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Education Plus
Reach out and realise
CHITRA V. RAMANI
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A taste of diverse cultures broadens your vision and adds value to life
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— Photo: Bhagya Prakash K.
Learning curve: Tom Sebastian
Experts suggest that multicultural experiences help increase one’s creativity. It is also said to give an individual an added advantage to score over peers and get ahead. There are several organisations that work towards getting students involved in making the world a better place. The Melton Foundation is one such organisation. It was established in 1991 to build a world-wide community of talented people from diverse cultures capable of addressing global issues. “The Foundation is committed to bringing positive change in the world through a network of people from diverse cultures empowered by lasting bonds of friendship, open communication and mutual respect,” says the Foundation’s official website.
Five institutions are part of the Foundation — Friedrich Schiller Universitat in Germany, Zhejiang University in China, Universidad de La Frontera in Chile, Dillard University in the U.S. and BMS College of Engineering in Bangalore, India. Once chosen by the Foundation, students become members for life. The Foundation currently has about 350 members worldwide. The Hindu
EducationPlus spoke to a few members about the importance of multicultural experiences.
Tom Sebastian: Working for the Melton Foundation has opened up a world of opportunities for all of us members. We have got to interact and get acquainted with different cultures. An average 19-year-old does not get such opportunities. The experience of working for the Foundation has helped me work towards becoming a global citizen. It has also taught me to be at ease with my own culture and accept others as well.
Prathigna
Prathigna Poonacha: Through my experiences, I have been able to think out of the box, so to speak. I have also learned to be more open-minded about other cultures and be an ambassador of our own culture. We have visited other countries and stayed with native families. The home-stay experience is unforgettable. All these have only shown us how important it is to understand different cultures. It allows you to have a better perspective of things.
Ravikumar
Hari Ravikumar: The multicultural experience that we gather by being a member of the Foundation helps us become more confident about the choices to make. I recently gave up working for a big IT company simply because I found the work boring. That was a very simple decision. Many may not understand it. There are immense opportunities available for all. As a global citizen, the world has become my playground and I am confident of handling anything on an international platform. It is here that the multicultural experiences help immensely.
Gagan Achar
Gagan Achar: The Foundation has helped me get rid of preconceived notions, approach things differently and handle issues and find solutions for them with confidence. When one is in another country, one has a lot of “Aha!” moments. It is only then that one gets to appreciate things that we take for granted here and understand the value of our culture. This, even though we may crib about many things that are wrong with our society and country. That forces one to introspect and look for what defines him/her.
Abhinav Acharya
Abhinav Athreya: Multicultural experiences change the way one thinks. Professionally, one becomes competent because of the interactions with people from different cultures. It also helps one hone his/her “people skills,” realise that there is more than one opinion and be open to different opinions. The experience also makes one more creative and be open to collaborations. There are many instances of people from different countries and cultures coming together to work with each other.
Rohan Shetty
Rohan Shetty: One gets to understand his roots by being exposed to different cultures. One will get to realise the value of the multicultural experience much later. It teaches one to blend with other cultures without actually losing one’s own. When we went to other countries, we would get excited listening to a Bollywood song. I remember an instance in Temuco (Chile) when the prize for a lottery was a Hero Honda Passion. We were so proud of the fact that a vehicle from our country was the bumper prize in another!
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