Ashwin Upadhyaya's Blog

Mysore Santhe started on January 10th, 2010 as an informal gathering of people who do not necessarily have anything in common. To know it better, be at the Rangayana open theater this Sunday any time between 11AM and 1PM (earlier held in Samvaada vana, Yuvaraja college). (See here for an earlier post). It is amazing to see how 7 Sundays can create many new things or at least ignite new ideas. Here is a list of some of the outcomes from my perspective:

1. Mysore Chitrasanthe/Kalasanthe – A fixed location in Mysore would host artists of all kinds on a weekly basis. Being a weekly, it has the potential of creating a cultural change. (I had blogged this earlier here).
2. Startuppers: A sub-network of entrepreneurs/wannabe-entrepreneurs was formed and this has resulted in a great deal of motivation for ourselves.
3. An Events calendar: Mysore being a tourist destination and a place with daily cultural activities still does not provide updated information on the events to visiting tourists. A weekly product such as this should be of great value to tourists and could be a good sell at the hotels and restaurants of Mysore.
4. The Mysore Santhe idea itself: Is instrumental in helping many of us meet interesting people whom we otherwise wouldn’t have possibly met.

From my experience, not all ideas necessarily succeed. Yet, the higher the number of ideas, higher the chance of at least a few of them succeeding. This is where Mysore Santhe is making the difference. Apart from creating ideas, the other great advantage of such a gathering is the spreading of information. Another list on interesting initiatives here:

1. Divyadeepa Trust: Started in 1992 with a mission of providing value based quality education to rural and underprivileged children. Many of the Santhe enthusiasts are active volunteers at Divyadeepa.
2. Mysore Grahakara Parishat: I think everyone in Mysore knows about this organization. It is an organization into consumer, civic, environmental activism among others. Some of the Santhe enthusiasts are active volunteers at MGP.
3. Kukkarahalli nature walk: This is a free walk around Kukkarahalli lake conducted on the first Sunday of every month (7AM) by environmentalists, professional bird-watchers etc. Although I am yet to attend one of these, it seems to me like an interesting walk.
4. Royal Mysore Walks: Walk tours in Mysore by Vinay. This week, I am going on an invitational walk with him. I will write more on this after that.

I definitely have missed many more initiatives here which we come across at Mysore Santhe. Every time I have been there, I have found at least one new and innovative idea/initiative at the Santhe.

Above all, the event is more about the people. If you want to learn from others’ experiences and others’ mistakes, these are the kind of gatherings you want to be.

1. It gets tougher and tougher with every step you move forward, more mentally than physically. Yet, the only way you know is forward.
2. Resources are limited and you try to conserve and optimize them to the max.
3. It is not the goal, rather it is the path that gives the happiness.
4. The team moves only as fast as the slowest person!
5. For the outside world, it only matters if you reached the top. Until you reach the top, slog, slog and slog. The world doesn’t care.
6. You will never see the true height and the beauty of it unless you actually start the journey.
7. For every few people who succeed, there are a few who failed too. Its just a fact of life.

Why I write this? For the single reason that I am now able to see the tip of the mountain in our startup venture. And I know it is still not easy reaching there. It still needs many days of slogging and a lot of mental strength. Yet, how beautiful the path seems! I just hope our resources permit our journey to the top.

You see that peak of the mountain over there?. Kumara Parvata is beyond that peak. Add to this the fact that this photo was taken after climbing half way. The climb never ends. And sometimes, you feel it shouldn’t ever end. Because then, you wouldn’t have something to look up and say “I’ll reach there in some time”.

The journey is hard sometimes. Five minutes of walk up the hill can feel like a lifetime. Yet, these are the moments that will stay throughout one’s life. Many people break on the way and turn back. Some stick together though and reach the top.

At places like these, when you are one with nature, you begin to appreciate the importance of water when there is no water left in your bottle, of fire when you need to cook in the forest, of the sun when you have a solar torch, of wind when it is the only respite from sun.
And finally when you watch the morning sun illuminating hundreds of hills submerged in fog, you know life is beautiful.

Photos credits: Suraj Rampure.