HSE University-St Petersburg Students Participate in International Winter School in India
In January, UPES University (India) held the International Student Winter School 'Business and Governance in India'. From HSE University-St Petersburg, the participants were students of the Bachelor's programmes 'Political Science and World Politics', 'International Bachelor's in Business and Economics' and Master's programme 'International Business in the Asia-Pacific Region'. Find out what the Winter School taught the students and what impressions they have in the article.
The International Winter School was organised by UPES University specifically for HSE students. It covered economic development, politics and culture of India. During ten days, students of HSE campuses in St Petersburg, Moscow and Nizhny Novgorod attended lectures and seminars delivered by UPES professors and took part in the cultural programme.
For the Winter School participants, the university invited special guests to deliver lectures: Dr Anil Prakash Joshi, a famous Indian environmental activist, a founder of the Himalayan organisation of environmental research and nature preservation, and Dr Subhashis Gangopadhyay, an outstanding economist. Besides, HSE students visited a non-profit organisation which engages in ecology and support of villages, a village and a small enterprise where they got to know the peculiarities of business and production in India at the ground level.
During the trip to India, HSE students not only studied but also learnt about the cultural life of the country. Together with the professors, they visited the picturesque cities of Rishikesh and Mussoorie. The most exciting were workshops in yoga and traditional Indian dances in which the students also participated. At the end of the Winter School, the students developed a final project and received feedback from UPES mentors.
Yury Kabanov
Senior Lecturer at the Department of Political Science and International Affairs
The Winter School truly helped us to immerse ourselves in the Indian culture. In our bachelor's programme, we discuss political processes in different regions. This Winter School was definitely a unique opportunity for students to learn more about the social and political development of the country, its political culture and international relations. Besides, lots of lectures and workshops highlighted a close connection between politics and economics. In the programme, we also pay a lot of attention to how local stakeholders and communities form state politics. For me, an especially valuable thing was communication with the representatives of non-profit organisations. In addition, we had a chance to communicate with UPES representatives and negotiate further cooperation in science and educational activities. I am sure that the Winter School is an important step towards more large-scale projects in this sphere.
Liudmila Veselova
Associate Professor at the Department of Management, Academic Supervisor of the Master's programme 'Business and Politics in Modern Asia' and 'International Business in the Asia-Pacific Region'
At the moment, scientific and cultural ties between India and Russia are rapidly developing. Besides, India is becoming a more important and reliable economic partner for our country. This is why we decided to organise the Winter School which covered two most important aspects: business and politics in India. This school helped the students of the Master's programme 'International Business in the Asia-Pacific Region' to open the country and learn about the situation in Indian economics and business first-hand.
Separate lectures and workshops were devoted to business communication and culture which is extremely important for running business with Eastern partners. A great advantage of this Winter School was its applied focus. Colleagues from UPES University organised several excursions to manufactures, a mountain village and a non-profit organisation. It was really interesting to see how a supply chain was structured and how Indian small and medium-sized enterprises worked. I would like to underscore that my Indian colleagues had done great work, and the school was organised at the top level. The students managed to get not only academic but also applied knowledge as they were actively communicating with their Indian peers. The Winter School resulted in projects on different topics on which students worked together with their UPES mentors allowing them to immerse in the context deeper.
In my opinion, holding such schools is extremely important to understand other countries and cultures. Together with our students, we have learnt first-hand that the information we see in the mass media and on social networks is radically different from reality. Especially, if we are talking about such dynamically developing countries as India!
Victoria Baturina
Student of the Bachelor's programme 'Political Science and World Politics'
The programme of immersing in India has left a vivid impression. I especially liked visiting Rishikesh and getting to know the local culture. I am glad that we had an opportunity to communicate with UPES professors—real experts in their fields. Most of all, I liked the openness of professors and students—everyone was happy to communicate and answer any questions.
Anton Fedorov
Student of the Master's programme 'International Business in the Asia-Pacific Region'
Ksenia Pugina
Student of the Master's programme 'International Business in the Asia-Pacific Region'
Since childhood, I have been dreaming about visiting and exploring India. The Winter School was an opportunity for active cultural exchange and knowledge sharing. Here, I found new ideas, new real friends and new lifestyle. I plan to keep in touch with UPES professors and students. The programme of these ten days was very intense and unique. Almost every day, I felt like the happiest person in the world. Thank you for this opportunity!
Anna Razdajbedina
Student of the Bachelor's programme 'Political Science and World Politics'
The trip to India has become an unusual experience of studying a new culture. It was truly interesting to see a completely different world. I liked lectures with UPES professors a lot. It was nice to tap into Indian culture, try local cuisine and get to know local traditions. Besides, I was impressed by the people at the university: all of them were open to communication and ready to answer the questions. We managed to talk not only to professors who delivered us lectures but also to those who did not teach us personally. I had a conversation with a professor in Political Science, it was interesting to discuss political systems in India and Russia with her.
The students were also open and friendly, we even played basketball with the university team. In general, the trip to India has left very positive impressions.
Georgy Kulikov
Student of the programme 'International Bachelor's in Business and Economics' in Nizhny Novgorod
Participation in the Winter School provided me with an absolutely unique experience which allowed me to expand my social cycle, dive into an English-speaking environment and get to know amazing Indian culture. Besides, I had a chance to immerse myself in the local culture and language. I especially liked the programme on Indian economics, it helped me to understand the market tendencies and the country's tax system better.
Yana Dobriyan
Student of the programme 'International Bachelor's in Business and Economics' in Nizhny Novgorod
An offer to go to India was a complete surprise for me. Most of all, I wanted to get to know Indian culture and have a look at life in India from the inside.
The trip gave me unforgettable impressions: the atmosphere, nature, people, food—everything was very picturesque and authentic. I was really impressed by the number of national holidays in India which they allowed us to attend. They taught us local dances and drew bindis on our foreheads.
Another useful thing for me was lectures by UPES professors. They shared their opinion on the development and future of their country, often expatiating philosophically.