Music is my number one companion. It makes all the great moments glorious and gives me comfort in the not so great moments, somehow making them even a little magical.
It’s been a wobbly but wonderful start to 2018 and I’ve had these tunes on to accompany me along the way.
(P.S I most definitely run out of data every month which means no Spotify, which means borrowing Dad’s iPod rediscovering and discovering timeless classics. This month it’s been Sade and Tracy. Mmmmm just makes me lil heart sing.)
Mammal Hands – Kandaiki
Bee Tranter – Tuesday Fresh Cuts
Jessie Ware – All on You
Frank Ocean – Pink + White
Lianna La Havas – Baltimore
Tom Misch – Movie
Laura Mvula – She
Rosie Lowe – Woman
Gregory Porter – On My Way to Harlem
Tracy Chapman – She’s Got Her Ticket
NAO, Abhi Dijon – Adore You
Denice Williams – Free
Sampha – Incomplete Kisses
Jessie Ware – Last Of The True Believers
Nai Palm – Have You Ever Been (To Electric Ladyland)
Alice Russell – For a While
Amy Whinehouse – We’re Still Friends – Live At The Union Chapel
Sade – Babyfather
Diana Ross – I’m Coming Out
Ady Sulemein – Need Somebody To Love – Live in Manchester
I have just returned from my Saturday morning run and today, for some reason, I appreciated the wonder of my little local park.
Whilst I ran, I noticed the selection of the most diverse community I crossed paths with. A young boy with Sony headphones wrapped around his ears, JD sports bag hanging on his shoulder, bouncing his basketball, away with his thoughts. Two carers taking people out on a walk for some fresh air, a young daughter and her dad wizzing around their remote control landrover, an older man with grey hair with a blue visor running (yes!) and an oriental man speed walking with his two little chihuahuas tied together in front of him leading the way. To name just a few. All the while the white noise of the football festival taking place over the hill.
Today I felt empowered by these people and proud to be part of this community who all happened to be enjoying our local park on this rather grey, but made ever vibrant, Saturday morning.
My park is a place of solace for me and I am sure for many others in my community. A small moment to pause, to connect with nature, to be alone, to breathe. Enriching our cities, our pockets of parks provide opportunity for these encouters, a sense of community, true belogning to a place and are crucial for everyday urban living and wellbeing.
At the end of March I completed my Social Starters programme in Hyderabad. Since, I have been travelling Incredible India with family, friends and on my own.
As I set into my last week here, making it 4 months since I arrived back in February, I am reflecting and attempting to put into words what an enriching experience it has been.
In the meantime, here’s a poem I came across about ‘Mother India’.
She, whose flocks of Jammu and Kashmir flutter in the breeze
Whose crown of the Himalayas shimmers as the roof of the world
Whose robust arms of Gujarat and Bengal swing in Her graceful gait
Whose bosom of Madhya Pradesh swells with pride and confidence
Whose veins are aflow with the holy waters of the Ganga, Yamuna and Sarswati
Whose holy feet of Kerala are continuously washed by the Indian Ocean and the Arabian Sea
And to whom the sun and moon offer their arti day and night,
O Bharat Mata! I offer my humble prostrations.
I’m currently lying in my Airbnb in Mumbai, a city which has sucked me in, spun me around and thrown me back out again! I realise I am extremely late to write about my last week Hyderabad but hey.. there’s no time like the present.
The final week on the programme – in all honesty I felt ready for things to draw to a close. I was feeling quite exhausted as it turns out living in a new city, learning on the job, meeting new people, having fun, thinking and reflecting about life is quite tiring and a lot to cram into 6 weeks! I was looking forward to having some down time to digest and process all that happened during my time in Hyderabad. The week was stilll jam-packed , we were all busy closing out Client actions, preparing our final reports and presentations, ready for the final showcase on the Wednesday, as well as making the most of our last evenings in Hyderabad. This meant for many celebratory meals and drinks out!
Final bollywood dance class!
I also attended the annual Design Summit which Prashant was speaking at and I got to spend time with his niece which was fun! On Friday afternoon Prashant and his wife invited me over for lunch to their house to say goodbye, it was a really lovely way to end our working relationship.
On Wednesday morning we had a final reflection session, it was heart warming to hear snippets of everyone’s personal journeys through the programme. After our session it was time for the showcase, where all volunteers presented their learnings and highlights of the experience. Clients and everyone involved were invited too so it was a great way to finish off the programme.
I thought I would sum up my thoughts on the experience by highlighting 6 things I learnt spending 6 weeks in Hyderabad. Warning, it does get cheesy.
