Cross-culture – Page 18

Gandhi’s inspiration lives on today

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was an Indian activist who was the leader of the Indian independence movement against British colonial rule, becoming known as “The father of the nation”. Employing nonviolent civil disobedience, Gandhi led India to independence and inspired movements for civil rights and freedom across the world.

I well remember campaigns against the Vietnam War – I was one of so many who used silent protest, peaceful marches and so on, all inspired by Gandhi. It was so special recently to visit his Ashram in Gujarat, and I have previously been to his burial site and other special locations in other cities.

Apparently he also influenced Martin Luther King in the USA who used peaceful means, also Nelson Mandela and the Dalai Lama.

Incredible wisdom.

“In a gentle way, you can shake the world.”

Thank you Mahatma Gandhi.

Australia – just be quiet and accept that China and India are the new powers and we are not top of their minds

Australia should calm down on Asia and just build healthy relationships.

Media and politicians react hysterically to even the smallest policy shift out of China. We sweat over the relationship. And if China has any dispute with a neighbour, we want to jump in and offer our advice.

We should just quietly get used to the new reality that China is now the world’s second biggest economy and is about to become the biggest.

And when it comes to India, Australia cannot see beyond divisions and communal unrest. Objectively looking at the numbers will tell us India is a stable, growing economy that in our region will be a close number two to China.

Australians will agonise over whether getting closer to India is a good buffer to China.

Forget it – just get closer to India because that in itself is a good idea. Same for China.

Get over it. Things have changed.

Now – how do we build sensible and quiet relations with China and India – two countries that probably don’t think about Australia too often?

New era for India-Australia as Ms Petula Thomas becomes Director of Indo-Australia Chamber of Commerce

Exciting news for the India-Australia relationship – Ms Petula Thomas has been appointed the new Director of the Indo-Australian Chamber of Commerce.

Petula worked with the British Deputy High Commission (BDHC), Australian Trade Commission (Austrade) and British Airways in Chennai over the past 15 years and brings a wealth of experience in strategic leadership, international relations, marketing and business development.

Petula is a passionate innovator and supporter of Women in Leadership, so I feel she will make a big positive difference in this role.

She is also a strong communicator.

We need strong and effective communication to enhance the India-Australia role and to make it easier for business of both countries to get together.

I hope the IACC can pioneer more exchange of people, more two-way missions, great education, more collaboration, improved cross-cultural understanding and positive steps to ensure that business in both countries know best what works in each country.

By the way – Petula has an amazing track record, winning four global and regional performance awards from the Foreign & Commonwealth Office in London, when she headed Consular Operations for South India, leading on Customer Engagement for the MENASA region (Middle East North Africa and South Asia) and Communications/Digital strategy for India.

Petula has worked with Austrade, Australian Government, where she received commendation from the Deputy CEO Austrade for successfully delivering on multi-city Industry events in India & Australia. During her career with British Airways Plc. she received a Regional CASAMEA award (Central Asia South Asia Middle East & Africa) for Revenue Development/Sales from British Airways Plc.

Petula has a First class Masters Degree in Science and recent qualifications in Project Management and Customer Relationship Management (including Sales, Marketing and E-commerce).

We wish her every success and happiness in the important new role.

6 things young Indians want in employment

As the fastest growing economy today, India is home to a fifth of the world’s youth. Half of its population of 1.3 billion is below the age of 25, and a quarter is below the age of 14.

The World Economic Forum and the Observer Research Foundation recently collaboratively conducted a survey of more than 5,000 youth in India.

Indian youth are independent, optimistic and open to a changing labour market

The influence of family and peers on the career and educational choices of India’s youth is in decline. Young people are increasingly seeking productive employment opportunities and career paths that reflect their individual aspirations. Moreover, a third of the respondents report being interested in entrepreneurship, and 63% report being highly or moderately interested in supplementing their income with gig work.

Indian youth need more guidance and career counselling

Many youth report facing multiple barriers to finding desirable and suitable job opportunities. Factors like information asymmetries on jobs and skills, and lack of guidance for setting realistic career goals and making professional choices, are holding back young Indians. 51% of respondents report that a lack of information about available job opportunities that match their skill sets is a significant barrier. Around 30% report a lack of access to any kind of counselling or mentoring opportunities. 44% of respondents view this as the most important factor in the demand-supply mismatch.

