it didn't start on a particularly encouraging note with Mcdonalds brimming to the top and i could imagine gbites walking upto each mcdonald employee (they were all wearing balck caps) and asking about the gb meet !! Thankfully i recognised someone from one of the gb events i had gone to and could join them. And then followed the crazy scene of co-ordinating n number of autos to a common desitnation. Can't imagine what we would have done without mobile phones but what started with a few hiccups culminated in a resounding success . There was a good mix of newbies and old timers and people across the age brackets. 

What was so amazing was that i was so comfortable with the group from the word go - i am normally a very shy person and totally clamp down in large groups. i suppose what was very reassuring was that nobody was trying to be overly protective or condescending or preachy . People voiced opinions and were supportive and so non-judgemental. the level of camraderie among the people was amazing.

we discussed a lot of issues from how to control trade from attending gb parties , the diffculties a lot of members have in shelling out 350 bucks every party, the marriage issue , the vigil at fort , the need for publicity , movies and the list goes on and on and before long two and half hours had passed. 

newbies were gently encouraged but not coaxed to talk , i shamelessly kept on talking for a long time. What i realised and i suppose everybody knows is that none of our problems are unique they r preety generic with the specific context of your life adding complications. so it helps to talk and stop seeing urself as a martyr. 

what was also very appealing was that it nobody offered a fairy tale ending - they told as to what had worked for different people - they offered to help in the process but finally there is no absolute solution and each of us need to handle ur own life as we deem fit. this might all sound very serious but that is because of the lack of imagination on the part of the author - there were quite a few laughs and light moments. 

the meet also helped meet people which is not really feasible in a party - so next time i go to a party i will have familiar faces to talk to - hopefully i will be able to pick up the phone and talk or write a mail to any of the people with whom i excahnged contact information. 

Finally , being a part of dirty corporate world i am so used purposive communication from people - with "networking" being top of people's mind that a forum with so much non-purposive communication is such a pleasant surprise usually u end up meeting the same kind of people doing similar things with same kind of pressures making the same bitchy comments about bosses & moaning about careers 

That meeting with a wide diaspora of interesting people - where else would u meet a doctor, a enginer, a software professional, a journalist etc etc in the same room i think i should stop here - i have said enough - all of those who asked me to write the report would be repenting it NOW ???!!