The purpose of the Project Team’s preparatory trip from January 2nd – 12th 2018 is getting a first impression of India, meeting the partner companies we intend to visit with our 27-strong delegation (consisting of 23 students and 4 professors) on our onsite seminar in March/April, organizing suitable transfer options, and checking out accommodation and cultural activities.

Destination 1: Bangalore

Did you know…

  • …that Bangalore was among the first cities having electricity in India (as of 1906),
  • …that the city is famous for its high-tech ecosystem and people often refer to it as the “Silicon Valley of India”,
  • …that 40% of the city’s landscape is green area and that it is therefore also known as “Garden City”
  • …and that Bangalore is among the fastest growing cities worldwide.

That’s where we started our preparatory trip. None of us had been to India before and after arriving and driving through the city to the hotel, the Project Team was quite overwhelmed by the traffic, the noise, the different smells and colors. This is also why we spent the first afternoon discovering the surroundings of our hotel. We realized for example that crossing the streets can be a real challenge, that food can be very spicy and juices delicious, that people generally are extremely friendly and that when they shake their head from left to the right it means “yes”.

On our second day in India, the Project Team visited Bosch Power Tools, our new GOLD partner, to discuss the onsite program and workshop at their Indian Headquarters in Bangalore. Due to the manifold activities of the Robert Bosch Group, the delegation will get insights into various fields that one would not immediately associate with Bosch – stay tuned for more.

The next day was about planning the interaction with our main partner Accenture, that has been welcoming the Focus India delegation for many years already. Accenture India accounts for more than a quarter of the company’s global workforce, their Bangalore premises are therefore quite impressive.

Focus India will also again have the chance to learn about the various activities and initiatives run by Swissnex India. At every location we were very warmly welcomed and were able to draft excellent programs for our onsite visit with the delegation. We are impressed by the commitment of our partners and strongly benefited from their experience and know-how.

The Project Team especially appreciated the excellent service of our travel agency Sita and the very helpful staff but also the welcoming manner of all the other people we met so far. The team is now heading to the airport to catch the flight to the next destination Pune and is looking forward to meet two partners there.

About Focus India

Focus India is a flagship project within the bachelor degree program of the University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland (FHNW). Organized by students for students in their final year, it allows them to apply and enhance the skills learned in the class rooms. Through the close collaboration with industrial partners, Focus India will be in its 13th consecutive successful year.