Young Indians are interested in pursuing higher education and skills development

84% of respondents consider a post-graduate degree as a requirement for their ideal job, while 97% aspire to a degree in higher education. They are also keen on other forms of ongoing education, with 76% of youth reporting that they are very interested in participating in a skills development programme. Increased employment opportunities and higher wages are the main motivators for this goal.

The private sector must do more to bridge the skills gap

The private sector needs to play a more active role in enhancing the capabilities and skills of India’s youth. India is faced with a paradox: there is significant youth unemployment, and yet the private sector bemoans a lack of adequately skilled and market-ready workers. Notwithstanding the government’s role in providing basic education and training, there is a significant need for greater private sector involvement. This will ensure that training initiatives are demand-driven and impart skills that match industry requirements.

India’s socio-cultural norms add further complexity

34% of the surveyed youth report that discriminatory and personal biases related to their marital status, gender, age or family background are a major barrier when looking for a job. 82% of female respondents said their ideal employment would be full-time, disproving the stereotype that women prefer part-time jobs. Similarly, despite the persistent view that household work and unpaid work are suitable and desirable for women, only 1% of surveyed female youth report this as being a desirable option for them.

Social Media and the internet can play a bigger role in effective job-hunting

81% of survey respondents rely on media and internet sources for obtaining information about employment opportunities. The prevalence of social media and internet use among India’s youth presents an opportunity to expand their awareness about education pathways, employment opportunities, skill needs, and available skill development programmes.

The harmony of Kerala was so real

Experience Number Three – my series on India tourism. This one is in Kerala – Gods Own Country – we have been in the mountains, on the beach, we are in a floating hotel on the backwaters. Kerala is a long thin state on the south west side of the very bottom tip of India, so it is hot, tropical and amazingly friendly. One friend told me this is a legacy of always being a global trading centre and not a place of conflict. In the first evening on the backwaters – pull in for the night – the lovely sound (for Australian ears) of the top being popped off a bottle of beer – but there are some real spiritual sounds – the singing of Christian hymns comes from one side – the chant of the Hindus and the call to prayer of the Muslims – all at once – my friend says let’s get the leaders of the world here so they can see it is possible to be different but live in harmony. Ah, Kerala, well done!!

More tourism experiences in future blogs…

When in India in a suit and tie, watch out for the Holi Festival!

Experience Number Two – my series on tourism experiences in India. This one was in Kolkata, lots of sweets, love the intellectual culture, last day of a business trip I have just one more business appointment and then on to the plane – but with an hour to spare I get my friend to take me to the museum home of the great Rabindranath Tagore – poet, thinker, philosopher – and we are on the second floor – I look out the window – the building is next to a university and has become surrounded by students – throwing pink purple blue and red powder over each other – Holi Festival has started – so we have to leave for the final appointment – walk through, so far so good, then two charming young students say “May we Sir?” with their powder – I am in India, I am here for the experience, so I say YES. Arriving at the appointment my host laughs and hugs me – and we remain strong friends.

More experiences of India in future blogs…

Yes Steve SIR!

In the last 10 years I have been to China once and India 7 times. Why? Both are exciting and the new thing. I choose India because it is more than a destination – it is an EXPERIENCE.

Experience Number One – is actually here in Australia, where I work as a volunteer helping Indian university students improve their employability skills. They are so polite. By contrast, Australia has a very informal culture where everyone is regarded as equal – old and young, rich and poor, powerful and not. First names are used everywhere – 10 year olds at my golf club often say “How was your game STEVE?” But Indians have a formal courtesy which is charming and it is the only time in Australia I am called “Sir”. I ask the students – can you adjust to our informal culture here and call me Steve? Their answer – yes we can Steve SIR.

More experiences of India in following blogs…

Have an ayurvedic massage when visiting India

Experiences of India tourism – Ayurvedic massage in Kerala.

Staying at Bruntons Boatyard in wonderful Kochi, an old style hotel right on the ocean where you can watch passing ships, the ferries and traditional fishing.

