A Story never told before....
Somen Dawn Chairman (2005-2007) IAESTE India |
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Distinctly, I remember the day when talks of an international exchange program were doing the rounds. Being the General Secretary of the Students' Council and having looked into the pros and cons of the program under consideration I voluntarily took up the task of establishing a co-operating institution of what was officially known as International Association for Exchange of Students for Technical Experience at MIT Manipal. After the initial research over the Internet, I discovered that my responsibilities would involve negotiations with the Consulates of various countries, Ministry of external affairs in Government of India and top notch engineering institutes in the country, apart from general management activities. My persuasive skills were tested to the core while convincing the college and university officials to support the cause through administrative and financial means. But nevertheless, it was worth every bit!
During the initial stages, I would usually be found covered under thousands of pages of administrative manuals and guides trying desperately to understand the nitty-gritty of IAESTE. Nevertheless, it proved effective when Prof. Chandrakar Kamath and I went to Bangkok, Thailand to attend the introductory administrative seminar with various mentors of IAESTE, DAAD and British Council in attendance. I must say, India was now making its first impressions at the world stage of student exchange programs. Spanning across more than 80 countries, it is the only exchange program for engineering students supported by the United Nations and accepted by all its member countries.
We saw the bigger picture and felt the need to design a road map for the future. A formal body to handle the exchange for India was an immediate requirement. Therefore, started the exhausting process of written tests, group discussions, personal interview and practical assignments to select the best of the best – the leaders of tomorrow. Extensive training sessions for these shorted listed candidates followed. Soon, we had a team to handle National/International liaison, Incoming/Outgoing students care, Business development, Sponsorship and IDT. Thus, came into existence the National Secretariat at Manipal, India. A mammoth task of designing the administrative guidelines and conducting the exchange affairs for India lied ahead but the NS was trained to perfection to maneuver these complexities with ease.
In no time we where at the 59th IAESTE Annual Conference in Lisbon, Portugal exchanging traineeships with our counterparts from across the globe. Soon, 30 international exchange students landed in Manipal and the same number of our students abroad. Some went to the top universities of the world like Imperial College in UK or Univ. of Minnesota in US, while others to the biggest engineering players in the industry like Alstom in Switzerland or Schlumberger in US. They went abroad, experienced new culture, made new friends and earned a handsome stipend. But that was not the end of it. The lucky ones landed up with scholarships at universities to pursue higher studies or with jobs opportunities in the companies they were working with. Undoubtedly, IAESTE played a formidable role in crafting these accomplishments.
The sleepless nights that the members of the National Secretariat spent to author these success stories are unaccounted for. Thousands of application from students across the country is processed in no time with utmost professionalism. It is very much like a corporate organization where every task has strict deadlines with severe global repercussions. From preparing job offers for international students, managing visa processing, handling arrival and departure of students to and from India, setting up accommodation and living arrangements, making international traineeships available to students across the country, meeting government officials and echelons of the Indian industry, strategy and planning, marketing and sponsorship, the list goes on the members of the NS. I must add that the story of IAESTE India, Manipal has every ingredient to become a case study at Harvard or Stanford Business School!
Today, the NS is the most prestigious organization that a student can be a part of. I like to describe it as an international corporate venture majorly run by students. If you think you have the ability to lead and represent your fellow students nationally and international, if you think you have the determination to stand out of the crowd and work hard to achieve your goal, if you think you can be the face of India to the world then the National Secretariat, IAESTE INDIA is 'the' place for you.
C Abhinav Kalyan
ChairmanIAESTE IndiaMIT (May’08-Dec’08) |
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As someone rightly said, life is a combination of coincidences and decisions. IAESTE was one such coincidence that happened to me in my early years at Manipal, a coincidence which completely changed my perspective about everything. But then, those were the days when IAESTE India was in its nascent form, with just about a year’s operational history. I was asked to be part of the first board that was ever formed under the banner of “IAESTE IndiaMIT”. I then had to make a decision, a decision I rank as the best that I have ever made. I was part of the Secretariat of IAESTE IndiaMIT.
The responsibility on the first board was immense as we had to understand the entire functioning of IAESTE. Countless hours of mentoring, endless nights of discussion and policy making helped us put a solid framework in place. We were told time and again by our mentors –“We are working to give students the best thing on their resumes and an experience of a lifetime”. Indeed, I had the opportunity to experience it myself when I was on an IAESTE traineeship. It was truly an amazing experience.
I was indeed lucky to have a team which I call the “Dream Team” which supported and complemented itself perfectly. Tarun, Udit, Anshul, Vineet J, Vineet C…Dream Team it was!! Everyone had a specific area of organizational management and they were undoubtedly the best at it. We were faced with the challenge of strengthening the base of IAESTE in India and help it spread its wings. We did it to perfection and we did it with pride!
