Concerns On the Ground

I'd have to say that India seems a little more unstable than most of the places I've been. It's certainly closer to the world's current hot spots. But come to think of it, I did see some rioting in London during the G8 conference, while doing my freshman study abroad semester. And then there was a little "excitement" in the streets after Germany reached the finals of Eurocup, while I was on tour with CCVA in 2008.

I always check out the US State Department website before traveling abroad and review a few travel guides. My short list of "things to watch" in India includes:

• India is certainly the most outwardly religious and conservative country that I have yet to visit. We could see evidence of friction between Hindus and Muslims there. So, it will be wise to be more attentive to dress code, our own public behavior and the nature of public gatherings. The only comparable experience I know might be pub life in Belfast, Northern Ireland, where even today, singing the wrong song or wearing the tri-color instead of the Union-Jack can engender more than a stern look.
• Violent crime is quite low in the area. Still, while unheard of until recently, rape is the fastest growing crime in India. I'll be taking the usual precautions. No being out after dark alone or even in pairs. Apparently,"eve-teasing" is the term used to describe verbal or physical harassment by groups of men. You can get this kind of unwanted attention in Rome and Paris as well, but there we just called it rude! Concerning petty crime, I'll be on constant look out for pick pockets and "knock-off" goods.
• I absolutely love the cabbies in London and Edinburgh - always on the up and up, and very helpful, but it seems as if public transportation in India, especially autorickshaw and taxi services, is risky business - just small matters of how much and where you get taken. I'll always be having the hotel arrange transportation from reputable companies.
• Negotiation is the language of the shop owner. Apparently, sales pressure in the pearl shops can be pretty brutal. If you've ever wandered into one of the electronics shops in New York City, then you've been there - done that.

Currency of the Land

I've had plenty of experience with Euros and the British Pound, but none with the Rupee. If you plan on dealing in the coin of the realm, thick wallets and broad purses will be required. The present conversion rate is about 1 to 65.

Though credit cards are accepted in hotels and ATMs will be widely available in major cities, many smaller places deal only in cash. I always like to carry a little cash, even at the outset of any foreign trip.

Especially when local banks don't carry the currency of interest, I've used International Currency Express. They don't require a minimum purchase and delivery by mail is fast and dependable. See:  http://foreignmoney.com/

Don't forget to contact your credit card company to let them know what your itinerary will be! Nothing worse than having your card declined when you are about to make that purchase of a lifetime.

Passports and Visas

Getting your documentation ready to travel takes a little time. I'm betting that most of us already have passports, but I'm always forgetting to check the expiration date. Play it safe! Be sure your passport is good for six months BEYOND when you plan to return to the States. Each country defines "valid" passport differently.

I remember applying for a student visa for my freshman study abroad program. Back then, Homeland Security was creating a new regulation about every other day. Even so, getting it was a lot less complicated than applying for a work visa. Turns out that most foreign countries are VERY particular about who gets to enter, stay and work there. Imagine! Not only that, a work visa costs a lot of money. Fortunately, Deloitte picks up the tab.

The required form is easy enough to fill out. You do have to attach quite a number of documents - passport, driver's license, proof of graduation and highest degree attained, work contacts in India, even letters of recommendation. START EARLY as you can. You'll need a recent passport-like photo for your VISA. The wrinkle here is that for India, you can't be wearing glasses in the photo.

Deloitte is there every step of the way and helped me through the process. My contact at VISA SERVICES has also been very helpful and is keeping me posted on the status of my application. The VISA gets glued directly inside the passport, so as soon as I get mine back, it'll be India here I come!

Vaccinations and Other Necessaries

Unlike all of my previous international travel, India requires a slew of vaccinations and medications. This time of year, family practices are overloaded with school physicals and the like. Fortunately, there are plenty of travel clinics in the area. I found a nearby emergency care center that also specializes in travel medicine, so I just walked in to consult with a doctor about what I needed. Turned out she was from India!

I needed two vaccinations, Hepatitis A and Typhoid. As "luck" would have it, the clinic was out of the Typhoid injection, so they gave me an oral version instead. I had to take pills every other day for a week, while being careful to keep them refrigerated. This was a bit of a challenge on the days I traveled to my client site, but a baggie and a freezing cold ice pack took care of that!

In the end, (See what I did there?) I only had to get one shot, but since the Hep A vaccination takes two injections for lifelong immunization, I’ll have to go back again once I return from India. FYI - doctors say that should start the process as soon as you can, so that the immunizations have a chance to take full effect and in the event that you have some sort of adverse reaction to the process.

In addition to the vaccination, I got a script for malaria, as well as a general antibiotic that will take care of anything from respiratory infection to traveler’s diarrhea. Once I stock up on some of my favorite over the counter medications, my traveling medicine cabinet will be complete!

BE ADVISED: Malaria is a big deal in India, despite what you may read on some websites. Feedback from family and friends, none of whom are doctors but have taken several of the medications, say that Malerone is more convenient to take and has fewer side effects that Doxycycline. Take a look at the niffty chart on the CDC site here for details. I've packed a small supply of OFF repellant. ODOMOS is the brand of choice in India. It comes in cream, gel and spray. It's widely available.

