Srinagar, June 13 -- We are the hollow men / We are the stuffed men / Leaning together / Headpiece filled with straw. Alas! / Our dried voices, when / We whisper together / Are quiet and meaningless / As wind in dry grass ( T. S Elliot- Hollow Men)

During my more intense years of 'struggle with myself' in Australia, after I moved from Brisbane to the hedonic den of the Gold Coast, I made an attempt to 'integrate'.

An American classmate's 'Great Escape', from what I presume was the humdrum monotony of American life, had helped me find accommodation with a Scandinavian couple, both students.

The couple partied wildly. Australia's sun, beaches, and beer animated them.

One night, as I lay in my bed, sleep eluded me. The Scandinavians had ...