IAESTE helped me to think positive, grow in confidence and take up responsibilities. Thanks to the continuous guidance and advice I got from Somen, Himanshu, Sugeet (Chief!!) and many others, IAESTE was a memorable and cherishable experience- “An experience of a lifetime”.
Our First Year As A Co-operating Institution
Himanshu Shekhar
Chairman, IAESTE IndiaMIT [2008]
Experience and travel are education in themselves- Euripides, (Greek Philosopher).
The motivation behind being a part of a global organization like IAESTE was to enable students to have a technical exposure abroad that would not only give them a cutting edge research and professional traineeships but also help them evolve as individuals.
This initiative was taken by a student who convinced Manipal University to commit itself to the cause. The university has always maintained a global outlook with the largest number of foreign students enrolled in India. The IAESTE program appeared to be full of promise and performance to the officials and thus a green signal was given. A small student body was formed to shoulder the responsibility of the exchange program.
Convincing the university students to enroll under IAESTE program was an arduous task in itself as not many had heard of IAESTE. They believed that what was being offered was too good to be true! There were rumors galore about some hidden “strings attached”, which not only dampened the enthusiasm among the general public, but also invited bitter skepticism.
In the first year of exchange all was not well. Financially we were in troubled waters but for generous support from the university. To say the least, there were administrative problems as well. However with some heroic efforts, we managed to set the ball rolling and were able to have as many as thirty exchanges in the very first year of our operation.
Then started the chaotic process of selection, nomination, acceptance et al. The response was not quite as expected however there were enough meritorious students who had the vision to take up the international internships through IAESTE and explore the ‘WORLD’!
When these students returned to narrate their experience, others, suddenly, seemed to wake up and things started shaping up. Till then the whole process was almost a one man show, with the Chairman Mr. Somen Dawn spending sleepless nights and juggling between his responsibilities and academics. It was now understood that an efficient body was needed and thus came into existence a formal Secretariat at Manipal. The members of the Secretariat were not aware of how immense their responsibilities were and what it demanded from them. This dawned upon them slowly as they were trained by the Chairman through a series of intensive sessions lasting over a few months. His vision ensured that the system had a solid framework and continued regardless of changing people.
The issues that faced immediately were generation of internships for the next General Conference, Industry support and Incoming student welfare. Generating internships was a challenging task, as IAESTE was not widely known in India among the academicians and professionals. They had to be convinced to open their doors to trainees from abroad, and let them share their experience to gain professionally and academically. The IAESTE interns have brought with them unique skills that were appreciated by the employers, and thus they have approved to have a long term relationship with us.
This year, the story was entirely different with participation reaching humongous proportions; we are receiving trainee positions and sponsorships from research institutions and industries across the country. There has been increased interest from institutions and industries to be a part of the IAESTE fraternity. We are now on the verge of formally cooperating with Technical and Research institutions of repute in different parts of the country.
It has been a huge task and backbreaking at times, but we have had our own times of mirth and frolic interacting with the foreign interns. Differences in customs, traditions, and culture presented amusing situations. Misconceptions were cleared through the first person account of their countries. Their accounts of India were even more interesting! They had assumed India to be a country of snake charmers, with elephants walking on the roads and people clad in turbans everywhere, as depicted in many movies!
One of the interns was on the verge of being slapped when he tried to kiss a girl to greet! Not knowing about orthodox Indian beliefs had almost cost him dear. (Good that we were around to save him!) Another intern, who was close to seven feet, got weird looks from people walking on the streets. He was bemused at first, but did realize later that they meant no harm! Another group was caught off guard when offered Indian food for dinner. The way they ate Indian bread was worth watching!
Amidst all quandaries, what kept us going was the positive attitude of these interns. They seemed to enjoy almost everything, even things that frustrated all of us to the limit of sanity. Once, the interns where taken to the District HQ of Police for registration. Considering that such things in India have considerable amount of Red Tapism involved, it was not surprising that we had to go there multiple number of times. The first time the interns were not ‘appropriately dressed’ and thus they were sent back, much to the annoyance of our Incoming student welfare team head. Every time they went there, it was informed that some additional documents were needed. Therefore, it took them a number of visits before they could finally get registered.
Things that were mundane for us presented an interesting picture to them. Perhaps that’s the reason why they photographed almost everything; from the beautiful beaches to beggars, from the glamorous places to the dirty streets!
Excursions, technical tours, cultural programs etc where organized on weekends. Most of them explored the cultural heritage of India and traveled across the country once their internships were over. Fascinated by India as a country, both geographically and culturally, they now had a new understanding of India which would in turn enable them to understand themselves and their countries better.
However, India did not have only a cultural experience to offer. When most of the students left, they told us that they had indeed learned something new which would serve them in good stead in the future. Considering that we do not have a million dollar research budget, this was extremely satisfying. One British student from one of the best universities in the U.K even regarded this as the best technical experience of his life.
