First Time in the Europe

My tryst with the Europe was jinxed until I visited Dublin this week. Last two times when I was invited to visit Germany, I couldn't go - once, I didn't procure the visa in time and second time when I was just about to fly, I was detected with a severe ear infection and the doctor advised me to stay away from long-haul flights. This time, it wasn't Germany though, but I travelled to Europe (Abhi tak sirf films mein dekha tha). The flight from Delhi was via Amsterdam (just a hop at the airport) to the ultimate destination Ireland - Dublin to be precise. Almost 15 hours of flying it was. I remember when I first boarded an aircraft - that too a window seat - I was super excited. Time and distance didn't matter at all. In fact the more the merrier. Similarly, on my first international flight to Singapore (a pretty beaten-to-death destination), I was awake the whole night looking out of the window all the time....But now it is no more exciting or enticing. I dread to board a plane with the fear of a long haul journey in my mind. May be the places which I have never visited create some kind of sensation to tickle my bones but that's about it. There is another hidden reason why I hate going out of India and that is Ananya - my darling. I can't think of staying away her for such a long time.

Anyway, this is all work. I am yet to travel outside India on a leisure trip with family. I am sure I will get a chance soon.

So the flight finally reached Dublin. It was bright and sunny outside. A slight nip in the air with cool breeze. Had I been a tourist, I would have straight hit the city. But I was at work. And when I am work I don't even eat properly - forget about enjoying the city. And when I am at work for my own company, any of these things become secondary. It was our Independence Day - the 64th. Being on a foreign land on the independence day... bit of an odd sequence of events but since we had plans for the day, I was okay. The Hotel was decent...not one of those very lavish 5 Stars but good. Room didn't have an air conditioner and I thanked god for it. The hotel didn't even have a swimming pool. Not that I am a regular swimmer yet it is something that I often see in the hotels. Anyway, the reason for going to Dublin was our own CTO Forum Annual Conference. I had a huge responsibility of not only putting together a compelling conference programme but also to take 100 + delegates with me. These are really big obligations. Sponsors turn a blind eye or close doors on you if you can't show them the might of attendees. Attendees, in this context, is the biggest determining factor.

So, 2 days of packed agenda and 110 odd delegates was the deal. It looks easy but until you have delivered on the conference, you are just on a very shaky ground. Anything can slip and cause a catastrophe. Pramath, Anuradha and a few colleagues were there to make it all possible - flawlessly. Thankfully this time the atmosphere was quite different from the last time (in China) where the whole conference happened in a sombre mood. Here, there was cheer all around. Things, except the allocation of rooms to the delegates (which got massively derailed) went pretty much according to the plan.

Last time, I got an indirect warning from Pramath. I still remember those words exactly. I was really very careful to avoid any such unpleasantness.

I am sure you wouldn't like to know what happened during the conference. All I can say is it went of well.

In those few hours that I went around the city of Dublin, I made some very interesting observations:

1. There is life beyond work, shopping and sleeping, which I saw there. People are social, hospitable and nice. They have a lot of passion to live beyond shopping and that's the reason why shops close at 6 PM. Why should a shopkeeper be deprived of pleasure beyond work. In India, what we see is opposite. The poor guy will open at 9 in the morning and close at 10 at night. Awful! isn't it?

2. People find time for them and live life at a certain pace. There is no mad rush to accomplish things. People walk slowly unlike some of the far eastern countries where I see people almost running while they are simply walking. It looks as if they are racing against time, against death!

3. The city has beautifully preserved its rich heritage and hold proud in saying they hate Brits (I can't generalise it and am seeking apologies in advance for making such a bold statement). But this is what I felt. As opposed to the rest of the world (here the world is what I have seen so far) everything has a prefix...It is Irish Tea, Irish Coffee, Irish Beer, Irish Whisky and so on...I am sure this serves a dual purpose - one, it gives identity of a different sort and two, it makes a country look so very chauvinist...In India, we are quite proud of living an imported life. If you use something which is not home grown or home produced, you are an elite else, you are backward.

4. The city is a perfect blend of Old and New (more retro than modern). And it looks heavenly. Wherever you go, you'll find the glimpses of old residential and commercial buildings - all very well maintained and kept clean. Even the narrowest of streets were sparkling clean. I felt ashamed of my own country where people contribute a lot to keep the streets dirty and filthy.

5. People don't peep into others' lives. The city is full of life and thus they don't hesitate in getting cosy wherever there is an urge. We Indians were looking silly to stare at them like we have never seen a couple kissing before. But they do indulge quite freely without any hesitation.

This was Dublin for me.