Management Students engage with villagers in Velneshwar

THANE, India - March 13, 2018 - PRLog -- With an aim to encourage the students to experience the rural life and also to facilitate rural research, VPM's Dr. V. N. Bedekar Institute Of Management Studies (DR VN BRIMS) organized a rural immersion project for the First Year MMS Students, a 4 day tour to the village of Velneshwar in the Konkan region of Maharashtra.

The Konkan region of Maharashtra and especially Ratnagiri is a steadily developing district with a major focus on tourism, agro-processing industries, and fishing. Velneshwar is a small village in the Guhagar Taluka, with a population of over 5000; this coastal village is known for its pristine beach and a famous Shiva temple frequently visited by pilgrims.

Speaking on the rural immersion project, Dr. Nitin Joshi, Director – DR VN BRIMS said "Our aim was to stimulate the young minds to 'Go Rural, Think Rural & Understand Rural Potential'. The study will enable our students to analyze and derive creative mechanisms for application in the areas of rural healthcare, education, infrastructure, finance and an overall rural development model for India."

Adding to this thought Dr. Vijay Bedekar, Chairman – Vidya Prasarak Mandal (VPM) Thane said "The urban citizens are now seeking peace and tranquility that the villages offer. A researched and well-thought of development plan can become a positive step towards the sustainable progress of the rural region"

The 19 students, lead by two faculties from DR VN BRIMS, did not limit their study to Velneshwar. They visited the surrounding villages in Guhagar Taluka like Palshet, Hedvi and Vadadai. To understand in detail about the village development, the infrastructure, water & power supply mechanism, implementation of various government policies and the rural economy, the students visited and interacted with the Sarpanch at Joint Gram Panchayat of Velneshwar and Vadadai, Manager of the Union Bank in Palshet, Sub-Post Master of the Velneshwar Post Office, MSEB Officer of the Taluka and also interacted with FMCG distributor, shopkeepers, grocers and buyers in the local market. The major economic drivers in Velneshwar are fishing and agriculture. In order to understand and strategize on the development of the village, the group also conducted a Tourism Potential review and as part of the research, they met the Manager of the MTDC Resort located on the cliff overlooking the beach. They also met the owner of a 3-Star Beach Resort, who provided an in-depth understanding on the potential of the village to emerge as a preferred tourist destination among families, backpackers and young travelers from Mumbai, Pune and also foreign nationals who visit India.

Dr. Guruprasad Murthy – Director General, DR VN BRIMS said "Unlike traditional immersion projects, this visit was made interactive and engaging to aid holistic knowledge creation and application"

Education is the backbone for the development of any village and Velneshwar does not lack far behind. The MMS students visited New English School; a secondary school equipped with a computer and science lab and also visited the Gram Panchayat Primary School. The findings from interaction with the School Principals were quite enlightening and also highlight the challenges faced by these schools to create awareness on the need of higher education, to sustain standards of the school and maintain the quality of education.

The 4-day tour was educating but the students also took time to visit the famous Temple at Ganapati Pule, Jaigad Fort and the Jaigad Lighthouse.

The team stayed at the VPM's Maharshi Parshuram College Of Engineering, a modern higher education Institute developed on the periphery of the Velneshwar village. The Institute boasts of a fully equipped solar facility which the students got an opportunity to visit and understand the roof-top solar mechanism. On the last day, the students were addressed by Dr. Avinash Chincholkar, Principal of Maharshi Parshuram College Of Engineering. Through his experience, Dr. Chincholkar highlighted the challenges for higher education in the rural areas, difficulty in sourcing the right resource persons, good talent and how in spite of all such roadblocks, their college has created a standard in terms of student turnover, quality educations and success that reflects in the achievements of their students. Post their visit, the students have begun working on creating an Immersion Project report and also sustainable models for the development of the village.

As brands have begun to set the pace to aggressively capitalize in the rural markets, understanding of the potential of this segment becomes quite vital. A rural immersion project is a once-in-lifetime experience and provides an opportunity for students to practically learn and sensitize about the rural life and put to use their management knowledge in various dimensions that can bring productivity and uplift the villages.