1. Find your people
I knew this one already – but I learnt just how much you can learn and gain confidence from being around people with similar ideas, thoughts and beliefs about the world.
2. Be a rebel, follow your calling
The social entrepreneurs in India are probably the biggest rebels of the kind. Many have gone against the typical and stereotypical Indian career paths. Being an entrepreneur? And a social one? What does even mean?! It’s inspired me to trust your instinct, be brave, embrace every part of yourself and follow your calling, even if it seems crazy to those around you.
3. Challenge, be a sceptic
The whole start up scene is filled with many a buzzword and is very cool to be a part of. However I learnt to remember not to just accept things and get caught up in the trendiness of it all, but remembering the importance of challenging and asking questions!
4. Test and experiment, life as an expat
I was crazy when I thought I could just pack my bags and move to a new job and city. The programme was a great way to test and learn about what life as an expat would be like, the good, bad and ugly. I found out the the things I need to make me feel settled and at home. Headphones for podcasts and music, and cake.. banana cake. Might seem obvious, but it’s useful to try things out before fully commiting. In fact one of the best pieces of advice I got on the programme, was to MVP my life!
5. Ride the wave, life is a journey
For me I learnt that I don’t necessarily want to work towards this one pinnacle goal of being director of X company with a house, husband and a white picket fence. For now, I just want to continue to have experiences, embracing all that comes with them, to keep learning and growing.
6. Be in the moment
This is one for me to remember and work on. Because of the above I know I might be constantly thinking about the next move, the next dream or goal. I figured that it’s not a bad thing, but I want to make sure I learn to enjoy the moment, be present and grateful!
I left the programme feeling pretty proud that I didn’t crack during my time in Hyderabad, very grateful for the opportunity, excited for what the future may hold and very much looking forward to taking a breather out of the city.
My travels beyond Hyderabad are also teaching more than I ever anticipated. I am learning about what living in a real community really means, learning that there is a wallah for everything you could possibly imagine and oh boy each day is teaching me just how many contractions and juxtapositions there are to India.
I’m currently sitting by the backwaters in Alleppey, Kerala. It’s so peaceful and quiet, all I can hear are the very many birds swooping up and down the river and the rickety fan above me spinning away. This is worlds and worlds away from Hyderabad, if only a 2 hour flight away. I am now beginning to unwind, digest and process my crazy six weeks in Hyderabad and I am wholly committed to finishing my weekly blog posts on the experience!
So…Week 5 begins in the most explosive, colourful and vibrant way possible. Monday is a public holiday for all, Holi! Although we learn this festival is more celebrated in the North, we were determined to attend a holi party. Dressed in whites, we make our way to the Golconda Resort and Spa Hotel on the outskirts of the city, not knowing at all what to expect. In fact our Uber breaks down en route so we are helplessly left on the road looking like rather ridiculous wannabe spiritual-gurus (or something of the sort). When we eventually arrive we walk on to the lawn where multicoloured fabric is draped above the tent, making the space look rather spectacular. The coloured powder comes out and everybody is chasing and throwing colours at each other. It’s such exciting and uplifting fun. Before we know it the party turns into something like a Bollywood movie. The music thumps, the showers turn on and the rain dance begins. It’s so much fun!! Dancing, followed by an unlimited buffet of lovely Indian food and beer. Life is good!
HoliHoliHoli
Back to work on Tuesday, I learn lots as Prashant and I begin to brainstorm and test some ideas of solutions to the problems we have identified. It’s feels good to know the solutions we are coming up with for improving the marketing and communications are really tailored to the conclusions we have made from the customer research. I also have lots of fun using Canva, the free graphic design software I have discovered!
Graphic I made for social media, using Canva.
This week our workshops are led by Sharon from Israel and Elise from France. They are perfectly reflective and in tune with it being our last week of workshops. Elise’s workshop is on Business Chemistry, a behavioural/personality type test led by Deloitte. It’s a similar process to Myers-Briggs and the workshop aids in me reflecting, giving me confidence to know that although we may draw naturally to one certain ‘type’, I do have the ability to adapt my style to the situation. Sharon’s workshop is based on our mental mappings of Hyderabad, it was interesting to hear everyones perspective and experience of the city. I have really loved the Wednesday workshops on the programme, learning from each other and sharing our knowledge.
Mental Maps of Hyderabad
Business Chemistry
As the group come to realise its our penultimate week in the city we try to squeeze in all the restaurants, cafes and sites we have not yet seen. On Friday morning we awake at sunrise as Mohan, Madhavi and their 15 year old son Pranav have kindly offered to take us on a tour around the Old City. It’s such an interesting experience to see the original city, as we acknowledge just how much Hyderabad has sporadically grown in its modern, hi-tech ways, the places and ways in which we have been living for the past month. This part of the city is heavily Muslim, with narrower streets and unassuming restaurants and shops. There is not a construction site in sight! We stand drinking Iranian chai and biscuits in front of the famous Charminar, standing tall above us. Afterwards we also visit the Qutb Shahi Tombs. It’s quiet and we nosy around admiring the beautiful architecture.
