Well.. it says.. "when u want something badly, desperately, the whole universe conspires to
help u get that.." I don't know how badly we all wanted OCCKolkata to grow and do well, but
if the way things are progressing and growing has anything to do with our sincerity.. then we
are really doing great as a team to make OCCKol the next best happening meet possible in
Kolkata.
We had our second meet on Saturday, 29th August.
Here's an account how the second meet went :
I started off early as I wanted to reach on time. A slight goof up and I ended up reaching
Park Street almost 1.5 hrs prior to the delayed start.. spent some not-so-cosy time in Oxford
bookstore in the a company of a good-looking babe by my side on the couch, who gave a
irritated look every time I tapped my feet to the rock number that was being played around.
To both of our comfort she left in 15mins, and after 10 more mins, when I was done
with going through the book -"The Director's Mind", I left too, and walked towards PS CCD, with a lot of hope in my mind.
I entered and found it to be more than half-filled, but I knew I was the first one there to
represent OCCKol. In 15 mins, Sumit dropped in.. I was wondering where others are.
Mitesh arrived in around 10mins.. and 3 of us did the initial technical setup work.
Internet was working but the bandwidth sucked big-time.. we focused on having HTML
mode Gmail, and mobile twitter ! Saikat followed soon, and so did the diminutive Sumana !
Promising Prachi, and decked-up Asmita joined in, while Manish and Pawan dropped in for a
short while and left for some work again. PS CCD buzzing with constant footfall, the management wasn't really very amused with folks chatting and discussing with 6 laptops wide open. We had a short discussion with the manager, and after Manish & Pawan returned, Mitesh & Manish went to have a look a Wood St. CCD.
In this phase we had a short discussion (read: debate) on crowd filtering, and HR folks coming
to OCCKol.. We rallied around each others' points and sometime opposed it too. At the end it
wasn't clear who was supporting whose view though… One phone call and we all packed our
stuff and moved our technical *** out of PS CCD.
One thing's for sure, we're not considering PS CCD as a venue anymore.
As we walked into WS. CCD, most of us instantly liked the open air seating, and those
unwilling few who were sulking moving out from the AC interiors soon had a change of mind.
The techies again quickly did the unwinding part of the stuff and configured the network pretty fast, and in 10mins we had wi-fi laptops enjoyin' fast smooth internet access at our leisure !
Then we had a short intro session, where each of us spoke about our work and current
endeavors. As it finished, people started finding allies.. "I have something to discuss wid u",
"Hey, can do u do this n that"... "I think I can send u a link which should help".. were typical
dialogues heard here n there ! As the day progressed, we lost track of time and spent quality time with each other discussing projects, possible helps, each others' past, background, obstacles and goals..
The complete list of people are:
Sanjib, Sumit, Mitesh, Saikat, Sumana, Manish, Pawan, Prachi, Asmita, Amitav, Shougata, Arunava, Bibash, Pankaj.. (I guess I'm missing out on two names..)
Amitav left early, so did Asmita, followed by Manish and Pawan... (the blokes didn't follow
the lady.. they just left in succession :P) Prachi who was later joined by a friend of hers, was
seen having a busy discussion wid Sumit, who was earlier spotted having a cozy chat-time (or
so) with Asmita.. as twitted by Sumana !
Mitesh and I had sporadic discussions about a number of things.. and I discovered a few
things about this upbeat lad.. most interesting of which was his liking for the 50's Bengali
'chart-topper' - "Ei poth jodi naa shesh hoyy" from the 'blockbuster' - "Saptapadi" !
Prachi left around quarter to 9, and Sumana had a friend who called, willing to give her a lift.
We initially didn't want to be 'qabab-mein-haddis', but then joined her in the white Safari on
our way back. Sumana, Sumit, Mitesh, Saikat and I were the last ones to leave.
We had a great day, followed by a better evening. A lot of experiences, exciting enough to
make u comeback for more.
And as Sumit posted in his first-day experience, I now know why it was so, as I too ended up munching a 'lounge-burger' only after 6PM. I was hungry, but OCCKol gave us a lot of food for thought anyway..
OCCKol is rocking already, and I believe come Wednesday Sep' 2nd, it would be an equally
memorable experience, all over again :)
August 31, 2009
August 28, 2009
OCC - Meet II
Hey guys,
As you've already read, the first meet at CCD @ RDB Boulevard was a huge success, and it has made us all the more confident of doing things even better in our 2nd meet.
