From seeing elephants in the Jungle to ordering Pizza Hut

Day 2 at the jungle started very early at 6:00 am with a coffee/tea delivery. Then we took another drive into the national park. We saw the same animals as yesterday except for the wild dogs (I couldn’t get a picture of them because they moved so fast). Unfortunately, the only animals we really didn’t get to see were the tigers and the leopards. But, I can’t complain over that. I am so lucky to be able to have seen all those animals out in the wild. We then went to the Gol Ghar for the last time for a great breakfast that included eggs, omelets, and much more. One thing another student mentioned about being in the jungle, was that Tom Friedman was right in The World Is Flat when he talks about “Flattener #10 The Steroids (Digital, Mobile, Personal, and Virtual”. The fact that you can check your email or call someone on a wireless mobile phone in a jungle that is in the middle of nowhere or even take digital pictures that will eventually be uploaded onto your computer is absolutely amazing. Tom Friedman sums this up nicely when he says “Now we are in Globalization 3.0, where, thanks to digitization, miniaturization, virtualization, personalization, and wireless, I can be processing, collecting or transmitting voice or data from anywhere to anywhere—as an individual or as a machine” (168). This really made me realize just how far we have come from “Globalization 1.0” to “Globalization 3.0”. After breakfast, we then checked out of the lodge and had to say goodbye to our little vacation in the jungle. (More pictures of Jungle below)

The bus ride home was another bumpy ride, but still enjoyable as I looked out the window and was able to see raw India. We made a quick stop at a dam but then found out we couldn’t take any pictures and wouldn’t be able to actually see the dam, so we returned to the bus. Once arriving back to Ginger Hotel (our home for 3 weeks), I was exhausted and took a nap. Then I continued to participate in “Globalization 3.0” by joining others in ordering pizza from Pizza Hut.
I was really tired from the jungle adventure, so decided to stay in tonight. On TV, me, Felix, and Nancy watched Indian Idol, which was really entertaining to watch. One thing I noticed that is very similar to American Idol is that it seems like only the good looking people move on. Also, the world is definitely flattening because all of the Indian judges looked almost identical to their American counterparts, especially the judge that is supposed to be like Paula Abdul. I really felt like I was in America, eating Pizza Hut and watching Indian Idol, even though I was on the opposite side of the world.

It's a jungle out there...

It was another early wakeup call here in India today. We got picked up in a bus to drive to Kabini River Lodge (a jungle lodge/resort). Besides being bumpy the bus ride there was surprisingly very interesting. It was the first time that I had the opportunity to really reflect on India in real time (not blogging in a room secluded from what I was blogging about). I hate to sound cliché but it made me realize how lucky I am to live in the United States: To have a house, food, GREAT family, etc. But what really amazed me about this bus ride was that these Indians that were living in slums and other poor living conditions would smile at us and wave. They would show no signs of sadness or self pity. This directly relates to what Varma says in Being Indian which is that “Whether in India or abroad, Indians have one quality which has stood them in good stead: resilience…No foreigner can ever understand the extent to which an Indian is mentally prepared to accept the unacceptable…Families living in one-room holes in overcrowded chawls do not think they are terribly deprived. ‘These are not sad homes. These are not sad lives. There is love, laughter, hope…’”(204-205). This just completely amazed me and put things in my own life in perspective. The next time I am having a bad day because I got a bad grade or had a bad day at work, I am going to remember these Indians I saw through the bus window who put a smile on their face under the worse conditions imaginable.

