A London Elegy

THE LONDON THAT one has known forever is no longer the London it was. And the reasons are plenty. Many people have fled due to taxation, inheritance tax, and other similar factors. But that’s the ultra-elite, and thank god some of them have left because they were a nuisance. They did nothing. They added no value. They sucked the life out of London and pretended to be the purveyors of all things fine and sensitive.

What has also changed in London is the law and order situation. Today, you can’t wear a watch, and you can’t be on your phone if you’re walking because enough gangs are willing to strip you of everything you own, other than your clothes, for now. So when I look back at the London that used to be and the London it is today, I’d lay the blame squarely on Sadiq Khan, the errant mayor who was sadly awarded a knighthood by King Charles III, for reasons that are both unfathomable and quite inexplicable.

Today’s London is not the archetype London it was, where you’d spend hours in museums, where you wouldn’t bump into anyone you’d spent a lifetime avoiding, and then go on and do your thing, whatever it may be. Hyde Park is no longer the park it was. It’s dirty, infested with duck poop, and what’s worse is that you have people making a racket.

And the one thing that has stood out in today’s London is the decibel. Decibels are high, and people are screaming and shouting. There’s a lack of civility, which was so deeply associated with everything London and everything English. However, I suppose that’s the way we live in these times.

I arrived in London on the day of the horrific plane tragedy in India, and what was remarkable was the difference in coverage between some media outlets in India and those in England.

While our Indian brethren went ballistic, laying fault at everyone, where suddenly there were more aviation experts than functioning traffic lights, in England, it was far more measured.

What was truly heartwarming was the prayer ceremony that our excellent High Commissioner Vikram Doraiswami held at India House.

The prayer ceremony showed us who we really are: measured, confident, and resilient.

I did manage to catch a brilliant play, Giant, where John Lithgow plays the character of Roald Dahl. It is an indictment of today’s political landscape, with a focus on Israel. But without getting into the politics of the play, one must confess that, unlike our so-called stars in India, it is a measure both of confidence and skill that Western stars, whether they are in films or theatre, do a far better job when they are doing a play than our folks back home.

And I’ve never understood why.

The other thing that I did notice was there were far fewer people, both in restaurants and in museums and galleries, and that is a bit alarming. I don’t know if it is a London-specific issue, or if it is an economic issue, or if it is thanks to Donald J Trump that Americans don’t want to travel beyond their shores for fear of reprisal, rebuke, and ridicule.

What was really heartwarming was the India Global Forum put together by Manoj Ladwa, which had an outstanding inaugural speech by Piyush Goyal, who stressed the historic partnership between the UK and India. What was even more compellingly heartwarming was that the India Global Forum (IGF) chose to postpone its IGF Gala, a must-attend event every year.

That apart, the usual things are happening. You go for long walks, you meet interesting people, you dive for cover when you meet people you’ve spent a lifetime avoiding, and then go about your work as if nothing’s changed.

For my part, I continue to do what I always do—museums, galleries, and plays. Always alone, because then you have the comfort of solitude, of reflection, and most importantly, of elegant silence.

culturedisintegrationinfrastructureLondonRoald DahlSadiq KhanVikram Doraiswami