New Delhi

Delhi is said to be one of the oldest existing cities in the world, with one part of it, known as New Delhi. We will stay in this city for several 7 days, and the public transport system in this city seems good, there are buses, auto-rickshaws, metro trains and taxis.

Check the Auto-rickshaws - no doors here!

We have the same thing in China, it is fun to try!!

Red Fort

The Red Fort (Lal Qila) is one of Delhi’s top tourist sights. A brilliant red sandstone fort built by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan (who also built Agra’s Taj Mahal) as his ruling palace.

Humayun’s Tomb

Humayun’s Tomb in south Delhi, near Hazrat Nizamuddin station, is one of Delhi’s three UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Qutub Minar

This complex in Mehrauli, houses structures dating from the Slave Dynasty (1206-1290) and is designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The gardens are kept in excellent shape, making this a popular relaxation and picnic spot.

Food!!

Chaat

If you want to eat chaat, the North Indian street side snack food, Delhi is the place to be. Delhi has arguably the best street food in India.

Mumbai

Mumbai is different from the rest of India in pretty much the same way that New York City is different from the United States. The pace of life is more hurried.

We only will stay in this city for 3 days, so time is very limited.

The cool thing in this city is we can travel by ferry, check this out.

Colonial buildings

The British built a magnificent city within the walls of Fort St. George. Some fine examples of the Gothic revival, Neo-classical style and Indo-Saracenic style are seen within this area. Worth seeing are the Gateway of India, the CST terminus, and the Police headquarters or generally just take a stroll around South Mumbai.

Beaches

Mumbai has a few beaches, including one in the downtown area. Some comments online said they are not very great…

Food!!!

I did some research, Mumbai has good street food too. Here is the list:

Butter chicken and naan

Kebab rolls

Indian Chinese

As many different kinds of chaat as your stomach can handle

Indian sweets- milky, delicious concoctions (try the kulfi falooda at Badshah’s in Crawford market)

Vada pav (the great Indian veg burger)

South Indian food from an Udupi restaurant

Kingfisher Blue beer

To get a real flavour of what’s unique to Mumbai, you will have to go a little lower down the scale and experience the street food and Irani cafes. Just remember to check whether the place is clean.

Bangalore

For many years, Bangalore was known throughout India as the most green, liberal and forward-thinking city. In recent years, these attributes have propelled Bangalore to the forefront of the high-tech industry boom in India, and it currently ranks as India’s most developed city and one of the world’s fastest growing urban areas.

This city has auto-rickshaw, too.

Iskcon Temple

Temple built on a hillock in Rajajinagar atop scenic surroundings, is a perfect blend of modern technology and spiritual harmony. The huge cultural complex was built to promote vedic culture and spiritual learning, and abounds with shops selling devotional items and souvenirs. It is home of the ‘Hare Rama Hare Krishna’ movement.

Pub

Experience the Bangalore pub scene, mostly around MG Road, Brigade Road, and Church Street.

Food!!!

Bangalore is far from the sea, and as such the quality of seafood can vary. Some of the higher end and popular seafood places manage this well, but foreign travelers may want to tread a bit carefully.

- Yuxiang Gao

References:

http://wikitravel.org/en/Bangalore#Eat

http://wikitravel.org/en/Bangalore

http://wikitravel.org/en/Mumbai

http://wikitravel.org/en/India

http://wikitravel.org/en/Delhi

http://www.food-india.com/

http://www.indianfoodforever.com/

http://www.tourindia.com/

Most of you know that from June 11 till July 11 the worlds most important event takes place, the Soccer World Championship in South Africa.

While I was researching the important matches and trying to fit that somehow into our India schedule, I realized that India does not participate in the World Championship. I was stunned, should this country of 1.2 bln have no decent soccer players? I mean even North Korea (not exactly known as a soccer super power) somehow qualified. So, where is India?

I was even more surprised to learn, that soccer is extremely popular in India even outnumbering cricket and hockey. It is extremely popular with the lower and middle class. The Yuba Bharati Krirangan Stadium in Calcutta is the second largest Stadium in the world, and the 120.000 seats are sold out on games of the Indian premier league.

So even though there is a large population of soccer fans and soccer player the Indian national team (aka The Bhangra Boys) never qualified even once for a soccer world championship. However, in 1950, for political reasons some team withdrew, and India moved up, and was invited to play in the world championship. Surprisingly the All India Football Federation decided to pass because the FIFA required all players to wear shoes, an unacceptable infringement on the liberties of the Indian team, which was known to play without shoes but with bandages.