Once we arrived at the jungle, I was speechless. This was the part of the trip that I was looking forward to most and I can say without any hesitation that it met all my expectations. Everyone who knows me knows that I am an animal person. Anyways, the resort was beautiful. It was the first time that I felt I was on vacation. It was so peaceful and relaxing there. I even fell asleep for an hour out in the sun. Me and Felix then took a walk around and saw monkeys all over. We even saw a baby monkey (picture attached below). We ate a great meal at 1:30 pm consisting of the traditional Indian food and then had a coffee/tea break at 3:00 pm. I think they should implement the coffee/tea break in the United States. They also do this at the institute. It is just a great way to break up the day and relax for a moment. Anyways at 4:00 pm we went off on our jeep safari which was absolutely amazing. We saw elephants, peacocks, spotted deer, birds, warthogs, monkeys, crocodiles, etc. We even got to stop at a location and pet the elephants. They are huge. It was so funny because there were locals next to the elephants and they would hold them like it was no big deal. They were making food (round balls) for the elephants at this location which was really interesting to see. A girl in our group named Mary even got to feed one of the elephants. As you can tell, I really enjoyed the safari ride. Rather than describing everything I saw, I am just going to show you the pictures below (There were a lot more than these pictures, I will show you more when I come home).

Following the great safari ride, we watched a wildlife documentary that surprisingly was very interesting. Some parts were sad because they showed the killing of many of the animals we just saw. But overall, I think it definitely complemented the jeep safari ride and the rest of the experience at the lodge. We then had another great meal at the ‘Gol Ghar’. Following that, I don’t know if it was the hour nap in the sun or the whole jungle experience, but I was so exhausted that I had to go to bed immediately.

The magnificent views of Mysore…

Today started bright and early with getting picked up from the hotel at 7:00 am to visit the Chamundeswari Temple located up in the Chamundi Hill. Luckily it was worth it. The site was absolutely amazing. We had to go barefoot into the temple and saw the Godess Chamundeswari, which Indians were worshipping. I felt like I had a true Indian experience. On the way down from the hill, we stopped and visited the Nandi bull and the Mahishasura statue. Below are some pictures of this amazing visit.














After the temple visit, we went to the SDM institute to do yoga, eat breakfast, and listen to the Dean of the institute and the secretary of the education board speak. Although, I did not participate in yoga, I still found it very interesting to observe. Also, for those of you of are wondering why the group is doing Yoga for an International business class In India, it is because yoga was started in India. Not only is it great for relaxation purposes, but it also seemed like it fulfilled spiritual needs. Following breakfast, we listened to a brief presentation from the Dean of the Institute Ramesh and the secretary of the education board. Some key points that I would like to share with you are: -the marketability of someone getting a foreign degree from the United States and then going back to India has definitely decreased, -more and more Indians want to stay in India after graduating rather than moving elsewhere because of the growing Indian economy, and finally a challenge that India has been facing in recent years due to globalization is that capitalist views are entering Indian homes and this sometimes conflicts with Indian’s cultural views and practices. The point about Indians wanting to stay in India or if abroad wanting to return to India relates to what Varma states in Being Indian which is that “Indians who have lived abroad for generations will continue to consider India ‘home’; a desire to ultimately return to their ‘roots’ is a pervasive sentiment” (201-202). This is just showing how although some immigrants will never want to return to their home country because of a bad government or economic situation, it is a different story with Indians because of democracy and the opportunities that lie ahead. Below is a picture of people participating in Yoga at the Institute.

Next, we did not waste any time and went to Lakshimi Vilas Palace (Main Palace) in Mysore. It was absolutely beautiful. It lights up at night (I will talk about this more later), but looks just as beautiful during the day. According to our great tour guide, it is the 4th largest palace in the world (China has the largest one in the world for its emperor). As we entered the palace we had to remove our shoes and once again go barefoot. I am not going to go through everything I learned from the palace because I am sure you would be bored, but I will tell you some interesting information that I learned. One being that a lot of the material in the palace was imported from different countries (ex. Some artwork from Scandinavia and Italy, some lamps from Japan, some stain glass from France, etc.). I thought this was interesting because it was almost a predictor for the future of India which is now considered to be by many a melting pot of various cultures, business techniques, and knowledge. One piece of evidence of this is that many people around India (including Pavan K Varma in Being Indian) refer to India’s most popular language as Hinglish (a mix of Hindi and English). Also, the tour guide finally gave me an answer to the reason why so many of the paintings have people with multiple heads and hands. He said that the multiple heads represent more knowledge and the multiple hands represent more help and support. I thought this was very interesting. The palace was absolutely amazing from the detailed ceilings and doors to the Iron pillars. Also the use of ivory in the palace was very interesting. After the palace, we made a quick stop to St. Philomena’s church which was also beautiful. I really enjoyed this visit. Below are just a few pictures of this amazing palace and church (unfortunately we were not allowed to take pictures of the inside at any locations).

