I approached the entire program with skepticism – A Government sponsored program? 1 month? Will it be useful? Germany?
To think a country is taking such a long term vision of their international trade relations – by taking a bunch of business people from that country and provide free training to them – Awesome!
21 companies were chosen from India for this 2014 IGMTP program. The interview and selection process with Hanna of GIZ was a revelation of sorts – unbelievable – the questions were centered around – will this company and person benefit from the program. As unbelievable as it it, it is a fact, and I realized it during the 1 month there.
Skepticism was flowing in others’ minds too. One of my colleagues kept asking why German Government is investing this kind of money. They kept on repeating that it is for long term trade relations. As unbelievable as it it, it is a fact, and I realized it during the 1 month there.
Germany – will it buy superior technology from India? As unbelievable as it it, it is a fact, and I realized it during the 1 month there.
Are they trying to sell to India? In a couple of lectures they did mention that the capacities in Germany needs new markets. And, they are a very export oriented country. But, the reality is, this particular program is really, truly bi-directional – not just export promotions, but true intent of trade ties in both ends. As unbelievable as it it, it is a fact, and I realized it during the 1 month there.
In this program I learnt that there are other similar programs run by other countries like Korea, Japan, etc. But, the very interesting difference is: Personal Business Visits. I could choose someone / some business that is purely relevant to my business, and during this program, they sponsored me to make that visit. Not just paying for travel and expenses, but also actually arranging for logistics, and one step further – even making calls to help fix the appointments! As unbelievable as it it, it is a fact, and I realized it during the 1 month there.
The indebtedness I feel for India to provide me with all the nearly-free education with scholarships, with this program, Germany has created in me, and I hope that I can contribute to German-Indian trade to make the program successful in the medium term.
~Bhoo, CEO, Aspiration Energy