For the first time in my life I missed the Olympics Opening. And I’m glad. Watching the Queen jump from the sky wouldn’t be much of a rush as compared to watching young passionate entrepreneurs free falling, bungee jumping, paragliding, parasailing…. basically just Rodinhooding!
Look at this pic – this, to me, is INDIA SHINING!
If you were present here, you would’ve felt the energy – vibrant, eager to soak in, hungry to share, even more hungry to learn. Heck, I felt an adrenaline surge … a collective wave of enthusiasm. Wouldn’t be surprised if my vitals were on the high side! Wouldn’t be surprised if I was not the only one who felt this way…
Rodinhooding is infectious!
Our venue is perfect. Not humongous. Not squeezed. Just perfect. Yes, the blessings of the beautiful 200-seater NSE Auditorium that hosts our monthly Open House adds to the charm! [Many many thanks to NSE and Akancha, who made this happen.] Take my word for it, when it’s near full, like it was that day, it really rocks!!
In fact, Abhijeet from NSE was a part of the evening, and was happy to share that ever since the Rodinhoods Open Houses have started, they’ve been getting a lot of enquiries!
The ‘perfect’ auditorium!
So the presentations went off well – we craved for more Q & A time, which is why the format has been tweaked. You’ve already read about the awesomeness of each presentation via Alok’s post. I’ll just mention a few things that are etched in my memory.
Rodinhooding is rewarding!
I’ve known Deven for 6+ years and was happy to watch him defend his mission to spread kindness with utmost sincerity. What touched me, was the way Kanchan promptly committed 2 tickets to ‘startup kindness’ [+2 for Rodinhooders] to every TiE event! [what most of you don’t know, is that Kanchan actually moved an important event around to ensure he was in town to attend the Open House on 27th July!!!]
Where else do you find such spontaneity, such crowd wisdom, such willingness to share & contribute?
[I also happened to meet Kanchan over coffee the next day. And he totally surprised me by showing the notes he’d taken down during the Open House to HELP EACH AND EVERY PRESENTER! Though he hasn’t been able to write a post on his suggestions, I believe one entrepreneur duo has already sought some strategic advice from him.]
Rodinhooding is entertaining!
On the KejriWall someone remarked that some presenter’s slides looked so drab. Well there’s a difference between seeing a picture and watching a Rodinhooder live in action!
Vishal Gupta is a great example to mention here. What took me by complete surprise was Vishal’s down- to-earth, straight from the heart, matter-of-factly approach. He had the entire audience in splits, rolling on the floor and eating out of his hand!
video courtesy: Mandar Joshi
Rodinhooding is expecting the unexpected!
By now, everybody knows Vasu. And everybody loves Vasu. He’s so excited when he speaks, you’d think he’s running out of oxygen! He’s passionate and earnest. And every time he comes all the way from Coimbatore, he is full of surprises. The first time he had an amazing story. The second time he brings his clients along!
The other out-of-towner Rodinhooders were Hiranand Chawla from Rajkot and Mandar Joshi from Pune (pls add more names in the comments if I’ve missed someone). Mandar came. Set up his tripod. And shot some awesome videos! Entirely as his own initiative!!
Rodinhooding happens offline too!
Meeting people I normally hang out with online, was the most exciting part of my Rodinhooding experience (my face kept lighting up like a Christmas tree!). I’ve hung out with so many Rodinhooders on the KejriWall for over one and a half years now. I know their names, their start-ups. I recognise their mug shots. I remember most of their comments… so even though I hadn’t met ANYONE before (including Rodinya himself) – these people weren’t strangers at all. Kanchan Kumar, Vinay Chhoda, Mandar Joshi, Vishal Gupta, Himanshu Mody, Milan Bavishi, Vijay Khubchandani, Nirmalya Dutta and many others … we all bonded just as well offline as we do online!
Online friends meet offline!
Rodinhooding is one huge ‘bhel’…!
Call it networking, brainstorming, ideating, intellectual massaging, debating, problem solving, match-making, merry-making, learning… it has all the potent ingredients to rock your world in those couple of hours. So while the Queen may have done a 007 and celebrated her sky feat with a little something shaken, not stirred… I soaked up a whole lot of Rodinhooding!!!
I know where I’m gonna be on the last Friday of the month. See you there?!
p.s: it would be really nice if other Rodinhooders would share their Rodinhooding experience – Open House or any other…
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