The London Exposure
The one and half years that I lived in London, taught me more than what I had learned in the 21 years of my life in the sanctity and security of my home country. As a boy who belonged to a middle class business family, I had experienced the ups and downs of life, but little did I know that there is a lot more out there beyond the confined walls of my city. India is a country with diverse cultures co-existing together under one roof; in itself it has a lot to learn and explore.
I once overheard my grandfather saying to someone that “I hear and I forget, I see and I remember, I do and I understand”. I had always heard what life is beyond the Ocean, I had met my father’s friends and associates from his University in Switzerland, and I was always curious to know how and why they are so different.
As the plane landed at the Heathrow Airport in London, my quest for the answers I seek took off. At first it all looked the same as Delhi, the wide roads, fabulous network of underground railway, enormous parks all around the city. We have all this back home, so why does it appear so different? I asked myself. Is it the uniformity in the architectural designs of houses, is it the more civilized traffic sense in people, or is it the work culture that keeps people occupied?
It was all that and a lot more. India might be diverse in every aspect but all the cultures residing do have some common background. What astonished me about London was the fact that even people with different cultures and lifestyle, with absolutely no common attributes except that they are human, can co-exist and work together for undivided progress.
I pursued MSc in Financial Management from Middlesex University, and gained a Global exposure with not just academic prospective but a global exposure to different civilizations, lifestyle, traditions and customs.
Among the various decisions I made in my life, I am glad I chose going to London to do my Masters. As someone said, we shall not cease from exploring, and at the end of our exploring, will be where we started, and know the place for the first time.
