After living in some of the world's most equal and orderly societies, Finnish impact strategist Arto Sivonen says India has taught him lessons that Finland cannot.

From neighbourhood warmth and social connectedness to the culture of "jugaad", Sivonen believes Bengaluru's chaos offers perspectives that are often missing in the West.

Sivonen, co-founder of Common Ground and a lecturer at Finland’s Aalto University, moved to Bengaluru after years of working across countries including South Korea, Kenya and South Africa. For him, the move was not just a change of location but an experiment in understanding a completely different way of living.

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"I knew India was one of the places in the world where I would learn the most and the fastest," he told Hindustan Times. 

Helsinki’s silence vs Bengaluru’s social chaos

The biggest contrast Sivonen noticed was not infrastructure or technology, but the way people interact.

"Finnish people live at a distance," he said. "They don't talk too much, they keep their space, they don't touch each other. I respect that, it's a big thing. In India, there are a lot of uncles and aunties — everything belongs to everyone. It’s extremes."

The constant movement and interaction in Bengaluru even changed how he viewed his own personal space.

"I think India, I found for the first time in my life, like, actually, I need some space. First time in my life, I started to pay more attention to my home, like, it's a place where I can rest and be quiet, and isolate myself for a while," he said.

"It never happened to me before India. Here it happened, and I feel like I need to do that because of all this noise and people around me," he added.

However, Sivonen says the same openness that can feel overwhelming also creates a sense of belonging that Finland often lacks.

"Something that I do love in India, which Finland doesn't have, is how people are together, help each other, and how they live. I can always find a way together with others. The social skills are magnificent — in parties, talking to random guys. In Finland, you can avoid people, so you don't need to do that. That’s something I really do miss when I go back to visit Finland."

A city where Silicon Valley meets street-level reality

For Sivonen, Bengaluru represents a rare combination — a city that is digitally advanced but still deeply connected to everyday realities.

"It’s the mix of everything," he said.

"There are tractors (here) almost everywhere in a Finnish city context. Structural things don't work — electricity is down, holes in the street. And then at the same time, it is super high-tech. People order everything online."

He sees this contrast as one of India's defining characteristics: a place where global technology, traditional lifestyles and local problem-solving exist side by side.

While he appreciates Mumbai’s high-end restaurant culture, Sivonen says Bengaluru’s strongest culinary experiences come from smaller, local places.

"Southern Indian kitchen is so strong, and there are a lot of tiny little spots around the city, and all of them are really good. The better food is on the streets, actually."

But he believes Bengaluru’s restaurants could do more to develop a distinct identity instead of borrowing heavily from the West.

"Something that Bengaluru is missing in the restaurants is those great traditional spaces. There are a couple of really nice places that look more like modern Indian design —cleaner and nicer. But too often, Bengaluru restaurants start copying ideas from Europe instead of building something new from Bengaluru. Maybe that spot is missing a bit."

The ideal mix: Finland’s equity, Japan’s precision, India’s adaptability

When asked what qualities different countries could contribute to solving global challenges, Sivonen created a mix of three cultural strengths.

He says Finland brings equality, Japan offers discipline and precision, while India contributes flexibility and the ability to approach problems from multiple angles.

"Those three sound pretty good," he said.

"Equity means you are looking at the people — human first — and leaving the structural behind."

According to Sivonen, India’s biggest strength is its ability to hold multiple perspectives at the same time.

"In India, people see multiple abilities. They are doing things in many ways; they can think about things in many ways. Deep history, spirituality, way of living, diversity — that stuff keeps our minds open for possibilities. That is really India."

He says Finland’s simplicity, while efficient, can sometimes limit imagination.

"When I go back to Finland, for example, it's a super simple country. Things are straightforward, clear, and easy to do. But the downside is that people can't see the possibilities. They only have yes-or-no answers — only one right answer. That’s so different."

India’s sustainability challenge: inequality

Despite his appreciation for India, Sivonen says the country’s biggest challenge is creating sustainability that reaches everyone.

"The hardest thing from India — and I knew it was going to happen — is a lack of equity," he said.

"How can you be sustainable if you just need to find your food every day? If you don't find it, this is not what you're thinking. The income gap, the inequality is so huge. You need to find ways for everyone to benefit from a sustainable life."

He also criticised what he sees as surface-level sustainability efforts that focus more on appearances than actual change.

"Sometimes I have seen sustainability used in different events only because it looks cool and nice. Not like people really want to make the change. They use all these recycled plates at our events, and then you have meat on the plates — that doesn't make sense."

"Or they talk only about some minor climate-related thing because people can't talk about equity, equality, or humans. If the people running those events need to change their own lives, they won't do it. It’s just at the surface level."

Building a global network from Bengaluru

Sivonen co-founded Common Ground with Bengaluru-based partner Anna Dias to create a platform that connects people and ideas across borders.

The organisation, which became operational in Bengaluru over the last five months, is now looking to expand internationally.

"Next thing, I'm heading to Helsinki to build the Finland office. Then I'm wishing we could open Nairobi as well," he said.

"It’s basically borderless. For me, it's important to connect people around the world because too often they are just working in their own silos. Europeans are really Eurocentric. Indians too often think only about India because it’s a superpower and they don't need to do anything else. I want to disturb the minds of people; I want to connect them."

Beyond business, Sivonen wants to use design as a tool for social change and encourage young designers to look beyond commercial work.

"I feel I would like to help those young designers take the stage. Once they graduate, the problem is they don't know enough about how they can use their skills for better purposes than only creating logos or another chair we don't need."

"No one is teaching them about this. I want to change that because I know how much power design holds in this world. We should be using it for better purposes," he concluded.