What were my thoughts in India?

I spent last week in India as a guest at the wedding of a postgraduate student of mine who just completed a doctoral degree. The experience was overwhelming and I will certainly need a few weeks to take in all my experiences during the week. My principal memory is that of the unconditional kindness and hospitality of the Indian hosts. During the journey, we repeatedly engaged in loud and lively discussion on issues such as the history and present day of our home countries, child rearing, education, religion and free thinking, the impact of urbanization, environmental issues, and the state of the world.

During the journey, I was evidently also influenced by India’s all-embracing pluralism, a society characterized by numerous religions, tens of languages, as well as huge social and economics differences. Poverty remains a concrete issue as people spend their nights sleeping on the streets or in the fields, the hotel staff wake up on the floor of the lobby, and mothers with children can be seen begging everywhere. Town planning is still in its infancy and traffic culture could use a true renaissance. Education is valued; one of the families I met spends 75% of their income to educate their only son. Although basic education is both compulsory and free in India, higher education remains expensive and available only to the select few. Our society’s tax-paid education is therefore a privilege that should be regarded with respect and responsibility.

Drafting of the Universities Act continues here in our home country, as do preparations for Aalto University. Newly motivated by my India experience, I will continue my work with Aalto University next week with enthusiasm, ambition, and true responsibility, aware of the fact that we play a small but crucial role in ensuring sustainable development for future generations, both in Finland and the world at large. One of our common questions could be: how can the new Aalto University help the poorest people in India and other countries to reach education and research?