SCMS-Cochin And HYOGO UNIVERSITY, Japan : A Story Of A Short Visit And An Enduring Relationship

Online, October 1, 2012 (Newswire.com) - From mighty sumo-wrestling to the delicate cherry blossom; from the drink 'Sake' to the quintessential tatami mat in a typical Japanese household, the short visit from the six students of Hyogo University of Japan encapsulated the 'Land of the Rising Sun' in all its glory to the students of SCMS-Cochin.

The buzz had started a couple of days before their arrival; MBA students from the University of Hyogo in Japan would shortly be visiting SCMS- Cochin for a few hours as a part of their internship programme. Coordinated by the faculty of SCMS-Cochin, this brief meeting was to provide an opportunity for meaningful exchange of ideas with the Japanese students.

By the time the students from Hyogo University eventually landed in SCMS-Cochin, almost everybody had acquired a bit of 'Koni-wa' and 'Arigato' from the internet to gel better with their Japanese counterparts. Proceedings began with an informal speech by the Director-PGDM, Dr. V. Raman Nair. Dr. Nair shared his rich experience and observations on Japanese culture, drawing interesting similarities among the Indian and Japanese ways of life. The Japanese students then made a presentation, highlighting the demographics of their city in Japan and the aspects of Japanese lifestyle usually unknown to outsiders.

The question-answer session thereafter was an intensely cultural affair, with management traditions in the Far Eastern country being the most sought-after knowledge. It would not be wrong to conclude that students of SCMS-Cochin saw Japan through the eyes of those six students from Hyogo University. With increased awareness of business practices and their underlying logic, came an instant camaraderie and mutual respect.

In the few hours that the Japanese students got to spend at SCMS-Cochin, sharing was the underlying sentiment. The education system, teaching styles, class hours - all were areas that were discussed threadbare. In the end, though, the students of SCMS-Cochin ended up realising that it was India where things were a lot easier! The conversation then moved to the universal languages of music and dance, with a classical dance performance by Gayathri Nair of SCMS-Cochin being reciprocated with a graceful, fluid display of a traditional Japanese dance by one of the students from Japan.

In the little time that they spent at the campus, the small but energetic bunch of six students from the University of Hyogo did not have to try too hard to capture the hearts of the students and faculty of SCMS-Cochin. Repeated bows and 'Arigato's were exchanged between the students of SCMS-Cochin, and the visiting students from Japan. The connect had been made, and promises to meet again were thick in the air, as the MBA students from Japan bid a warm farewell to their counterparts at SCMS-Cochin.