International
Mumbai girl embraces Berlin, gives interesting reasons, tips to study in Germany
I originally completed my Bachelor’s in Management Studies at Smt. M. M. K. College of Commerce & Economics in Mumbai before working as a Research Analyst. I then decided to pursue my Master’s at ESMT Berlin.
‘Affordable cost of living and work-life balance’
When I made the decision to move abroad, I was looking for a country with not only a great education but also long-term stay possibilities with regard to visa and job opportunities. The affordable cost of living compared to other countries and the work-life balance in Germany helped me narrow my choice. The central location in Europe just added the cherry on top of a delicious cake!
I chose ESMT Berlin due to the curriculum and Social Impact Project. I was looking for a Master’s that not only had interesting classes but also gave me hands-on experience. After a six-month intensive course, I could apply my skills in the real world with an internship for another six months. On return to campus, I could choose the subjects that interest me most and end with a Social Impact Project to support a non-profit, before writing my thesis. During my course, I also had the opportunity to co-lead two student clubs – Net Impact ESMT Berlin and Meraki Club with the opportunity to organise the TEDx event.
Different cultures, beliefs, and cuisines
Living in Mumbai allowed me to experience different cultures, and living in Berlin added to this. I learned about different cultures and beliefs and tried some amazing cuisines from all around the world in authentic restaurants. I also lived in Munich during the summer and was mesmerised by the breathtaking nature there. Even though I had read about it before moving, witnessing supermarkets closing on Sunday took an adjustment period. It required some planning to ensure a steady supply of essentials on the weekends. It was also surprising to see restaurants and ice cream parlours close by 10 pm – especially coming from a city that never sleeps!
Advice for Indian students looking to study in Germany
- Research based on your needs:
Don’t just randomly read through all articles available online. Know what you want first. What is it that you are looking for in Germany? Are you just looking to study or planning for the long term? What type of German city or town would you like to live in?
- Talk to someone:
Reach out to someone who has been living in Germany – be it a friend, family member, counsellor, etc. Ask them about the things you are uncertain about, as well as what challenges they faced and what they loved most about the city they are in. Also, make some connections via LinkedIn – talk to someone from the university or job you are applying to and create a network!
- Learn the basics of the language:
It is true that in major German cities, such as Berlin, you can live without knowing German. But do you want to move to a new country and not even know how to say “thank you” or “sorry” in their language?
- Understand the document requirements:
Other than getting your visa sorted, there are a lot of formalities you need to complete once you land in Germany. You need to register your apartment, open a bank account, get your tax identity, start your insurance, etc. Know about these requirements in advance so that you can make the necessary bookings and give yourself some time to complete them.
Remember, things may not always go as planned, so give yourself some buffer time, take a deep breath, and relax – because in the end, it will all be worth it!
Business
‘Its Prime Real Estate’: Anand Mahindra Expresses Awe At Grandiose Of Brabus Big Boy 1200
In the City of Dreams that is Mumbai, one of the biggest ‘dreams’ of most who live in the metropolis is to find an abode, that they can call it their own. Real estate in Mumbai is known for its sky-high pricing, with figures of Rs 10-15 crore not surprising anyone.
The Motorhome
Space is a major issue in city, given the paucity of it, in a region that encompasses millions. However, what happens when the space is not only available but also mobile? That is precisely what a ‘motorhome’.
It may not been the most commonly seen or discussed avenue in this part of the world, but in other parts of the world, particularly in the US, an RV or recreational vehicle is the way of life, either by choice or by circumstance.
Mahindra Group chairman, Anand Mahindra recently reacted to one such motorhome. In a post on X, he shared a minute-long clipping of the Brabus Big Boy 1200. This is an uber-luxe, profligate motorhome manufactured by the German automobile company Brabus.
Mahindra, while reacting to the video of a person showing around the bus said, That’s not transport. It’s prime real estate.”
And one may arguably agree with Mahindra on this. The vehicle is extravagant and has a length of 12 meters or 39.4 ft and over 30 square meters or 320 sq ft. For context, the average size of homes in city of Mumbai hovers around 400-700 sq ft.
What Are The Features Of This Motorhome?