Let’s see and wait what happens in 2014.

- Vitus Holzner

Sources:

http://www.taz.de/1/sport/artikel/1/der-wecker-ist-gestellt/

http://www.footage-magazin.de/index_ndim536.php

http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indische_Fußballnationalmannschaft

http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fußball-Weltmeisterschaft_1950

After Dr. Carr posted a link for Joe Wong, and Chase asked about stand-up in India- I’m inspired to share Russell Peters with the group. His ‘Be a Man’ routine is funny as heck.

Youtube Video

Like Joe Wong, Mr. Peters creates an environment that is safe to laugh at ourselves. We should send comedians as foreign diplomats. “Common, be a man! Do the right thing!”

- Kirk Story

As most of you know, India has one of the largest clandestine economies in the world. A major part of this revolves around the recycling and reusing of trash collected in junkyards and dumps. The city of Moradabad, located in northern India, receives about half of the total electronic waste (e-waste) generated by India. In its slums, thousands of people live off e-waste. More specifically, they use various techniques to extract different metals from circuits found in phones, televisions, computers, monitors, keyboards, remote controls, radios etc.

In Moradabad, also known as peetal nagri , the brass city, different families are specialized in different steps of the process: some use blow torches to heat the circuits until the soldering breaks down and different parts separate, some dip the pieces in acid, while others simply burn them. Needless to say, the process is hazardous and can be very dangerous, but a day’s work will earn a family around 300 Rupees, which is enough to attract thousands.

However, last April the Indian Government announced a new law that will aim to regulate the e-waste clandestine market in order to reduce pollution derived from such waste. Their goal is to only allow officially licensed facilities to treat e-waste. This could have strong implications for these people as they could be forced to find a new means to subsist, most likely having to migrate elsewhere. According to MAIT, an organization regrouping several large electronics companies, and GTZ, an organization whose purpose is to promote sustainable development on a global scale, over 90% of e-waste generated in India end up in clandestine markets.

Many international companies also look to India when deciding how to rid itself of old electronic equipment. Some do it through said licensed companies to promote a environmentally-responsible image, while others deal with the clandestine market to cut-down costs.

If this law is effective, it should significantly reduce pollution derived from e-waste, but many families will have to find a new way to make ends meet. Ultimately, this will take some time to take effect and many are skeptical in regards to the government’s ability to implement the law and effectively funnel all activities to licensed entities.

- Michael Harroch

In response to Fred’s post about the man who has not eaten in more than 70 years, I thought I would share my own thoughts on miraculous powers that Indian wise men may possess. I recently read a book by the famous author Michael Crichton in which he mentioned that he had always had a certain fascination for the unexplained events that he experienced during his childhood as well as during his tenure in medical school at Harvard. He described in detail the capacity that people have to heal despite overwhelming odds and die from the most trivial illnesses, to the point where it seemed like they simply decided to die. During the filming of one of his movies, he experimented with a group of psychics in London. Despite his best efforts to completely control the situation by wearing the same clothes, saying the same neutral things and revealing as little of himself as he could, he was impressed by the psychics’ capacities to understand others and know their character, experiences and guess what the future held in store. This book, in combination with Fred’s post, made me want to look up some other strange talents that Hindu gurus may have.

I was intrigued by this in particular because my mother, who is also a doctor has told me a series of vivid stories about the experiences she had in the presence of young Buddhist Monks from Tibet who came to visit her college. She described them levitating, fasting and holding contests of meditation by walking out into the below freezing Wisconsin winter. Wearing only a single thin towel, they would meditate with such fierce intensity that after only a few minutes, they had melted into the snow drifts upon which they sat and were sweating profusely, despite the extreme cold. The winner was the one whose towel contained the most sweat. I was very skeptical until I began to read that other religious or meditative practitioners had similar powers. To put it into context, I was fortunate enough to take a class on the physiology, thermoregulation and homeostasis while in college, which led me to believe that staying warm like the monks did was entirely possible. I later saw shows on the Discovery channel that confirm humans have a surprising capacity to control their bodies.

