Fachhochschule Mainz University of Applied Sciences

30 | Auslandsbeziehungen |
Indian Impressions
EU-Economic cross cultural programme MSc International Business 1999-2001
Helen Bicknell, MA
| Helen Bicknell, MA |
Fachhochschule Mainz
For our humble
contributions
And your
distinguished
presence
Slow, fast, tranquil,
fleeting
What time is
the six o’clock
meeting?
Indian Time
(or – you have the clocks, we have the time!)
Three and a half hours ahead
Or fifty years behind?
Standing still, moving forward
Never in a line
Waiting for the western man,
One foot in the East
Time is on the left hand,
With the other one we eat.
India has fascinated me for many years. As
a child I grew up with many Asians in my
local environment, but the first Indians I
personally remember were friends of a family
I knew. I was about 12 years old when I
first became interested in Yoga, and the
Indian father showed me Yoga positions and
spoke to me about the philosophy behind
the various Yoga traditions. We practised
standing on our heads with our legs crossed
and controlled breathing techniques. He was
my first guru, although I did not even know
that word in those days! I was also interested
in cooking, and his wife explained to me
that what most English people think curry
is, is not what curry is for Indian people.
She showed me some of the different spices
which are combined together in many different
ways to produce the wonderful variety
of flavours and tastes to be discovered in
Indian food.
How much will it
cost to get there?
How long will it
take?
We’ll wait until
you’re finished
Right here at the
gate
Helen Bicknell,
September 2001
But although my interest in yoga, curries
and Indian people continued, I never had
the chance to go to India. In the year 2000,
teaching on the MSc International Business
programme, which was participating in an
exchange with India, Prof. Scharnbacher,
(the course director) mentioned the possibility
that all the MSc teaching staff might
be invited to attend a conference in Madras
(now known as Chennai) the following year.
At the time, I was not even on the FH staff,
so I dismissed the whole idea as an impossible
dream. Yet on 2 nd September 2001, I
was flying to Chennai airport!
The poem on the opposite page was written
at Brussels airport on September 10 th , waiting
for our return connection to Frankfurt. Writing
poetry is not something I often do, but poetry,
like painting or writing a song is an excellent
way to express complex emotions in a succinct
way. At first I thought it would not be appropriate
to offer a poem as a contribution to a
Jahrbuch Wirtschaftswissenschaften | FH Mainz | 2002