A Quirky Win-Win

This was such a chance occurrence, that I didn't know what else to title it :)

Diksha and Mayur together organize music gigs under the banner 'Infinite Cartwheels'. This is something they've been at a few months now, and this month was their fourth and most ambitious to date event. They were bringing down three bands, 'Skyharbor' ( a Delhi started but now global band) and 'Space is all we have' from Bangalore, and 'The Tapes' a apna Hyderabad Indie Rock band. 

Watching them at it, is when I realized just how much work it is. Getting in place the sponsorships, the venue, the bands, logistics for travel, arrangements for stay, printing of posters, ticketing, sales, promo work........just a lot of stuff. They were doing it all between just the two of them. I watched as bystander, distant bystander......quietly impressed.

One evening a couple weeks back, Diksha happened to mention that one of their sponsors had dropped out on a technicality, and they had this gap that was becoming high stress.

Spur of the moment I asked, "you think I, Aham Counselling, can be part sponsor"? 

At first neither she, nor I, knew how to react.  Though I'd said it myself, I was also very unsure.

After all counselling is a very individual, and private, one on one process, and through Aham counselling (the website) I'd sought to bring out this peaceful, soothing, supportive space.

And a music gig on the other hand was this absolute show of noise, crowds, fun and frolic, and music and dance and brashness and highs. Just such a contrast.

Would they go together?

Surprisingly, it was Diksha and Mayur who discussed it, and then convinced me it would work. "Our gen is really open to the idea of counselling. If music and dance is fun and relaxing, and then so is counselling in it's own way....we see a synergy here ma" she said.

That's how it began. And an unusual and quirky partnership got built from there. One that we all slowly bought into.

Yesterday was the event. Here are the posters they created for it.

The Aham Counselling Poster

Their main event posters

The event was a raging success. Here's coverage of the event in The Hindu - Up high with Skyharbor

And what initially seemed odd, like even seeing the Aham logo there next to Heineken being representative......in fact almost an anomaly of sorts, turned out to be a wonderful and paradoxical win-win......a nice experience in thinking out of the box :)