India Trip 2009_Recollections_Part IV_ Bangalore

Tuesday January 13: Had lectures in the morning, followed by lunch. Then visited a software company called 3i Infotech. The Director Madan Mohan gave us a good overview of the business.
The firm develops products for the Insurance business, has a mid-market ERP product, and also provides remote IT management. It is quite impressive in the type of work it does, as it is not into BPO as much as Infosys or TCS. We returned to MCC campus for dinner.
Wednesday January 14th: had yoga, then lectures in the morning. We went to visit the Archeology museum and students did some shopping. returned to MCC, had dinner and then left for Madras Central to catch a train to Bangalore. It was my first visit to Central in a long time. The infamous smell really gets to you. While everyone was boarding the train, RC was nowhere to be found, as she had gone to make a phone call. A few nervous moments passed before she showed up. I got to sleep in the upper side birth, not a comfortable place.
Thursday January 15th: Early morning arrival in Bangalore. We take the coach to the Hotel. We check in, have breakfast, and then leave for Mysore. We saw the famous nandi at the Chamundi temple, then went to see the Mysore Maharaja's Palace. It was a sight to behold. The grandeur and beauty of the palace, with magnificent sculptures and art, is breath-taking. We spent a bit of time at the palace, and then returned to Bangalore. We had arranged a meeting with VG, who works for Greenpeace in India. She was waiting for us when we arrived at 8:30PM. Over dinner, she shared some of her work and put into perspective the challenge of development and environmental cost.
Friday January 16th: We have breakfast and leave for Infosys. This was by far the most impressive corporate campus I have seen anywhere, with 50 buildings on site. We were given a nice tour, and even though we were not addressed by any executives, the facilities folks giving us the tour were well-informed. Came back for lunch and then went for shopping in the main streets of Bangalore, filled with KFCs, and Pizza Huts. This clearly demonstrated the new affluence and the large middle class willing to spend money. Bought a couple of clothes and some soaps. We returned to the hotel, had dinner and then left for the train station to catch a train to Cochin.