I now had some evidence from a variety of sources that led me to believe in some kinds of mind over matter powers, namely body temperature control. But what about the Indians who claim to levitate? Hindu siddha gurus are supposed to have the power to do so, ostensibly through the mastery of meditation and yoga. Yogi Subbayah Pullayar supposedly levitated a couple of feet for several minutes in front of 150 people. Other yogis have levitated while asleep. Buddhist levitators include Tibetan monks, Siddhartha himself, and the yogi Milarepa, who is a Vairayana Buddhist.

So what about the evidence? Most people chalk it up to some kind of illusion or group hypnotic suggestion, saying that all other evidence is scientifically invalid. However, some physicists have postulated that human beings are able to use cognition to tap into quantum zero point energy. An example of this energy would be the Casimir Effect, where tiny inter and intra molecular forces cause two metal plates to attract each other with significant force in a vacuum and without the presence of any external field. The tiny amounts of ambient energy in the plates cause a small electromagnetic force between the plates that are about a micrometer apart, attracting them with a force similar to atmospheric pressure.

My thoughts on this are simple: science is young, and religion, meditation and culture are old. There are many things out there that we do not have an explanation for and many things that are more complex than they seem. I suspect that in time, science will find a way to explain these powers that people have, whether it means understanding the physics of meditation or debunking charlatans. What do you think?

- William Ary

Of the companies we are going to visit in India, the one I am most excited to see is Maruti Suzuki. The reason for this (besides being an automotive enthusiast) is that I will get an opportunity to see a car that is making its triumphant return back into the United States; the Suzuki Swift. The Swift began life in 1983 as a rebadged Suzuki Cutlass for some markets, including ours in North America. It was a remarkably fuel efficient vehicle, with decent pick-up speed due its light weight. However, it struggled in the U.S. market due to a lack of interest in subcompact cars and poor interior quality. This led to the Swift leaving our market in 2001.

Since its departure, both the U.S. automotive market and the Swift have changed greatly. The market for subcompacts has expanded significantly, with five of the six largest automotive companies in America offering subcompacts. The Honda Fit and Mini Cooper have also shown that people in our market are also willing to pay significantly more for subcompacts with the luxury features of larger vehicles. This marketplace bodes well for the Suzuki Swift, which has become a vastly different vehicle than its forbearer. The cheap interior and boring styling that marred the old vehicle has been replaced by a clean, well finished interior and decidedly sporty exterior. In addition to these esthetic improvements, the Swift has also received a Euro-tuned suspension and a host of more powerful, fuel efficient engines.

These improvements have been noticed by the markets the Swift is currently in. The Swift is Maruti Suzuki’s second most popular car in India and is the fifth most sold car in the country. The vehicle was so successful that Maruti Suzuki saw a 64% rise in Q1 profits in the first quarter the Swift was sold. This is in-spite of the fact that it is one of the more expensive cars in its class and not within the most popular class of vehicles in India, the minis (the next size smaller than subcompacts).

Due to its enormous popularity in the markets it is currently in, Suzuki plans on reintroducing the Swift to the U.S. market as replacement for the lackluster Reno. With the significant improvements it has received, will the Swifts return to our market be successful?

- Matthew Perez

As I was writing a detailed response to Jay’s post on dentistry in India, I realized that I had enough questions to write my own post! Now, I’m nowhere near the dental expert or enthusiast that Jay is, but the Internet is a wonderful thing!

The video that Jay posted was absolutely disgusting (check it out and you will know why) but it did bring some questions to the forefront like, what education do these street dentists have? Do they go to dental school or are they self-taught? Also, for the dentists who are educated, what are the standards for education? Is the education comparable to the United States and are the standards similar?

Well, my research showed some insight on this topic. Apparently dentists coming from India to the United States have to take additional classes to earn their D.D.S. or the D.M.D. Additional classes don’t sound so bad until you hear about how few of these foreign dentists get into medical school in advanced standing in the United States. Ultimately, they have to mostly repeat their degree, which took five years to complete in the first place. Indian dentists earn a Bachelor in Dental Surgery (BDS), which takes four years, plus an internship for an additional year. They do have the option to specialize in an area of dental surgery, which takes three additional years to earn a Masters.

As Jay can probably tell you in his sleep, it’s a slightly more complex process in the United States, which can start all the way in high school with the type of science classes you choose to take. High school is followed with a Bachelor of Science in a natural science like Biology or Chemistry. THEN, after perhaps a short one-year MBA program (not required), you head off to dental school for four years. Give or take a year of school here and there, you are sitting in a classroom for at least eight years (not including high school). Compare that to the India education curriculum, and the United States at the very least wants more of your money and more years of your life.