BE ADVISED: Drinking water in India is a VERY big deal, as is uncooked food. I'm planning to bring along water purification tablets to take care of water for brushing teeth and emergencies when sealed, safe, bottled water is not available. Hopefully, with all these precautions, you won’t be reading a blog entry about any sort of surprise illness. Deloitte maintains medical personnel on site just in case. Nice!

Two State Solution?

Most of us are familiar with the phrase "two state solution" as it applies to Israel and Palestine. As of July 31st, it also applies to Andhra Pradesh. Originally an amalgamation of 8 separate provinces created in 1950, the northern half of Andhra Pradesh has lobbied for independent status since 1969. To be known as Telangana and composed of 10 of 23 districts of untied Andhra (Hyderabad, Adilabad, Khammam, Karimnagar, Mahbubnagar, Medak, Nalgonda, Nizamabad, Rangareddy, and Warangal), it will become the 29th state of India sometime next year.

For the next ten years, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana will share the same capital, Hyderabad. Some suggest that Ongole, located about 300 km east of Hyderabad in Prakasam district, could emerge as the next capital of the reconstituted state of Andhra Pradesh.

The reasons for separation are deeply held and complex. They are linguistic and religious - economic and political. One of the most frequently cited of these is the claim that the districts in Telangana generate 45% of the state's income, while they receive only 28% of the its resources.

In the United States, we occasionally hear about friction between geographic areas of a state. California, New York, New Jersey and most recently Colorado have all grabbed headlines, whenever rural interests are pitted against urban or liberal sensibilities conflict with conservative. The current situation in India is much more volatile. Over the course of the conflict, pro-separatists claim that 1,000 lives have been lost. Stay tuned.

SOURCE: Hindustan Times, July 31, 2013.

Our Host City

Hyderabad is the capital and largest city of the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It occupies 650 square kilometers (250 sq mi) on the banks of the Musi River. Its population is 6.8 million, and its metropolitan area increases that number to 7.75 million people, making it India's fourth most populous city and sixth most populous urban agglomeration.

Hyderabad was established in 1591. The 1956 States Reorganization Act established the modern state of Andhra Pradesh, with Hyderabad as its capital.

Throughout its history, the city was a center for local traditions in art, literature, architecture and cuisine. It is a tourist destination and has many places of interest, including Chowmahalla Palace, Charminar and Golkonda fort. It has several museums, bazaars, galleries, libraries, sports venues and other cultural institutions—Laad Bazar, Madina Circle, Begum Bazaar, Sultan Bazaar are bazaars from the Qutb Shahi and Nizam era; Salar Jung, Nizam Museum, and AP State Archaeology Museum are notable museums. Hyderabadi biriyani and haleem are examples of distinctive culinary products.

Historically, Hyderabad was known for its pearl and diamond trading centers. Industrialization brought major Indian manufacturing and financial institutions to the city. The emergence of pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries in the 1990s earned it the titles of "India's pharmaceutical capital" and the "Genome Valley of India."

SOURCE: You Tube Video by Ananya Basudev, 2012.

Historical Hyderabad

Source: You Tube Video by Uday Akula, 2011.

Five Zones to Explore

Central Zone (King Kothi, Abids, Lakdikapul, Mehdipatnam, Tolichowki, Banjara Hills, Jubilee Hills, Ameerpet, Pujagutta, Himayat Nagar, Kacheguda, Narayanguda, Chikkadpally and Nallakunta.) The center of Hyderabad has upscale neighborhoods along with venues of entertainment and dining. There is lots to see and do.

South Zone (Charminar, Patthargatti, Afzalgunj, Shalibanda, Falaknuma, Dabirpura, Yakutpura and Purani Haveli.) This is where most of Hyderabad's famous historical sights are. Also called Old City or Purana Shahr, this is home to Hyderabad's most lively and authentic shopping experience. The Taj Falaknuma, once a palace, now a luxury hotel, is located here.

North Zone (Begumpet,Secunderabad, Malkajgiri, Trimulghery, Alwal and Kundanbagh.) The North Zone was the site of the former British military installation in Secunderabad. Completely different from the South Zone, this zone is far more cleaner and well planned than the South.

West Zone (Kukkatpally, Miyapur, Bharat Nagar, Gacchibowli, Nanakramguda and HITEC City.) This is home to Hyderabad biodiversity development. Many of Hyderabad's business travelers stay in this area.

East Zone (Uppal, Kapra, Dilsukhnagar, LB Nagar, Gaddiannaram and Saroornagar.) Home to many educational institutes.

Because most travel to Hyderabad involves business, many never see the 400-year-old Hyderabad. The image that one immediately observes is of a sprawling metropolis featuring office buildings and shopping malls with glass facades. The whole of the city seems to be under construction or renovation. The "old city" that was once the seat of the Nizam, the ruler of the largest and the most opulent "princely state" and its twin city of Secunderabad can be seen only if one makes the effort.

