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Prime Minister Narendra Modi's globetrotting often puts visits to India by his counterparts from other countries in the shade. With, of course, the notable exception of US President Barack Obama's time in India.

Now, German Chancellor Angela Merkel is in the country – for the first time the Narendra Modi administration took over. And she has made her intent clear by announcing that it's 'business first' during this trip. With Modi having visited Germany in April 2015, this is the second opportunity for the two leaders to discuss bilateral engagement in areas like education, renewable energy, skill development, science and technology, railways, water and waste management, urban development and agriculture.

But Modi may have to draw on all his persuasive skills to encourage German investment in India. In a recent survey conducted by BBC World Services, Germany, China and Pakistan were found to be the three most negative countries about India. Forty-six per cent of respondents from Germany had a negative view of India – behind only China (47 per cent) and Pakistan (48 per cent) – while just 32 per cent were positive, which was, however, 10 percentage points higher than in the 2009 survey.

To be sure, trade between the two countries is robust, amounting to nearly €16 billion ($17.9 billion) in 2014, making Germany India's leading trade partner in Europe. However, this figure has actually declined marginally over the past three years.

A matter of greater sensitivity might be the German auto company Volkswagen's recent admission to cheating on emission norms. While the Indian authorities have ordered an enquiry, the country has been a sizeable market for Volkswagen, which has set up a manufacturing partnership with India under the 'Make in India' campaign. Merkel may find herself answering awkward questions on the subject.

The German Chanellor is also looking to identify Indian talent for her country. This too has been mired controversy: in March 2015, an Indian student was denied internship by a German professor at Leipzig University, who stated that he doesn't accept Indian male students for the programme. "We hear a lot about the rape problem in India which I cannot support. I have many female students in my group, so I think this is something I cannot support,” he said. This incident sparked great outrage among Indian professionals living in Germany and India.

"The visit will not be just about what German business can do for India. It will equally be about what Indian talent can do for Germany. This, perhaps, explains Ms Merkel's decision to visit Bengaluru," writes Sanjay Baru for The Hindu. "Germany is seeking students and professionals from India and is advertising that English-speaking Indians can, in fact, get along quite easily in contemporary Germany," he adds.

That's where a real opportunity may lie for young Indians.