Ultimately, the India BDS is equivalent to the Doctor of Dental Surgery here in the United States. Eight years of education compared to only five just to practice dental surgery! However, the street dentists don’t even go through the education process to practice. Many learn the practice from their parents and several, if not most, don’t have their dental licenses. This is actually very illegal in India. These street dentists still continue to practice however, offering dental services to those who can’t afford the alternative.

It’s interesting to see that the education standards are quite different from country to country. The question now is if the quality is equivalent, and if so, are so many years of dental school are even necessary to be an effective dentist?

- Danielle Steussy

Sources:

http://www.jdentaled.org/cgi/content/full/69/4/461

http://www.educationindiainfo.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dentistry_throughout_the_world#Dentistry_in_India

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Street_dentistry

While following the debates over health care reform in the U.S., and revisiting my own personal use of tobacco since re-enrolling in academia (after an 8 year hiatus of both school and tobacco), it got me thinking about the role of tobacco in India. What I learned about tobacco, in India, out and out shocked me.

According to WHO (World Health Organization), India has high smoking rates across the board:

Smoking rates in men is over 56% in the 12-18 year old range, and plateaus at 72% by the smokers 40’s. Smokeless tobacco (chew) in women is hard to gauge but estimates are as low as 15% (still very high when compared to U.S. chewing) and as high as 60%. Smoking rates among 13-15 year old school children range from 3% in Goa to over 60% in Nagaland (http://www.whoindia.org/LinkFiles/Tobacco_Free_Initiative_Executive_Summary.pdf).

Contrary to what many may think, this isn’t necessarily due to the burgeoning middle class in India. India has a long history of tobacco use, as Portuguese traders first brought tobacco to India in the 1600’s. In the early 20^th century India was second largest producer of tobacco, behind the U.S. And in fact, in the U.S. a popular and traditional method of tobacco consumption in India is becoming more and more popular stateside, as hookah bars pop up in trendy neighborhoods of major metro areas.

Apart from the hookah smoking, Indians’ use tobacco in a variety of ways. 42% of tobacco consumption is via Beedi smoking. Beedi’s are similar to cigarettes except they are tobacco rolled in another plants leaf, and must be puffed continuously to stay lit, like a cigar. They smoke cheroots, which are simply a loosely rolled tobacco leaf, also similar to a cigar. Indians also chew a couple of different forms of smokeless tobacco. Paan and paan masala are powdered tobacco with a variety of nut extracts and flavors. (Wikipedia)

Considering what we’ve seen recently in the U.S. in regards to health care reform, and what we’ve learned about the apparent bureaucratic processes of Indian governments, what will the economic impact of tobacco related illnesses in India be, as the population that can afford to use tobacco grows? Should they be concerned about the massive costs of health care for a society that heavily uses tobacco? Could you possibly conclude that newer, relatively healthier methods of tobacco use, such as modern cigarettes, should be pushed as means of tempering the unhealthier methods like beedi smoking.

- Chase Janvrin

Every country seems to have a cosmopolitan star-it’s very own version of London or New York, where culture, money, fashion and commercialism meld into a bustle of excitement. For Australia it’s Sydney, for Korea it’s Seoul, for China it’s Shanghai, and for India it is definitely Mumbai.

Known as Bombay until 1995, Mumbai is one of the largest and busiest cities in the world. As our India trip draws near, I’m getting more and more anxious to see what India’s shining cosmopolis has to offer, so I’ve done some research and compiled a list of some things I would like to do or see in Mumbai. Whether I actually get to do these is another story but here’s my shortlisted items:

Go to Bollywood - Mumbai is home to the Bollywood studios which offer guest tours, so for those who are not satisfied with just seeing a good Bollywood flic, this may be a good option. Who knows, I may even get to see Aishwarya Rai in person.

Pass through the Gateway of India - This yellow basalt arch was built to commemorate the visit of King George V in 1911 and is probably Mumbai’s most popular landmark and touristy locations. Though getting mobbed by beggers, peddlers, and souvenir photographers is inevitable, I’m sure that it is a must.

