Somaiya Vidyavihar University
The last day of the Focus India Trip commenced with a visit to the Somaiya Vidyavihar University located on the outskirts of Mumbai. The delegation was warmly welcomed by Meenakahi Rajan, the Director of International Relations, and a brief introduction about the ancient history of Indian education followed. The University was founded in 1959 by Padmabhushan Late Shri K J Somaiya, who was known as an entrepreneur, philanthropist and visionary. The founder’s ideology was to provide basic education to everyone, this is why the University is heavily subsidised by the government and the admission fees are only 4’000 INR per year.
Every year 28’000 students are enrolled in the fields of psychology, economics, computer science, engineering and sociology. Due to the increasing demand of management degrees, the Somaiya Vidyavihar University launched special study programs, where students can gain expertise in the fields of marketing, finance or human resources. After the introduction the delegation was able to network with local students and gained some insights into the daily life of an Indian students. Thereafter, a campus tour through the several institutions followed.
The delegation learned that sustainability is of paramount importance to the University, for example during the monsoon season rainwater is harvested and reused in sanitary facilities. Furthermore, the waste produced in the University is recycled and composted directly on campus ground. After the lunch in one of the eight campus canteens the Focus India group was able to experience an Indian lecture about Doing Business in India. Prof. Debraj Ghosal introduced the diverse varieties of Indian customers to the students. Not only do food habits diverge among states in India but also languages and clothing styles are completely different. Also patience and negotiation skills are highly needed when entering the Indian market. After the interesting morning at the Somaiya Vidyavihar University, the delegation headed to the headquarters of Novartis in Mumbai, their last company visit.
(Article by Daniela Flühler and Anna Rieder)
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Novartis
During the last presentation, Ranjit Shahani, Managing Director and Vice Chairman of Novartis India Ltd, informed the delegation about current challenges and future plans of Novartis in the pharmaceutical sector. It was a truly interesting presentation, which led to a lively debate about governmental regulations (e.g. patent law) the future of pharmaceutical companies in India.