India!
By Adam Conderman JGSM '11
Issue date: 2/12/10 Section: Johnson News
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Some quick highlights: riding in tuk-tuks/autos (basically three wheeled motorcycles), traveling in the 1950s Mumbai train where you are packed in with daily commuters, the beaches of Goa, the Taj Mahal (it's significantly bigger than it looks), Sid's wedding, the weather in Bangalore, meeting the Director of IM-Bangalore, meeting the Indian Ben Bernacke, and Neel's Christmas Party in Delhi. Some challenges: cell phone bureaucracy, bargaining for everything, constantly being asked if we want to buy something/if we want a taxi/if we want to visit someone's store, and no green leafy vegetables.
We arrived in Mumbai (formerly Bombay) where we spent the first 11 days of the trek. Our major task while in Mumbai was to complete a consulting project with a local Indian MBA student. Our partners from Somaiya's Institute of Management Studies and Research were mostly all straight-thrus from undergrad who were very committed to keeping us sane and safe. The projects were diverse, including: help an entrepreneur on a new exercise machine that he invented, consult with a bio-diesel company, and create a strategic plan for a university. We also had a number of company visits that we could attend. Again, it was a diverse grouping: a bio-tech company, a venture capitalist, a private equity investment firm, and a pharmaceutical firm. One of our most prestigious visits was with the Governor of the Reserve Bank of India. For an hour, he led a presentation that walked us through the Indian response to the financial crisis. We then spent another hour with his top two lieutenants who discussed the Indian banking system and the role of the Reserve Bank in India.
After our time in Mumbai we had vacation. Luckily, all 16 of us were still getting along so we decided to strike out together for the next 10 days. We traveled to Delhi and ran into some of our classmates, visited the Taj Mahal (amazing), and attended Sid Bothra's wedding in Jaipur. Sid's wedding was a real highlight. We walked up to a palace flanked by 2 elephants, 2 camels, a band, women throwing flowers, men on horses with swords, and two huge drum players. We all (cough, cough…except for Ludo Denza) decided to don traditional Indian wear - kurtas for men and saris for the women. After enough food for 2000 people and 6 hours of wedding traditions, ceremonies, and more eating, we all left thoroughly impressed. Sid's wife is amazing and will be joining us in Ithaca.
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