Social entrepreneurship in India – another student’s account

The University of Cambridge and the University of California, Berkeley, signed MOUs with Tata Sons in January this year to take part in the Tata International Social Entrepreneurship Scheme (TISES).

The primary objective of TISES is to provide international students with a chance to work in community initiative projects of Tata Sons and therefore promote international understanding.

Details of how to apply for Summer 2009 placements have just been announced by Judge Business School who coordinated the scheme at the Cambridge end, and are available at the link above right.

Following accounts from two students published yesterday, here Grant Jackson, a Downing College graduate in Natural Sciences, writes of his experiences:

“In Lent term 2008 I was studying Part II Biological Natural Sciences. I knew very little about India or its culture, and I had never even heard of Tata (beyond them acquiring Jaguar and Land Rover). I was searching for summer jobs relating to NGO or charity work, hoping to spend my summer in a worthwhile manner contributing to a development project.

“The TISES internship stood out as a real chance to undertake meaningful and positive development work, but also as a chance to immerse myself within the Indian social and commercial environments.

“Suddenly a few months later I had just graduated and I found myself sitting in a Tata guest house in Mumbai. It was my first time in India (actually my first time out of Western Europe). I couldn’t speak the language, I was still in slightly in shock from what I had seen driving through Mumbai, I knew nobody in this strange country and I felt I knew nothing about development. It was a daunting task ahead of me when I was sent out to the Tata Chemicals Plant in Babrala.

“Once in Babrala (working with Tata Chemicals Society for Rural Development (TCSRD)) I immersed myself in the task of my project: to increase the household income of the rural poor through devising an alternative method of milk sales in the region.

“From day one the task involved going into the villages and understanding the local lifestyle and culture. Only once I was in the villages did I begin to get a feeling and understanding of exactly what daily life involves in a rural village in Northern India.

“Over time I collected information from academic papers and through primary data from field visits to draw up an action plan for TCSRD to take forward into the future. The project was not trivial, but was a real question which Tata wanted answering. Encouragingly, senior management really seemed to buy into the findings and recommendations I had generated and are looking to take the project on more seriously early next financial year.

“For me, the most rewarding part of my Indian experience was the fantastically warm welcome I received by everybody I met. I really felt part of TCSRD team, and never felt I was an extra limb. I learnt so much about the different culture, and made some real friends during my time there.

“I will remember my TISES 10 week internship as a huge rollercoaster ride of emotions and experiences of trying to conduct a difficult project in a completely different social environment. TISES really was a once in a lifetime opportunity for me to experience life in India with Indian people, and I am so thankful for the opportunity I was given. Coming home was really hard, and I’m already planning my next visit back to India.”