Month: May 2023

Five minutes: three (right) answers: Sumit Roy

The image is a poster. On a neon orange background, a faint wave pattern runs down the right side. On top, in a yellow rectangle: Workshop Below, the headline: Five minutes: three (right) answers Below, a subhead: A technique for generating ideas to meet any challenge Next, the session date: 4th June, 2023 Next, in a circular window, a black-and-white portrait of the presenter with their name: Sumit Roy And below that, a descriptor: Grows people who grow brands Below, at centre, the logotype for The Goa Project Sessions, which has the words ‘The Goa Project’ in white text next to a stylised sunset-and-water image, and next to that, the word ‘Sessions’ within a stylised video camera image. In a black strip at the bottom: Once every four weeks on Sundays, 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. IST, on Zoom.

Sumit has made a career of encouraging people to grow their businesses into brands. He runs “the world’s smallest learn-by-earning university” which has no classrooms, no lectures, no employees: Univbrands. ‘Students’ learn by earning, on their own businesses. Univbrands students range from home-based entrepreneurs to managers in multi-national corporations spread all over the world: the Americas, Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia. He operates from Kolkata. Sumit learned how to grow brands in the 14 years he spent with Ogilvy & Mather. Then he learned how to grow people who grow brands in the four years he spent at Lintas. He is a founder member of The Red Curtain International, a group that does good theatre for good causes.

About this workshop.

Who is this workshop for?
Sumit may have spent most of his time mentoring folks in the brand world, but this one is not focussed on advertising and marketing folks, even if one were to argue that in this hyperconnected social-media-led world, every individual is a brand. The short answer is, if you have a work / business / professional / entrepreneurship problem you have been wrestling with, bring it with you.

What do you have to bring to the workshop?
One, your problem. You will be sharing these problems in the session, so it can’t be a deeply personal and/or confidential thing. A work-related quandary would probably be best.
And two, a writing implement and paper. Your implement must write thick enough to be easily viewed over a Zoom connection. (Please note that this also means that you will need to have your camera on.)

How will it go?
You will each share the problem you brought with you. Then you will be guided on how to word that problem for this exercise to work. Then, attendees will choose the problems they want to work on and small groups will work with each other in Zoom breakout rooms. After everyone is done, the groups will present their ideas.
This will be followed by an open discussion on idea generation techniques. Bonus: this includes why humans have no reason to be scared of AI.

How do you sign up?
To make sure this session does not get unwieldy, we are capping attendance at 30 people. And you will need to register in advance to get the joining link. Please use this form to do that. Do so quickly so that you can be sure of a seat.
Please add thetgpsessions@gmail.com to the address book of the email ID you use in the form; you will get your log-in details from that address.

Important: this Sessions will be at 5:00 p.m. IST, not our usual 5:30. We will open the Zoom a little before that so we can chat informally, and will close the doors at 5:05, so it’s important that you be on time. And, though we are usually happy to go well beyond the appointed one hour, as regulars know, we will go a maximum of 90 minutes, that is, until 6:30, since Sumit has another commitment directly after this one.

Native notes: Kshitij Banker

The image is a poster. On a neon blue background, a faint wave pattern runs down the right side. On top, in a yellow rectangle: The Arts Below, the headline: Native notes Below, a subhead: Revitalising Gujarat’s musicla heritage Next, the session date: 14th May, 2023 Next, in a circular window, a black-and-white portrait of the presenter with their name: Kshitij Banker And below that, a descriptor: RJ, musician Below, at centre, the logotype for The Goa Project Sessions, which has the words ‘The Goa Project’ in white text next to a stylised sunset-and-water image, and next to that, the word ‘Sessions’ within a stylised video camera image. In a black strip at the bottom: Once every four weeks on Sundays, 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. IST, on Zoom.

Kshitij, popularly known as RJ Kshitij, is a media and entertainment personality who has held the record of being the number one RJ and of the number one radio show in Vadodara for 10 consecutive years. He is also a TEDx speaker, a growth hacker, and a curious learner. He started working for Radio Mirchi in 2007, hosting the morning show for Vadodara, and became a significant opinion maker and influencer in the city. He also helped launch a Hindi radio station for Radio Mirchi in Hyderabad. Currently, he hosts the morning shows for New Jersey and New York for Radio Mirchi USA. He is the founder of Vatt Thi Gujarati.

Heartland music: Kavish Seth & Friends

The image is a poster. On a neon pink background, a faint wave pattern runs down the right side. On top, in a yellow rectangle “The Arts” Below, the headline: Heartland music Below, a subhead: The voices from within Next, the session date: 14th May, 2023 Next, in a circular window, a black-and-white portrait of the presenter with their name: Kavish Seth & Friends And below that, a descriptor: Musician, poet Below, at centre, the logotype for The Goa Project Sessions, which has the words ‘The Goa Project’ in white text next to a stylised sunset-and-water image, and next to that, the word ‘Sessions’ within a stylised video camera image. In a black strip at the bottom: Once every four weeks on Sundays, 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. IST, on Zoom.

Kavish is an independent singer-songwriter and poet who writes primarily in Hindustani. He has invented Noori, a microtonal polyphonic stringed instrument that belongs to the family of rabab, sarod, guitar, and oud. He runs a musical project, Zubaan, where  independent artists from different musical linguistic scenes come together, collaborate and perform across the mainlands.  He has performed in 72  towns, cities and villages of India so far and is now recording his works. (Kavish’s project was featured in TGP in Goa in 2018.)