Taraya Srivilas is the only foreigner in her batch of 63 students at the Department of Management Studies of Dayananda Sagar College of Engineering where she has been pursuing MBA under VTU. However, she gets along well with her classmates because of her fluency in English and her friendly nature.

But that was not the case when she arrived in the City for the first time.

She found it difficult to understand Indian accent and people could not understand what she said because of her Thai accent.  So she had to join an English-speaking course before going for MBA. Before coming to the City, Taraya was working in customer support service in a Thai company. She left her job to continue her education in management studies.

Her mother had graduated from one of the universities in Jaipur. Taraya continued the legacy of her mother by selecting India but she preferred Bangalore.

Taraya says she finds many similarities between Thailand and India. “Thailand has been influenced by Indian literature, culture, tradition and mythology. These apart, we share another similar factor —  corruption. Thankfully, a wave of change is evolving in both countries and young people have been taking a crucial part in movements against corruption, which is a good omen,” she says. She has high regard for  Bhumibol Adulyadej, the King of Thailand. “We love our King and pray for his long life,” she says. 
 
Like any other foreigner, food was a problem for her. “Since I couldn’t have the spicy Indian food, I’ve started cooking on my own. As the ingredients of Thai and Indian food are common, cooking Thai food is very easy here. I love seafood very much but fish meat is a bit costly in Bangalore. As I have Thai cuisine every day, I seldom visit restaurants,” Taraya reveals.

During free time, she goes shopping along with her friends to Mantri Mall, Forum Mall and M G Road. She also visits temples, mainly Iskcon and Shiva Temple, Kemp Fort.

“Bangalore and Bangkok share similar concerns like massive traffic jam, air and noise pollution and increasing crime rate. Still Bangkok is way ahead of Bangalore in terms of infrastructure, public transport and cleanliness. In Bangalore, garbage is thrown on roadside and people don’t use public toilets. If you are a foreigner or new to the City, auto drivers charge you extra. The bus connectivity is not good at many places. But people here are very nice and co-operative.”

Taraya recently joined a yoga class. “While in Thailand, I used to practise yoga, but as it originated in India, I thought of learning from an Indian guru. India, being the birth place of Buddha, is a holy place for us. Buddha practised non-violence through thought, word and deed. India’s contribution to world peace is immense and I hope both the countries join hands to build a world on the principles of love and co-operation devoid of any wars and invasion,” she signs off.