New Delhi to Copenhagen: Three days of travel and musings

had been looking forward to this short stint at Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark. One of the 5 Nordic countries besides Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden. I have never travelled to this part of Europe despite having travelled extensively to other parts, France, Italy and Spain being the most visited ones. The occasion being to participate in a meeting as the country leader from India of a recently completed clinical trial named “SELECT” on 5TH December. The trial was sponsored by Nova Nordisk a Danish pharmaceutical company better known for insulins as treatment for diabetes.

The company has recently diversified into other agents for treating diabetes, obesity like Semaglutide and anti-inflammatory monoclonal antibodies like Ziltivekimab in patients with heart disease, chronic kidney disease and inflammation.

Comes the D-day Sunday the 3rd December my planned date of departure from New Delhi. The morning was occupied by the much-awaited final results of the Assembly polls of 5 states. Within a few hours it was clear that Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) had swept the states of North India – Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. The southern state of Telangana, however, as predicted in the exit polls gave some consolation to the Indian National Congress.

The results have widened the political, North-South divide in the country. With these developments in North India, writing is on the wall and our Vishwa Guru Shree Narendra Modi and “Modi Ki Guarantee” will triumph. BJP is very likely to come back for another 5 years in the centre after the general election of 2024. This also points towards the demise of the individual strength of the regional parties and I.N.D.I A is their only chance if the conglomerate is serious. Attempts of the Indian National Congress to rake up issues like: Adani, Panoti and cast politics have failed. Staying in touch with their cadres and the grassroots helped BJP even at the last stages of campaigning in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan. What does a stronger BJP mean for us the people of Kashmir which is now a Union territory since 5th August 2019?

Some positives of the central administration of J &K need to be acknowledged: the law-and-order issues in the valley like stone pelting, hartals and demonstrations have become a thing of the past. The tourist boom in the years 2022-2023 has been remarkable. The hotel rooms fell grossly short and were outnumbered by the tourists. Several new hotels have come up and many are in the making. People connected directly or indirectly with the tourist industry stood to benefit. The infrastructural development as promised has however been slow. Hopefully with these changes, people of the UT can look forward to elections in J & K towards the end of 2024. The recent appointment of Mr Atal Dulloo Sahab, a son of the soil, as the chief Secretary has also given some renewed hope. The Supreme Court’s decision regarding the abrogation of the special status of J&K is also likely to come soon and may have a bearing on the restoration of the statehood. It is high time that the people of this part of the country should also have their elected representatives running the Government.

Meanwhile while discussing the election results and its implications with my brother Shankar, on way to the airport on phone, I reached the Terminal 3 of the Indira Gandhi International Airport, New Delhi. It was an easy check in since I was travelling the Business Class of Air India (AI). Now I was looking forward to step in the newly Tata acquired airlines which was the only way to go non-stop to Copenhagen. My friend Captain Kapil Raina of the AI had told me that I am going to love the new Maharaja services of AI. Lo and behold I get into the front seat 1F and like a boy was jubilant to be very close to the captain’s cockpit. The inflight services were good and the staff was very smart and well groomed. However, it was very clear that the old aircrafts are crying to be replaced at the earliest. Broken seats, non-functional TVs and controls not working, just to name a few glitches. The only thing which worked in the plane was the engines mercifully and journey was safe. The staff, management and the passengers are looking forward to the replacement of the old planes by brand new Boeings and Airbuses soon. The whole story will be different then and the Maharaja would regain its past glory of being a very competitive airline.

Eight hours journey completed and we reached the Copenhagen airport located in Kastrup on the island of Amager. The transfer to city and the hotel was smooth. The temperature at – 1, degrees was quite cold. Reminding me of our Kashmir winters. The difference being that the electricity and heating was available all the time. Due to its Northern latitude, the number of day light hours varies considerably. In winters like now the daylight hours are reduced to about 7 only from 8.30 am to 3.30 pm, with only 7 hours of day light. While in summers at the peak sun rises at 4.30 am and sets at 10 pm with 17 hours and 30 minutes of day light. The city was up in the morning around 7 am on the Monday and the roads were full with cars and metros despite intense cold, strong winds and chill.

Copenhagen, the capital city of Denmark like many European cities has had a very tumultuous past with fires, outbreaks of Plague etc. It has fought around 30 wars since the 15th century. Danish people have beaten the Germany, England and France with whom they have fought 16 wars. To maintain their identity Danes have also fought their neighbours Norway and Sweden. These countries are now separated by the Oresund, which links the Baltic Sea and the Northern Sea. Denmark remained neutral in World War I, but in World War II in 1940 the country was occupied by Nazi Germany. As a member of the United Nations and NATO, Denmark has participated in military operations in Bosnia, Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya. Denmark is a rich country with a high standard of living, with well-developed social securities. The economy is largely based upon service industries, trade and manufacture. Only a tiny population is engaged in agriculture and fishing.

The Hotel Tivoli and Congress Centre where I am put up is in the centre of this very historic city. It is close to the famous Tivoli Garden, Rosenberg Castle, Amalienborg and the iconic “The Little Mermaid” a bronze sculpture of a character from H.C. Anderson’s fairytale. A long 18 Kms walk on my free day showed me that the city is fully decked for the festival season of Christmas with shops and stores all beautified. Bicycle as a mode of transport is very popular and separate lanes are reserved for them. The skyline has many ancient churches, towers and high-rise buildings.

Christianity is the largest religion in Denmark with most of them Protestants in classification and Lutheran in orientation. Muslims form 5% of the population and only 3% are Roman Catholics.

Finally, about the “SELECT” trial which brought me here. The results of this international study were discussed on the 5th December. It was a study on non-diabetics, overweight or obese individuals with previous heart attacks, strokes or vascular disease of limbs. It showed that the active drug injectable, Semaglutide (Ozempic), which is a GLP 1 (Glucagon like peptide 1) agonists used for diabetics as compared to a placebo reduced the incidence of heart attacks and strokes and resulting deaths by a significant 20%. The drug has already become a big hit in USA and Europe as a weight reducing agent. We in India have the tablet version of it available by the name Rybelsus. The efficacy of this oral version is still investigational.

The 3 days sojourn was a good change from my hectic life style in Delhi, Srinagar and village Hawal, Pulwama, every week. I must also add that travel also brings a sense of calm to an overburdened mind. It has turned me into a story teller and makes me feel healthier.

Prof Upendra Kaul, Founder Director Gauri Kaul Foundation, Dean Academics and Research Batra Hospital and Medical Research Centre, New Delhi. Recipient of Padma shri and Dr B C Roy Award.