Author: bac19

Going to the jungle and visiting the coffee plantation was amazing. In the jungle we saw a wild elephant family, which I’ve heard can charge at cars if they get too close. We also saw deer, goats, and boar. The plants are so wild that they seem to take over everything. Although we were safe in our bus, it felt very intimidating to be out in the middle of a jungle where a tiger could pop out and grab you at any moment.

The coffee plantation was so beautiful. The owner and his wife were especially friendly, and made our stay a thousand times more pleasant than any regular hotel. Not only did they socialize with us, but they cooked homemade meals and gave us coffe grounds from their own coffee beans. The coffee they served to us was smoothe and not as bitter as the coffe in the USA. They own around 120 acres of coffee plants, which can live to be up to 200 years old. He inherited the land and plants from his father when he turned 25, but it’s hard to get help in January when they harvest the beans.

White water rafting was indescribable. There were three rapids, called Morning Coffee, Grasshopper, and Nose Dive. After the first rapids we all jumped into the 15′ deep water and swam for a bit, which I think surprised Dr. Vijay and his brother when they saw us. They must have thought we capsized in the calmest water of the river. The last one was the biggest, and we all got knocked around and water in our noses. I will definitely be doing that again sometime!

The rides through the towns were interesting too. Many people carry objects such as big bags or piles of plants on their heads. Cows and bulls roam the streets, as do chickens, roosters, dogs, goats, etc. The local people seem to be as interested in us as we are in them. Most towns seem to have stores to but the essentials and food items.

August 4, 2011

 Today Mr. Chiranjiv Singh spoke to us about culture and society of India. This is a vast subject, but he did well educating us about the basics in Indian culture. He began by telling us that India has the oldest continuous surviving culture, which is approximately 6-7 thousand years old. Western inluence has threatened to influence the culture so much that it remains to be seen whether the culture will be strengthened or become something new altogether.

Mr Singh spoke to us about the caste society, which has five different levels for which to separate Indian people into. It has been challenged in the past by the Jain, Buddhist, Islamic, and Sikhist religions, but remains strong today even though it was outlawed. It will most likely take several generations for the system to change. This has influenced the culture in such a way that hierarchy is a natural part of people’s work, family, school, etc. lives. For instance, Mr. Sikh explained that teachers and professors are thought to be “guru’s” in India, and students are not free to question them or engage in discussions because they are God-like. People who teach are essentially bringing the student out of darkness (ignorance) into the light (awareness).

One of the most interesting things that Mr. Sikh said was that most Indians believe in “therma,” or thebelief that one has an innate nature to fulfill in life. For example, fire’s therma is to burn. This allows India to have order despite all of the disorder.

August 4, 2011

Today Mr. Chiranjiv Singh, who is the Former Additional Sectretary from Karnataka, spoke to us about the culture and society of India. This is a very broad category to speak on, but he did a good job covering some of the basi

August 1, 2011

Our visit to Tata BP Solar today consisted of a tour through the manufacture line and a discussion about the company. Approximately 200 people are employed at Tata for the assembly line alone. It was interesting to watch as the solar cells (which begin as gray squares which are about 6 x 6″) were placed on conveyor belts glazed with chemicals, and flashed with lights. The assembly lines perfect one side of the cell at a time, and then the cells are sent through more machines to complete the process on the other side. During the last stages of the assembly lines, the cell is tested with a light that resembles sunlight to test how much energy the cell produces. On average, most cells here produce about 3.6 watts. Most cells are sold locally and homes in India which use the cells most commonly use them to heat their water or for lighting.  This plant is operated 24 hours a day and produces about 24,000 cells per day. The cells are said to last about 25 years before they need repairs or replaced. The smallest finished panel is made of 4 cells, and the largest can be as large as you have room for. The size is mostly determined by energy needs, money, and space.

Tata BP Solar

Plot # 43, 44 Hosur Road

Bangalore, 561-229

Phone: 4102577/ 4194230

August 1, 2011.

Today Professor J. Philip, who is the president of XIME gave us a lecture about the educational system in India. He informed us that an MBA is a universal degree, but it is called a Post Graduate Degree in Management in India. The most fascinating things he told us were as follows: India, the USA, and China work intimately with each other (especially economically and managerial-wise), and they will be the top three entrepreneurs by the year 2035. Currently, India has approximately 25,951 colleges and 518 universities (in 1947 they had 574 colleges and 28 universities), but by the year 2035 they expect to have over 15000 combined colleges and universities. In 2011, India had 1.4 million students enrolled in these educational systems, 6.55 million of which were women. Engineering and management are the top two degrees earned. The government has currently set up an affirmative action program for those belonging to the lowest socioeconomic statuses, reserving 22.5% of government jobs and spots in colleges and universities. Last but not least, India has more graduates in mathematics and science than the rest of the world, making its growth rate skyrocket and making their citizens very competitive in the market.