Kolkata Meetups

I just missed the bus. Will try to attend next time.

@Somnath
@khak
I am a young IMer Missed the meet-up,will want to attend next one.But this time we want more people(IMrs) will participate such rare & lucrative event.for the last 2-3years only some limited/interested people
[like Somnath,Khak,Kasushik Saha,Somnath Biswas,Indracal,Saibal Das,Komalaprosad, funny_in,Santanu Das,Akarn_Navokas,Nauttusbs, jyotirmoy,asishdas etc] were attended the meet-up.What happened to the others[like babuchand,Bhaswaran,Sree,cliff hanger,Bigzero,bikemanic,kshil etc ]since the 1st meet-up organised by Somnath(tiger)in the year of 2005.
I think they are not getting proper information about the meet-up,as they seldom check this website now-a-days.So I request you to collect their email/facebook id & inform them about the next meetup.You can also plan the next meet-up durring Durga puja weekends to catch more people.
I will try to my best with you to execute a GRAND meet-up of some 25-30 IMer for this time like other cities.
"we have to draw attention of new/young IMer of Kolkata for this upcoming meet-up"
cheers,
Tarak


CA Note - Tarak, please refrain from using SMS language in your posts like 'u' in place of 'you' and 'abt' in place of 'about'. Thank you for cooperation.

Khak, Nice initiative and missed the meet badly, you know why, it was a great chance to meet so many wonderful persons all bugged by Travel

Hope to join the next one positively.

Tarak,

It is good idea to get the mail address or the other contact details to inform the IMers about the meet-up. But one question came into my mind, Whose responsibilty is this? Does a teacher goes to a student who is doing under graduation and make him/her understand to do well in the exam so that he/she can become eligle to pursue his/her study or apply for a job? I think the student is matured enough to understand that. The people who loves to travel and meet other people, can afford to spend time and money for that and know how to surf internet, can easily open this site and check the next meet up. If anybody does not get time to check it out, do you think he/she would get time or oppertunity to attend the meet-up? So, let the most enthusiastics take some initiatives to attend the meet-up. Once they meet with other can easily communicate with other, inform about the meet-up and make plans to travel.

I called up Khak day before yesterday. His number is given in one his posts in this forum.

hi Satyabrata,
Though some of your points are true,still I not totally agree with you.Now,think about common people(Traveller/trekker)psychology,they involve in their work & normally go through this website when they plan for a tour/trek.{there are also people like us in the society,who like to read other people travel-log & have a great passion for travel}.Many don't have any access to internet regularly/weekly due to some problem.
"so it's not a good idea to blame them solely"
I don't think those who not visited website/replied the post regularly or previouly attended the meetup are not now enthusiastics about the meet-up.
I personally have send some massages to unknown young/new kolkata IMers,who frequent use this site & they possess their interest for next kolkata meet-up.So,we have to collect email/facebook id/phone no of kolkata IMers as many as we can.It's our sole responsibility to inform them about the meet-up,prior to the event so that they can manage their work & participate such a GREAT event.Im Mumbai earlier meet-up,someone send SMS to others to inform meetup details
so,someone have to take initiative to organise the upcoming meet-up(like Ronok in Mumbai meet-up),I think Somnath(tiger) will be the right persen for this,as he takes part most of the meet-up since 2005 & perhaps the most well-known figure among kolkata IMers.
Remember there are a lot of things to be known from senior IMers about trekking/travel.

Hi Tarak,

Let us not urgue anymore on this issue and do something constructive. We have already expressed our points of view, now it is the to use this site for the right purpose.

One thing I have noticed in many threads that poeple visit almost the same places of the same region and for that they ask almost same qusetions. It is not anybody's fault - but it can be made more helpful, if we maintain a set of articles as a database. So, that all the information required can be available from only few articles based on particular region or route.

I request everybody to think about it and chalk out plan to implement this.

I have just received a PM from Tarak about Kolkata Meetup. As a practice I should have replied back through PM route only, but I reckon this is a very common and important issue touching all of us and hence I am using this open forum for replying Tarak's PM. I'm sorry Tarak, I hope you won't mind.

