I used to be a passionate cyclist in Berlin – now I cycle in Delhi. People have told me that Delhi used to have separate lanes for cyclists. Back then when South Delhi was still a conglomeration of villages, cars were the more exceptional mode of transportation. Sometime back the space was taken over by cars and planning was taken over by those who thought a modern city needed wide streets for cars rather than lanes for its inhabitants to walk on, or ride on their bikes – often affectionately referred to by Germans as their “Drahtesel” (a ‘donkey made out of wire’ in German language).

Continue reading "Riding Wired Donkeys - Cycling Culture from Berlin to Delhi"

To gather life experience, more and more students all over the world decide to learn other languages, study or work in other countries, and travel abroad. During our university lecture tour from 17.05.2010 to 02.06.2010 at eight different German universities we were thrilled by the high numbers of international students attending our lecture “India: A New Destination for Career Fulfilment”.

Reflecting on academic experiences and the question how to utilise their education for an international career, students around the Western world now look towards new geographical directions to seek career fulfilment. More and more India is becoming a focus point for ambitious individuals pursuing their studies there, doing an internship or joining the Indian labour market after graduation.

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Today we would like to introduce you to a project which a dedicated team from our division Culture Must has started almost two years ago: the Sound Tamasha. Some might have heard about it, some might have even been to an actual performance, but what exactly is Sound Tamasha? To find out, please visit the brand new Sound Tamasha Website, listen to all the former Sound Tamasha artists and have a look at the extravagant artwork Sound Tamasha is famous for. Enjoy!

I recently found myself on a cross-country, East to Left coast, train adventure on Amtrak, the national railway company in the United States. We were a group of twenty like-minded artists, journeying to a conference together and intent on spending three days talking, ideating, and drinking whiskey together. Amtrak is the transportation of Amish families who eschew automobiles, elderly couples, and young vagabonds; there’s a curiosity surrounding train travel in the United States. How quaint and old fashioned (!), we think. One of my artist companions fully expected chandeliers and an elegant service in the dining car for dinner and was disappointed when Tony, the waiter, shouted the dessert options to the entire car en-masse between off-key snippets of Elvis tunes. It was a disappointing and high-priced meal, with an atmosphere only notable for its similarity to crass and cheap small-town diners. (I should note that seven of us, gratefully not including myself, fell ill after this meal; apparently a lack of sanitation standards for train food is an international phenomenon).

Continue reading "Ecosystem of the Train"