Even the Password

The password of the wifi network in the business class lounge at Gdansk was Lech Walesa pronounced Walenza. This is the type of the iconic status if not divine, that erstwhile Nobel Laureate Mr Walesa enjoys in this sleepy port town of Gdansk in the extreme north of Poland from where he hails, and which was the seat of command of his Solidarity Movement. He still has an office in the port which he visits.

But the port has now been hijacked by some French companies who are using the infrastructure to build luxury yachts, each selling for a million Euro or more. So very principles that fired the movement seemed to have been given a go by.

When I traveled from Gdansk ( Danzki ) to Starogard, another small town about 80 kms from Gdansk, I saw lot of development work. Not too many workers though like India, as the work was mostly mechanized, but Poland had access to significant “Accession Funds” which are being deployed in the infrastructure projects. In fact, in some these countries which were later additions to the much extolled European Union, the infrastructure created far exceeds the current need and hence capital is locked in idle assets. But regardless, since someone else had paid for the same, some decades down the line, this effort would hold the country in good stead. In fact I personally believe, at the country level, unlike corporates, country balance sheets should not be shying away from asset creation.

The Polish economy is growing around 4 – 5 pct which is good by any advanced country standards, hoping that there is no doctoring of numbers.

Culturally, these Eastern Bloc countries are closer to India. They espouse similar if not identical value systems. They respect family values, respect age and station and believe in the institution of marriage. At dinner two friends that I was dining with, had been married for 29 years and 20 years respectively and to the same woman. The years can often be matched in so called advanced countries, but may be spit between 4 different women.

Interestingly, dinner was at a restaurant called Goldwasser, literally meaning gold water. It is a brand of Vodka invented by the owner of the Restaurant, which has gold shavings. The gold is supposed to bring special flavor and properties to the Vodka, hence Goldwasser.

Russian is not a liked language though most of the older generation can speak, read and write the language. This was imposed on the people at the time of the communist regime and hence detested. Today the younger generations learn other languages, but not Russian. In India, the state did not impose Hindi and I think that was a very forward looking strategy.

The acceptability of Hindi since independence has increased many fold only for the reason that it was never imposed. All educated people have a functional knowledge of Hindi, and in times to come, this could be a unique uniting thread to the various cultures of the country. If I were in Nehru’s place, out of jingoism, I would have made Hindi compulsory for all at the time of independence, and I think that would have wrung the death knell of a language so beautiful much ahead of its fated time.

High on heels

It was after years that I was traveling like a young business manager would, covering many cities in just one trip. Starting with Hamburg, Frankfurt, Bad Vilbel near Frankfurt, then to Paris, Amsterdam, Zurich, Lugano, Mano, Madrid, Warsaw and Gdansk.

All these cities have something unique to boast and something unique to offer. Of course in most of them I have been many times over.

The weather in Madrid was splendid by European standards, 31 deg C and sky still sunlit even at 9 pm. I stepped out of my hotel to take a walk and feel the city. I was coming to Madrid after very long. I walked on rue Fuenceral to Montera and finally to the Puerta del Sala cutting across Grand Via.

It is known that Spain is clearly one of the most relaxed countries in Europe, the people are a somewhat happy go lucky indulge themselves with leisurely lunches and sometimes even a rejuvenating siesta, but in this trip I noticed something more.

In all the previous cities of this tour, high heels seemed like an affliction with women. In Amsterdam, a girl about 184 cms which is more than 6 ft, was walking on heels at least 4 inches. The minimum irrespective of age and height is 4 inches. Ironically in most of these cities, the centre squares have stone tiles with grooves - not so friendly to the gait on the heels - which often stuck in the grooves and then ensues a struggle in which usually the tile wins. Usually, the only class of girls that denies itself the joy of gyrating on heels is house-keepers in hotels. They are always in flat shoes. The hotel norms perhaps demand that. Unless of course, your mission is to do a Straus Kahn.

But in Madrid, I noticed, all girls without exception were wearing flats. The only girls in high heels on were those on Rue Monterra and were actually the highly painted late night business ladies. Perhaps, their heavy makeup and heels was a statement setting them apart from the other girls.

Having propounded my thesis on heels sufficiently, I proceed to the Porta del Sol. Every European city prides itself with statue of a king or a sea farer on a horse back. Usually he should point his finger to the horizon, and Madrid was no exception to this rule, and there was the horse, and a figure on the horse but somehow, the hands were pretty much by his statues sides.

Underneath the statue was a protest demonstration. Such demonstrations are taking place all over Europe these days. Cannot say much about USA. The reason always is the cutting of dole. These countries prospered due to high productivity, industrial revolution and also to a large extent their colonies, which they exploited to the fullest. That is in part the reason that they extoll their kings a lot, as it was they who got, even though illegitimately, the wealth from the colonies on which the infrastructure of these countries was built. With time, as systems advanced, these societies developed a high sense of egalitarianism, as a consequence of which almost every one got some benefit from the state like unemployment wage, health benefits or retirals. In the past decade, given the decadence and de-growth of these economies, declining productivity, and increasing debt and deficits, the dole is being withdrawn in phases. University grants are being cut, health support is being whittled, public hospitals are being closed, and cap is being put on the unemployment benefits. This is hurting the lower and middle classes of society which had started treating these benefits as their constitutional right. Hence the protests.

So there was a big protest (as a Spaniard told me) against the policies of the Spanish government, which meant about 50 people had gathered. Usually in India, this is the number vending water and snacks to protestors.