Stroll along Marine Drive - I’ve learned that this place is many people’s favorite place in the city. Here you can enjoy a nice sea breeze along the Arabian sea enjoy live music, exciting clubs, and fine dining. You can also go to the beach and check out the free entertainment consisting of snake charmers, contortionists, monkey tricks, etc. It is a romantic 5 km stretch with beautiful vistas and smiling faces.

Enter the Elephanta Caves - Dating as far back as the 5th century, the Elephanta Caves are a network of Hindu and Buddhist deities sculpted into basalt on the Island of Elephanta accessible from the Mumbai harbor. I wonder if the caves will provide a break from the Indian summer heat?

Reverence in a religious site - Mumbai has many ancient mosques, temples and other religious sites to visit. Some notable ones include the colorful Babu Amichand Panalal Adishwarji Jain Temple, and the amazing Haji Ali Dargah which sits 500 yards from the coast in the water of Worli Bay. I’d love to see them all!

Slumdog around Dharavi - Almost 1 million people live in this 175 hectacre spread of makeshift rooms and tin roofs. It promises to be a unique and eye-opening experience.

This is of course a list from a non-expert and I’m sure there’s much more to do and see in this fantastic city, but I think these are a good start for a good time in Mumbai.

- Phil Hamer

The last stop on our Indian MBA adventure is Bangalore, also known as Benguluru. Located in the southern part of India, it is the capital of the state of Karnataka. Bangalore has the third largest population of any city and India with about 5.8 million people. As we all should know by now, Bangalore is the hub of IT activity in India and is commonly referred to as the Silicon Valley of India. Much of the economy in Bangalore is made of up of call centers and other back office and IT services that are exported to the US and other countries around the world. Major companies such as Wipro and Infosys have headquarters in Bangalore, which has helped to spur fast economic growth in Bangalore and attract many rich Indians. In fact, Bangalore has the third largest population of ‘rich’ and ‘super rich’ individuals in the country.

Another fact that we should all be aware of by now is that we will be hitting the streets of Bangalore just before the beginning of the monsoon season. The hottest month in Bangalore is April. The average temperatures in June, when we will be there, range from 68-86 degrees. This does not sound too hot, but we got to keep in mind that it will also likely be cloudy, humid, and rainy.

Enough about all of that, let’s talk about eating in Bangalore. There are many popular breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snack items in Bangalore that sound incredible. I will list some of the items by meal below and go into further detail on a couple that sound the best to me. Keep in mind these are abbreviated lists.

Breakfast:

- Idlis – steamed rice and lentil cakes

- Chutney – spicy dip

- Uddina Vade – fried doughnut shaped lentil and rice patty

- Poori – fried dough

- Akki Roti – flat bread

Finally, the best sounding dish to me is Dosas. A Dosa is a pancake/crepe make from rice and lentils and a variety of spices and other ingredients. The batter is typically fried in oil or ghee (clarified butter) on a hot griddle. Dosas can be prepared in a variety of ways including stuffed with cheese stuffed with spiced potatoes (Masala dosa), and stuffed with mint chutney and vegetables (Green dosa). I like this item because of the sheer number of variations and it is one of the few items that I have already tried. It will be great to get a few dosas for breakfast in India.

Lunch and Dinner:

- Huli/Sambhar – lentil soup with or without vegetables

- Palya – a dry vegetable side dish usually eaten with rice

- Vangi Bath – spicy eggplant mixed with rice

- Chithranna – spiced lemon rice

- Mavinakayanna – mango rice

- Ragi Mudde – ragi (millet) balls

And what sounds the best to me? Bisi Bele Bath, which means hot dahl rice. Aside from a great sounding name, this dish is full of lentils, rice, vegetables, beans, and a ton of spices. Typical spices found in Bisi Bele Bath include fenugreek, coriander, dry chilies, cloves, cardamom, and cinnamon, curry leaves, etc. The dish is basically a big casserole that sounds incredibly flavorful. This is definitely on my list of must try items.

Alright that brings this post to an end. What did I miss or leave out? What are your favorite dishes from southern India? What foods do we need to try in Bangalore?

- Tim Lynds

Referenced websites

1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bangalore

2. http://wikitravel.org/en/Bangalore

3. http://www.virtualbangalore.com/BF/index.php

4. http://www.discoverbangalore.com/food.htm

5. http://www.trueknowledge.com/q/population_of_bangalore_in_2010