Frankfurt

After taking over as the Consul General of India five months back, Taranjit Singh Sandhu is mostly settled in his Frankfurt posting. “I should really learn a little German, though. It will prove helpful,” he says as he talks about the city that is his home for now.

For Sandhu, who has been posted in various parts of the world such as Russia, Ukraine, Sri Lanka and the United States of America earlier, the cosmopolitan nature of Frankfurt actually came as a surprise.“The international character of the city and its liveliness took me by surprise. I have travelled to many parts of Germany and such liveliness can be experienced in very few areas. It is something that makes the city more interesting,” he says. The second surprise was the cold. “The weather did come as a surprise. I did expect it to be a little warmer.”

As the Consul General, Sandhu is responsible for the political and economic cooperation, trade and investment promotion, cultural interaction and scientific cooperation in bilateral and multilateral contexts between India and the states of Hessen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland.

“My stay in Frankfurt has been a very positive experience so far. In my experience, the people here are aware of India’s potential in the filed of academics, trade and business. They are also quite interested in Indian culture. There is a significant interest in Bollywood and Indian movies, especially,” he says. During his tenure as the Consul General, Sandhu hopes to increase collaboration between India and Germany in the fields of science and technology, education, vocational training and trade. “We are planning to hold India Days in Frankfurt in the month of May. While there will certainly be focus on Indian culture and traditions, we be looking especially at exchanges in education and trade opportunities between the two countries,” he says.

The German focus on thoroughness and their attention to detail is something that Sandhu commends. “It is because of this thoroughness that German products are so highly regarded world over. In terms of trade, the two countries stand a very good chance of having meaningful relationship as India has a rapidly growing economy and a huge market that can easily absorb quality German products,” he says. But he also agrees that there is a need for German countries to market their quality products more aggressively

Living in Kelkheim – a little outside Frankfurt – Sandhu also appreciates the focus the people have on greenery and environment. “Just as you move out of the city limits you start to see big wind mills. Germany is harnessing green energy, something that can be very useful in the coming years,” he says.

While he believes that the family oriented approach is common to the two countries, the biggest difference is in the work culture.

“The established system is not disturbed here and work is done very methodically and rationally, while people in India are at times more spontaneous. But there is a lot of potential to have long standing relations between the two countries in the near future. There is a lot to learn and gain from each other,” he says.