So what are you thinking ? Drop in at OCC @ CCD Park Street, (opposite KFC) Sat 29 Aug. 11 AM onwards. Just grab your laptops/blackberrys/iphones/smartphones or even your notepad and come over. Write, draw, do anything you want, up to you, just be a part of the most happening meet. Kolkata is all geared up for an informal meet with a lot of purpose over coffee and cake. A lot of people would be looking out for talent.
Be ready for some exciting times..
Professionals from all the tech' and non-tech' fields are invited.
Lets do it guys.. ride the OCC wave, make a better beginning and get used to work over coffee !!
As you've already read, the first meet at CCD @ RDB Boulevard was a huge success, and it has made us all the more confident of doing things even better in our 2nd meet.
So what are you thinking ? Drop in at OCC @ CCD Park Street, (opposite KFC) Sat 29 Aug. 11 AM onwards. Just grab your laptops/blackberrys/iphones/smartphones or even your notepad and come over. Write, draw, do anything you want, up to you, just be a part of the most happening meet. Kolkata is all geared up for an informal meet with a lot of purpose over coffee and cake. A lot of people would be looking out for talent.
Be ready for some exciting times..
Professionals from all the tech' and non-tech' fields are invited.
Lets do it guys.. ride the OCC wave, make a better beginning and get used to work over coffee !!
August 27, 2009
First OCC - A report
I was feverish on Wednesday, so I happened to miss out on the amazing opportunity of being a part of this meet. From what I gathered talking to Sumit and his blog - this is how it went:
Cafe Coffee Day @ RDB Boulevard Salt Lake Sector V was buzzing with people, many of whom even we've never met. About 7 laptops, wifi, coffee, music and more.
There were about 15+ people poured in and went back with an experience which will bring them back many more times. Sounds unbelievable? Well ask them.
Here are the names who walked in:
҂ Sumit Datta (Pixlie)
҂ Saikat Singha (Pixlie)
҂ Prashant Verma (Salt Lake Software)
҂ Pallav Nadhani (InfoSoft Global)
҂ Sumana Chakroborty (pixlie)
҂ Sougata Pal (KonectIt)
҂ Bibhash (Consultant/Freelancer)
҂ Samiran Ghosh (Cognizant)
҂ Mitesh Ashar (Freelancer)
҂ Nitesh Ambuj (E Force)
҂ Pankaj (E Force)
҂ Abishek Rungta (Indus Net Technologies)
҂ Ashmita Brahma (Freelancer)
҂ Nikita Poddar (Cognizant)
҂ Debashish Mohanty (Cognizant)
What came out of this? Well..
» Sumana got freelance creative writing work..
» Sumit came out with the name for a venture that Pallav and Abishek are coming up with.
» Sumit and Mitesh discussed a new project he will be working on with Sumit.
There was some serious work done, awesome fun and as Sumit puts it, he only managed to have his lunch (a chicken burger) at 5 PM!
Cafe Coffee Day @ RDB Boulevard Salt Lake Sector V was buzzing with people, many of whom even we've never met. About 7 laptops, wifi, coffee, music and more.
There were about 15+ people poured in and went back with an experience which will bring them back many more times. Sounds unbelievable? Well ask them.
Here are the names who walked in:
҂ Sumit Datta (Pixlie)
҂ Saikat Singha (Pixlie)
҂ Prashant Verma (Salt Lake Software)
҂ Pallav Nadhani (InfoSoft Global)
҂ Sumana Chakroborty (pixlie)
҂ Sougata Pal (KonectIt)
҂ Bibhash (Consultant/Freelancer)
҂ Samiran Ghosh (Cognizant)
҂ Mitesh Ashar (Freelancer)
҂ Nitesh Ambuj (E Force)
҂ Pankaj (E Force)
҂ Abishek Rungta (Indus Net Technologies)
҂ Ashmita Brahma (Freelancer)
҂ Nikita Poddar (Cognizant)
҂ Debashish Mohanty (Cognizant)
What came out of this? Well..
» Sumana got freelance creative writing work..
» Sumit came out with the name for a venture that Pallav and Abishek are coming up with.
» Sumit and Mitesh discussed a new project he will be working on with Sumit.
There was some serious work done, awesome fun and as Sumit puts it, he only managed to have his lunch (a chicken burger) at 5 PM!
August 26, 2009
Our first OCC in Kolkata
Hello fellows,
Wednesday, August, 26th, 2009 we are kicking off the our first Open Coffee Club in Kolkata.
