Name of the activity/programme/experience
Business Study Mission (India)
What motivated you to organise this Business Study Mission?
India has important traditional and contemporary links to Singapore. With over a 1.4 billion population, it is almost a certainty that our students will interact with the Indian nation, and with Indian nationals. And the three priority areas for SMU – growth in Asia, digital transformation and sustainability are all directly relevant to understanding India in its current state of economic, social and technological development. And as a social/cultural experience, India is about as different a country as can be from Singapore – big, chaotic, politically hyperactive. My students who have interned in India over the years have come back transformed by the experience. I warned our current students to at least get a little taste of that unique Indian experience. And it was a big learning experience for me too, as I prepared for and led this mission. I learnt not just about India but also about our students as we were co-travellers for an intense 8 days in Mumbai.
Please describe your overall experience.
It was a huge learning experience for the students and for me. Our partner, Jio Institute is superbly networked and could curate almost exactly the kind of experience I was hoping for – we visited manufacturers, NGOs, government officials, service operators all grappling with various aspects of economic development, sustainability and digital transformation. The historic and cultural parts of the tour – the visit to the UNESCO heritage site (the Elephanta caves), a classical dance concert, a lecture demonstration by a classical musician, learning Indian dance, learning to play cricket, the visits to busy bazaars, and upscale malls and the chance to taste various Indian regional cuisines – gave us a real glimpse into “big India” and the cultural passions of Indians. Mumbai as a traditional coastal and trading port is one of the most cosmopolitan cities in India. All the classroom learning about India came alive in the tour. The classroom sessions at Jio were also very insightful as the students learnt from experts on sustainability and digital transformation in the Indian context. Meeting Singaporean citizens and SMU alumni working in Mumbai and the Singapore Consulate officers further helped understand what India and Singapore could learn from each other.
Why Asia? What advice would you give to students who are considering a similar experience?
As a small country punching way over its size economically, it is vital that our students understand the larger world we live in. That this is the century of Asia is not just a cliché – and what happens in every Asian country has some bearing on Singapore’s growth and further economic development. India, China, Japan, South Korea and the ASEAN neighbours are all important trade partners, and Singaporean companies are invested in a big way in many parts of Asia. This is a rare time in your life when you can visit these countries as a student with the luxury of time to dive culturally and socially into these nations for an extended period of time, from a BSM, to longer community service, internship and exchange stints. It will really broaden your perspective as a Singaporean.
