India a big learning ground, say U.S. students, professors

Mysore: India may have many legal hassles and bureaucratic bottlenecks but today it also provides the best learning opportunity about the global economy, says a group of business students and professors from the U.S.

"India's economic growth, the increasing stake of Indian companies in the global business scenario and a successful democracy are drawing international attention," said Rajiv Vaidyanathan, a professor at the University of Minnesota.

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India's economy has been growing at the rate of nine percent.

"The country has grown tremendously in the last 15 years and we are really eager to see India 10 years down the line. It will be an economic superpower by that time," Vaidyanathan, an Indian American, told IANS.

Vaidyanathan, a professor of marketing, was in Mysore along with a group of management students from the university to study the business scenario in India.

They were learning about India at the SDM Institute of Management Development (SDM-IMD), a leading B-School in Mysore. The theme of the course is "On a clear day you will see India everywhere - India drives the world economy".

"Of course, it's a great learning experience. Knowing India at its time of growth is really important. As business and management students, our current visit will help us broaden our horizon of business and know the reason behind the country's growth," said Alan C. Roline, an associate professor of business law.

T. Urban, a student from the Duluth campus of the university, said: "Entering business in China is much easier than in India. We have heard about a lot of legal and bureaucratic hurdles in India but the opportunity is immense here.

"It's a great learning ground for business students. Given an opportunity, I would like to work in India after completing my course in the US," Urban said, holding a book titled "Being Indian" by Pavan Varma.

He, however, said: "I would like to term the scenario in India as 'frustrating opportunity'. The opportunity is plenty but there is a lot of paperwork as well."

Felix Varghese, who migrated from Mumbai to Minnesota in 1994, said: "India is a knowledge economy. It's amazing to know that India produces tens of thousands of engineers and doctors every year.

"We don't find this amount of human power in the US. Certainly, the IT sector is a big boost for the Indian economy," said the 19-year-old who is ready to work in an IT company of India - "may be Infosys".

However, Varghese felt the working environment of employees in Indian companies was not very good. "We visited a couple of companies but did not find workers taking necessary precautions."

Omni Pater, another visiting student, said that beyond educational exposures, "people in this part of the world are very warm.

"The beautiful landscape of SDM-IMD, the nearby hills, palaces and other natural surroundings are very refreshing. It's real fun to be in India," she said.

Ramesh Venkateswaran, director of SDM-IMD, said: "The world recognises India, its growing economy and its contribution to the world. We are happy that the University of Minnesota students are in our campus and we are helping them to understand the different dimensions of our economy."
Source: IANS