This delightful piece was contributed by Aaron Alvares. Aaron heads team Bluetterflies.
‘If wishes were horses, beggars would ride’ and ‘It’s a dog’s life’ are two of the most underrated adages of our times. Others from team Blue might just agree following our recent exploits at Talegaon, some 30 km outside Pune. On the 13th of December, this family of 81 converged on Japalouppe Equine Centre, letting go of all worries and surrendering to the splendour and magnificence of the world around us.
A huge tent for the men and bunkers for the ladies, the first night was unnerving for some, but the next three days threw up enough and more opportunities to get the adrenalin flowing in most present. If the revelations made by the professional trainers weren’t startling enough, the list of activities lined up for the first day definitely drew varied reactions. Just like every beginner, nervous and unsure, all of us paid heed to every instruction with a watchful eye on the demonstrations as well. So what was it that we really had to do? Well, the tasks were fairly simple. The 14 teams that we were split into further merged into two separate groups of seven teams each. One group was assigned the canines whilst the other group was allotted the equines… that’s right, dogs and horses! Those with prior experience of offsites weren’t as surprised as the first timers, as our organization has a history of making its employees do things out of the ordinary. Another thing I can promise is that no one ever comes back from these offsites disappointed. Don’t believe me, ask Chitra from our Pune branch.
Fudge, Cheese, Honey, Lara, Sara, Haseena and The Mighty Max, don’t these words bring different thoughts into your minds? I’m sure they do, but what’s common in all of them? Well, I’m sure everyone guessed right, yes besides being dogs/bitches the one common thing they had was that they all taught us something about life. Phew, when did I dream about being taught by a canine? The learnings that these wonderful animals imparted to us weren’t extraordinary, but helped us understand how, by doing the ordinary, we can improve our lives as well as the lives of those around us.
36 hours had passed, the fears and phobias had vanished, living with a dog didn’t seem as bad as the dog’s life we all live everyday, tiredness showed but every exhausted body had a sense of pride and happiness oozing from every pore. The bond had grown so fond, that letting go seemed so unfair but I guess like they say, if every wish is granted, no one will be happy. After all, our loss was the gain of the other seven teams and vice versa when they had to let go their newest friends, the equines.
If the second night was loads of fun with dance and music filling the air, it was a mere precursor to what followed the next night. ‘The Blues’ as it is called, the official awards night of Blue Lotus, where good performances and talent is recognised, was one big party. Win or lose, nothing deterred the spirits of the Blue family as the ‘Smell of Team Spirit’ engulfed the venue. Motivational speeches, mimicry acts, five prestigious awards, plenty of sinful spirits and foot-tapping music; one couldn’t ask for more.
The party continued till the wee hours and expectedly the next morning found most of us, groggy and sleepy-eyed. With the teams exchanging activities, we had equines for company and if the previous night’s activities didn’t help us get over the loss of our canines, the beauty and grace of the equines definitely swept us off our feet. Solitaire, Ebony, Asifa, Rimjhim to name a few, all ex-race horses were a treat to behold.
Winding up and returning seemed so cruel on us but not for nothing do they say, ‘If wishes were horses beggars would ride’, right? And we all returned to our respective homes, just to meet again the next day and get busy with work all over again. After all, it’s a dog’s life that we lead, right?
A huge tent for the men and bunkers for the ladies, the first night was unnerving for some, but the next three days threw up enough and more opportunities to get the adrenalin flowing in most present. If the revelations made by the professional trainers weren’t startling enough, the list of activities lined up for the first day definitely drew varied reactions. Just like every beginner, nervous and unsure, all of us paid heed to every instruction with a watchful eye on the demonstrations as well. So what was it that we really had to do? Well, the tasks were fairly simple. The 14 teams that we were split into further merged into two separate groups of seven teams each. One group was assigned the canines whilst the other group was allotted the equines… that’s right, dogs and horses! Those with prior experience of offsites weren’t as surprised as the first timers, as our organization has a history of making its employees do things out of the ordinary. Another thing I can promise is that no one ever comes back from these offsites disappointed. Don’t believe me, ask Chitra from our Pune branch.
Fudge, Cheese, Honey, Lara, Sara, Haseena and The Mighty Max, don’t these words bring different thoughts into your minds? I’m sure they do, but what’s common in all of them? Well, I’m sure everyone guessed right, yes besides being dogs/bitches the one common thing they had was that they all taught us something about life. Phew, when did I dream about being taught by a canine? The learnings that these wonderful animals imparted to us weren’t extraordinary, but helped us understand how, by doing the ordinary, we can improve our lives as well as the lives of those around us.36 hours had passed, the fears and phobias had vanished, living with a dog didn’t seem as bad as the dog’s life we all live everyday, tiredness showed but every exhausted body had a sense of pride and happiness oozing from every pore. The bond had grown so fond, that letting go seemed so unfair but I guess like they say, if every wish is granted, no one will be happy. After all, our loss was the gain of the other seven teams and vice versa when they had to let go their newest friends, the equines.
If the second night was loads of fun with dance and music filling the air, it was a mere precursor to what followed the next night. ‘The Blues’ as it is called, the official awards night of Blue Lotus, where good performances and talent is recognised, was one big party. Win or lose, nothing deterred the spirits of the Blue family as the ‘Smell of Team Spirit’ engulfed the venue. Motivational speeches, mimicry acts, five prestigious awards, plenty of sinful spirits and foot-tapping music; one couldn’t ask for more.The party continued till the wee hours and expectedly the next morning found most of us, groggy and sleepy-eyed. With the teams exchanging activities, we had equines for company and if the previous night’s activities didn’t help us get over the loss of our canines, the beauty and grace of the equines definitely swept us off our feet. Solitaire, Ebony, Asifa, Rimjhim to name a few, all ex-race horses were a treat to behold.
Winding up and returning seemed so cruel on us but not for nothing do they say, ‘If wishes were horses beggars would ride’, right? And we all returned to our respective homes, just to meet again the next day and get busy with work all over again. After all, it’s a dog’s life that we lead, right?
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