As the year drew to a close, our teams, hailing from Technical Documentation, UX/UI, and Shared Services, eagerly embraced the opportunity for a team outing. Thirty-one spirited creators, working under Shantha Kumar, embarked on an adventure to foster connections, laughter, and memories. Young and enthusiastic creators are a blessing in every team. They jumped in and looked various options including Yelagiri, Yercaud and many other places where our major criteria was both Chennai and Bangalore teams should join together. The destination chosen was CS Grand, nestled near Dharmapuri, strategically located 120 kilometers from our Bangalore office and 280 kilometers from Chennai office. Ganesh, Gokul, Prasad and a few others played a major role in finalizing the venue within a short time.
December 1st marked the commencement of our journey, with 15 Bangaloreans in three cars and 16 Chennaites in four cars. There were releases from many creators and many of them didn’t get a good sleep. But, the joy of meeting everyone and having some good time was above all these. En route, a delightful stop for breakfast brought us together over steaming plates of idly, dosa, vada, and an array of delectable treats. Around 11 – 12 noon, all the members reached the place. Upon arrival, the warm welcome at CS Grand set the tone for a remarkable outing. Each participant received a welcome drink and a seashell necklace, and the beauty of the place unfolded before us. The weather, a perfect blend of sunshine and clouds, provided an ideal backdrop for the memorable weekend ahead.
We got some rooms, a suite room, a tree house (more accurately wooden houses) and a dormitory. Dormitory itself was enough for us to stay and we realized the quality of the rooms only after reaching there. Accommodations exceeded expectations, with clean and spacious rooms that exuded a great ambiance. Some of the creators started posing for photos with the beautiful sceneries behind and some others were playing cards and the excitement of meeting in person between Bangalore and Chennai teams – There is always a lot to talk 😊
After checking in, the day kicked off with football, cricket, and lively chit-chat sessions. The young creators were having a lot of energy and enthusiasm, which is natural during these games. Even the veterans showed a lot of energy and spirit which is what it made a lot more fun. After that, we went for our lunch. Lunch, though not extravagant, offered a delicious respite. Not sure, if we were tired and I always believe in this fact – If we are tired, the food taste is having only 3 categories – Good, Better, Best!
After lunch, we took a small rest/nap and charged up for various rope related activities. Not everyone tried everything as there were around 23 rope activities with the safety gears. Except for one activity, rest all were manageable for me and that specific one requires a lot of endurance, hand strength etc. Felt good after completing everything which was followed by a zip line. After effect – I realized post 1-2 days, as my abs, forearm and biceps were paining a lot. Most of the veterans who completed would have felt happy as we were able to give some competition to the Young Turks with boiling blood. Sagar was outstanding as he completed the entire thing in some 20 minutes and Sreeram showed us the way by doing everything first. Shantha led from the front by completing everything and proving the importance of fitness in day-to-day life and Pavana completed the entire activities without any help. Divya and Thebika also completed most of the activities which were commendable. Our photographers captured a lot of candid moments – laugher, tiredness, happiness, achievement, fun etc. during this period.
Then we went for a refreshing dip in the swimming pool – Man, that was amazing again. Had such a good time in the pool with the ball passing game. Everyone enjoyed the game and it was nice to see the strategies creators were having in winning the game. We were divided into 2 teams and had multiple games and spent some good quality and fun time there. The poolside games revealed not only the strategic minds within the team but also the sheer joy of collective participation. Some of us went to freshen up early and others spent a lot of time inside the pool. It was clean water and with the lights all around, it was a good experience.
After the pool dip, we were in various groups again till dinner. There were some games suggested by Shantha and Ganesh. I liked both the games. Shantha’s game was about some 20 people sitting in circle and each one telling their name and what they had for dinner the previous day. The next person needs to repeat all the people till him and add his part as well. It was nice to see, some of the young creators, how they are arranging logically in their memory and fetching it back effortlessly. Everyone got to know everyone’s name with less effort. Ganesh’s game was fun again, where there is some silly logic which people had to crack. People who understood the logic, it was fun and others it was a pain as it progressed.
Had some good dinner. Loved the live dosa and omlette counter there. Though they had a lot of varieties, I just had very limited food. Got some time to have some conversations and chit chat till we slept.
Day 2 – December 2nd dawned with tea, coffee, and a hearty breakfast. Again they had the live counter and other varieties for breakfast. Post breakfast, cricket, badminton, walks, and ongoing photo sessions added charm to the morning. Then the most interesting part came – Team building activities. There were 5 activities and each required a lot of coordination between team members. Personally, I liked this a lot majorly because – we had a lot of young creators in the team who are just kick starting their careers. It was nice to gel with them through these activities and celebrate small wins or small losses together. I think creators who are artists, they will be having ‘Ideas Overloaded’ always 😊 as it was evident in our team. Jags climbed to a rope activity location and clicked some candid photos of the activity, craine shots.
As the day unfolded, we bid farewell to Pavana, celebrating her move from Chennai to 'Namma Ooru - Bengaluru.' Now she can enjoy the dust and the traffic block which might not have been there in Chennai. But on a serious note – Bangalore is one place which is so much receptive. It doesn’t expect you to speak Kannada, most of the people are polyglots and will give you 5 language options for you to speak. Amidst team-building activities, strategic discussions, and laughter, the outing came to an end. The return journey was accompanied by shared stories, laughter, and a stop for lunch. Our retreat to CS Grand will forever remain etched in our memories as a pinnacle experience, a testament to the joy of teamwork, shared victories, and the bonds formed beyond office walls. Here's to more adventures, laughter, and camaraderie in the days to come!
End to an amazing team outing which I will rank as ‘top of my list’ without any doubt.
