April is the start of a new financial year. It is also the month of Gudi Padwa / Ugadi which many of us observe as the New Year. In this month of New Year, we come to a fresh start with some fresh ideas from our friends who have breathed much fresher air than us. Varde kaka-kaki joined us at our last meet and were delightfully our hosts for this meet (and may be a few more as well). Not to bring out the age difference, but with an age variance of over 4 decades, a meet happens with positive discussions, is in itself an highlight worth noting.
Over a dozen GSBs gathered for this meet, which was more of a carry forward of our discussion from last meet along with some new ideas. Everyone had already become comfortable and much at home before we entered into the discussion; however for a formal gathering, we had a quick round of introductions and entered into the discussions. Various ideas and thoughts came forward and were channelized into positive plans for action. Sharing all the discussions in detail would be too lengthy for page, so here is a gist of what was noted:
- Maha GSB aims to act as the bridge between GSB groups and the GSB by creating a network bond, thereby strengthening and working towards betterment of the society. This will help in perpetuating the origin and cultural uniqueness to the future generations.
- One meet per month, preferably on a fixed day (eg: second Saturday of every month) was proposed along with the suggestion of developing an event calendar. It would help planning, execution and promotion. (as this discussion happened in Pune, we are planning a roll-out in Pune. Mumbai may soon follow)
- Monthly meets were proposed to have a two-fold agenda. The first being an activity ranging from treks to summer camps or outings to talks from eminent personalities; followed by discussions and talks regarding further plans and actions. Thus, the meets would have involvement as well as bonding.
- It was also proposed and accepted that meets need happen at various places across Pune (and Mumbai), so that participation from all areas can happen. Further as group builds, we can have local networks as well.
- Seniors have always been a guiding lamp for us. Under their able guidance, need to inspire the upcoming generation into this network. That will help grow and sustain the network and our culture.
- All present were quite pleased with the interactions and the overall experience that it was unanimously suggested that we should share our experience with our GSB contacts and encourage them to attend a meet.
With so much of food for thought, we need some good food for our taste buds (some say that's a GSB trait). And it was answered with some lusciosuly soft dhoklas and sipping hot tea, thanks again to our wonderful hosts. With this we concluded the meet, agreeing to look forward for more fun packed meets ahead. And then we spent an hour talking about other things. While the meet concluded, there is a team of planning and execution, putting together ideas for upcoming months.
- based on inputs from Pooja Vengurlekar
If you have any ideas or if you feel you are good at execution, we look forward to your participation. Or if you are better at enjoying events, we still have something for you. In either case, do join us for our next meet. To know more and to participate, email us as mahagsb@googlegroups.com or feel free to call Ashutosh (9820992403). You can also join us on facebook to get regular updates of our events.
