smoke inside, as I can’t stand being even a passive smoker – it was not allowed. If he would have continued I might have pointed him to the no-smoking sign, but he already discarded his half-spent cigar onto the road. I was relieved.

Then, he nudged me and gestured ‘money’, rubbing his thumb to his forefinger. I said, no, I would not give him any money. Next, he gestured again and asked if I smoke. I smiled saying – NO, and turned away. He then again nudged me and gestured for something else, which I did not understand. I assumed he was trying to peddle something on to me, and confidently responded – No. Finally, he spoke and asked “Where are you from?”. I replied “Indien”, with the minimal touch of Swedish pretension. He seemed glad, and asked “You know SALMAN KHAN”, in a thick pronunciation. The ice was broken, and the warmth melted the inhibition of having to deal with someone who appeared to be one of those many homeless people in Gothenburg, who at times can be a menace.

I said, yes. He recollected and asked, “Sharukh khan? Aishwarya Rai?”. I was impressed, and told him that I knew them and I liked them. He started telling me about his favourite Bollywood movies, uninvited and blurted out – “Devdas, is my favorite”. I acknowledged, it is one of those movies where the song and dance actually adds value to the legacy it has left behind, and said I liked it too, and especially for the song sequences. He went on to sing a Hindi song, in tune, with right words and that tipped my inquisition then, and I asked him where he was from. He said, proudly, “From Romania. All three are gypsies”. His other friends maybe did not know what he meant by gypsies, and said no, “Lie lie”. This guy ignored them, lightly and said “No lie. Having fun. Gypsies.”

Home almost seemed imminent as the route number 16 hurried into the lane, and I abruptly ended the conversation. He shouted out “Nice meeting you”. I responded, tried to be warm.

After I got into the bus, and started thinking about the interaction, something had stuck in my head – his casual and light-hearted attitude. He was one of the thousands of homeless in Sweden, who migrate from Eastern Europe, escaping their harsh lives back there, aspiring for better lives here in Sweden. Was it wrong for him, and the others to do that? Was it wrong for the people who got onto those boats crossing the Mediterranean, wanting to live better? I strongly believe it was not wrong on their part. At the same time,  I don’t think it is the responsibility of Italy, or Sweden, or UK, or Europe alone to assimilate all these people and heal their lives. It is the responsibility of all humanity.

Immigration, who would have thought, in the 21st century has become a massive problem, and I can’t quite fathom why or how it is worsening. We were supposed to be the global village, when we entered this millennium, or was it meant to be ironic!

Posted in People, Sweden, Travel | Tagged | Leave a comment

Taliban Cricket Club

Posted on April 8, 2015 by Raghav/Raghu

Does the title seem sensational?  Even I thought so. Maybe this seemingly oxymoron of a title made me pick up the book with this title. Also, the author of the book must have known that such a title would stir interest even among readers who would not have read this book if it were just called “Under Taliban”, or  “Afghan cricket club”. Christening works is the best way authors can plug their work amidst readers. Rarely have there been books with uninteresting titles that have gone on to be best sellers, or even have left a lasting impact on the world. Now that I think of, I wonder how many books are buried under the weight of them bearing a misnomer.

Returning to the topic of this post: After some hesitation, and then simply followed by arbitration, I decided to read fiction again. It had been a long hiatus since my previous fictional read. Maybe I was in that phase as a reader,  when fiction no longer excited me enough, and I must have exhausted that phase, now wanting to read fiction again. Is this normal with all readers? Maybe not. Nonetheless, I feel such disconnect strongly about genres. So, I felt compelled towards fiction, or, maybe I simply bounced off the non-fictional reading I was doing then. In any case I ended up devouring this book – Taliban Cricket Club.

One thing I was conscious about was not to read Western fiction, or any American literature, which although comes in varying degrees of excellence I wanted to read something more rustic and that would seem rooted to the lesser written about cultures. Something that would excite my senses differently; something that makes me feel the way when I read Orhan Pamuk, or Khaleid Hosseini. I have never been to a desert, but I feel engulfed in an arid sensation, as if I were simmering over a desert like a mirage when I read both these authors.