As my pal Sumit (one of the mainstays of this brilliant effort) has already put it in his blog:
"You may already be aware of OCC. Its simply bringing your work to a casual place, work, meet people, share, get work done, make contacts. Having a common place for everyone to meet is important. The original concept is geared more towards entrepreneurs but we want to keep it wider in meaning and appeal. So any working professional, entrepreneur, consultant or anyone interested can join in. Kolkata is way less active in these aspects and we want to change that. I hope you will find it as interesting as we imagine it to be."
I've expressed my desire to be apart of this wonderful effort and have promised Sumit unconditional support. We all want Kolkata to be at par with all the cities organising OCCs, and through our dedicated and honest approach we're sure to make this an unequivocal success !
The plan and the place:
At the start we wanted to have one date and place, but as you all know, and as Sumit puts it - "Kolkata traffic is a mess". Moreover people from North Kolkata find it difficult travelling all the way to south, and vice versa. We also had to keep in mind that as days pass our attendees would increase. So we had to find a spot which can accommodate the incoming traffic.
After a lot of brainstorming we have initially decided and zeroed on two places, and two days:
Wednesdays 11 AM to 6PM Cafe Coffee Day, Salt Lake Sector V., below RDB Boulevard (which is more or less a fixed venue after the initial success)
and Saturdays 11 AM to 6PM Cafe Coffee Day, Park Street, near Music World, opposite KFC (we are yet to finalise a venue in south central Kolkata, we're trying to have talks with the CCD management)
We've also planned to have another one on Saturday, 29th August @ Cafe Coffee Day, Park Street. Please drop in later to find more about it and also a short report on what happened on our first meet.. Stay tuned.
Thanks.
Read more on Open Coffee Clubs: http://www.opencoffeeclub.org/
Why a fixed venue? Read: http://localglobe.blogspot.com/2007/02/opencoffee-club.html
Wednesday, August, 26th, 2009 we are kicking off the our first Open Coffee Club in Kolkata.
As my pal Sumit (one of the mainstays of this brilliant effort) has already put it in his blog:
"You may already be aware of OCC. Its simply bringing your work to a casual place, work, meet people, share, get work done, make contacts. Having a common place for everyone to meet is important. The original concept is geared more towards entrepreneurs but we want to keep it wider in meaning and appeal. So any working professional, entrepreneur, consultant or anyone interested can join in. Kolkata is way less active in these aspects and we want to change that. I hope you will find it as interesting as we imagine it to be."
I've expressed my desire to be apart of this wonderful effort and have promised Sumit unconditional support. We all want Kolkata to be at par with all the cities organising OCCs, and through our dedicated and honest approach we're sure to make this an unequivocal success !
The plan and the place:
At the start we wanted to have one date and place, but as you all know, and as Sumit puts it - "Kolkata traffic is a mess". Moreover people from North Kolkata find it difficult travelling all the way to south, and vice versa. We also had to keep in mind that as days pass our attendees would increase. So we had to find a spot which can accommodate the incoming traffic.
After a lot of brainstorming we have initially decided and zeroed on two places, and two days:
Wednesdays 11 AM to 6PM Cafe Coffee Day, Salt Lake Sector V., below RDB Boulevard (which is more or less a fixed venue after the initial success)
and Saturdays 11 AM to 6PM Cafe Coffee Day, Park Street, near Music World, opposite KFC (we are yet to finalise a venue in south central Kolkata, we're trying to have talks with the CCD management)
We've also planned to have another one on Saturday, 29th August @ Cafe Coffee Day, Park Street. Please drop in later to find more about it and also a short report on what happened on our first meet.. Stay tuned.
Thanks.
Read more on Open Coffee Clubs: http://www.opencoffeeclub.org/
Why a fixed venue? Read: http://localglobe.blogspot.com/2007/02/opencoffee-club.html
August 25, 2009
Intro: OCC Culture
OCC stands for Open Coffee Club.
Open Coffee Club was introduced in London with the idea to get professional people working together in a casual atmosphere. It inspires innovation, entrepreneurship, network building and helps people get a lot of professional benefits from within the community. Imagine it more as a big open lounge where people come and go, talk to others in their industry, showcase demo’s of what they are working on, save the world, and ultimately maybe get some work done and run a few small meetings.