You can also have an ayurvedic massage – my friend and I booked in for our first. Bit nervous. Explained to the masseur that my left shoulder was operated on and could he please be careful with it? Turned out he did not speak a word of English – but by his actions he must have thought I was asking for a special workout for the shoulder! In tears of pain, covered in oil, lying face down on a wooden slippery table – and he indicates I should turn over. Can’t – too slippery. So one grabs my head and the other my feet – FLIP!

But here is the thing – now my left shoulder is by far my strongest, thanks to ayurveda. I am a believer. Have never experienced a massage like that one. Give it a try.

The outside restaurant at Bruntons Boatyard – have dinner, watch the sunset and the seaside activity

India has a huge future in tourism – not just a destination, India is an experience!

Think tourism in India and most people think Taj Mahal and the Golden Triangle. But there is so much more to the Indian tourism story.

India is changing and tourism is growing – it is now 10 million visitors per year and will grow to 30 million by 2028. The growth will include new parts of India, and new forms of tourism – cruises, medical, mind and wellness, sports, adventure and religion.

India has just built the world’s tallest statue – the “Statue of Unity” of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, an independence fighter and India’s first Home Minister. At 182 metres, it is already bringing tourists into the state of Gujarat.

Things can change quickly these days – China is now the world’s leading tourist destination with over 100 million visitors per year. Other high ranking countries are France (90m), USA (77m) and Japan (30m).

For Australia, India provides around 300,000 tourists per year, but China is number one at 1.4 million.

Some of my wonderful experiences of touring India include ayuvedic massage in Kerala that fixed a problematic shoulder, covered in coloured powder in Kolkata during Holi, visiting Raj Ghat the wonderful Gandhi shrine and gardens in New Delhi and being embraced by an Indian family I met there, being on Chowpatty Beach in Mumbai during the Ganesha Festival with one million of my closest new friends. And on it goes. India is not so much a destination as an experience!

Watch out for the next phase of India tourism – it will take you beyond the Taj Mahal.

Are you ready for the facts on how much India has changed?

(Based on an article by Monika Halan, consulting editor at Mint and writer on household finance, policy and regulation)

Indian elections have just opened – so, how long does it take to find out if your name is on the Indian electoral role? Go to the Election Commission site, it asks you to SMS to check if your name is on the list—thirty seconds later, you will get a confirmation that your name is or is not there. Things move fast in modern India.

As Monika Halan writes – “Most people get their Provident Fund (PF) balance on SMS too. Also, the passport and visa processes are mostly all automated and keeps us well-informed about the progress of the process.”

So, what else works fast and well in India?

The metro network where it exists, in cities like Delhi and Kochi, is superb.

Getting or renewing a passport used to be a total nightmare a decade back. Enter private sector plus technology and the average time it takes for the passport application process is 30 minutes to under 4 hours. The passport reaches home by courier in a couple of days. At every stage, you get an SMS informing you what will happen next.

What about getting a driving licence? At least in Delhi, the process is mostly painless—online form filling, and 30 minutes to three hours of time in the local office. The licence reaches home in just a few days – according to Monika Halan.

Property registration used to be a nightmare. But Halan says “That again is a breeze. Again, a mix of technology and processes has reduced transaction time and pain hugely.”

Payments is the other huge success story of modern India. Forgetting your wallet at home is no big deal anymore. The money is in the phone. In a wallet, on an app or available through mobile banking. Riding on the backbone built by the National Payments Corp. of India (NPCI), transaction options and ease are both world-class.

So how long does it take you to get a Wi-fi connection? How long does it take you to open a bank account? At least in the big metros, a Wi-fi connection happens within a day. Opening a bank account takes lesser time. The average time for these services in most developed countries is much longer. In most of Europe, for instance, it takes at least a month to get both these services.

Modern India is fast. Click on “buy” at 11pm and hear the doorbell ring at 9am the next morning.

A huge shift has happened in India and even Indians have failed to notice. The mix of technology, competition and cheap labour – plus reformist governments – means modern India has some of the simplest and fastest processes in the world.

All of this in just over a decade.

Time to catch up with what is really happening in modern India?