There may not have been any snow in town, but the 2008 Winter Fest began and ended on high notes. In the afternoon of 22 December everybody assembled in the Great Hall with its familiar and comforting roaring fire to be greeted by its welcoming staff. We were promised a week of outdoor activity, wining and dining, intellectual stimulus and friendship. That promise was delivered in full.
Skiers were fitted out the night before so that they could make a quick start the following day at Mühlbach. The coach dropped off the non-skiers in the village, while the skiers went straight to the ski lift. Despite the time of year there were no lift queues and the terrain was forgiving to those (and that was nearly all of us) who had not put on skis for a year. The non-skiers explored the village or tried their hands at sledging. Before dinner we were treated to an amusing lecture by Georg Steinitz on The True Story of the Sound of Music. It provided refreshing insights for those who watched the film afterwards.
On the following day, Christmas Eve, the sun came out and the entire group went to Filzmoos, where we enjoyed a magical horse drawn sleigh ride up to an Alpine mountain hut. Despite a huge breakfast most of us managed a hearty lunch. The kids decided to bombard us all with snowballs after we emerged from the hut with replenished bellies. The snowball fight drew on the experiences of Wolfe and Montcalme at the Heights of Abraham. The kids commanded the higher ground while the adults were bombarded from above. Unlike General Wolfe the adults were unable to scale the heights and were reprieved only by the summons to return down the mountain. In the early evening, we all sat around the fire. The programme consisted of readings revolving around the main themes of Christmas. It included multilingual renditions of Silent Night and O Christmas Tree, ably accompanied by Ian Brown on guitar, and an exchange of stories about Christmas traditions in USA, Romania, Japan and other countries. Then it was time to go to Hotel Elefant in the old town for an outstanding dinner.
By Christmas Day it seemed that we had known each other for ever. The brunch presented yet more food, high in both quality and quantity. By then the atmosphere resembled a family occasion and it was in good cheer that we visited Königsee. It was covered in mist and cloud but it added to the mystery. By then it had turned cold and after a brisk walk around St Bartholomä we retreated to the local hostelry to…..eat and drink again! That was sufficient to fortify us for the first of two sumptuous more formal dinners. Nobody was defeated and we all went on to dance in the Great Hall. The toddlers, needless to say, had the most energy but the prize for terpsichorean style had to go to Astrid and Hector who danced like professional dancers.
There was no forgiveness for those who stayed up late to dance. The next day the bus took us to Bad Hofgastein. The skies were blue and beckoned the skiers to the slopes, while others repaired to the spa and enjoyed the waters, a swim or a massage. The day flew by. On the bus we all drooped, but were invigorated either by exercise or the pampering at the spa center. It felt like a feat to attend either Salzburg’s famous Winter Festival or to just watch Mama Mia! But all were made of sterner stuff and confounded the Sandman by not only staying awake for the performances, but also by putting the world to rights late into the night in front of the Great Hall fire.
The next day was more forgiving. It began with an introduction by Stephen Salyer on the incoming Obama administration and was followed by an animated discussion. The afternoon was free but we obviously all missed each other, since almost the entire group reconvened a few hours later at the Augustinerkeller, a giant beer hall where we drank beer, schnapps and ate the local snacks.
The last day was a fitting climax to the week. After an informative tour of the salt mines in Berchtesgaden and yet another huge buffet lunch at a local Gasthaus, we prepared for our final evening. It encapsulated the spirit of the Salzburg Global Seminar. Everybody looked glamorous. The evening began with an outstanding presentation from Reinhold and Günter Wagnleitner on the subject of the globalisation of jazz. The talk was interlaced with jazz piano from Günter. We were all spellbound, particularly as the exercise combined learning with entertainment. Then we took ourselves to the stunning Venetian room, lit by only candles. The final gala dinner in the Marble Hall, also by candlelight, was magical. The chefs had surpassed themselves (almost a contradiction in terms) and the place buzzed. The toasts were affectionate and witty. Then a final dance in the Bierstube. The conversation was the same everywhere. We are all sad it had come to an end and there was universal agreement that the week had delivered on its promise: there was fun, good food, breathtaking scenery, exercise, intellectual stimulus and companionship. Above all, we arrived as strangers, but left as friends.
Festival Hosts, Vicki & Bobby Garson
Participants began their discussions with a visit organized by “Growth-for-All” and partners near Rithala. They spent the afternoon seeing how coordinated civil society initiatives were supplementing government resources in areas such as health and education.
The gap between organic decision-making at the local level and ‘inorganic’ official decision-making was a theme. Kalyan Paul advised patience: “Some people sometimes feel ... that all institutions should flower at the same time and create a house full of lovely aroma – but it takes time to create democratic institutions.” For Sushma Iyengar when pro-sustainable development practices at the local level are lost, democracy can be weakened: “We’ve all seen how communities are dependent economically on each other – for example sheep rearers and weavers. When you remove the economic interdependency it reinforces huge divisions at the community level.”
Can India’s 8% growth target be sustained alongside a commitment to democracy? India’s rapidly growing energy needs are a test-ground. Ajit Kapadia noted that: “whatever India’s road map to energy security and sustainable development, I do not believe that in a democracy it can happen without popular support and advocacy”. But there are real risks here: “India will not, as a democracy, be able to build new power plants sufficient to meet projected demand of up to 800,000 megawatts. Constructing for the capacity that will be required can only happen if this country is a dictatorship...” warned Chandra Bhushan.
Processes of economic and development change at local level need to be supported by proper appreciation of the right to be responsible oneself as a citizen. As Dr. Rajendra Pachauri emphasised, concluding the discussion, leadership through lifestyle choice and modest consumption are important at every level.
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