Something would be amiss if I don’t mention that I was kind of breathless when I shook hands directly with the team members at the reception hall at Church Street Socials in Bangalore.
I wasn’t uncomfortable about anything but meeting them in person and being acknowledged directly by them invoked a sense of motivation and worth in me. In my perspective that’s the core message that the chapter meets are trying to put into action.
The selection of the venue and time for the Vahani Bangalore Chapter couldn’t be more appropriate. I think the intention was to make us gather in a region that felt similar to our natives, where we felt most comfortable.
The evening vibes brought out the essence of the closeness of a big family gathering over snacks to talk to each other about their lives, challenges, achievements, etc. The little bits of humorous and embarrassing moments we shared added more happiness to the meet.
Despite the amazing selection of place and time, I think in the end it was the Vahani values that we adore and represent that brought meaning and a sense of belonging among ourselves.
The Chapter Meets allow us to have deeper conversations than just the usual greetings. Even for an introvert like me, it didn’t take much time to open up to everyone even though it was my first time meeting them in person. That’s simply how comfortable all of them made me there.
I came to know about scholars who study near me, their natives, courses, struggles and a vague idea of who they are as a person.
The Meets are one of the ways Vahani cares for us. The team talking to us about our challenges in small cozy conversations and guiding us through them means a lot to us as scholars.
Also, the meets are placed amid the major workshops since it will be too long a gap to get updated with just two workshops every year.
We came as a group when it came to forming memories by capturing photos. Batch mates, seniors, the team and the mentors too. The team reiterated the importance of what it means to be a Vahani scholar.
It was over too soon but left a lasting memory to reminisce. The Chapter meets are small and it’s the small but important things that make them uniquely special. I long for the many Chapter Meets yet to come.
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