"The long bus rides were never boring"

Last year, I had the privilege of sitting down with a gentleman whose generosity has enabled many students at Indiana University and the Kelley School of Business to enhance their education by going abroad.

IU alumnus Ed Hutton, a prominent philanthropist and businessman from Cincinnati, in 2003 gave $9 million to establish an endowment for a university-wide International Experiences Program. Last year, he added $400,000 for the Kelley School's efforts.

"It's one thing to read names in a geography book and it's another thing to be there," the Bedford, Ind., native told me, adding that it's especially important that today's young people, including many from small towns, understand the world around them.

Alexa Adler, who is the third person from the left in this photo at the Taj Mahal, now has the same world view as Mr. Hutton.

"I thought the trip did a great job of showing us both the growing business world in India as well as its social and welfare issues," Adler said. "Being able to visit places like Maruti-Suzuki and Infosys helped (me) to better understand what we have been learning in class about India as an emerging market and how it connects with and works with business in the U.S.

"However, the experience we had at Hand in Hand, and all of the interactions we had with the people of India were most significant to me," she added. "India was completely different from anywhere else I have traveled. The culture was colorful and exciting, the people were extremely friendly and it was eye opening to see a world very different from my own.

"The long bus rides were never boring because there was so much to see and observe just staring out of the bus windows. We really learned a lot on this trip but experiencing the people and culture, and observing everyday life was what I found to be most meaningful."

Thanks again, Mr. Hutton.

My thousand words

We've heard it said that numbers tell the story. Today, with humble promotion, we passed the 2,000 readers mark. Thanks.

Also, U.S. News and World Report today issued its annual report, "America's Best Colleges." It reported that IU's Kelley School continues to offer one of the best experiences for undergraduate students, including those who want to start their own companies. Kelley is No. 2 in the Big Ten, No. 7 among publics and No. 11 overall.

IU moved up three spots to 30th among public universities. The Bloomington campus' study abroad programs were recognized for involving "substantial academic work for credit -- a year, a semester, or an intensive experience equal to a course -- and
considerable interaction with the local culture."

Anyone who has followed this blog will understand why that's true.

Also today, a good friend and editor, Rex, gave me fine advice when I asked him about this, my first blog. He said simply, "shorter."

You're probably familiar with the proverb, "A picture is worth a thousand words."

With that in mind, here is a link to an Indiana University gallery of my photos taken on the trip. You'll find it online at http://newsinfo.iu.edu/asset/page/normal/5347.html. It's also a link from the title line.

Horn, please

In India we found a remarkable form of gentility, commonly seen on street signs and even vehicles everywhere, that is rarely seen in the United States.

We’re not talking about bumper stickers or the huge billboards that Chennai is known for.

Sumit Ganguly, director of the Indiana University India Studies Institute, professor of political science and holder of the Rabindranath Tagore Professorship in Indian Cultures and Civilizations at IU Bloomington, once told me that this was something left over from British control.

It allows Indians to make strong suggestions without being confrontational.

For example, on the back of nearly every large truck, you’ll find it written: “Horn, Please; Use Dipper at Night.” This encourages a frequent honking by everyone on the road as a form of communication. While we learn how to properly use lane position – stay on the right except to pass – in India driving is done through constant merging of traffic and the changing of positions.

The use of the horn, particularly by large trucks and buses lets everyone else on a motorcycle, bicycle, rickshaw or even a car who’s coming through – and it’s usually another bus or truck.

Yet, only once in three years have I seen the middle-fingered salute. Notice the use of the word, “please,” on the trucks.

As Kelley School instructor Jeanette Heidewald observed last year, “The road flows like fireflies swirling ever forward, never touching but always seeming ready to end up in one big pile.”

This year, when we were on a tour of a factory, the sign on the back window of a car in front of us offered direct, simple instructions: “Follow Me.”

Then there are the street signs and many of them seem to take something of a personal interest in others. The closest thing you’ll see to them in the United States are the signs in construction zones, which tell you that fines are multiplied for speeding there, or the reminder that “Daddy” works there.

You’ll never see the sign Rosanna Bateman photographed: “Man at work.” I think the Department of Transportation might take offense.

In India, they address social issues as well as traffic laws. A favorite one from last year came courtesy the Faridabad Traffic Police. Its straight-forward message to cyclists was, “Hell or Helmet: The Choice is Yours.”

Another sign now seen twice in Faridabad – on the road to Agra from Delhi – has a poignant message for people passing through this place when it isn’t monsoon season: “Water is precious; Use it With Care; Do Not Waste a Drop of It.”

I also liked this simple plea to help the environment: “Save lives; Plant trees.”

In the U.S. people are rightly concerned about drivers’ usage of cell phones. On a stairwell at Infosys there’s this sign: “Please avoid cell phone usage on stairs.”

Undergraduate director Kathleen Robbins discovered this unique appeal to smokers: “Save your breath for more shopping.”

It's economic stimulus meets public health policy.