Studying at IIMA is basically like studying at any good university, but you have to be prepared for constant change of schedules, having lectures late in the evening or during the weekend and that the changes happen on a very short notice. The professors are talented speakers, have understandable English and are very knowledgeable in their subjects. During the courses I learned to understand the history and political environment of India, and how that has influenced the development of the corporations and the country in general.
Colorful clothes and spicy food, traditions and a rich culture, cows wandering around on the streets and in between cars, huge crowd and noise - that was how I pictured India before going there. Now, after spending almost four months in India I really don't know how to describe the country. I could start by saying that it is full of extremes. The food is either sweet or spicy. The climate in the north can reach extremely hot in the summer and cold winter temperatures but it is constantly hot in the south. During the day the traffic is ongoing, loud and the rules are either non-existed or they just tend to change constantly. At night all the cars disappear and the streets turn into bedrooms for so many. Pavements are during the day storage of the belongings of the people who will sleep there at night. There were cows, goats, dogs and monkeys running among the traffic, and occasionally a very desperate beggar or children selling balloons approached cars waiting at traffic lights.
Infrastructure, processes and any kind of organizing requires a lot of flexibility. Whether it is eating in a restaurant or traveling - everything just takes so much time. Sometimes the inefficiency is so frustrating to see because the processes often do not make sense at all to the Western eye. At restaurants there are separate workers assigned for taking orders, bringing drinks, preparing the food, bringing the food, and once finished yet another person brings the bill to the table. Had one person done all of it, it would've been so much smoother. In India the tasks that one person could complete are divided to several people and workers strictly stick to the tasks assigned to them only. Basically in India you can see work that would not exist elsewhere.
Even though memories grow sweeter with time, what I will remember forever about India is the inequality which is so visible on so many levels it is difficult to understand. Inequality exists between sexes, religious groups and castes. To make it even worse, there is very little interaction between the different layers of society - how can the country develop as a whole when those in power and with money do not care to think about the poor and powerless? Aren't we all human beings and because of that important as we are? The most important thing India taught me was to appreciate what I have - I am free of any external boundaries set by society because of my family background or because I was born as a girl. Instead the contrary is a problem as I have so many opportunities it is hard to choose the path suitable to me.
What I will miss most from my life on campus is the chai from the small chai stall, watching Bollywood music videos every morning during breakfast in the mess and of course the crazy crowd of exchange students with whom I had the pleasure of exploring so much of India. In the first week we all watched together a Bollywood movie called Queen. It's about a strong Indian girl who gets dumped by her husband just before the wedding, but still travels alone to Europe on her honeymoon. So, to remember the happy moments in India and to promote strong Indian women, I want to share this song here.
No comments:
Post a Comment