Professor Ravi Bapna’s class from the Carlson School of Management’s Executive MBA program visited India. I spent one morning– three hours from 9-12– doing a ‘cultural immersion’ class. We discussed history, customs, culture, music, dance (with a performance at the end), and had a great interactive session. They asked tough questions about all the things that stare us in the face: the filth, the beggars, the slums, the traffic. But what surprised me was that they seemed to intuitively ‘get’ the contradictions that make up this crazy country of ours. Why do people seem so content amidst such poverty– that type of thing. They sang ‘Vande Mataram’ in chorus, wore sarees and discussed cuisine. Here is a photo of the lovely ladies
India– Cultural Immersion
About the Author: Shoba Narayan
Shoba Narayan is an award-winning Indian travel writer, author, and freelance journalist based in Bangalore, India. She writes about luxury travel, food, wine, hotels, culture, and spirituality across Asia, and has contributed travel features to Condé Nast Traveler (US edition), Travel & Leisure, DestinAsian, Mint Lounge, The National (Abu Dhabi), Taj Magazine, and Hindustan Times, among others. Her travel writing spans India, Southeast Asia, Japan, China, the Maldives, Bhutan, Costa Rica, and beyond — always with a focus on the sensory, the cultural, and the deeply human.





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