“Exposure and experience is all, what counts.” --- Lovely Goyal
 
                    “Good leaders have experience. Great leaders have exposure.”--- Shara Hutchinson  

          The three attributes essential for personal development are- Education, Experience, and Exposure (3Es). We attend universities to earn our academic degrees in  subject areas of our interest.  

               We gain experience when we observe certain events, undergo a certain feeling or process, or perform certain actions. Our experience gets enriched when we are exposed to a new environment. Our exposure to a new culture, interaction with new people; observation of advanced technologies; experiencing new thinking, new environment, and newer geography enhances our life experiences.

                I studied at Institutions located in various places in India, and have visited major cities in India for work or as travel. My first visit to the UK was in 1999, and of course, the first visit to any foreign Country. I visited Coventry University in the UK for two months on deputation from Gokula Education Foundation, Bangalore to understand Coventry University operations.  After that, I would have visited the UK more than 30 times until our partnership ended in 2014.  In the UK, I interacted with academics, and academic administrators of Coventry University, University of Birmingham, University of Leeds, Cranfield University, Oxford University, Cambridge University, University of Southampton, Nottingham Trent University, University of Sussex, and many others. Ramaiah School of Advanced Studies had partnership programs with Coventry University UK from 2000-2014, almost for 13 years. My interaction with well-known professors, visits to advanced technology industries and museums, and places of tourist attractions gave me a new beginning in my profession.

              I lead a UKIERI project in partnership with Coventry University. I was an invited speaker for the British Council Organised Education UK Program in London in 2010. I was one of the principal investigators for a FP-6 project was sponsored by European Union, and other investigators were from Coventry University- UK, Germany, Poland, and Bulgaria.  As a member of FICCI –Education Delegation to Europe-I visited Universities in Germany, France, and the Netherlands. Interactions with Gent University in Belgium, the University of Pardubice in the Czech Republic, and Aveiro in Portugal as a part of the India-Europe program gave me additional exposure to me. I interacted with UIUC at Urbana Champagne, the University of Illinois at Chicago, and Oklahoma State University at Still Waters; paid visits to Harvard, MIT, Stanford, Yale, Berkley, and other great universities in the US. I was an invited speaker at the Universities in Ghana, Nigeria, Malaysia, and Singapore and made several presentations at various American and European Universities I Visited.

            I must express my gratitude to Gokula Education Foundation (Ramaiah Group), various agencies-(UKIERI, FP-6, British Council, and FICCI), and my friends from Nigeria, Ghana, and Malaysia for providing me with multiple opportunities to travel abroad.  I could enhance my experience and exposure, which in turn enhanced my capabilities to be an academic leader and could establish institutions and operate them for almost 20 years.  

Sample Pictures of My Visits Abroad

 UK

 USA

Russia

Germany

Switzerland

France

 Czech Republic

Belgium

Bulgaria

Italy

Portugal 

Nigeria

Ghana

Liberia

Malaysia

Singapore

China

Dubai