Following the palace and the church visit we continued our Mysore tourist marathon by stopping for lunch and touring Tipu’s summer palace (Daria Daulut Bagh). Once again it was beautiful. We heard about the meanings behind the beautiful paintings. One painting that showed a battle between the Indians and the British was particularly interesting. It portrayed King Tipu Sultan as first a cow (a holy sacred figure in India as described in a previous blog) and then a pig (a huge insult in any culture, but especially in the Indian culture). Another interesting thing to note is that the palace had no kitchen or bedrooms and was only used for meetings and gatherings. Also, at this site I once again experienced how nice and friendly the Indians are to foreigners by having them shake my hand and constantly wave and smile at me. Attached below are some pictures.

We then continued our theme of summer by going to a bird sanctuary. Sorry for not using a new word, but it was once again beautiful. This was no ordinary bird sanctuary; it had bats, crocodiles, and even some monkeys. We went on a boat that literally got within inches of a crocodile, it was just amazing. Also, I have never seen so many bats in my life. One thing I noticed about all the destinations we saw today was that the majority of the Indians we saw were upper class. I could tell by the type of clothing they wore and just how they presented themselves. In addition, at each of these destinations I felt like the Indians we saw were more and more like Americans. The similarity between Americans and Indians can be supported by what Tom Freidman says in The World Is Flat “Columbus accidentally ran into America but thought he had discovered part of India. I actually found India and thought many of the people I met there were Americans” (5). I think “Globalization 3.0” is largely responsible for the similarities I have seen between Indians and Americans. Below are some pictures attached of this adventure.

Our final stops included a visit to the botanical gardens and a return visit to the Main palace in Mysore for the lighting. Unfortunately they charged you money to bring a camera into the botanical gardens, so I did not take any pictures. It was beautiful there with the many water fountains. It was a little reminiscent to the water show in front of the Bellagio in Las Vegas. It was really busy there. We stood for sunset which was a beautiful site to see. Once I get pictures, I will definitely share them with you. After the gardens, we went back to the Main palace and saw it lit up. It was such a fun site to be at. It was like a different palace from day to night. There was a band playing that fit the mood perfectly. The mood was excitement, admiration, and astonishment. I attached some pictures of this to give you a glimpse of just how wonderful this night was.

Dinner in Paradise…

Today started off with a fun adventure with me, Drew, Felix and Nancy. We did not know where we were going which is part of the reason it was so fun. We got dropped off past Planet X near the big hills. As we were walking, we saw the beauties of India (pictures attached below). Also as cars and buses would pass, we would get honked, waved, and smiled at. The locals were so friendly to us. Although, I think most of this is due to the kindness of Indians, I think part of it can be attributed to what Varma describes in Being Indian. As previously stated, Varma describes how obsessed Indians are with status and power. I think the reason some Indians were so nice to us as we were walking was because they thought we had high status or power because we were Americans. This is completely just an assumption, but according to what I read in Being Indian, I think it is a great possibility. Here is a passage from the book that describes this: “In India there is a social acceptance of the fact the powerful need to have their egos massaged, and that supplicants must fulfill this vital need…Flattery is not expected to be subtle. It must be obvious, and excessive”(34-35). I am not saying that I have power, but am saying that part of the excessive honking and being waved at could possibly be associated with the fact that the locals think we are powerful because we are Americans and want to make their flattery obvious to us. Pictures are shown below of this adventure.














