Today I got the chance to see many different sides of Indian culture. We first visited a company called Alpine Knits which has a factory where knit goods are made for sale in Germany for a label called Tom Tailor. It was very interesting and informative to see their facilities as they are a heavily vertically integrated factory. They can start with dyed yarn and literally make the product from beginning to end including packaging. Their facilities are extremely clean and we even took our shoes off when entering the offices and conference room. There were several motivational signs (see attached pictures) which I thought were nice and clever. The german company Tom Tailor has a longstanding relationship with Alpine Knits and it is evident that they check up on their Indian partners regularly by the looks of how clean and well run the operation is.
Later in the day after a very long lunch filled with fun and laughter we went to a temple here in Coimbatore dedicated to the Hindu god Murugan, a popular Tamil deity. We also were required to remove our shoes and make the trek up the stairs to the temple which resides on top of a mountain. The beautiful temple adorned with color and incense was a very spiritual experience. We got to partake in the traditional blessing ceremony and gave offerings in exchange for a bindi which is a small dot of red and yellow on our foreheads, symbolic of a blessing. Our cabdriver Santosh led us through the ceremony and educated us about the affair.
I have come to realize that India is a place of great tolerance. They have so many languages, religions, cultures and peoples yet they seem to accept one and other openly and peacefully. They have also shown us great acceptance as foreigners in their country and let us into some of their traditions. If only the entire world could take a hint from the Indian people…
Tom Ellingham
sign at Alpine Knit factory
Motivational Signs at Alpine Knit
Sign at Alpine Knit
Sign at Alpine Knit
I too was amazed at today’s experience. We got to see the good and the bad of the whole factory and labor experience. I was impressed at the vertically integrated Alpine Knit factory, and the amount of processes that took place to create the garment from start to finish. The workers, from what I understand, are well taken care of. In addition, the facilities were pretty regulated and apparently the relationship they’ve established with Tom Tailor is a beneficial one, on both ends.
Visiting the temple was also quite the experience and one we can say that very few will get share. Although I knew very little about what was going on, having the chance to experience such a sacred moment and being welcomed into the temple with such grace, especially shown by our driver and others worshipping, was impressive and an honor. I can’t wait to see what Ooty has to offer tomorrow! Good night all