If you happened to be at any of our iKeva offices last month, you would have noticed something different. No, it’s not new furniture and no, it’s not a new coffee machine. It was our members coming together to form a vibrant community.

Over the past month, our members played Pictionary and Antakshari, participated in a competitive but fun cricket and trivia quiz and let their creative juices flow by painting with their hands. We had a mini and impromptu flashmob in Hyderabad where iKeva girls danced to ‘Balam Pichikari’ – and guess what, some of our members who joined us were men! And to top all of this, we brought in some Latin American flavours into our workspace – we learned some Salsa moves and lost some calories to Zumba.

What I really took back from these events across the three cities – Bangalore, Chennai and Hyderabad – was community activities like these make strangers familiar and help them form a bond. Participants made friends with their unknown neighbours and today, I see a few of them chatting away during their coffee and lunch breaks.

The high energy environment that Zumba created in Bangalore drew members from different companies into the reception. While some danced, the others were content watching. This exercise dance routine turned to be popular and towards the end, members were asking to dance to some Bollywood music too! I even overheard a few of them saying it was a good source of entertainment – something to break away from their mundane jobs!

The catchy Salsa music and contagious dance moves in Hyderabad on the other hand, gave way to something unexplored for our members.Our workspace soon transformed into a lively entertainment zone. We danced in circles, in groups and with our partners. It truly was spicy and fiery! Participants left, swaying their bodies like pros, craving for more.

I truly enjoyed planning and organizing these events and the results showed. The response we received was overwhelming. There is no better feeling than knowing your members truly enjoyed every moment of the event – it only encourages me to organize more such events and to explore newer ways to making the iKeva experience more exciting.

Whether it was Salsa or Zumba, Hyderabad, Bangalore or Chennai, what remained and what everyone remembers is that one day in their office where they danced. Where they met friends, where they played, where they learned something new and more importantly, where they broke their daily routine.

I mean, c’mon. How many offices really encourage people to Salsa or Zumba?!