As a part of the curriculum at MICA, the Ahmedabad-based B-school, students recently embarked on a Rural Immersion Programme in different parts of the country. 

The programme aims to educate the students about various grassroots issues faced by villagers and gives them a platform to interact and engage with organisations working towards the betterment of these communities. 

The programme also has secondary benefits, in which students acclimatise to rural life and learn how people in villages function. The aim of the course is to create a knowledge base for students to understand and embark on rural marketing efforts, as the industry is shifting focus towards Tier II, Tier III cities and rural areas.

This year MICA tied up with several organisations such as Sewa, Jaipur Rugs, Unicef, Adani Foundation, Swades Foundation and others. The students were given branding and communication projects and required to stay in rural settings for two weeks.

Mini Mathur, the faculty-in-charge for the programme, says, “The Rural Immersion Programme is a small step towards sensitising budding marketers to rural India. Lower overall resources, but strength in terms of pooling resources, confidence, love and respect, is what our students witnessed during this programme.”