Participants at the get-together, Photo by Arya Ankushrao.
The alumni of the Indo-German Media Network (IGMN) and the Bosch Alumni Network (BAN) gathered on 29 November 2025 at the Mumbai Press Club for a joint meetup. Around 20 members attended the event, which focused on diplomacy, trade and media under the theme “Building media competence: Reporting between India and Germany in an Age of Disruption”.
The workshop was divided into three thematic sessions: The programme opened with a session on diplomacy and trade. Natalie Mayroth introduced participants to the origins of the IGMN and its evolution over the years as a platform for reporting on Indo-German cooperation and exchange. Mayroth also moderated the first panel, “Tracking India-German Business Relations”, and introduced the speakers Denise Eichhorn from the Indo-German Chamber of Commerce and Florian Wenke from Germany Trade and Invest (GTAI).
In his address, Wenke explained that free trade agreement restrictions had long contributed to limited business growth between India and Germany. This dynamic began to shift during the Covid-19 pandemic, when lockdowns restricted travel to South-East Asia, particularly China. In this context, the Indian market proved conducive to sustaining trade activities. Germany’s demand for services and production complements India’s expanding market, creating a mutually beneficial environment for both countries.
Chaitanya Marpakwar, Florian Wenke, Denise Eichhorn and Natalie Mayroth at the Mumbai Press Club, Photo by Arya Ankushrao.
Denise Eichhorn, in her remarks, highlighted the nuanced relationship between India and Germany in terms of mobility and migration. Germany’s growing demand for highly skilled professionals has generated strong interest among Indian workers seeking global career opportunities. While this fuels optimism about deeper economic and professional integration, challenges remain, including visa procedures, language requirements and limited cultural familiarity.
Responding to these observations, Natalie Mayroth noted that communication gaps often lead to misinformation. She emphasized the need for more unified and transparent channels of information to strengthen the mobility corridor between India and Germany and to benefit both economies.
Consul General, Christoph Hallier took office as the Consul General in Mumbai in July 2025, Photo by Arya Ankushrao.
The second session, “Germany’s Engagement with India”, featured the German Consul General in Mumbai, Christoph Hallier. Introducing the session, Chaitanya Marpakwar invited Hallier to map economic relations between Germany and key Indian states such as Maharashtra, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. In his opening remarks, Hallier stressed the need to streamline economic engagement strategies and pointed out that the potential of German business in India remains underrepresented. Strengthening commercial practices, he argued, would help realize this potential. Amid global challenges ranging from climate change to pandemics, shared interests between India and Germany could help overcome common obstacles. One way to advance cooperation, Hallier noted, would be to “raise curiosity about the cultures of both countries”.
Interaction at the event, Photo by Arya Ankushrao.
The third session featured members of the BAN and IGMN sharing their experiences from the India-Germany media landscape. Lena Töpler spoke about the difficulty of drawing the attention of German editors to pressing cultural issues in India. Harikishan Sharma shared how a story on a German woman Friederike Irina Brunning, known as Sudevi Dasi, running a cowshed in Mathura, published in a national daily, eventually contributed to her receiving the Padma Shri. Roli Srivastava, co-founder of the digital platform The Migration Story, highlighted the often underreported issue of climate-induced internal migration.
Chaitanya Marpakwar concluded by announcing that further events are planned for 2026 to mark the tenth anniversary of the Indo-German Media Network. The programme ended with informal conversations over drinks and dinner on the terrace of the Mumbai Press Club.
Author: Dilpreet Bhullar
Photos: Arya Ankushrao