Come July and everyone starts gearing up for the annual bash to celebrate ZenSutra’s anniversary. This year we turned three years old! Zensutra has grown by leaps and bounds from when it started and it was time to celebrate that growth. Friday July 16th 2004 was the D-day. The destination was Eagle Ridge resort in Begur, a quiet and secluded place where making a lot of noise was not likely to bother any neighbors.


Early morning busloads of excited team members headed out on an unforgettable journey through narrow, winding rural roads. Wherever one looked life was resplendent in all glory. While navigating through the sometimes unpaved and always jam packed local streets may have brought our murmurs of concern, no one had anything but relief and amazement at the lush green setting for our final destination.





Upon reaching there, hot breakfast was waiting to be devoured in the gazebo-like restaurant. Soon after, we headed out to the “Mexican Hut” to start the day’s events. The tempo for the day was well established as our CTO, Mr. Ashok Segu flashed a wad of notes which were soon to be handed out for various performances and competitive events.






Thus began this fun-filled day. A song and dance session kicked off early in the day and we were surprised at the depth of talent waiting to be tapped within the team. We did not have to wait long and aspiring Kishore Kumars, Govindas and Aishwaryas showed us the stuff they are made of. Our VP, Sandeep Rao had a tough time just standing by and being a spectator and he was soon spotted on the floor gyrating and crooning with the crowd.

Naz, Britto, Anand, Raju, Ruta and Rajan are among some of the earliest members of the ZenSutra family and they had an opportunity to share their excitement with all of us. We got to know more about how the company started and how it had grown over the past 3 years. We were enlightened with words of wisdom and inspired by hearing about visions realized and dreams fulfilled.


The Zen Men took the lead on the dance floor but soon it was time to coax the Zen Ladies to do the same. It took a little encouragement from the founders and a lot of cheering from the team to finally get them to show their moves! Having seen the men and women show their individual prowess it was only logical that their mettle as team players was put to test too! Pretty soon the Zen Ladies were selecting suitable dancing partners among the Zen Men and having a go at bigger prizes. The contemporary music accompanying the folks on the floor did not miss a beat and the crowds joined in, clapping their hands and tapping their feet.


Lunch was still a while away and plenty of exciting events ensued. Teams competed with each other to bring out their best dressed “newspaper models”. Its not everyday that we are accused of sitting on our back sides all day long but some of that practice did help as teams try to outdo each other in the butt balloon burst contest! The real Queen of Sheba was probably never half as demanding as our very own desi incarnation. She was relentless in looking for hard to fetch items like Rupee coins, pairs of socks, belts, etc. We had barely recovered from the toxic fumes unleashed by the “techie socks” when a request for T-shirts sent bare-chested Zen Hunks clambering over each other trying to win the Queen’s heart.

After a sumptuous lunch, it seemed people would rather lie in the cool shade of trees and take a snooze but the inviting game venues slowly brought even the most reluctant ones to their feet. Volley ball, Basket ball, Frisbee, Badminton, Ping Pong, Carrom, Cricket … the choices were as diverse as one desired.

The best way to quench the thirst and cool off after breaking a sweat was to uncork some chilled ones. The connoisseurs got a chance to also savor single malts like Laphroaig and Monte Cristo Cubans. Plenty of non-alcoholic beverages were also at hand for those choosing to soft drink and drive, The ZenSutra talent brigade continued to croon memorable oldies to accompany the merry making.

Dumb Charades, Auctions, and Antakshiri were the themes of late afternoon, which meant continued fun and interaction between the groups. And then, finally, it was time to bid goodbye and head home, thus adding another memorable chapter to the ZenSutra saga. See you all next year!