Sunrising in the Old CityCharminarQutb Shahi TombsQutb Shahi Tombs
Our last weekend together is a pretty chilled one. We hang out at Olive Bistro, an oasis up in the rocks overlooking the lake, chatting and singing to an eclectic mix of music including a bit of Paul Simon, George Micheal and Wet Wet Wet (!) On Sunday night I am back at Lamakaan as ex frontman, Rahul Ram, of Indian Ocean whom I have only discovered whilst being here, is playing! It turned out he talked politics, economics and life in India more than singing but it was still a very lovely evening.
Olive BistroRahul Ram at Lamakaan
Time in Hyderabad is soon coming to a close as I set in to my final week here. What an incredible adventure it has been so far…
I think week 4 has been my favourite week so far. It has been filled with productive and interesting work both independently and with my Client along with some really wonderful Indian experiences!
This week I ran a customer persona and customer journey workshop with Prashant. The aim of the workshop was to learn exactly who Bamboo Houses’s customers are, their problems and learning how we can best engage with them. We were then able to identify gaps within the current communications and come up with goals and tailored solutions to develop the communications. I have loved putting into practice the new tools and ways of working that I have learnt here. I planned my work with Prashant incorporating human-centred design methods, which I am finding a really creative and productive way to work and solve problems. I have really enjoyed the process of truly empathising with Bamboo House’s customers to understand their needs, then identifying and brainstorming opportunities for development and finally prototyping, testing and implementing solutions (which I am currently in the process of!). Check out the Design Kit by IDEO if you’re interested in learning more.
Customer persona mapping
Customer journey mapping
Week 4 was also my turn to run a workshop for the other Social Starters volunteers! I had chosen to base my workshop on micro-finance, leading into ‘the 21st century career’. I had last studied micro-finance whilst at university so preparing the workshop was great for me to get back up to date with the industry and refresh my knowledge. I learnt that India had suffered a huge micro-finance crisis in 2010 which Telengana and Andra Pradesh were actually at the heart of. I would definitely recommend reading Banker to the Poor by Muhammed Yunus if you are interested in learning about how the micro-finance movement began. Secondly during my journey here I have been thinking much about what careers, life and work mean for the new generation of so called ‘millennials’ and how organisations can adapt. Did you know that 51% have experienced physical or mental health issues as a result of their current job, 64% would like to make more of a social impact through their work and 54% say they cant see themselves working in their organisation in five years time? I loved running this section of the workshop, debating and discussing with my my fellow volunteers!
Free time this week was was packed with a ton of interesting activities. On Wednesday we did a Dialogue in the Dark tour. This was an exhibition, lead by a person with impaired vision, which puts you in situations – like crossing a bridge, going to the supermarket – but in complete darkness, awakening the senses and experiencing what it is like to have impaired vision. This was such an interesting experience and it was incredible to get to know our tour guide Mohsin without seeing him.
On Friday night we watched Lion at our local cinema, we paid 150 rupees for a ticket (just under £2)! I got comfy, with my first Magnum in about a month, and was deeply moved by this heart-warming story. It was extra special to be watching in India too, albeit the fact that intervals and cinema ads in India are very strange!!
Saturday, I’m pretty sure, was my first down day in India so far. I spent the day reading (I am making my way through A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth), writing, sleeping and watching the sunset at Golconda Fort.
Sun setting at Golconda FortSun setting at Golconda Fort
We had an incredible end to the week by visiting Madhavi and Mohan’s organic farm on the outskirts of the city. Madhavi is a Client of Social Starters who is the founder of Sattva Lifeskills, providing alternative non-academic job training to young adults with learning difficulties. She is such a badass, inspiring woman!! They are growing all sorts on the farm from mangoes and watermelons to chicoo and lentils. I loved it! We enjoyed a huge feast sitting around a table under the shade of a tree, eating eggplant and bindi curry from the farm. There was also fresh mutton (goat), which I did not eat since I have been vege for over a month now. Good food, great company and a beautiful setting. It was a perfect way to end the week.
Watermelon
Aubergine
Chicoo
Lunch at the farmGroup photo at the farm…’say chapatiii’
I shall leave you with Move On Up by Curtis Mayfield… soundtrack to my fourth wonderful week in Hyderabad.
thehebetree 