REPORT

ASEAN STUDENTS’ VISIT TO INDIA 9 – 18 November 2014

Mumbai/Hyderabad / Agra / Delhi

9th November

The second batch of 129 students from Brunei, Myanmar, Singapore, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam landed at Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport, Mumbai on 9th November. They checked-in at Courtyard by Marriott, Mumbai.

10th November

The First day started with a brief welcome address by CII and distribution of pocket allowance to all participants.

The group proceeded for their first visit i.e. to Godrej & Boyce Mfg Co Ltd, the holding company of the Godrej Group, which started its journey with the manufacture of high quality locks in 1897. They had a useful interaction with Godrej & Boyce Mfg. Co. with Ms Nalini Kala, DGM and Head - Corporate Communication and factory visits to Material Handling, Security Solutions and Locking Solutions & Systems.

In the afternoon, students visited to L&T Institute of Technology followed by a factory visit. Students had a fruitful interaction in Electronics & Telecommunication Engineering division with Ms Sangeeta Vazirani, I/C HOD at L&T Institute of Technology.

The first day ended with the shopping at R City Mall.

11th November

The next day, after breakfast, the ASEAN group visited National Stock Exchange – India’s leading stock exchange, set up by leading institutions to provide a modern, fully automated screen-based trading system with national reach. The students interacted with Ms Chitra Ramkrishna, Managing Director & CEO and Rehana D'Souza, Assistant Vice President.

The session was followed by lunch hosted by NSE.

After NSE, the group proceeded for Whistling Woods International located in the Film City, Mumbai. This Institute was founded by Filmmaker Subhash Ghai in 2006 and it is one of the reputed film schools in India. Students were given a Campus Tour and explained the kind of Education and Technology imparted at Whistling Woods International (WWI). They also had a chance to interact with Mr Somnath Sen, Head – Academics Affiliations at WWI.

After Film city, they left for IES Management College and Research Centre. Student’s interaction on the Indian Education System with distinguished speakers like Mr Saurab Gada., Assistant Vice President, Aptech, Mr Aneel Murarka, Managing Director, Mirachem Industries, Dr.Kavita Rege, Principal, Saathe College, etc. IES Management College and Research Centre also arranged a cultural performance for the students with was thoroughly enjoyed by the ASEAN Students.

12th November

Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) organized a Mumbai Tour to show the Students the rich history of Mumbai. They also interacted with Ms Kishori Gadre, Managing Director, MTDC regarding the tourism opportunities in Maharashtra.

In evening, they left the hotel to catch the flight from Mumbai to Hyderabad.

In Hyderabad, the group stayed at Hyderabad Marriott Hotel & Convention Centre & Courtyard by Marriott.

13th September

The first day of Hyderabad started with visiting CII Green Business Center. Mr Rajesh Deenadayalan from CII made a presentation to the students about various concepts of the green buildings and gave a brief outlook about the various activities of CII GBC. Later the students were taken for a facility tour in groups.

After CII GBC, the group proceeded to Indian School of Business where they interacted with the Indian students over lunch. Mr Rupesh Associate Director, AFA, Indian School of Business, made a presentation to the students about various programs at ISB, students enquired about the courses & opportunities for students from outside India. Later students were taken for a campus visit.

As usual, the evening was reserved to explore Indian tradition and entertainment, they visited Shilparamam Craft village. They enjoyed Indian pottery, woodwork, jewelry, clothes and local crafts of each region of the country. They loved to buy few things from there as souvenirs for their loved ones.

14th November

After breakfast, the students left the hotel to visit Golconda Fort - the capital of the ancient kingdom of Golconda which flourished in the 14th to 16th century. They learnt and enjoyed the history of the Golconda Fort.

After lunch at Lemon Tree hotel, the group split into two groups and they visited Tata Consultancy Services and Wipro Ltd. They had a useful interactive session followed by a campus tour. Mr. J Chandrasekhar, Senior Consultant, TCS coordinated visit to TCS. Mr R Srinivas Rao, Head, Wipro Hyderabad made a presentation to the students about Wipro. He also had an interactive session with them and later the students were taken on a campus tour.

In the evening, they went to Krishna Pearls where they learned about the Indian pearl industry & enjoyed shopping .

15th November

The next morning, they all took flight to come to Delhi. They stayed at JW Marriott Aerocity in Delhi.

After lunch, they proceeded for hospital visit in two batches – Max Healthcare and Medanta – The Medicity. They interacted with senior officials and doctors at the hospital and also visited their various important areas.

They also went to Dilli Haat for exploring more about Indian Art & Craft and culture. Of course, they enjoyed shopping too…

16th November

Sunday was a historical visit day as they all were going to Agra to visit the Taj Mahal. Most of them heard about it and very excited to see this. They were waiting for this day from the time of their arrival in Mumbai. They left the hotel early morning so that they could reach Agra well in time. As the journey was bit tiring, they first relaxed and had lunch at Taj View hotel in Agra and then visited Taj Mahal with full of energy and excitement. They truly loved it and it became their unforgettable visit.

17th November

After the full day of enjoy and entertainment, this was the day of meetings and visits. As always, they divided in two groups and went to Sandhar Technologies and Munjal Showa Ltd respectively for the factory visit in the morning. They had a corporate film with brief introduction and then visited their manufacturing plant.

The lunch was hosted by the respective factories.

In the afternoon, the student had an interactive session with the Chief Election Commissioner of India, Mr V S Sampath and the Deputy Election Commissioner, Mr Vinod Zutshi at Civil Services Officers’ Institute (CSOI). They got to know about Indian democracy and various norms and guidelines set in India for election polls.

In evening, they had a gala dinner. Mr Ravi Goel, Under Secretary, MEA handed over the participation certificate to the students. High Commissioner of Brunei Darussalam, H E Dato Paduka Haji Sidek Ali; Minister & DCM of Embassy of Philippines, Ms Maria Agnes M Cervantes; First Secretary of Singapore High Commission, Mr Lucien; Second Secretary of Royal Thai Embassy, Ms Patamon; Trade Minister of Embassy of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, Mr Tuyen were present.

Later, the students performed and showcased their traditional customs and costumes through dance and songs. They also showcased the fun-moments of their entire trip. It was very enjoyable evening.

18th November

After breakfast, the group went to Foreign Service Institute where they were addressed by Former Ambassador Amitava Tripathi. They also interacted with him over tea and snacks. It was a very fruitful interactive session with Mr Tripathi.

In the afternoon, they visited their own Embassy located in different parts in Delhi and interacted with their Ambassador / High Commissioner along with other staff. They felt like home after meeting their embassy staff.

Post this they moved back to the hotel to pack up before leaving for the airport. After 10 days of being together separating is an emotional moment. With heavy hearts and tearful goodbyes they

boarded the buses to the airport and headed off to their respective countries with happy memories of new friends from their neighboring countries and the memorable moments spent in India.

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