Hyderabad is known by many names, including the City of Pearls, the City of Nawabs, the Biryani City and, because of its concentration of high-tech corporate offices, Cyberabad.

SORUCE: http://wikitravel.org/en/Hyderabad

India Immersion for SAP BTAs

"Deloitte is one of the largest, project-proven, SAP consultancies in the world. Its global SAP practice has extensive experience with the full spectrum of implementation challenges. From operating virtual teams across multiple locations and time zones to navigating complex variations in local, regional and international business practices, regulations and cultures, Deloitte stages complex deployments in ways that maximize benefits and manage risk."

The semi-annual immersion program with Deloitte USI (United States-India) is coordinated by Ian Wright, Dean and Principal Partner - Deloitte, Philadelphia. It was the brainchild of  Craig Hodgetts, Principal Partner and National Director for Technology, to give new analysts a deeper appreciation for the complexities of working in multi-national project teams.

Small groups of recently hired BTAs in the SAP service line travel to Hyderabad, India. Based there, they contribute to project teams currently working with corporate clients in the United States. Immersion BTAs experience first hand the variety of demands that our international project team members experience. They learn about the corporate culture of India, receive training in advanced SAP applications and spend weekends exploring the sights, sounds and tastes of the country. The program is a great example of Deloitte's commitment to training global leaders and to diversity in the workforce.

The PILOT immersion group of eight BTAs arrived in Hyderabad in the summer of 2013. The second immersion group of seven BTAs will begin in September of 2013 and will conclude twelve weeks later in December.

Presently, only the SAP service line participates in the program, but the long range plan is to offer similar experiences to Oracle and other specialties. The program is currently based in Deloitte's sprawling 1 million square foot office complex in Hyderabad, but Bangalore, known as the "Silicone Valley" of India, is under consideration as a future site.

The History of SAP

SAP was founded in 1972 as Systemanalyse und Programmentwicklung or System Analysis and Program Development. The acronym was later changed to stand for Systeme, Anwendungen und Produkte in der Datenverarbeitung - Systems, Applications and Products in Data Processing.

By 1976, SAP GmbH was established, with headquarters in Walldorf, Germany. Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung, abbreviated (GmbH), is German for “company with limited liability. In 1988, the organization was restructured as a public company. SAP AG became the company's official name in 2005. (AG) is short for Aktiengesellschaft, German for “public limited company.”

SAP is the world's largest business software company and the third biggest independent software provider by revenue. It operates in four geographic regions: EMEA (Europe, Middle East, Africa); America (United States and Canada); LAC (Latin America and Caribbean); and APJ (Asia Pacific and Japan), which represents Japan, Korea, Australia and New Zealand, India, Greater China, and other Southeast Asian countries.

In addition, SAP operates a network of 115 subsidiaries, and has R&D (Research & Development) facilities around the globe in Germany, India, US, Canada, France, Brazil, Turkey, China, Hungary, Israel, Ireland and Bulgaria.

SAP focuses on six industry sectors: process industries, discrete industries, consumer industries, service industries, financial services, and public services. It offers integrated product sets for large enterprises and midsize companies and small businesses.

SOURCE: Funding Universe and Wikipedia. SAP Video, 2013.

The History of Deloitte

Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited, commonly referred to as Deloitte, is one of the world's Big Four professional services firms along with PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), Ernst & Young and KPMG. It is the largest professional services network in the world by revenue and has 193,000 employees in more than 150 countries providing audit, tax, consulting, enterprise risk and financial advisory services.

The multi-national corporation traces its roots to a pair of accounting firms established first in London, then opening offices in the United States. In 1845, William Welch Deloitte opened an office on Basinghall Street in London. Meanwhile, in 1896 Charles Waldo Haskins and Elijah Watt Sells formed Haskins & Sells in New York. It was later described as "the first major auditing firm in the country to be established by American rather than British accountants." The eventual merger of these two companies became Deloitte, Haskins and Sells.

Similarly, in 1898, George Touche established an office in London and then in 1900 joined John Ballantine Niven in establishing the firm of Touche Niven in New York. Touche Nevin grew rapidly, in part by creating a dedicated management consulting function. It also forged closer links with earliest organizations established by co-founder George Touche, the Canadian organization Ross and the British organization George A. Touche.

In 1968, Nobuzo Tohmatsu formed Tohmatsu Aoki & Co, a firm based in Japan that became part of the Touche Ross network in 1975.

In 1989, Deloitte Haskins & Sells (USA) merged with Touche Ross (USA) to form Deloitte & Touche. The international firm was renamed Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, in 1993 to reflect the contribution from the Japanese firm.

Partners of Deloitte & Touche created Deloitte & Touche Consulting Group, now known as Deloitte Consulting in 1995.

In 2008, Deloitte adopted its new Always One Step Ahead tag line to support its corporate vision - To be the Standard of Excellence.

SOURCE: Funding Universe, Deloitte You Tube Video, 2013.