Meanwhile, students from our university also were enriching themselves in a similar fashion in the various countries they were working. Many of them were able to make a mark on the employer and where offered permanent placements. They conveyed their positive experiences from abroad which gave us a sense of satisfaction.
A mentoring session was held at Bangkok which gave us an amazing ground to prepare for the General Conference as well as helped us to prepare a strong administrative protocol for the IAESTE IndiaMIT.
Soon, it was time for the 59th General Conference in Lisbon, Portugal. We were overwhelmed by the response we received there. We had a representation of a delegate and an exchange administrator. We found it out the hard way that we should have had more members on the delegation! We were able to exchange as many as 120 offers at the conference itself. Keeping in mind that this was only the second year of our existence, this was indeed a big number. We have plans of expansion in terms of our reach as well. We are also planning for a wider range of activities and events for our interns.
We at IAESTE IndiaMIT are convinced and committed towards the aims and ideals of IAESTE. IAESTE is not only about an internship or training abroad but an experience of a lifetime. It’s about growing as a professional and a human being. It’s all about promoting understanding and goodwill among all nations. It’s about being a global citizen and making difference for the world that we live in.
Sugeet Chopra
ChairmanIAESTE IndiaMIT |
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IAESTE is a fantastic organization representing the aspirations of the youth and giving them excellent opportunities, opening new vistas of learning and developing technical skills among future leaders of tomorrow. My association with IAESTE IndiaMIT started in 2006 when I was selected as the member of first National Secretariat. I subsequently went on to become the Head Corporate Relations, Vice-Chairman and the Chairman of IAESTE IndiaMIT. During my association with IAESTE, I learnt a lot about team-work and leadership. Working for such a prestigious organization gives you a great opportunity to develop and enhance your interpersonal skills. All the team members of IAESTE are a close knit family and each team member played a pivotal role in where IAESTE India stands today. I have very vivid memories of the great times we had together – International Evening, job raising sessions and the meetings in our office.
It gives me so much pleasure to see the constant growth of IAESTE IndiaMIT which is unparalleled and is being appreciated by all worldwide. We have hosted interns from world’s best universities and most of them cherished the moments they spent in Manipal. We have also started to tie up with top organizations like Infosys in India. Just within five years of inception, we are amongst top five countries in terms of number of exchange and have sent hundreds of Indian students from all across the country for internships in prestigious firms and universities. The current team of IAESTE is doing a great job and I appreciate their endeavor in taking IAESTE IndiaMIT to new heights.
I was a part of the IndiaMIT team in Jordan which exchanged 150 offers with member countries. I was also a part of marketing work group for IAESTE International and also worked for a year with IAESTE United States where I was a part of a team managing internship and study abroad programs for students from top US universities. Most recently, I was part of the IAESTE General Conference in Zurich where I was delighted to see a record number of offers being exchanged. It just reflects the earnest and dedication of the National Secretariat. Working for IAESTE has been one of the best experiences of my life and will always try to help and support this great organization which has given me so much- unlimited opportunities and friends for life!
Vineet Choudhury
ChairmanIAESTE IndiaMIT (Jan'09 – July'09) |
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My first year at college and there were talks abouts international internships offered to students through an exchange program called IAESTE which readily caught my attention. I gathered as much information possible and decided that this is what I should volunteer for in college. But unfortunately did not get opportunity until in my second year when Somen Dawn called for an informative seminar about IAESTE where he announced that the first National Secretariat(NS) of IAESTE IndiaMIT is going to be formed. This excited me and I applied for a position in the same and got selected. I was now part of the first National Secretariat of IAESTE IndiaMIT ever formed!!
The NS was given rigorous training for months and it was a true necessity as we had to build a solid foundation on which IAESTE IndiaMIT can flourish over the years. I still remember the countless days and nights spend on discussions and policy making so as to evolve a proper structure. It was indeed a daunting task which we accomplished because as rightly said by Somen, the best of the best were selected in NS. Today NS is the most prestigious, rewarding and desired place to be in for a student at Manipal.
The task of running IAESTE with perfection was not easy. There were times when it tested our patience to the extreme. Such situations were overcame because of the university support by Dr Vinod H Bhat and wonderful team I had with me. The guidance of Somen, Sugeet and other seniors was always there. Then, Anshul was a great support during my tenure as Chairman and I consider my juniors as the best ever juniors. Vivek, Rishi, Vaishali, KV, Saurav, Swetank, VN, Rohit – All did a wonderful job. Summer reception was a problem for us which we did not gave much importance before. But Akshat and Harsh volunteered for the first summer reception officer job and I am proud to have them.
Today I consider IAESTE to be my best decision ever made. It has not only given me the opportunity to work for an international organization of such repute but has bestowed me with friends for lifetime.
