“India cannot be generalized”… Coffee with Lea Miram

……………There cannot be a stereotype that reflects India

Our latest invitee, Lea, is representing Hamburg, the second largest and richest city in Germany with one of the oldest and biggest ports in the world. We posed specific questions to her to which her answers paint a definite picture which could largely reflect the experiences of some others from the Western Hemisphere.

1. Tell us a little about your work

I am working as Hamburg Business Manager for the Hamburg Representation Mumbai.

The Hamburg Representation Mumbai is the official representation of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg in India, sponsored and supported by Hamburg Senate Chancellery, Port Hamburg Marketing e.V., the Hamburg Chamber of Commerce, Hamburg Invest and Hamburg Messe and Congress. Being part of the Indo-German Chamber of Commerce in Mumbai, the Hamburg Representation benefits from continuing experience and an excellent network.

Since our establishment in November 2011, we have been involved in bridging the gap between India and Germany by providing assistance to various economic, cultural and academic institutions. Besides that, we actively support private business firms and organisations from both India and Germany to improve business ties between the two countries. Our expertise lies in the fields of Trade, Politics, Culture, Education and Liaison.

1. Since when are you in India?

I am living in Mumbai since February 2018.

2. How would you describe your stay in India?

I would definitely consider my stay as a big learning experience. I do not only have the chance to learn a lot about this huge, highly diverse country, its culture, its people and its business environment – I also learn a lot about myself and the culture of my origin, Germany. I consider the contrast as a stimulus for the reflection of our own traditions and habits.

3. What are the challenges that you face there?

These three factors are challenging me the most:

1. Pollution 2. Overpopulation and its consequences – like traffic 3. Often, I feel like I cannot rely on someone’s word, as I can do it in Germany – this makes my work often not easy, while coordinating between India and Hamburg. German Partners often work with a different attitude, expectation and time frame, than our Indian Stakeholders. This makes it difficult to coordinate between the two parties to avoid disappointment.
2. In your opinion, how is the economy in India at present?

There are so many factors that have crucial impacts on the further development of the Indian Economy.

Generally, due to India’s demographic divide I see a lot of potential in the future. It is not only expected that India will be the third largest consumer market, but also that there will be a huge workforce. During my work I meet a lot of young inspiring people, as well as great start ups with highly innovative ideas. The fact that India climbed up to rank 77 from 100, also reflects positive reforms and government initiatives that were there in the last years.

Still, I see a lot of challenges. Not only the bureaucracy and the lacking legal system can be mentioned here. Oil prices, protectionism, deficient infrastructure….

Let’s see what the elections bring and in which direction we proceed. I expect a slowdown of growth for this year, but hope next year it will pick up again.

5. Before you visited in India, there must have been an impression of India in your mind. What was it?..please elaborate

The first time I went to India and I had a stereotype in my head, which was probably influenced by Bollywood and other movies – this relates to the culture. On the other hand, I had all this bad news about rape, pollution etc. in my head.

6. Did that impression change after your visit or was it strengthened? How?

The most important thing I noticed is, that India is not just India. If I compare my stay from Rajasthan with my life in Mumbai, it does not feel like I am living in the same country.

India cannot be generalized and that’s why I think there cannot be a stereotype that reflects India – the food, the traditions, the habits, the people – the regions differ a lot.

In regard to all the negative images that I have seen in the news: I definitely see a lot of challenges and things that have to improve. Still I think that the current news in Europe often reflect a really one sided picture of rape, crime, pollution and instability. Of course these issues exist and they need to be addressed, but India is much more than that. And while focusing on the negative aspects, a lot of positive aspects and the potential of India are often missed.

7. Is there any lasting impression that India left in your mind?

When I came to Mumbai and suddenly I had 20 GB Mobile Data per month instead of 500 MB poor connection in Germany, I understood that India is much more developed in certain areas than we sometimes have in our mind.

8. In your opinion, should European companies explore the Indian market? why?

Definitely. India’s consumer market is enormous. More and more companies value this and approach the Indian market aggressively. One example of companies which recently recognized the potential is Netflix.

Apart from that, I think for many companies China has been the focus market in Asia for a long time. Suddenly, conditions are changing. Since the Chinese Economy grew extensively and a lot of know-how from foreign companies was gained, it is not as easy as before for foreign companies to compete in the restricted business environment, which is permanently directed by the government. Maybe this example shows, that it is a good time to look for new partners and business relations – like India, the biggest democracy.

9. Is there any other aspect of your presence in India that you would particularly like to mention?

…. Wer nicht wagt, der nicht gewinnt! J (Who does not dare does not win!)

I think that Lea was referring to the Mumbai local trains…she braved it! Hope to see you soon in Hamburg Lea, for a breath of fresh air.