After the adventure, we took a site visit to AT&S Company which manufactures circuit boards for various electronics such as computers, cell phones, and digital cameras. I thought this would be a fun visit, but unfortunately was proved wrong. This was definitely my least favorite site visit so far. The main reason was that the tour was unorganized. There was only one man leading the tour and he had a very quiet voice. Also the space we were touring was very small, so only a small amount of the group could hear what was going on. From what I heard, I enjoyed listening to. It was cool to see the machines but I wish I could have heard what the man was saying about each machine. One interesting piece of information I did pick up was how they standardize most of the parts, but when needed customize the boards according to customer specifications. This relates to what we heard yesterday at TVS Motors, Inc. which is that they only paint a certain amount of bikes and leave some blank when they send them to the dealer so customers can customize the colors and they dealers can just paint it there. I think both of these companies are using mass customization and lean production effectively. Also another interesting piece of information AT&S said was how they export 90% of their finished goods, which was just astounding to me. A picture of the plant is shown below.















Finally, we went to a real south Indian restaurant at Hotel Paradise. The name of the restaurant sums up the ambience of the place. There were fountains everywhere. Below I attached some pictures of the hotel and believe it or not I am in one of them. The dinner started off with tomato soup, then a kind of bread, then a round plate with a large amount of bowls filled with all different kinds of Indian food, and then a Ice cream sundae with fruit it the bottom. But just when I thought it was over, they topped it off with fennel seeds (tasted like licorice), which was very refreshing after a very spicy meal. It was truly an amazing experience. This was the first dinner that I felt fully immersed in the Indian culture. I really enjoyed it.

It was a bumpy road (literally)…

Today started off with a visit from the national press from New Delhi, India. They wanted to do a session with us to hear our interpretations of India and answer any questions we had. One key point they told us was that there were no restrictions on the press in India. I found this interesting because although in the United States they will not publicize the restrictions the government has on the press, I am confident restrictions exist judging by the news we get compared to the truth. The press also reinforced what I have felt in India which is that many of the locals are very kind towards Americans, and do not have any anti-American views as many would assume. Following the session with the national press, we heard a lecture from Professor YK Shriram on “HR and Business-a symbiotic relationship”. Going into it, I thought I would be bored because of the HR class I took at Carlson and the fact that my older sister is in HR and she gave me a great amount of information on the topic. But I was proved wrong, because Professor Shriram put a whole new spin on the topic by looking at it from an Indian perspective. Some interesting points he said were: -that out of the 3 million graduates India produces every year only 300,000 are employable, -In manufacturing sector, employees work 6 days a week and in knowledge sector, employees work 5 days a week, and –that although you can’t discriminate against gender in India unless job requires differently, you can against age because it is unprotected. It was a very enlightening lecture that I think will be interesting to share with my sister.

Following class, we took a cab to TVS Motors, Inc. The road was filled with pot holes and other kind of gaps causing the ride to be very bumpy (picture showed above of road). This made me think of how important an infrastructure is when deciding to do business in another country, and how if India wants to bring more businesses here it has to work on improving its infrastructure; especially if it wants to stay competitive with China. Once we arrived at TVS Motors we heard a couple of presentations on the company that were very interesting. Some key points were that all their inventory materials turn over 72 times a year, they produce 3000 2 wheelers a day,(second to China in the amount of 2 wheelers produced), they export to over 40 countries (exporting is around 10% of total output), and factory employees get paid $250 (10,000 rupees) a month. These facts show how India is a growing economy that definitely has the potential to be an intense global competitor in the motor industry in the coming years.

