And for a Friday back to Namma Bengaluru after a three week Europe trip, some thoughts….. some musings…..
Bangalore international airport looks absolutely the best compared to Frankfurt, Paris, Heathrow, Naples etc. etc. Beautifully laid out, excellent baggage carousels, duty free shop and varieties on offer will put every other airport “Duty Free” to shame. The immigration counters and customs clearances are a breeze compared to the horrors in Europe. Frankfurt takes almost two hours to clear immigration. For EU citizens there is walk thru auto gates. But for all other nationalities, just one long queue with just one or at best two immigration counters. Surprisingly the counter officer wants to know so many details before he stamps. Ooffff, its a torture. It reminds me of Indian airports in the late nineties.
Western Europe after Ukraine war, Covid and now the Israel-Palestine situation, is on a steady downhill. The Islamists fundamentalists who migrated from other countries legally and illegally have become a huge law and order problem. The Economy is sliding. Inflation is high. Unemployment of local youth is bringing the far Right Nationalists as coalition partners who hate foreigners and want all immigration to be stopped. These smaller parties are influencing the bigger parties as coalition partners. There is huge shortage of manpower, both skilled and unskilled. Young Europeans do not want to take up any of the low end menial jobs and freebies to immigrants taken in haphazardly means none want to work. All 5 star hotels, restaurants and hospitality centres are just unable to handle the tourists for want of trained staff. If the current Geopolitics continues like this, I see huge turmoil and massive problems in Europe in the next 5 years. Particularly if Trump wins in USA and NATO is challenged, then paying for their security and buying arms from USA will make EU nations hurtle towards disaster. Russia cozying up to China and nibbling at Africa and Vietnam keeps Western allies dancing on tin roofs.
India is on a good wicket. Thanks to our IT and Nursing Professionals as well as Indian Economy overtaking UK to become the 5th largest, has changed perceptions of India. Let’s all bask in this achievement, the all inclusive way, the respectful way, the SEEGOS way.