Udupi: "It is Not Possible to Fathom India in One Go"
 
By Divvy Kant Upadhyay, Daijiworld Media Network

October 30, 2008
 

"Honestly, India is so huge that it is impossible to get an idea about the whole country at once", says a bewildered Wolfgang from Germany.

Wolfgang and his friends Claire from France and Joao from Portugal are part of the team who are in India to do engineering internship projects,thanks to IAESTE-The International Association for the Exchange of Students for Technical Experience, which is a non profit NGO with branch offices in more than 85 countries worldwide.

Since its inception in London in 1948, IAESTE has facilitated exchanges of more than 3 Lakh students among 103 countries the world over. The movement reached India in 2005, initiated by students at the Manipal Institute of Technology (MIT).

The novelty of the effort is that, while most branches abroad are managed by professionals or well placed engineers, in India the IAESTE is run by the students at MIT. Such was the passion in these students that Manipal went on to become the headquarters of this association and officially represent India at the world forum.

Proud of his students, Dr Vinod Bhat, Registrar of International Programs at Manipal University that oversees the group's activities, says that the project was a student initiative and is managed by them. He informs "Our University supports student exchange programs in filed of Medicine, pharmacy, management and biotechnology as well". He believes that while such projects provide value addition to the academic programs on campus, more importantly, it helps the students to broaden their horizons.

Explaining how it all works, final year Mechanical Engineering student Vineet says that IAESTE branches across the world get in touch with each other and exchange students between themselves based on offers they get from the Industry and Institutes. "For example if Wolfgang has come here to India, one student from India has gone to Germany" he says.

The IAESTE is not limited to Manipal and has members from several Institutes in India. Students become members of the IAESTE by paying an amount of 500rs. The internships last from 2 months to one year and the stipend paid to the interns helps them cover the travel cost and save some money as well. All other basic things likes housing, food etc are taken care of by the host IAESTE branch with help of Industry and college sponsorships. Interestingly, students can go for such projects at the end of their first and second year of studies itself. "We have no concept of senior and junior in the forum, all members have an equal opportunity" points out Vineet who himself has been to UK and Austria. It's a dream come true for many students from India who find themselves enjoying European countries at the end of their second year studies. Talking in terms of gains, Dr Vinod feels that while the organizers develop leadership qualities that takes them places, the interns get a global exposure to culture and education.

Presently interns from Italy, Japan, Croatia, Slovenia, Jordan, Oman, Iran and Switzerland are in India. The foreign students are apparently excited coming to India as they also get to explore the vast avenues for tourism. So every weekend they pack their bags and go off to near by places. This team has been to tourist hotspots in Kerela, Goa, Ooty, Kudremukh and Hampi. "The landscapes are amazingly beautiful" says Wolfgang and "we cannot even dream of such beautiful beaches at Europe" chips in Joao.

Discussing their visits to the cities, Wolfgang says "Manipal is so much like any International University town that we experienced the real India only when we went to Udipi". Few of them are excited about trips they will take to different places. Joao says "its amazing, here the metropolitan cities have more population than the whole of Portugal". In a lighter vein, Joao shares that he was shocked when he read somewhere that 'India has twice the number of catholics than his country has people'.

Apart from exploring tourist destinations, the group has also had fun watching Bollywood movies like Kabhi Khusi Kabhi Gham starring Shah Rukh Khan, someone they have heard of and appreciate.

Not forgetting the academic mission of their trip, the interns seem to be taking an active part in the training process. "I am happy I could pick up an offer from India, because the computer science training in India is known around the world" says Joao.

Ask them if they faced any problems and one intern who requested for anonymity, says, "the trip from the airport to Manipal was like a 'slap on our faces'; we cursed our choice of coming to India, we couldn't believe the conditions the roads were in" and adds with a grin "Good roads and few more trash bins will certainly help this beautiful country"

The team is excited about a cultural show, in which they plan to sing a couple of songs in French and German. The highlight is supposed to be a skit comparing European culture with that of India. A flamingo dance is also on the cards as IAESTE India gets ready to host the 'international night' on Thursday for these interns with the theme being 'Global party for Global players'.