Month: February 2016

India’s Evolution

Make In India 2       Make In India 1

Two weeks ago (Feb 14 – 18), Prime Minister Narenda Modi kicked off the first ever Make in India event showcasing India’s manufacturing talents. We all know the reputation of India’s IT services, but it was impressive to see this line up such as Asia’s largest dump truck made by BEML weighing 335 tons. I’m 6’1” and you see how my friend (and classmate) Dr. A.S. Prasad and I are dwarfed by this monster truck.
BEML Truck                  Prasad and Brian - Standing by BEML Truck

You can search and read more about this event, but I just wanted to share my Indian experiences how India is “turning the corner”. Before coming to India, I basically knew 3 Indian facts: Taj Mahal, 1.2 billion people, and Tandoori chicken. After a year living here, India has changed my perspectives. Indian businesses are thriving and entering a new phase, evolving from a services based economy to their industrial hub goals. You read about it in the newspapers, but there is an aura/energy of transformation that you have to “feel” that is similar to the US dot com upswing. Don’t get me wrong, there are still bureaucratic challenges to overcome, but that feeling of optimism is overwhelming.

Having Prime Minister Modi start these festivities was quite apropos. He grew up from humble beginnings helping his father sell chai (tea) to train passengers, rising to become the Chief Minister in the State of Gujarat (equivalent to a US state governor) from 2001-20014, and then Prime Minister in 2014. Likewise, since the liberation of economic policies in the 1990s, India has experienced tremendous growth to become the seventh largest economy by nominal GDP, third largest by purchasing power parity and ultimately becoming the fastest-growing major economy in the world – a very bright future indeed.

Surviving India’s Traffic

Our friends and family all believe we moved on up like the Jefferson’s to the East Side (I just dated myself, but I remember watching reruns as a kid) as we have drivers to transport us around the city. We get the following:

  • It can’t be that bad…
  • You’re so lucky…
  • Be courageous and live like the locals…

Well, we’ve traveled quite a bit, 26 countries, so we thought we can start driving ourselves once we get the hang of it. Well, take a look for yourselves. We opted not to drive.

Mumbai Traffic

This is a 4 way intersection – no traffic signal, no stop sign, no crosswalk.  I’m moving from right to left.

Here’s a quick video of what traffic is like. We are used to the cars, buses, trucks, autorickshaws, mopeds, motorcycles, bicycles, people, and animals (dogs, horses, camels – up north, sheep – up north) sharing/surviving the road together.

Only in India

image description
Inaugural Executive MBA class between Washington University in St. Louis and Indian Institute of Technology Bombay 

This is my Executive MBA class which I was fortunate to be selected.  We arrived in Mumbai on Jan 7, 2014, and my joint business school interview occurred on Jan 10, 2014.  In between those 4 days, we enrolled our children at an international school, spent 2 days searching for a place to live, and getting the courage to cross the street (I thought I could handle any type of traffic after living in Los Angeles, Tokyo, Seoul, and Washington DC…I was wrong).   My class is dynamic and very interactive, expressing their experiences and ideas in a wide range of industries such as IT services, agriculture, manufacturing, and aerospace to name a few. For me, this is the best part of the program – learning first-hand of their business and cultural experiences which they warmly welcomed me with.

To share some Indian insights, I have borrowed from David Letterman’s Top 10 List and compiled some unique experiences that can be found “Only in India…”

Number 10 – Traffic is very congested in India and the use of the car horn is applied liberally.  Actually, I believe honking is a form of echo location.  Whether you are 5 ft or 50 ft away, honking is mandatory.

Number 9 – Does “yes” mean “no”?  No one ever says “no”.  How can I tell if “yes” means “yes”?

Number 8 – Seeing the locals’ reaction when saying “Mujhe ullu mat banao” when the situation calls for it. Translated, it means “Don’t take me for a fool”. It’s a Mumbaikar term meant for local use. So when a foreigner says it, it adds a new dimension to the meaning.

Number 7 – Scratching my head when my neighbor complained that the shoe rack outside of my flat caused the hallway to be dirty…I’m pretty sure my shoes are not the root cause…

Number 6 – A small city means less than 1,000,000 people.

Number 5 – A wedding attended by 400 people is considered “very small”.

Number 4 – I thought my family’s “island time” in Hawaii was relaxed…India is even more relaxed -always add at least 2 hours (or 2 days) to a start/delivery time…

Number 3 – There are bad monkeys here. Lock your possessions (especially food), or they will disappear.

Number 2 – You think you are “ballin” (living a good life) until you realize you didn’t have an elephant at your wedding.

Number 1 – Everybody is a cricket coach! The US cannot compare to the passion of the fans here. In fact, when India played Pakistan in the World Cup last year, the entire country shut down.

Welcome to My Blog

Welcome to my blog. My name is Brian AiChang, and I created this to blog to provide a window to my journey in India, travels throughout the region, and leadership aspirations when this chapter ends and the next one begins.

I am an American supporting my wife’s expat assignment from Denver, Colorado. This was an unexpected move as my wife shared the news for the first time when she picked me up at the Mumbai airport terminal at the end of her business trip in September 2014. What was supposed to be a vacation turned into unofficial house hunting trip since we did not receive official approval. By the way, that approval came two weeks later when we returned back home. We viewed it as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to grow both professionally and personally. Needless to say, our children now understand how fortunate we are and appreciate cultural differences.

I plan to post when I experience something new and exciting which is often. Everyday is an adventure ranging from fascination and wonder to What?!

With the multitude of religions, languages, and people, India is a country that cannot be described by reading a book or watching TV, but rather a country that you must “feel”.  India has taught our family many lessons and provided both professional and personal growth for which we are forever grateful.

If you have questions or a topic you want me to address, please leave a comment below. I look forward to connecting with you!

Delhi Wedding Family Photo