While in this state of mind, I stumbled upon Taliban Cricket Club by Timeri Murari. Synopsis seemed decent enough, the title as I already mentioned was fixating, and I began the read.

Few pages, and I already fell in love with the female protagonist Rukhsana –  a defiant yet timid character, who was not an impossibility in the setting of the book. Pardoning the sometimes inevitable fantastic reality that fiction carries, I swiftly finished reading this book.  Might not have been the perfect work of fiction, but there are elements that made it reading a joy. As mentioned already, the portrayal of the female protagonist amidst the tensions of Taliban incursion in Afghanistan, weaving in true anecdotes from that crisis-stricken period, sprinkled with elaborate cricket gyaan made it memorable as a read, etching admiration and awe of the likes of Rukhsana, who in reality are striving against their oppression in many different countries. Another dimension to reading this book was to learn the context of Taliban’s rise in Afghanistan, which otherwise to me was a half baked picture of them being a Cold War consequence.

Maybe I will read some more fiction in this stint. Will tell you when I do read something exciting.

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Dealing with religion: Inspire, Inquire, Satire

Posted on January 7, 2015 by Raghav/Raghu

 

In solitude (yes, there seems to be little solidarity) with Charlie Hebdo, and all Free Speech advocates

Yesterday something unusual happened in my Swedish home – a strong stench pervaded near the kitchen, and I could smell it across the room. After investigating for a while, it was found that one of the eggs had gone bad, and it was indeed the obnoxious Hydrogen Sulphide from a rotten egg. To single out the culprit, we had to boil a few suspects, and the rotten one was discovered as it blew up itself in the pot, and was all black inside.

This detour is to relate to my notion that religions should have had an expiry date. After these many centuries, I was hoping that 21st century would be the time when religion would go obsolete. Instead of going obsolete, religion has expired and turned into something stronger and more dangerous, in the form of vile fundamentalism. It’s stench pervades across the globe now.

As I had to boil some of the eggs to find out which one was the culprit, combating religious fundamentalism might require us to scrutinise all religions, and their believers.

I engage with a wide spectrum of religious people – ranging from the seemingly spiritual to the frankly fanatics. I am of the opinion that religion in its mainstream form, that relies on blind faith is a deterrent to intellectual well being of individuals, groups involved and world at large.In an interview with Mehdi Hassan, Richard Dawkins was cornered with a question “Do you think religious believers are intellectually inferior?”, and Dawkins ducked down and said “No”. But, I certainly think that in the department of logic and reasoning, and hence in the methods of scientific inquiry, religious believers, who endorse supernaturalism in one or the another form are intellectually inferior. They might be better than me in many other things, but in rational thought – nope!

It gets frustrating at times that some of the people we care about, or we might otherwise admire are bogged down in blind faith.

To me there are three gradual techniques to help me deal with the spectrum of believers, and for them to get over their blindness. Hence, the title of the post.

Inspire
One of the seemingly sane reason given by a whole section of believers is that religion makes them experience the grandiosity that is super natural, beyond human imagination. I usually do not understand what one might experience to feel all spiritual. But, you could try showing them the latest Hubble Space telescope pictures, or the functioning of a cell, or show them how Kreb’s cycle is the same across all aerobic organisms to produce energy. Or even better, tell them how each one of us is star dust!
These are thoughts and ideas that humble me down, and take me through a mental journey where I am lost, and want to stay pondering in these joyous ideas as if in a meditative trance.

In my experience, the ones who are compelled to blind faith by nurture find inspiration through nature worthwhile to gain sight,  away from the blind faith.

Inquire
Not everyone understands Science. Most of the examples I gave above were scientific. Amusingly, some people admire all that I said above, and then flip the argument and cite the grandeur of the God who set all of it into motion!

