about to depart (the discovery of India road trip)

Wednesday, 9 December 2015

At long last, the day has arrived. After two months of hard work and little sleep, the day finally comes when we must fly to India. It is my first vacation of this year, and I am very much looking forward to it. Yet the excitement is not as palpable as I would have imagined it would be. With about 2-4 hours of sleep every weeknight, and no exercise to speak of, my body is fatigued, and my mind is abuzz with thoughts about international tax law. My constitution seems to be numbed, and I do not feel so very much.

Loveless in Mannheim; Confused in Dossenheim

11 October 2015

Having car-pooled from Herzogenrath - a German town close to the Dutch border near Maastricht - I arrived in Mannheim late this evening, and went to the tram station to go to Dossenheim. It was the first time I had carpooled, but the pleasantness of the journey had left me underprepared for what I was about to encounter.

From Stockholm

Stockholm Syndrome

I am generally very fond of summers, but this year has been exceptionally good, thanks to the number of windows in my apartment. The attic is my bedroom and it has two slant roof windows, one facing east and the other west. And I never draw the curtains. So, I was filled with childlike enthusiasm on the eve of the summer solstice this year. I had had a rather long day at work, but could not sleep – I was very curious to see when the last ray of the Sun disappears. It was at about 00:40. My curiosity about how long it would be before sunrise got the better of my sleep. The first sunrays appeared at about 03:15. I could finally get some sleep, but only for about two hours. The adrenalin kept me in good spirits the next day nonetheless.

The trouble however is that adrenalin takes you only so far. I sleep so little during the summers that by August, I tend to get cranky. Last year, I suffered a minor burnout and slept over 120 hours in the first week of my holidays! Somehow, I still do not draw the curtains, and Joline actually wears a sleeping mask when she sleeps over.

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Finally at Maria’s

My friend Maria had invited me to visit her since 2010, when I first arrived in Europe, but I did not have enough money to make the trip. Four year since, I finally have enough time and some money to travel. So here I am in Stockholm.

The recriminalisation of humanity

I checked the morning news from India and felt my blood rush through my ears. One had heard about a less than enthusiastic bench, but the headline `Homosexuality illegal: SC´ managed to shock me nonetheless. A large part of humanity was condemned for the victimless crime of not suppressing their sexuality. Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860 was held to be legal in its undiluted interpretation.

Impactful as the headline was, it was not accurate. Section 377 does not criminalise only homosexuality, but more generally, any “carnal intercourse against the order of nature”. Depending on how one interprets these words, as suggested in the decision, any non-penovaginal, penetrative sexual activity constitutes an offence punishable with incarceration for as many as ten years, even if it is consensual and between adults. But homosexuals are most likely to be the easiest victims of the verdict.

Re: Rocking the kasbah

Karan Thapar in his 'Sunday Sentiments' dated February 6, 2011, revisits the oft-debated issue of the socio-economic disparities in India. He reflects upon what the possible consequences of these injustices could be, against the backdrop of the current turmoil in Tunisia and Egypt. He suggests that India must watch her step, lest she should suffer a similar revolution. While the article does address extremely pertinent issues, the author’s analysis leaves much to be desired and a rather sour aftertaste.