In addition, the vehicle also has two electrically extendable slide-outs on each side. These slide-outs can extend the bedroom and saloon to a width of 4.50 meters.
In addition, the motorhome also consists of a double bed measuring 160 x 200 centimeters.
A closet is integrated into the rear wall of the vehicle.
For amusement, the vehicle also has a desk and a 43-inch 4K television. Here one could watch TV programs that have been made available on the system play games on the integrated Playstation 5 system.
In addition, one can also connect to the internet through the Starlink system.
When it comes to the vehicle, it runs on a12.8-liter six-cylinder turbodiesel engine. This engine can deliver 390 kW / 530 hp and can generate a maximum torque of 2,600 Nm.
The vehicle is priced at around USD 1.5 million or a whopping Rs 12 crore.
Business
‘If They Tax Us We Tax Them’: Donald Trump Gives Fresh Warning To India
US President-Elect Donald Trump has issued a fresh warning to India saying that if it taxes American products, the US will do the same. Trump’s words came during his interaction with journalists at his Mar-a-Lago resort Since his first term, Trump has been hawkish about taxing foreign products but has not fully implemented what he has said. However, Trump’s warnings are taken seriously as markets move according to what a US president says.
“If they tax us, we tax them the same amount,” Trump told reporters.
Other than about India, Trump has been vocal about taxes imposed on American products by Brazil, Mexico and China.
“The word reciprocal is important because if somebody charges us – India, we don’t have to talk about our own – if India charges us 100 per cent, do we charge them nothing for the same? You know, they send in a bicycle, and we send them a bicycle. They charge us 100 and 200. India charges a lot,” said Trump.
“India charges a lot. Brazil charges a lot. If they want to charge us, that’s fine, but we’re going to charge them the same thing,” he added.
The outgoing administration of US President Joe Biden has sounded upbeat about India-US ties. On Tuesday, Biden administration said that it was leaving India-US relations “in a very strong place”
“We continue to be very ambitious about the US-India relationship. We’ve had very high-level engagement over the course of the last several months with the QUAD summit in Delaware, and we are anticipating a high-level engagement in the last few weeks of the Biden administration,” said US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell on Tuesday.
Business
Who Was Suchir Balaji? OpenAI Whistleblower Found Dead Allegedly By Suicide In San Francisco
Suchir Balaji, a former researcher at OpenAI, allegedly took his own life in his apartment in San Francisco, according to the San Francisco Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. In an interview with The New York Times in October, the 26-year-old Indian American man expressed worries about OpenAI violating copyright law.
Found Dead In His Apartment
A representative from the San Francisco Police Department verified that the young researcher was discovered deceased in his Buchanan Street apartment on November 26. After officers and medics were summoned to his home in the city’s Lower Haight district for a wellness check after concerns were raised by his friends and colleagues. Officers discovered Suchir Balaji deceased. Police have reported that no signs of foul play have been discovered and ruled possibility of suicide.
A TechCrunch report states that the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) has recognized the deceased as Suchir Balaji, 26, from San Francisco. The cause of death has been established as suicide. The OCME has informed his relatives.
Who was Suchir Balaji?
Suchir Balaji was a 26 year old AI researcher who studied computer science at the University of California, Berkeley, before working at OpenAI. He interned at OpenAI and Scale AI while in college.
During his early days at OpenAI, Balaji worked on WebGPT, and later went on to work on the pretraining team for GPT-4, reasoning team with o1, and post-training for ChatGPT, his LinkedIn states.
Balaji quit OpenAI after working at the company for four years. He told The New York Times that he realised the technology would bring more harm than good to society, his main concern being how OpenAI allegedly used copyright data.
Balaji expressed his concerns in an X post in October, saying, “ initially didn’t know much about copyright, fair use, etc. but became curious after seeing all the lawsuits filed against GenAI companies. When I tried to understand the issue better, I eventually came to the conclusion that fair use seems like a pretty implausible defense for a lot of generative AI products, for the basic reason that they can create substitutes that compete with the data they’re trained on.”
The day prior to the discovery of the OpenAI whistleblower’s death, a court document allegedly identified him in a copyright case filed against the company. OpenAI, in a gesture of good faith, stated that it would review Balaji’s custodial file concerning the copyright issues he raised.
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