After the presentation we took a tour of the factory that compared to yesterdays at Axle’s Automated Limited looked immaculate. It looked like a showroom rather than a factory. Unfortunately, we could not take our cameras with us inside, so I will describe it in as much detail as possible to paint you a picture. They had flower pedals as light switches, plants all over the factory, and portraits of the ocean, mountains, and spacious green fields at the employee’s workstations to keep the employees in a nice state of mind and to increase their productivity. They also had various signs regarding TQM(total quality management) and TPM (Total Product Management) to motive the employees to perform their best. One interesting thing they had that you would not see at a typical factory was a safety booth that looked like it belonged at a science museum or fair rather than a factory. The booth went over common safety hazards at a factory and the effects you get if you do not follow the safety tips. Every time an employee breaks a safety tip, they have to go to the safety booth walk through it and sign a sheet saying what they learned from it. I think it is a really good management technique. Another thing that was interesting was a machine that carried the engine from one part of the room to the other that was controlled by gravity alone. The tour guide said the gravity machine idea came from a suggestion by a supervisor that has really greatly improved efficiency. They have a great employee suggestion program at TVS Motors Inc. in which employees can be compensated up to $50 per suggestion (2000 rupees). As you can tell from me rambling on, I really enjoyed this site visit.

Following the site visit, me, Drew, Felix, and Nancy went to experience the real India by stopping at what else: Pizza Hut. Attached is a picture below just in case you do not believe there is one here. I hate to sound repetitive but this one again shows how the world is definitely flattening. The reason I think Pizza Hut especially demonstrates this flattening of the world is because India’s culture is not big on eating red meat. In fact, they treat cows as sacred and holy figures. For example, when we were driving there the driver told us how drivers always stop as cows cross the street because of the fact that are considered holy in India. Anyways back to the flattening of the world, the pizza we order contained pepperoni which was 100% pork. A restaurant in India offering 100% pork would be unheard of 50 years ago. I really felt like I was in America when eating at Pizza Hut once again showing how globalization is hitting India hard.

Just in Case Inventory not Just in Time Inventory

Today started off with a lecture on “Indian Suppliers meeting global standards” by Dr. R. Jagadeesh. It was interesting to me but at the same time repetitive to what I already learned in my operations management sciences class. I wish he would have spent more time on the international aspect of it and how it specifically benefits India. He touched on this only a little. One thing I found interesting that he said was how India has become the one destination outsourcing needs for companies. This just reinforces what I am learning in The World is Flat and the textbook how India is becoming the global business center of the world. He mentioned how out of the Fortune 500 companies, 220 outsource their software from India. All in all, it was an interesting lecture.


Following the lecture we went to Automotive Axles Limited. We listened to a presentation from the CFO which was very interesting. One thing that surprised me was that they do not do an inventory count or bring in auditors to check inventory. He said that the government has trust in these companies. Also they have inventory storage of 2 months just in case their customers need it. When asked about the costs associated with storing this inventory, the CFO responded by saying suppliers do not charge them unless they sell the gods which again shows the trust they have with each other. This says something about Indian culture how although it seems like Varma only focuses on the negatives of Indians in Being Indian, there is something good in Indian Culture and in my opinion essential to a well-run society; which is trust in one another.


After the presentation we toured the factory which was very interesting to see. I was amazed how many fumes surrounded the air and how many people did not wear any protection around their faces. It was interesting to see how India is definitely catching up to the United States in the technology realm. I have seen videos on Supply Chain Management in my Operations Management class, but it was really cool to see the real thing. The architecture came in following the tour and even gave more interesting information. One thing he said that I found interesting was the there are pros and cons of any location you choose to place your factory. For example, when he answered a question about where he would move the factory if he could, he said that’s a hard question to answer because on one hand he would say the center of India to better serve Automotive Axles Limited’s customers, but on the other hand he would also say Southern India because it has better workforce options. Below is a picture I took at the factory. Sorry it is not more exciting, but we were not allowed to take any pictures of the machinery.

Just a few Pictures...

Here are some more pictures that I have that I haven't posted yet: