From 1 to 11 September 2026, the Hochschule der Wirtschaft für Management (HdWM) in Mannheim welcomed a group of students and accompanying faculty from Chitkara University, Punjab, India for the HdWM Indian Summer Programme 2026 – ten enriching days of academic learning, cultural exploration, and cross-border friendship.
Participants arrived at Frankfurt Airport on 1 September and were welcomed to campus the following morning by Prof. Dr. Dolores Sanchez Bengoa, who opened the programme with an introduction to HdWM and an overview of the sessions ahead. The academic programme covered a broad and relevant range of topics: Understanding How Systems and Groups Work (Prof. Dr. Esther Stroe-Kunold), Presentation Skills (Muge Akoglanoglu, MA), Cross-Cultural Communication (Prof. Dr. Dolores Sanchez Bengoa), Leadership and AI (Prof. Dr. Hans Rüdiger Kaufmann), and a closing Course Reflection and Welfare Certificate session.
Beyond the classroom, the programme offered a rich mix of cultural and regional experiences. Participants explored Mannheim on foot with a guided city walking tour, visited the Kunsthalle Mannheim art museum, and took a refreshing afternoon swimming in a natural lake. A walking tour and visit to Heidelberg Castle gave participants a taste of one of Germany's most iconic historic sites. The group also spent a morning in Frankfurt, discovering the city's skyline and financial district on a guided tour.
Two of the programme's most memorable moments came mid-week: a company visit to John Deere offered valuable insight into the operations of a global industrial giant, while a visit to the Automuseum Dr. Carl Benz in Ladenburg brought the history of the automobile — and its deep connection to the Mannheim region — to life. The programme closed on Thursday evening with a gathering at a traditional German Biergarten, a fitting and convivial send-off before the group's departure from Frankfurt Airport on 11 September.
We are proud to have hosted such an enthusiastic and engaged group from Chitkara University. HdWM looks forward to continuing and deepening this valued partnership and to welcoming many more students from India to Mannheim in the future.
HdWM
