·          D. N. "Dan" Mayur is an engineer, financial planner, freelance writer and a world traveler. He is a graduate of the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay and has a Ph. D. in Chemical Engineering from the William Marsh Rice University in Houston, Texas, USA. He has worked for Shell Oil and Bechtel in senior capacities managing energy projects in various parts of the world like Mexico, Thailand, India, Saudi Arabia, UK and the USA. He is active on the speaker circuit and has published and presented numerous papers in international meetings and conferences. His current interests include writing on people, places and politics with emphasis on socio-economic issues. He resides in Sugar Land, Texas but splits his time among Sweden, India and the USA.

I   I met Dan Mayur recently at a garden party at Roma and Abhay Mayur's lovely home and had a chance to talk about his book  'Mumbai to Stockholm via New York' which also happens to be his first book.

 Please share some background about your travels in these three countries?

I was born in India and immigrated to the US at the age of 21. I went to graduate school at Rice University in Houston, Texas. I am a chemical engineer by profession so upon graduation I worked for Shell, a major oil company and Bechtel, a large engineering/construction company, both with extensive global operations. My early travels around the world were all in connection with work for these companies. I managed major petrochemical projects in the US, Mexico, India, Thailand, Saudi Arabia, Algeria, and UK among other countries. The travel bug bit me hard, and then I started traveling for pleasure between my business travels. I was always fascinated by Europe and took every opportunity that came my way for European travel. My wife’s work for ABB, a Swiss/Swedish conglomerate, has given us an opportunity to spend substantial amounts of time in Sweden in recent years. As I proudly say, India is my mother who nurtured me, the US is like my spouse to whom I am committed for life, and Sweden is a wonderful dear friend. I love all three of these countries and travel whenever I can.

·        What was the process of writing this book? Did you start it as a journal while you were travelling?

Yes, I do keep a small journal on a daily basis especially when I travel. I love to reminisce and more importantly, I love to share my ideas, my experiences, my information with friends and family members. When I take pictures I like to write a brief on them about the place, people, purpose etc. all which comes in handy down the road. I find that writing something about a place or people forces you to do a little more research about them and this added information enhances the overall experience and enjoyment of travel. After all, this world is about people and the more we know about them the better we understand the world around us. It also helps you to see the similarities and differences between people and their cultures. Writing is liberating. When a friend, a very successful published author saw some of my travel notes and heard my views on people and politics in various parts of the world, she encouraged me to start writing formal essays which have been published in various newspapers and magazines. This book is a compilation of some of my popular essays. The material has been collected over several years, but was updated, complied, polished and published in the last year.

·        What has been your own personal ideas/philosophy that has shaped the insights in this book?

Curiosity about everything and everybody around me has been a major driver in the writing of this book. I think all people and all places are interesting and have something to teach us if we are willing to learn. I never get bored and never need any artificial means of entertaining myself. I am a firm believer in public transportation over the one person-one car model that we are so fond of in America, and I am an environmentalist. I am surrounded by highly accomplished women – my mom, my wife, my daughter and so many women friends in high places. I believe in total and absolute equality of women in every aspect of life. I believe that a nation has some basic responsibility to all segments of its citizens all of whom have a right to high quality education and health care. I believe that education and healthcare should never be profit making businesses; they are the primary responsibility of the government. I believe that extremism of any kind is detrimental and successful nations have a judicious combination of the principles of capitalism and socialism in their policies. I think quality education is one of the most important components of the solution to any societal problem. These ideas and philosophies have shaped my insights in this book.

·        You have been in US for the past 40 years? What distinct changes do you see from then to now?

Undoubtedly, the explosion of technology in every aspect of life is the most dramatic change. The internet and information technology and ubiquitous gadgets like smart phones and i-pads have revolutionized every aspect of life. There have been impressive advances in medical technology as well. But this advance in material wealth has not necessarily reflected in the overall happiness of the society at large. I think people have become more competitive, perhaps more self-centered and less patient. The advent of the religious right and talk-shows espousing extremist views is very baffling. Race relations have not made the progress that one would expect in the twenty-first century. So overall, it is a mixed bag of changes. Young people do have excellent opportunities for education and travel with many career options. But they have challenges too. And globalization, at least so far, has been less beneficial to the developed countries like the US, compared to the developing countries like India and China.

·        Did you have a chance to meet/talk to people you mentioned in your writings?

Absolutely. While some of the information comes from formal library research mostly for validation and confirmation, much of the material in the book is based on personal experiences and face to face meetings with friends, coworkers, neighbors, and acquaintances and even strangers eager to strike a conversation. And all of this happened in innumerable informal sessions over cappuccino or pizza and beer. Whether in the US, India or Sweden, people are the same with more are less the same dreams, aspirations, concerns, problems and issues. They love to talk and share with an empathetic, friendly listener and it is amazing to see the power of a drink or two in loosening people up. But seriously, meeting people, making friends and sharing ideas is the best part of travel.

·        You mentioned that the youth of India seem optimistic about its future? Could you elaborate on this? What are India’s opportunities?

While India does have numerous problems to solve, there is no denying that today’s young people in India are more aware of the opportunities and challenges in front of them than ever before in history. Once again, it is the explosion of technology. There are 600 million cell phones in India, that is one in two people. This is amazing in a country where the same 50 percent of the people do not have drinking water or basic sanitation. This access to technology means access to information and knowledge. And knowledge is a great leveler of people. For the first time, because of TV and internet, people know where the world is going, how far behind they are, what can be done, what is possible and what their real problems are. And recognizing the problems is the first step towards solving them. There is massive urbanization underway in India. That itself opens up newer opportunities for young people. In a fundamental sense, Indians are intelligent. That coupled with low labor costs, attracts foreign companies to India. Just for example, today every major high-tech company in Silicon Valley or Boston’s Route 128 has an office in India’s high tech centers like Bangalore, Gurgaon, Hyderabad or Pune. And then there auto manufacturers and drug companies and banks and insurance companies going into India. So despite highly-publicized problems, Indian young people with proper education and willingness to work hard have plenty of opportunity. As a matter of fact, because of the shortage of qualified people, the opportunity for faster promotions and greater responsibility are better in India than in a country like the US where the competition is harder in its saturated markets.

·        Finally where can readers find this book?

The book is available online at Amazon or Barnes and Nobel in the US and on Flipkart in India. The book is also available in its Marathi Version "Samajrang" at all fine book stores in Mumbai or Pune in India or by emailing the author in the US at Danmayur@gmail.com.

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