Indian By Birth .. Blogger By Choice

I have been blogging for over 5 years now, and I would not hesitate to acknowledge the fact that never earlier did I feel so proud of being a part of blogosphere as I did today. And all the credit goes to Indiblogger and Nokia. Nokia, for giving us, the bloggers, the credit and opportunity to be a part of it, and Indiblogger, for inviting us to this awesome event.

I have attended so many bloggers meet till date but trust me when I say this – This was, by far, the best event I have ever attended. Call it the ambiance, the hospitality by Nokia and Indiblogger, the ever so awesome hosts in the form of Vikas Khanna and Rajiv Makhni or the awesome IndiBlogger family, the event was one which will continue to be in the mind of every attendee for a long time to come.

Now let me formally introduce you to the event – The Nokia AppTasting. As proficient as it could be and as efficiently organized as one could possibly be. We made sure to reach the venue right on time as we had high expectations from the event, and aren’t we glad that we did it. Right from the theme of the event to the execution of different segments of the schedule, everything was perfectly thought out.

Did you ever imagine that you could bring together technology and food? I am sure you didn’t. And so did I. Never did any such thought even crossed my mind until today, when Rajiv and Vikas blended both of them in such a beautiful way that by the end of the evening everyone was unsure whether to join “Team Foodie” or “Team Techie”.

The event stretched to as long as 5 hours but it was made sure that no one felt bored for even one second. Information combined with perfect sense of humor by our dear hosts Rajiv and Vikas made this as evening to remember for all of us. The Nokia AppTasting kicked of with “30 seconds of Fame”. Random bloggers were called on the stage and had to join either of Vikas’ or Rajiv’s Team (Foody vs Techie). Professional Blogging, Social Media Consulting, Hacking, Cracking and what not. All of this perfectly classified me into Rajiv’s team and wasn’t I dying to see my name being flashed on the big screen and to get a chance to share the same stage with these two wonderful personalities. But luck favors you at times and at times it doesn’t. This time it didn’t favor me and I had to enjoy the warmth of my seat and watch other explain their part of story to everyone. Rajiv!!! If you are reading this I need you to know that I had a lot of witty answers in store for everyone and would have surely forced you to give one of those gifts to me 😀 . Anyways rest assured that I would have been and will always be a part of Team Techie (+1) 😀 😀

Amidst the snacks and drinks, the next part of the event was underway and I could see people slicing onions away in their unique style. We even saw one odd guy slice his fingers away in the process. He didn’t win the bravery award for it though 😛 . But the process told me something about the side of the story of a Foodie to me. I never realized that there could be so many techniques to slice an onions and “Chopping” and “Slicing” were two entirely different concepts :O . But thanks to the Master Chef Vikas, I know this right now. People were awarded for their “Slicing Talent” and I was sitting their with all my fingers intact (Glad I was not chosen as a volunteer for the same :P).

And just when you thought that it couldn’t get better, Rajiv demonstrated such awesome apps to all of us that I couldn’t help wondering why should I not switch back to Nokia. Be it the Charlie Chaplin video or the Morphing Pic Software. Be it the Drunk Test App or the Wine-Food Combo Determiner, an array of awesome apps demonstrated by the Tech-Guru left me googling for it all over the place. And my efforts were only to be stopped by Rajiv and Vikas making their way into the audience. It was the time for “Tell Us You Dream App … And Get Away With Awesome Nokia Goodies”. This was the part which clearly told everyone why the bloggers are considered one of the most creative people. They combined wit with sense, humor with responsibility, foresightedness with reality and technology with sustainability.

An app which could prove as a tool for the perfect voting system to an app which would find a perfect soul mate for you. An app which could list down the corrupt officials to an app which could provide with you the smell and feel of the menu items that the restaurant has in offering for you. An app which could find an auto rickshaw for you to an app which could tell you what exactly a woman wants 😛 . Different People, Different Opinions and Different Aspirations. But the target still remained the same. The greater good for everyone and let out your opinion as loudly as you could. Unfortunately my raised hand still went unnoticed and I could not let my dream app echo in the hall. Still the show was not over and I had a chance to let my presence felt.

The finale was yet to be uncovered and Poonam (Director Comunications, Nokia, who happen to be a great dancer and but didn’t live up to her promise to perform at the end of the day :'( ) and Simran (Communications Manager, Nokia, who is coincidentally a He and not a She) had already announced a great prize for winner of this final gala event. I raised my ever so enthusiastic hand high up in the air and I could bet it was the highest in the hall, but to my dismay I still could not feature amongst the eight lucky chaps who were called on the stage.  Technology and Cuisines combined, the quiz was an enthralling and nail biting one and the winners!!! Well what to say, they went away with a Nokia Lumia each and everyone could just applause and acknowledge how lucky they were to have laid their hands on this perfect phone. Deserving nevertheless, the group of girls went away with appreciations and a wide grin on their face.

I sat there wishing for the event to be extended for another round but it was not to be. May be the luck didn’t favor me. May be occupying a seat in the last row didn’t help my cause. May be I was not enthusiastic enough enough to jump in front of Vikas and Rajiv and force them to let me in. May be May be May be .. I am not sure. But there is one thing that I am completely sure of. And the thing is that I had a hell of an evening tonight and couldn’t have asked for a better Sunday. I have been associated with Indiblogger since almost its birth and consider myself lucky to have spent the 5th birth anniversary of this beautiful concept called “IndiBlogger” with the entire Indiblogger Team. Happy Birthday IndiBlogger 😀 😀

And a special thanks to Vikas Khanna and Rajiv Makhni to spellbound everyone of us with the way they carried us forward throughout the evening. Thanks Poonam, Simran and Nokia for making this possible. And last but not the least, thanks to each and everyone of my Indiblogger Family for making this a memorable experience. #NokiaAppTasting was trending on Twitter today and there is a very strong reason for this. And the reason is all of the above mentioned people. Thank You everyone 😀 😀 😀