In such cases, you could help them walk through the landmine of religious fallacies. All religion is built on inconsistent logic, and is enriched by a mosaic of centuries of imaginative, human ignorance. With a handful of questions, your inquiry will lead a believer shooting at his/her own feet.

Although this is sometimes hard when done to a person you care about, it must be done all the more imperatively, because you care about that person!

Satire
Inquiry will help you deal with blind faith, if the person is aware of the construct of logic and reasoning. Because we are dealing with people who believe, because they ought to believe it might not be an effective strategy. Sometimes, I have the sensation of bumping my head hard into an impervious wall of ignorance when debating with a class of theists. In such cases, at least to instigate a conversation, and grab the attention of the subjects under consideration, you could resort to satire. I use it effectively, at the risk of offending and unfriending a soul or two (actually tens of them). Nonetheless, it is better than being a spectator while the extreme versions of believers go on killing cartoonists and rationalists.

If you can’t handle satire about something, it should be seen as a lacuna in your rationality. I can to some extent understand why satire can be offensive – the closest I get to being offended by satire, or criticism is when someone who does not know about the solace A R Rahman has brought to me all my life criticises his music. But, I can handle it without blowing up people or ransacking art galleries.

Engaging with religion of all kinds is important to keep the rot from worsening.

And, if it was already not evident, I am a vocal critique of all religions! I am an atheist by all means, and also an anti-theist, when theism interferes with the functioning of the world.

Posted in Philosophy | Tagged | 2 Comments

An Apple a day, kills the planet for you

Posted on October 19, 2014 by Raghav/Raghu

Consumption, as a way of life.

With all my baggage as being a Free Software guy, this post is not only an anti-Apple rant. So, go on read it, even if you are, on an Apple device.

Apple is only an example, and the best to put forth my primary concern in this post – consumerism.
When was the last new Apple iPhone and their tablet released? Not the one that happened last week, but the one before that – sometime in September 2013. But it appears that within the last 12 months, the much coveted, revolutionarily designed hardware is obsolete and one has to purchase a new one?

Well, you are not expected to buy one, but what about your status quo in the Apple community. While everyone is flaunting away their latest, slimmer, bigger, newer Apple device, won’t you be put to shame if you still carry that brick of a device from last year?

I hope you are able to see the point I am trying to raise here – consumerism as a way of life has been the trait of the 21st century. Not that it has not been unseen in capitalist regimes in the last century, but it had never reached this sanctimonious status as it has with the electronic gadgets after the turn into the new millennium.

Without bluntly talking about the core of the problem (that I think it is), read on for a couple of minutes to be led into that alley, hopefully. Or rather, I will invoke the genius of George Carlin to put forth the point :

“Consumption. This is the new national pastime. Fuck baseball, it’s consumption, the only true, lasting American value that’s left . . . buying things . . . People spending money they don’t have on things they don’t need . . . So they can max out their credit cards and spend the rest of their lives paying 18 percent interest on something that cost $12.50. And they didn’t like it when they got it home anyway. Not too bright, folks, not too fuckin’ bright.””

While that was directed against the American culture of consumption, how different can it be elsewhere. In the land of the impoverished, back home India, and in the epitome of sustainability – Sweden, the culture of consumption is the same. The only true global value today seems to be consumption. That’s percolation of bourgeois ideas by Capitalism at its best.

Let me focus on the hypocrisy of Scandinavian countries – say Sweden.
On the surface, Sweden is all about sustainability, recycling and waste seggregation. It is passionately carried on – and it is most necessary. The manufacturing (done in Sweden)carbon footprint per head is really low when compared to, take the worst case – China. That is laudable, but only until you look closely.

Most of the manufacturing in Sweden, as in the advanced capitalist countries happens in the “third world” workshop countries. A recent statistic from WWF put things quite well in perspective for countries like Sweden – if all of us were to live as a Swede does, we would need 3.7 planets!

But, the most ancient of human fallacies – Out of sight is out of mind, still works well as an excuse.

