The Hindu Business Line : Oslo’s Nobel act

If someone had told me that the colour of peace could be red — that too a bright, flaming, passionate red — I would never have believed him/her. However, in Oslo that is exactly what I discovered… at the Nobel Peace Centre. As soon as my wife Madhavi and I entered the building, we were overwhelmed by what we saw. The walls, roof, floor and the interiors were all a flamboyant red, and everywhere we looked we saw images of peace — from Martin Luther K ing to Dalai Lama, Gorbachev to Nelson Mandela and Mother Teresa to Aung San Suu Kyi. On sale were key chains, bookmarks, CDs, greetings, postcards, books et al… so we had the option of carrying back a little bit of Peace with us.

Shaped like a castle, the Nobel Peace Centre is a fascinating place. All the Peace Prize laureates are showcased at the Nobel Field. Another star attraction here is the interactive wallpaper, which contains more than 3,000 articles on the laureates.

It was a delight to watch Martin Luther King fill up the screen with his immortal ‘I have a dream’ speech’ at the centre’s cinema, which screens documentaries and films on the Peace Prize winners.

What made the biggest impact on me was the exhibition titled ‘The Places We Live’ by Jonas Bendiksen, famous Norwegian and Nordic photographer. This was a multimedia presentation covering four slums in Kenya, India, Venezuela and Indonesia.

There was one presentation in particular which I shall never be able to forget. It showed a young man, perhaps in his late teens, from Caracas Venezuala speaking to the camera. I am reproducing verbatim what he said:

“I am comfortable with violence. I don’t know how many people I must have killed, probably 18 or 19. I and my friends enjoy killing. We sometimes cut the head of the person we have murdered and pass it around even as we sing and dance. On a couple of occasions we have burnt people alive. At times I feel equilibrium can be very tedious. Too much of happiness, too much of sadness, too much of peace, too much of violence can all be boring — so now I am trying to operate somewhere in between.”

This was said in such a matter-of-fact manner that it sent a chill down my spine. How could anyone, that too a teenager, speak with such insouciance about murder and mayhem, blood and gore!

As we walked out of the centre we carried with us indelible images of a world fractured by violence being healed by peace.

Earlier, we had arrived in Oslo from Copenhagen on a luxury liner called the ‘Pearl of Scandinavia’. The huge, 13-deck ship set off at five in the evening and reached Oslo at 9.30 the next morning.

The second-largest Scandinavian city after Stockholm, Oslo looked lovely as we cruised into the harbour. I was reminded of Roald Dahl’s words: “When I was young, the capital of Norway was not called Oslo. It was called Kristiania. But somewhere along the line, the Norwegians decided to do away with that pretty name and call it Oslo instead.” Indeed, Oslo is a rather prosaic name for the poetic Norwegian capital.

Ramendra Kumar

Serenity reigns: The Royal Palace in Oslo.

After docking we took a taxi to the city centre, where we boarded a bus for a tour of the city. Our guide was a 60-year-old woman — crisp and efficient. Seated in the bus, we glimpsed the Royal Palace, the National Theatre, The Museum of Modern Art, Oslo City Hall where the Nobel Peace Prize is awarded, Aker Brygge — the city’s biggest shopping complex, and several other landmarks.

Our first stop was at The Holmenkollen ski jump, a picturesque location which hosts the world’s second oldest ski-jump competition. Next we headed to the Vigeland Sculpture Park, 3 km northwest of the city centre. We went around admiring the displayed works of Norway’s famous sculptor Gustav Vigeland. Sculpted in stone were old women and men with sagging breasts and wrinkled faces, young men with taut muscles, young women with perfect curves, and toddlers with supple bodies looking fresh and pure. Vigeland’s eye for detail and his complete mastery over his craft are awesome.

The sculptures are housed in a large garden resplendent with flowers and majestic lawns. The next morning, we walked to the Royal Palace close by. It was uphill getting there and we were quite tired by the time we reached the grounds surrounding the magnificent palace. But on the positive side, we got a spectacular view of the city from that height.

There were two Bobbies on guard, looking every inch the picture of dignity and efficiency. I walked up to one of them and asked, “Can I take a photo?” In an instant he clicked his boots and stood to attention. The movement was so sudden and emphatic that I was momentarily taken aback. I took a couple of photos and then we set off to explore the lovely gardens.

The Nobel Peace Centre

Later we roamed the streets, happily drinking in the sights. At one spot we found a middle-aged man seated on a bench and playing a guitar. We sat down and enjoyed the melodious music. Beside him was a glass into which passers-by dropped coins. One could possibly term it ‘begging’, but he was doing it with such grace and dignity that I felt nothing but admiration for him.

Apart from the sights and the scenery what struck me most were the people. They were friendly, open and helpful with directions. We felt completely safe exploring the city at all hours of the day. One can’t help wondering whether we can indulge in something like this in any of our big cities in India. Truly, we found Oslo to be a city with smiling hearts and a caring soul.