Journalists experience ‘Incredible India’ first-hand |21 March 2020
India’s long-standing relationship with Seychelles is often evident through the numerous forms of assistance the world’s second-most populous country offers to the small-island state. Asides from facilitating financial assistance for major capital projects and infrastructure, the South-Asian superpower aids in other key sectors such as health, education and capacity-development as well as security.
Considering the bilateral ties between the two, and the fact that the Indian Ocean region is of strategic importance to India, lying close to global shipping and commerce lanes, a total of nineteen journalists and media professionals from different media houses across Seychelles and Mauritius were recently invited to participate in a familiarisation visit to India, where together they discovered the country’s rich and diverse culture, and learned from the government agencies and business organisations that have earned India a global footprint.
The Seychellois delegates left Seychelles on February 22, arriving at their first-stop, India’s high-technology capital, Bangaluru, on February 23. Over the next five days, together with the nine-strong Mauritian delegation, they visited numerous places of cultural and historical interest, interacting with high-ranking officials of various ministries and private sector entities, who have been instrumental to India’s economic successes.
Over the three-day stay in Bangaluru, a populous city where endlessly-blaring car horns appear to be the norm, the delegation explored the Lalbach Botanical Garden, a magnificent green-haven spread over 240-acres, home to nearly 1854 species of plants, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the Indian Institute of Management (IIM). IIM is a public educational institution and is recognised as one of India’s leading institutions offering management studies and academic courses. The school’s 100-acre, lusciously green campus also houses the N.S Raghavan Centre for Entrepreneurial Learning (NSRCEL), a catalyst for entrepreneurial activity and a well-known incubation centre for early start-up ventures.
With a booming Information Technology (IT) industry which has grown phenomenally over the past decade, creating 80,000 tech firms, an interaction session with officials of multinational tech-giant Infosys was definitely a highlight for many of the delegates.
Infosys, was founded in 1981 by seven individuals with an interest in developing and creating software with only $250 in the pot. The company has since grown, expanding its operations to the European markets where it generates 20 percent of its total revenue, and the United States (US) market, where it generates a whopping 60 percent of its total revenue, with the remaining 20 percent from the local market. The tech giant is currently in the process of establishing development centres in the US, to add to its nine existing centres in India. Interestingly, the Bangalore campus, one of the smallest-campuses the company owns at 90-acres comprising 50 buildings, is as green as can be, earning the company an award in 2012 as one of the world’s greenest companies. The campus boasts a fruit garden lined with mango, guava, avocados and papaya trees, seven large food courts, a global education centre, industrial-sized laundromat, swimming pools and Jacuzzis, a yoga centre, gym facility and a bowling alley, among other facilities. Moreover, the campus generates solar power for the 50 buildings on site and employees are restricted to carts and bicycles, at their disposal in every corner of the campus to get around.
Bangaluru is also home to Biocon Limited, a biopharmaceutical company born in the late 1970s. The company started off manufacturing and exporting enzymes before transitioning to a biopharma company in 2000. At present, a large number of products are in development and the organisation is focused on working to deliver on the promise of its chairperson Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw at Davos 2020, to make insulin cheaper to access at a cost of INR 0.10 cents per day.
After a day of hauling bags and luggage on and off of conveyor belts (February 26), the delegation commenced the second leg of their Indian adventure in the New Delhi, an urban district located in the city of Delhi. The national capital, Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the government of India, and is famous for tourist attractions, food and cuisine and vibrant and often-bustling marketplaces. The city is also home to some striking hotels and ambassadorial residences along streets lined with flowers of all colours, glistening and beaming with pride under the hot sun.
Delhi proved to be just as interesting and fascinating as Bangaluru, with visits to the Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC), the Observer Research Foundation (ORF), and Invest India, of the most recognised and awarded investment promotion agencies in the world.
The IIMC is well known to many Seychellois and Mauritians, who have all been afforded the opportunity to undertake training programmes at one of India’s premier training academies for media studies. Indeed, India’s media landscape is vast, with over 1 million registered newspapers and periodicals on the market. The institution offers a number of courses and tailored training programmes and even comprises a New Media and IT department offering courses with a focus on the impacts of technology on communication, mobile journalism and data journalism.
Invest India, also an initiative of the government of India, is a national promotion and facilitation agency which acts as the first point of reference for investors in India. From humble beginnings in 2009, the agency has grown from strength to strength over the years, successfully attracting Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) into the numerous industries in one of the fastest growing economies in the world. FDI inflows have increased by 37 percent since the launch of the Make in India initiative in 2014, an initiative with the primary goal of making India a global manufacturing hub for both multinational and domestic companies.
A trip to India would not be complete without a visit to one of the country’s many beautifully and intricately carved temples. Akshardham Temple, although built fairly recently in 2005, showcases the essence of India’s ancient architecture and definitely serves up a feast for the eyes, as one walks through the grounds and cannot resist getting enveloped by the intricately and faultless carvings of elephants, peacocks and timeless spiritual messages. The grand temple tour also comprised an impressive light and sound show, with the visuals projected directly onto one of the large sections of the complex, and a cultural boat ride through 10,000 years of India’s glorious heritage and contribution to humanity through the ages.
The delegation’s visit to India ended on the highest of high notes! After a four-hour coach ride, alas, they stepped foot at one of the Seven Wonders of the World, Taj Mahal. An immense ivory white marble mausoleum built in Agra between 1631 and 1648, the memorial to his wife Mumtaz Mahal, is every bit as beautiful and captivating as one can imagine.
Delegates returned to their respective countries on March 1.
The accompanying photos show some highlights of the journalists’ familiarisation trip to India.
Laura Pillay
