Thursday, October 3, 2013

It's a cultural masala at IIT-M

Chennai:
It was a mix of Indian and foreign cultures at the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras (IIT-M) as the premier institution observed its International Day.
Dean of international and alumni relations and professor, department of chemical engineering R Nagarjan told Express that the day highlights the cultural diversity in the campus where international students try to acclimatize to Indian environment.
The campus has nearly 80 to 90 students and Nagrajan said a majority are from Germany with whom the institute had a tie-up since its formation in 1959.
“We also have students from France, Spain, Singapore, Taiwan, Italy, Korea and Australia,” he said. He said it is also a fitting tribute to Mahatma Gandhi as the day is celebrated during Gandhi Jayanti.
Interestingly, it was the enthusiasm amongst the international students that caught the eyes of the visitors to the Student Affairs Council. Many of them were dabbling with their culinary skills and some trying to adopt the Indian culture.
Tobias Gebauer, a German student in Mechanical Engineering and Business administration in IIT, said that he is in India for the first time. “I heard many good and bad things about India. This is totally a different world, he says, adding that the campus is beautiful.
Gebauer is also trying to display his culinary skills. “I am preparing Arme Riter, a traditional food from Germany served after Second World War, for the guests,” he says.
“The food is less expensive and mostly vegetarian,” he says smiling. He says this sort of cultural exchange is good and one learns from other’s culture.
For Simone, a German student of department of Mathematics, the Indian experience is a beautiful one. “Germans keep to themselves. They hardly mingle,” she says, adding that people here are friendly and helpful.
A foodie, Simone loves Kerala Paratha and Gobi Manchurian besides Bollywood films. “I watched Chennai Express,” she says. Simone is also taking part in the fashion show wearing Gujarati dress.
“This sort of cultural exchange makes one open-minded and understand people better,” she says.
For Angel Bueno Rodriguez, studying in Indian IIT is an amazing experience. After learning from the experiences of his senior, Rodriguez opted to study in IIT through University of Granada, he says while making Spanish Omellete for the guests. “This is my last year. I would try to continue studying in India,” says the Spaniard. He said he heard many bad things about India but after coming out here he found everything said about India is untrue. “I like the food, people and the culture of India,” he says

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