All my travel to India over the years have been for short durations, so this one was a bit different as I had to make some extra prep to be gone for a longer duration. But I had greater flexibility to squeeze in things that I otherwise would have skipped.
Within a couple of days of my arrival in Chennai I headed off to Bangalore to attend TGS – the annual investment summit conducted by TiE and an occasion to meet friends, fellow entrepreneurs, investors and academics. The highlight this year was the eclectic mix of business, technology and culture – with representation from the world of cinema, arts and literature and music.
An entire day was devoted to Cultural entrepreneurship in the beautiful campus of Infosys Mysore, showcasing the success stories of how mega businesses have been built based on skills of village and rural artisans (ex: Cycle Agarbathis) and which aim to benefit this demographic, preserve culture and yet make the businesses economically viable and successful.
The evenings were spent in wonderful locations such as the Mysore Maharajah’s Palace grounds
It had been a long held desire amongst my India based team to go on a retreat. After some quick deliberations, a bunch of us decided to do it. We wish more of our team had joined but we went ahead with our plans to go with whoever could join.
We stayed in a beautiful resort by the lake in a picturesque setting. When we asked for our rooms, we were pointed to a tree, shockingly! The shock turned into a surprise when we were led to luxurious accommodations disguised on the outside to look like a giant, rustic tree and shrubs.
Our first stop was at the Dubare elephant camp. It was delightful to see a whole herd of elephants in as natural a surrounding as possible, being fed, being led to drink water and to be able to play with some of them.
The evenings were spent playing games, sitting and chatting by the fire and enjoying live music at the resort. The camaraderie and the bonding that develops in such settings is quite remarkable. We learnt things about each other – our skills, interests and personalities that we don’t get to see normally.
Coorg is known for its coffee and spices. We had the opportunity to visit a coffee plantation and get a tour. The guide’s amazing knowledge of the different kinds of coffee, his passion for the coffee business and natural pride of the quality of the beans in his native Coorg left a definite impression. He was quite the salesman too and ensured we loaded up on the different flavors available at the store !
We stopped by at a temple at the origin of the river Cauvery. As the night was winding down, one of our newest and youngest members started a conversation with the driver of a jeep that just drove into the resort. I was watching, somewhat concerned with what she was doing. Before I realized what was happening, she had already convinced the jeep driver to take us all out on a late night safari into the jungle! Little could I do to resist when everyone else seemed excited about the adventure.
So reluctantly I joined on what must rank as one of the wildest, daring drives I have ever had (and I have gone on a few daring drives – taken my Porsche on a track, and been on a sand safari in a jeep). This ended up being the most exciting part of the entire trip. I have challenged the youngster to show the same daring and hustle when it comes to building products, picking up conversations with customers and delivering solutions. The jeep ride is going to be an excellent reminder. There are business lessons in every experience!.
The adventure didn’t stop there. At the next stop the next morning, we had another unplanned adventure segway. Between the choices of a slow paddle boat ride vs a faster speed boat ride, the team’s choice was obvious. You guessed it. Speedboating it was. The good thing is it was all professionally run, with all the safety gear and precautions being followed. Another lesson learned – be spontaneous and take risks but let them be calculated risks and be well prepared.
On a softer note, I was touched by the care and affection shown by the team to ensure I was safe as the most senior and oldest in the group (though I felt and wanted to act and prove I was a youngster at par with them – exemplified by my joining their tree climbing expedition next, much to the horror of a senior executive in my team!). The team members taking care of each other was a sweet takeaway from the trip.
So in summary – the retreat was a nice getaway to unwind, relax, reenergize and bond! The memories from the trip will last a long time. As soon as I returned to Chennai, it was back to business starting with a podcast on my journey as an entrepreneur which I obviously sprinkled details of the retreat with!
