Knowing the next you

When my neighbor, Suma Aunty asked me whether I would like to participate in an event organized by Connect Quotient, I fell for it completely. I have always enjoyed being a part of something new and exciting, however, when she told me it was mainly for kids between the age group of 9-16, I was a little disappointed and a little apprehensive since I would not be able to contribute much and my sister did not enjoy such kind of events. As the days rolled by, the event date drew closer and I must say it has to be one of the most unique and mind-boggling events I have ever seen as well as been a part of.

On 20th April 2019, Connect Quotient organized this event at Royal Orchid, Vashi. When I entered the hall and when I started to know everybody, I realized that parents and children had come from different corners of Mumbai, and the event was definitely well received. The crux of the event was- Knowing the next you. The occasion kickstarted with Ice-breakers which was an initiative made by Arya to help everybody know each other. These ice-breakers helped the participants with a common liking and interest, bond with each other. Some of them were like favorite colors, animals, birthday months and so on and so forth, which sort of helped everybody to navigate what were a person’s likes, dislikes, and weaknesses. Another game which we played was Headsup. This mobile game made everybody sit on the edge of their seats since it was a team-based game where we were divided into two teams and one person had to act and the other team had to guess. It definitely put everybody’s acting and guessing skills to test.

Post all this, we commenced with the speaking session where everybody came up to the stage and shared their views on a topic of their choice. The topics ranged from ‘what I would like to be when I grow up’, ‘Most favorite movie’ to personal opinions and even about the Milkyway! In a nutshell, the topics were diverse and out of the box.

The next segment was focussed on offering a stage to the kids to showcase their vocal and creative skills with the instruments. We had people performing on multiple songs with various instruments such as the piano, guitar, and even cello. One of the boys even did beatboxing which was truly awe-inspiring. The segment following this was quite interesting. It was a panel discussion where participants were given a platform to articulate their ideas and opinions. We were divided into two slots- the first discussion was on social media and social networking whereas the next one was on what success meant to each one of us. Both the discussions were incredible and surprisingly unbelievable since ten and eleven-year-old children put forth their opinions in such a dignified manner. The last segment was Me2Me interviews which enabled both children and parents to ask each other questions and the answers for most of the questions were unpredictable. Many parents even acknowledged that their children knew them much better which was fairly astonishing. As a sister, it helped me also realize that even though I claim to know a lot about her, I do not know her at all. This entire activity was a reality check on how well we know each other, and a reflection of the fact that technology is severing family bonds and there is very little space for tête-à-tête to take place amidst this hustle and bustle. Lastly, we had a felicitation ceremony, which was my most favorite part of the event. This time around Kalpesh Uncle and Shalaka Aunty decided to go beyond the conventional method of asking a chief guest to facilitate the participants but instead asked the elders to do the same. It was thought-provoking since this chunk of the event was both emotional and ecstatic. This is where both the elders and the participants spoke at great length about each other.

To conclude with, kudos to Connect Quotient to come up with this wonderful idea and provide a platform for young minds to voice their opinion and showcase their talent. I am eagerly waiting for the next event and I am pretty sure others who attended it are doing the same. It goes without saying that Tanya and Suhani did a commendable job at hosting the event. They along with Kalpesh uncle, Shalaka Aunty and Suma Aunty were the heart and soul of this event.