The newsletter, Bangalore, 04-04-16 Name: Shivah Tavakolly Education and assignment in India: Nutrition, thesis and health promotion Expectations When going to India a lot of people ask you why? There are so many things people think about India. Just to name a few: It s unsafe! It s dirty country It s a poor country Indian people are unreliable And many more prejudices. Being here really just takes a lot of these prejudices away. Experiencing the kindness of the people, the willingness to help is unheard of. Just by asking one little thing, everything will be provided and taken care of. India is a country that can use some improvements on hygiene and social status level but the whole country is working on that. For example, to help the poor people a lot of universities have social work projects, where students go out and help the poor people in a sustainable way. Next to that, all the big companies are obliged to donate a Cow eating veggies from the trash Cleaning the streets percentage of their profit to charity. Everywhere on the streets signs with don t throw garbage on the floor are shown. The country has grown a lot, and fast, so still a work in progress. As for the unsafe part, personally this was the only doubt I had. But from the first day I have been here, I have not felt unsafe for one minute. There are always people around to help you out when you need something. People worry a lot especially for the girls. We are in a building with about 15 girls, and I think none of us have actually felt unsafe some time. Of course as in many big cities, even in Amsterdam, it is simply not smart to walk the streets alone late night. But as long as you are in a group and have some common sense, no one should have to feel unsafe. In the end I think everyone has prejudices about different countries, and one should travel there to find out, that actually they are not or barely true.
My name is Tugba Uyar and I am working together with Youp Salemink with Parivarthana, the paper-recycling unit of CSA. Our tasks are to: - Analyze the paper recycling unit and its current business/ financial situation. - Conduct customer satisfaction surveys/interviews in order to improve communication and order handling process. - Develop a business plan accordingly to increase the unit s productivity and sales. - Work in the field by visiting colleges, universities and corporate businesses to promote Parivarthana s products and gain new customers. The slum, LR Nagar So far, we have been able to conduct several interviews with customers as well as the external auditor of the unit to get more insight in the business activities. We still have a few months to go, so still lots to do and hope we can deliver some good advice for positive change for the unit! Girl from the slums My name is Betül Uyar and I study Nutrition and Dietetics. Currently I am working on a nutrition project in the slum LR Nagar. My project is about the nutritional status of children in the Day-care centre. The Daycare centre is a place where children from the age of 2 to 5 years can come so that their mothers get the opportunity to work. The children are usually playing with toys and the teacher/caretaker teaches them basic English sometimes. The main objective of the Day-care centre is to empower women. It is set up by CSA, the NGO of Christ University. It is a great experience to work with the people of the slum as well as the people of CSA.
My name is Wouter Jansen, 24 years old and I am studying to become a Math teacher. At the moment I am doing my minor in Bangalore, India. Before coming here, I had a few thoughts about how it s going to be, but in most cases it outdid my expectations. The people I met are very friendly and trying to help you as much as possible. Although it is very hot in this summer time, the climate in Bangalore is very pleasant compared to other cities. And the tasty food all around the city makes you want to eat all time. In the introduction week we were showed around the campus of the Christ University and the different projects of the CSA. Guided by our friendly supervisor sir Jino Joy we had to make a choice of our activities and make a proposal. Together with Mike (22, teacher geography) I decided to work at the transit school in the slum LR Nagar. The transit school is a school for drop-out children where they achieve to get the children back into the school next year. In the mornings I teach the children Lunch time at the transit school Transit school itself math and Mike is giving some English. I really enjoy working with these children. The smile on their faces and cheering when they re doing something right gives me much joy. Because we discovered that the difference between the kids in level of math is very big, we are now working on a new math book. We are designing it so that the children can work better on their own level and own time. In this way we wanted to give them something back they can use every year over and over again. A part from this we are teaching some English classes, and preparing a few interventions for the teachers of the slum with tips on how to maintain the order.
The project: Parivarthana Paper Recycling Unit I am a senior in Marketing & Communication studies at HAN. I was given the wonderful opportunity to do my Graduation Assignment (H-Cluster) at Christ University, Bangalore. The research I am carrying out is focused on the marketing and communication practices of Parivarthana unit. As a matter of fact, the business is experiencing a loss. Low sales and low awareness are connected with this condition. I am carrying out research in order to find out if these are the real reasons for low sales. Moreover, research about the target group and consumer behavior is carried out as well. New ideas about Marketing and Communication means / tools will be formulated accordingly in order for Parivarthana to regain its independence as a business unit. Holi-festival Life in Bangalore, India Life at Christ University I quite enjoy Christ University (Main Campus). The campus looks really nice and it is possible to follow classes. I enjoy following some culture and traditions classes with some other international students. The campus also offers a variety of different foods and place where it is possible to study, chill and relax. There are also some activities organized where we international can join. For example, for Women s Day, all ABS students along with Indian students went to a rural camp for two days in the countryside to help a project. The pulp making machine The city is very big and offers a lot. The neighborhood where the international student apartments is called Koramangala and offers a lot of restaurants, shops, places where to do shopping. There are many activities about volunteering in temples and everybody is welcome to join. Nightlife offers a lot and it is very enjoyable and it possible to meet a lot of friends both from India and from the West. There are many festivities in India, which are not celebrated in Europe.
Discovering new places is always a good way to broaden your horizon. India has a rich history and culture, from the old roman trade settlements between Asia and Europe to the separate countries, which divided India during the Middle Ages, to the mighty empire of Vijayanagara Empire to the colonization of India, by the French, British, Dutch, Portuguese, and Danish, to the rule of the British over entire India, to the independence of India. Every aspect left a mark on their history and culture. Bangalore is a convenient located city in the centre of Southern India. This makes it easy to travel to all places around it. Most of the journeys are just a night bus or night train ride away. You can find almost every kind of landscape in this region, the beaches of Gokarna, Goa, Pondicherry, and Kovalam, to Mountainous terrain of Ooty, Kodaikanal, and Coimbatore, to a desert like feeling around Hampi, to old architectural beauties of temples or old distinct empires that once ruled over Southern India. Hampi, desert like feeling, just a river and tiny pieces of green Bear in mind that Bangalore has a population of around 11 million people and if you want to make sure that you have a seat or bed in the bus or train to book at least a week in advance and when traveling around national holidays make sure to book well in advance, because every Indian living away from their family will try to go home for that period of time. For places a bit further from Bangalore it is recommended to go to the sacred city of Varanasi, the golden triangle, New Delhi, Agra, with its beautiful Taj Mahal and the pink city of Jaipur. One last warning, use a lot of sunscreen when traveling because the sun is burning you alive. Group picture, Hampi And last but not least, be as adventurous as possible! Discover all the hidden secrets and gems of India. Get off the beaten track and enjoy.
Bangalore s restaurant & nightlife Being in India means (of course) a lot of delicious Indian food. Compared to the food over here in Europe the Indian food with all his spices are like one big food explosion in your mouth. With all the different curries and many other dishes you can choose from you won t run out of new dishes to try. And don t worry you will find a favourite dish as well! Next to all the Indian food there are a lot of restaurants with a Western menu as well, from burgers to pizza. And for a quick bite you can always go to one of the many fast-food restaurants all around Bangalore. Luckily for us, and maybe for you as well, Bangalore is famous for one of the best nightlife s of India. Every weekend you have a lot of party s going on in clubs, bars and fancy hotels. So again, don t worry, you won t get bored around here. Indian Thali Street vendor Indian snackbar The group