Naomi Klein in her latest book talks about how Capitalism focuses entirely on one of the three R’s to save Earth:
“…… of the original “Three Rs”—reduce, reuse, recycle—only the third has ever gotten any traction, since it allows us to keep on shopping as long as we put the refuse in the right box. The other two, which require that we consume less, were pretty much dead on arrival. ”

This is entirely true in Sweden – I was first shocked at the unscrupulous use of paper at my University. Even at places where there is no need, printing was done to extravagant amounts, with no remorse, because paper can be recycled! No one seems to think beyond the nearest waste segregating bins! The manufacturing process, pollution and burden on the environment, because is legitmised by the excuse of the thrid R, many do not seem to bother about the first two R’s .

This is justified even at higher levels with gadgets. This is where I am compelled to take up the easy example of Apple products. Apple products are designed and catered to the self proclaimed elitist societies like in Sweden. If not almost everyone, every alternate person in Sweden uses Apple products. In this discussion, I shall refrain from talking about the perils of Apple as a technology company, but focus on its role as an agent for Capitalism and unscrupulous consumption.

With each release of their devices, the demand and brouhaha stand testimony to the myopic sustainability claims of again, a self proclaimed leader in sustainability like Sweden, USA, and other advanced countries . Changing you phone every 12 months, without focusing on the environmental damage is worse than pumping out carbon emission right from your vehicle.

And don’t even talk about cars. The same story – if there is no emission (or if you can’t see it), it is perfectly alright to own as many cars as you want. Hybrid and electric cars are good. There are very few talking about a future without cars! This to me is not bright at all.

“Those who control material production, tend to control mental production as well”, said Marx sometime more than 130 years ago, and look at the values today – “consumption is good” is  the prominent and dominant idea, validated by the class that controls material production. For, if Apple were to create a device that is truly sustainable and performs well for say even 5 years, they would not be ruling the stock market.

I don’t know what image you have about all this – by the end of this post, I see a clear picture of zombies, lined up on Flipkarts, Amazons and Apple stores, who slog their life off, to CONSUME.

Posted in Politics, Sweden | Tagged | 2 Comments

Humbler, after one year full year in Sweden

Posted on August 22, 2014 by Raghav/Raghu

Roughly guided by Sweden 😉

It’s been one full year since I moved to Sweden. And these 365 days, as expected, have been quite a transforming experience. I’m not talking about the less startling culture shocks in terms of food, attire or festivals, nor am I hinting at the awesome, yet frivolous nature of climate around this side of the globe. At the risk of sounding philosophical, I would say I am looking inwards in evaluating this one year experience.

Personally, I have undergone many subtle and yet important changes in me, which have been deeply influenced because of my living, working and travelling experiences, primarily in Sweden.

To summarise, I would say that I am at least a few shades humbler than the previous version of myself. Humbler, not because I am any less awesome or lesser than the narcissist I have always been, but the embracing of the fact that it is quite hard, to be good at something, rather anything at all, has dawned upon me, or at least I would like to think so. I am more disciplined – while I thought I already was, even in this regard I am working to meet higher standards prevailing around here. Also, reassurance of the fact that honesty and integrity in our actions is the only way to do anything at all; this might come as a surprise – although well preached, it is barely adhered to and rarely practised in many quarters of interactions I’ve had back at home.

Overall, this migration of mine has been a necessary change of climate from the habitat where I had grown almost all the first 26 years of my life, and hence the reputation within the same entourage had in many ways snowballed into something bigger than what I actually might have deserved. Not to condone any of the adulation I received then, and I still continue receive now, which were an impetus of different kind. This criticism is to point out the flaws in me, which if I had continued to remain in the same environment might have made a complacent nincompoop out of me.

That said, interacting with a culture like that in Sweden does many other important things to you as well. First and foremost, it reignites the drive to get better. Inherently the notion and standards of comprehension and expertise are set to very different levels. Feynman’s profound advice “There is a difference between knowing something, and knowing the name of that very thing”, takes a far and wide spread connotation here. The deep-rootedness of every action, and the enormity of efforts behind seemingly simple accomplishments elevate the calibre.