Features:
We are not treating this as another social networking event. It’s not even an event - it’s a place where internet people come and go for coffee, chat, and a cake. Anyone missing a meet doesn't need to feel depressed. Usually, there’s one every week. Its not imperative to meet everyone at that meet. Sometimes it’s good to meet a few good people and a few in-depth discussions. The whole point is that Open Coffee should feel like a public office for people interested in startups. Sometimes people going to one of the tables and just show some new technology or even what they have been working on to-date. You never know, it might stir some ideas for business partnerships with people or they may be able to match you with people who can help and enhance your offering. Plus, it’s much more fun!
Creating the explosion needs spark and fuel:
There are two overall aspects to this: creating an interest in startup culture (the spark) and then ensuring the financial backing and support network is there (the fuel). I can see the spark slowly igniting – people are nowadays a lot more interested then they were 12 months ago. But, even then, everyone in Kolkata still seem very risk averse – perhaps because of the mentality, the way we generally grow up, what we are taught.. and social stigma ‘failure’ attracts here, not to mention the financial penalties.
I also think many people aren’t prepared for the commitment of working 25 hour days to get your start-up going. That’s not a bad thing, it’s not for everyone. There are OCCs worldwide, and as Ben Metcalfe says, anyone who attends one such meet, compares the effort, they might find people in SanFransisco work much harder and it amazing to know how much more hungry they are for success.
However I do think the lack of fuel is perhaps the more pressing issue. One of the things that needs to happen is for the creation of a better support network. And like any good network it needs good nodes (people, companies) and good connections (events, community, etc).
Journalists, VC’s, and Angels are more than welcome. These guys often have a good perspective on the industry as a whole and are definitely worth talking to in the non-pitch sense. One of the big points with OpenCoffee is to make investment more transparent to entrepreneurs. Investors can also give entrepreneurs really valuable feedback and hopefully in this environment this can happen in a pressure free way.
To sum up the long story, its a casual meet of professionals over coffee and cake, where one can take back home some experience which not only would he treasure throughout his life, but something that would keep pressing him to attend the next meets and be a part of this new global revolution.
Content credit also goes to Saul Klein and Ben Metcalfe.
Open Coffee Club was introduced in London with the idea to get professional people working together in a casual atmosphere. It inspires innovation, entrepreneurship, network building and helps people get a lot of professional benefits from within the community. Imagine it more as a big open lounge where people come and go, talk to others in their industry, showcase demo’s of what they are working on, save the world, and ultimately maybe get some work done and run a few small meetings.
Features:
We are not treating this as another social networking event. It’s not even an event - it’s a place where internet people come and go for coffee, chat, and a cake. Anyone missing a meet doesn't need to feel depressed. Usually, there’s one every week. Its not imperative to meet everyone at that meet. Sometimes it’s good to meet a few good people and a few in-depth discussions. The whole point is that Open Coffee should feel like a public office for people interested in startups. Sometimes people going to one of the tables and just show some new technology or even what they have been working on to-date. You never know, it might stir some ideas for business partnerships with people or they may be able to match you with people who can help and enhance your offering. Plus, it’s much more fun!
Creating the explosion needs spark and fuel:
There are two overall aspects to this: creating an interest in startup culture (the spark) and then ensuring the financial backing and support network is there (the fuel). I can see the spark slowly igniting – people are nowadays a lot more interested then they were 12 months ago. But, even then, everyone in Kolkata still seem very risk averse – perhaps because of the mentality, the way we generally grow up, what we are taught.. and social stigma ‘failure’ attracts here, not to mention the financial penalties.
I also think many people aren’t prepared for the commitment of working 25 hour days to get your start-up going. That’s not a bad thing, it’s not for everyone. There are OCCs worldwide, and as Ben Metcalfe says, anyone who attends one such meet, compares the effort, they might find people in SanFransisco work much harder and it amazing to know how much more hungry they are for success.
However I do think the lack of fuel is perhaps the more pressing issue. One of the things that needs to happen is for the creation of a better support network. And like any good network it needs good nodes (people, companies) and good connections (events, community, etc).
Journalists, VC’s, and Angels are more than welcome. These guys often have a good perspective on the industry as a whole and are definitely worth talking to in the non-pitch sense. One of the big points with OpenCoffee is to make investment more transparent to entrepreneurs. Investors can also give entrepreneurs really valuable feedback and hopefully in this environment this can happen in a pressure free way.
To sum up the long story, its a casual meet of professionals over coffee and cake, where one can take back home some experience which not only would he treasure throughout his life, but something that would keep pressing him to attend the next meets and be a part of this new global revolution.
Content credit also goes to Saul Klein and Ben Metcalfe.
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