Bangalore SHG meet 14th October 2018

Today (14/10/2018) the Bangalore SHG meet took place at Cubbon Park from 10am to 1.15pm. Following are the highlights.

1. We were 9 of us, Coordinator was Ankit. The agenda was circulated before hand on whatsapp group and location pin was shared as well.
2. Before the start we had a 5 mins casual interaction with a well-wisher ( a retired bank official non-pws, who drops in every week at start of our meeting and shares his encouraging thoughts with us). This time he said he appreciated our consistently meeting and emphasized the importance of excellent grooming ( and attire) for all of us. He said being well-dressed and good posture gives us more confidence while interacting with others. Slouching and standing while talking will decrease the confidence. He left after 5 mins. We were joined by our fluffy friend ( as in photo below. It kept us company all through. 
3. We had the introductions round and the prepared speech round. ( few spoke extempore.)
4. Shahid ( hope i got name right) spoke about his journey and attempts. One of the things which caught interest of the group was his mention of ‘ breathing exercises’ and the benefits in calming the mind.
5. We had a visit to a event ( close by) where over 200 visually impaired persons had gathered. Ankit took initiative to see if our group could have a talk there . However there was loud music and could not materialize. This intent of addressing other groups in the park, is a regular feature of our SHG.
6. We split into 3 groups and had stranger talk sessions . ( I could not keep track of number of strangers the group talked to.
7. After stranger talk , we assembled back in our meet place and we had a breathing session for 5 minutes guided by Shahid. We decided to include 5mins breathing session every meet ( just before the stranger talk session begins. (Suggestion- Other SHG groups may like to consider this 5 mins breathing in their Agenda as it has a calming effect on mind)
8. Then we had a brainstorming session on agenda items for next week, Coordinator rotation, Inclusion of newer activities to keep the meet lively.
9. We decided each week 1 of us would write the report of the meet
10. We had a group Photo( as above)  and closed the meet.

Thanks

Madhavan

For more details Pl contact – Ankit (9765646282) or Madhavan (9845276434)