While most of this evaluation would be because of my extensive interaction and involvement with academia, I don’t think there would be any difference in this analysis even if I were to compare any other aspect, like say sports or music, or art, or even politics.

On the other hand, because of this migration, I have observably become less affirmative and/or assertive, but more non-committal and open-ended. Now, I’m not sure if that’s good or bad as yet, but have (seemed to) realised (realise) it.

Other quintessential Nordic paradigm changes like impregnation of sustainability and pragmatic, action-driven love of nature have also found way into me.

At the end of one year, after having seen places, and met many inspiring people, I think I am set on to the better of the tracks that lay ahead of me, still taking to me to my chosen destination, but with a more gratifying ride – more like a bicycle ride on the lanes of Göteborg, than the scooter ride in Bangalore 😉

 

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The futility of human endeavour

Posted on August 19, 2014 by Raghav/Raghu

When the cosy sprinkle of hot water runs down your bare skin at the end of a long and cold day, one cannot be blamed to let the mind sway frantically into realms of thoughts, that in entirely conscious being would never occur. After being adrift, down the crests and through the troughs of wild neural seas, the mind then settles down at a centroid of ponderous and, what otherwise would seem unusual mental landscape.
That’s my disclaimer for the rant below.

One such haphazard event, brought out the nihilist in me, who until then I did not know existed inside. I have added a flavour to my nihilism, and I think evolutionary nihilism is close to what I am about to discuss.

My nihilism does not grapple with the purpose of life itself, but with the artificial purpose of life we abide, and live by.

From an evolutionary biological standpoint, along with procreation, creation alone is what is imminent to human existence. We discern ourselves from all the other procreating species simply by creating. Creation based on original ideas is one of the niche traits that has put us at the top of the natural world. It is not to say that our organisation skills as a species have not helped us climb up that ladder: The sheer scale of organisation we are able to accomplish, which hitherto no other species has been able to, by honing the forces of nature stands testimony to the havoc we can, and have unleashed on the planet.

The social networking (a term unscrupulously misused of late) we are able to engage in, as is not a skill confined only to our species, I lay no emphasis on this particular trait. Only the sophistication of this interaction is what is different from other species, which again is a function of our unique creative capabilities, and I return to my original point.

My contention about the lives we live today is that we are betraying that purpose – to create (originally), and are servile to other imperfections of human existence like servility itself.

Just tabulate the tasks each one of us is engaged in, on a daily basis –  enormous amount of our conscious and subconscious efforts are wasted on the artificial constructs which are only curbing the innate need in us to create. Few salient human endeavours that are entirely unnecessary from this post’s standpoint would be – politics, social etiquette, formal education, routines, borders, greed, wars, religion. It is as if, we as a population are keen on aggravating the flaws in us, by nurturing the aforementioned, meaningless and mind-numbing excuses to refrain from creation.

On the other hand, the more scaffolding-type of our traits, manifested as art, music, love in general, and love for food in particular, travel,science, mathematics, literature are all constantly pitted against the previously mentioned futile human endeavours.This by our subverted design seems to be the theme of lives today!

There is an undeniable need for each of us to identify the futility of our endeavours, and invest in more naturally coherent traits we have evolved into. A healthy nihilistic attitude, even if it does sound an oxymoron, is the need of the hour.

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One, Two, Three – Worlds apart

Posted on May 10, 2014 by Raghav/Raghu

The parlance used to tag countries as First World, Second World and Third World seemed offensive to me, always. Based on the context in which these terms were being thrown around I was of the opinion that it was a metric relative to the industrial revolution, that began in the West. That the US, UK and rest of most of Europe ended up being the First World countries and late blooming industrial countries, for instance India became a Third World country.

Quite recently, I learned that it was indeed used in the context of post World War II, seeming relevant till into the Cold War. US and its allies after WW II ended up being the First World countries (presumably because they were the most powerful, or mostly English speaking and decided to call themselves that), Soviet Union and its allies (mostly Communist states) were the Second World countries, while the neutral countries after World War ended up being the Third World countries. Sensible it might sound in that context, but the manner in which at least the extremes (First and Third) are used today imply a totally different scenario.