I always want to be a part of any meetup. In fact, I had once attended an IM Meetup at Jodhpur Park Akramnovokas's house. It was a great get together of like minded people, where we got introduced with each other, exchanged views of mutual interest, watched a photographic presentation given by Mr. Basanta Sinha Roy, the first Bengali Everest Climber. Enjoyed the great and warm hospitality of the host. It was treat for me to see a totally travel crazy family! When I say "family", I mean "entire family", right from the husband, to the wife and even the children are all bonded together for the love for traveling! Had I not attended the said Meetup, I would have missed many things which I had not seen or encountered earlier. Obviously, therefore, I'm all for such Meetups and I wish to be part of such Meetups in future also (though I missed the last one).

Having said that, I had noticed a few practical difficulties in organizing these Meetup. Firstly, these Meetups are organized voluntarily and there is no structured set up for these. There appears to be some confusion in fixing of date, selection of location, communication etc. For me, the most disturbing part is physical issues pertaining to organizing such get together viz. sitting arrangements, expenses on food, post Meetup cleaning etc. (Since I had attended only 1 Meetup which was held at a IM member's home, I can comment only from this point of view).

In view of the above, certain thoughts came to my mind and now Tarak had asked my opinion on this issue. I take this opportunity of put forward my thoughts in the following lines.

1. Should we have a structured set up for organizing such Meetup?
2. Should we take a conscious decision that all the Meetup would be organized in Public Place only and that we should not bother our members?
3. Should we make it compulsorily contributory?
4. Should there be a periodicity of the Meetup?
5. Should there be a code of conduct? For example, should there be a rule that we will discuss only travel related issues and nothing else?

I do not expect that we would come to conclusion immediately. In fact it is not desirable also. Let there be a debate, let other opinion follows and then, may be, only then we arrive at some kind of firm decision. Thanks.

Dear AshisDa,

Here are my answers -
1. Should we have a structured set up for organizing such Meetup?
Please explain the term structured set up

2. Should we take a conscious decision that all the Meetup would be organized in Public Place only and that we should not bother our members?
What kind of Public Place you are thinking? I think it should have some minimal restrictions e.g. only the members should be able to attend, otherwise any passer-by would like to join and we might not be able to accommodate as well as hold the meetup. Let us start with Small but Beautiful. If it is found that the last few meet-ups have been held in organised manner then we can invite more.

3. Should we make it compulsorily contributory?
It can be decided after few meet-ups depending upon the number of attendees.

4. Should there be a periodicity of the Meetup?
May be in every quarter of the year.

5. Should there be a code of conduct? For example, should there be a rule that we will discuss only travel related issues and nothing else?
I think let us form a community through this Meetups and forum, then we can address the issues other than travel. So, we can not only discuss but also work.

1. By Structured set up I mean that there could small committee who will oversee the arrangements, fix the date, select the location etc.
2. By Public Place I mean that venue should be a place, where anyone can come and join. It should not be private place like home etc. I don't mean the "maidan' kind of place where anyone (invited or otherwise) can move in and disturb the proceedings. May be at Private Hall of a Restaurant or some such place.
3. By Contributory I mean that every one of us would contribute to meet the cost. It should not be left to some one to pay off.
By Code of Conduct, I mean that since IM is a travel related Forum, it is in fitness of thins if we discuss travel related issues only. In fact, my perception is that common meeting point of all of us is our love for travel. Instead, if we indulge other topice, say, politics (!!!), it will be totally inappropriate and might lead to catastrophic results.
Hope, I could explain.

Hi AshisDa,

Thanks for clarifying the matters. Does anybody have the list of of contact number or e-mail address of other members? If not, let us prepare it in an excel sheet. It may become very helpful.

Hi friends,

I do not have the privilege to start this new thread under "IM meet up forum' ... so it's in 'Chai and Chat' !!!

Friends, I dared to start this new one, though there is the great "Kolkata Meet ups' occurring successfully... but I'm sorry, I could not attend any of those [though I wished so much]... it's my inability indeed. I found it a bit tough to attend and return home (Barrackpore) after attending the Meet-ups at Park Street/ Esplanade/ Saltlake.


So I proposed for a kind of Suburb meet up any where at Dumdum/ Sodepur/ Barrackpore/ Barasat/ Sreerampore/ Uttarpara etc. where there are places for such get together. Friends like Paglaghora, Pkanti encouraged me to carry on the thinking.

Hence it is here .

Rest is on you, guys.

so you DD started great ......... my best wishes

How about to meet Dumdum no3 platform @ 7pm

Joking!!!!

Ohh Didi, never be serious........atleast not by me