Desi whirl and Deutschland

Walter Lindner speaks to the dabbawalas of Mumbai

There was no (W)alter-native except the Leopold Cafe on buzzing Colaba Causeway for German Ambassador to India Walter J Lindner, who had an interaction with the press there early Thursday afternoon. He was supposed to focus on talking about initiatives for strengthening Indo-German collaboration, and he did so, but after an easy, breezy introduction, encapsulating his two-day visit to Mumbai.

Venue whys

Explaining his choice of venue Lindner said, "I thought this was better than having a meeting in a sterile hotel room. The mosaic of many colours, noise, multi-faceted personalities here is what Mumbai is. I also wanted to pay a tribute in my own way to the heroes of the Mumbai 26/11 attacks, with Leopold of course, one of the targets of the terror carnage..."

German Ambassador Walter Lindner interacts with the media, at Leopold Cafe in Colaba, on Thursday. Pic/Suresh Karkera

Restoration support

Lindner said they are looking at supporting some "restoration projects" in Mumbai. "We had a heritage walk in the morning [on Thursday] with a conservation expert, and are in the process of writing up a list of what we could support. We need a good fit, which means budget wise, too, and have options - a museum, synagogue, the forts here or a library," he said.

Lunch, please

The dabbawalas seemed to be a lunch box office hit for Lindner. "I met them and learnt a little about colour coding, how they deliver these dabbas. It's sad that the pandemic has caused them to lose up to 70 per cent of business. Like so many others, I want to see them back to full strength, carting dabbas in big, wooden crates."

Unique reality

It was evident that for this ambassador the real stories were not just about meeting political and business leaders. The real India was about a rickshawallah, the dabbawalla living on hope, and the dhobi he hopes to see at the famous Dhobi Ghat, he said. "Every person is a story," said Lindner, adding, "the spice seller from Chandni Chowk, to a well-heeled entrepreneur, each has his own, different reality and that makes India unique."

Bollywood calling

Lindner said he was meeting a couple of Bollywood producers on Friday to push for enhanced collaboration. "... I see a lot of German technology, like cameras in studios. We are going to line up breath-taking German locations for scouters in Bollywood; we have recommendations for picture-postcard castles, and other places..."

The govern

Answering questions about former German chancellor Angela Merkel's legacy, he called her an "icon" and recalled how she had once said, ‘I admire anybody who governs India'. This, Lindner said, "was because of the sheer numbers and diversity of your country." "Every fifth person on the planet is an Indian. There is not just the poor Indian, but the highly educated, tech whiz, too," he finished, as the conversation ended. To some last laughs, Lindler, looking at the food on the table, said, "Bollywood movies are like Indian food, with so many spices. People look down on Bollywood music and say it is not classical, not jazz. I tell them, try to compose a tune that has the ears of millions. It is certainly not easy."