Just to drive the point home, if India is a Third World country, so is Sweden. (Ouch, why does it sound weird!)

Nonetheless, going by the connotation it has acquired, and in that sense today it appears that the so called developed countries are the First World, and the developing countries (mostly Asian and Latin American) are popular as Third World. As if to fulfil this prophecy, the conditions of course are world apart in the two sets of countries.

In this post, I will highlight couple of issues that are perceived totally differently in the two sets of countries. For this observation, I use my experience in Sweden (granting them a First World tag based on the development story) and India, in both ways we fit the Third World tag.

Blue - First World: United States, United Kingdom and their allies. Red - Second World: Soviet Union, China, and their allies. Green- Third World: neutral and non-aligned countries. (Img Src: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Cold_War_alliances_mid-1975.svg)

Skin

Stop frowning, if you are. It ain’t about racism; it is about it being not about racism.
Hailing from India I have never had to bother about racism. What the world probably does not realise is that, we Indians are extremely sensitive to skin color ourselves, but not the way the American Civil war was fought, but even today, having fair complexion is considered as the unmissable ingredient to being successful in India. We have a spectrum of beauty products sold in India, which are marketed, openly to make your skin not fairer, but fairest! It is not just for women, but for men too (we are not sexist in this aspect). Our TV’s show these ads on hourly basis, where the biggest stars endorse ‘skin fairness’ products and preach that with a dark complexion one cannot be successful. The good and bad part about this discrimination in India is that, we have plethora of other factors to discriminate – caste, religion, region, language and of course money, where the debate about skin colour makes the least noise. So, frankly an Indian wouldn’t be offended if he/she were discriminated based on colour, unless that person has gotten used to the First Worldliness.

It’s been eight months in Sweden, and apart from the ubiquitous social inertness (that’s Swedishness) that I am used to, I have heard just one remote acquaintance complain about some discrimination based on skin colour. It is a well deserved First World title to Sweden then.

So, what then is the problem here about skin? One word will unleash the answer – Photoshop!
Yes, the largest resistance and the neo-consciousness that can infuriate citizens here (and applicable to the broader First Worldliness) is editing a natural photograph to reduce blemishes, or tone down a layer of fat. I am not trying to ridicule this trend; It might seem so in the context of the previous paragraph. I endorse this campaign too, but clearly given my roots I cannot empathize as I would to the problems back at home.

Road safety

Wikipedia says India tops the list for the highest number of fatalities last year at 142,485 (in overall 1,240,000), roughly 10%. This could be because we are the second most populous country, but, I think otherwise simply because not every family has access to motor vehicles, or even roads in India. Well, that whining apart, the problem of road safety is massive in India – poor infrastructure, unregulated number of vehicles, weak public transportation and the globally infamous road discipline, all of it make India the rightful top contender for high road accidents. And when we talk of road accidents in India, majority of these are involving two-wheelers. India has the most diverse range of two-wheeler motor vehicles which have ZERO protection when involved in accidents.

In this side of the world, Sweden is one of the most active countries in increasing road safety. The impeccable traffic discipline, importance to public transport and cycling in nexus with the deep research of safety measures have brought the number of fatalities in road accidents plummeting. Kudos.
But, when I sit through the seminars on road safety here, I clearly see a world’s difference. The solutions are local,  to the First World countries. The latest of the exciting talks I was at was about child safety in cars – how to design restraints that can work efficiently in restraining the evolving anatomy of children, under impact. As I mentioned in the skin case, this is important and is not a light issue at all. But when contrasting the conditions in the two countries, I can see a world’s difference.

Although, the entire post might have sounded divisive, as if I were attempting to distinguish the First world and Third World problems, the motivation in writing this post is simply the disturbing realisation that we are all equal, yet thrive and suffer in different unequal conditions.

Aren’t we one world together?
Okay, get back to sleep dreamer.

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