TARAとは”Technology and Action for Rural Advancement”の略称であり、主に環境負荷に配慮した技術の開発及び普及を行う団体である。彼らの頭にあるのは森林破壊への危機感であった。恥ずかしながら認識していなかったのだが、インドの国土に占める森林の割合は2割程度であり、加えて人口増加に伴う住宅地とインフラへの木材使用の需要が高まっているというかなり危機的状況にあるのだという。ここでは環境負荷の低いレンガの作成や、紙のリサイクル等の設備を見学した。見学を通して驚いたのは研究設備のレベルである。「研究」とはいっても屋内で薬品を扱うようなものではなく、屋外の小屋で古めの器具を用いて行っており、設備投資への必要性を強く感じた。
Before
this tour, I have never been to India. I guess the impression I held about
India was a mixture of facts, imagination, and maybe even stereotypes. Thanks
to the program offered by Engineering School of U Tokyo, I am able to
experience the country, its top university IIT, and leading companies and
institutions myself. Moreover, thanks to all the people I met and talked with,
including professors, fellow students from U Tokyo and IIT, representatives
from companies and institutions, and so forth, I spent an unforgettable time
during the India tour. I would like to write about things that left me the
deepest impressions, though there are too many things that could be talked
about.
1) IIT
Visit
The first class we attended was a computer science class. I knew that the ratio of male and female students in CS class was always imbalanced, but I was still a bit of surprised to see the ratio in this class (refer to the picture below). Another surprising thing is that during all the four classes we attended, I hardly saw students using smartphones. Based on my past university experiences, I think it can be called “miraculous”. As college students, we all know that using smartphones during classes can be distracting while it is not easy to refrain from using it, including myself. I think IIT students are examples to learn from. Later, we met our IIT student partners, who were amiable, intelligent and passionate. I also got the feeling that their ambitions and optimistic spirit spoke for the future of this country.
During
the lab visit session, our group visited professor Bolia in the Department of
Mechanical Engineering. Besides the discussion on academic topics, we also
talked about social issues. Professor Bolia mentioned his concern for GDP as a
dominant notion in today’s discourse worldwide, which is likely to engender
people to consume and own more. Instead, he noted that we should give more
thoughts to “giving back”. During our talk, I was also inspired by how academic
research was closely tied and could contribute to the betterment of society. In
terms of career choice, his idea that “when taking money out of the equation, a
lot of options will be open” also let me rethink about my future decision.
2)
Company/Institution Visit
The
visit to Honda was my first factory tour, so I was very excited about it.
During the tour, I asked a representative who was in charge of training the
employees whether he liked the Honda factory. “I don’t like it,” he said. As I
was surprised at his answer, he smiled, “I love it!” Then he told me he had
been working here for around 15 years (if I remember it right). I think it is
one of the great happiness in life that one can get joy from the job, instead
of sheerly regarding the job as a source of income. On the other hand, I think
it is advantageous for the company to create an atmosphere or culture in which
employees take pleasure in their work.
In the
Q&A session of the presentation, I asked about the automation in the Honda
factory here. A representative answered that it was relatively low compared to
its counterpart in Japan. In the factory, I saw that only the welding shop
involved the use of robots. The employee told me that it was because in other
manufacturing processes, it cost less to hire labor than introducing the use of
robots. It made me realize the demographic dividend brought by the high ratio
of the working age population in India.
3) Other
thoughts
Air pollution is a serious issue in India. The air quality reminded me of my days in Beijing, the capital of China that is also plagued by air pollution. But unlike in Beijing where many people would put on masks when the AQI (Air Quality Index) rose, I did not see any Indian wearing masks (One time during the trip, an IIT student kindly reminded that “you can put on the mask if you want”). Meanwhile, I saw roads with dirt, bumps, and hollows, little children begging for money in the night bazaar, and chaotic traffic.
I used
to think that environmental issues should be given priority to in the long run.
In the country, however, where the basics like water, sanitation, health care,
and education are scarce for many people, where there is a pressing need for
infrastructure construction, the country has to sustain economic grow and offer
better living conditions for citizens. Achieving sustainable growth is critical
but always thorny; it is a big challenge for India, but it also offers huge
opportunities for domestic and international businesses that can offer
technological, financial, or managerial solutions.
Following the successful IJEP Internship Program, School of Engineering will start a new program called ESEP- INDIA(Engineering Summer Education Program INDIA) .
Some conditions have been changed. For the details, please visit our website .
Application for this program, starting on November 15, is accepted only via the online application system T-cens.