The very mention of “fun activities” in our office arouses curiosity, with everyone looking forward for something new and different. After the refreshing yet spiritual Christmas celebrations, the next set of entertainment poured in on April, the 27th. Expectations rose to higher levels; guesses reaching new heights. But alas, all estimations were flushed into the drain when our coordinators revealed the activities for the day. Read on for the surprise thrown by them… Soon as the clock struck five, the organizers pounded in full motion and got everyone on the floor. Tables were arranged in the center. Not wasting any more time, our lead coordinator, Neeraj, kick-started the episode with a hilarious yet informative explanation. Ten different games had been planned to keep us energized and on-the-go. Interestingly, all activities were of short duration, either one or two minutes, thus adding to the fun quotient. The names of the participants of the first game were picked from a bowl by our COO Dhirendra Tiwari.
Materials started pouring in for the game. The props, so brought forward, had everyone make the right guess. Inflating balloons in one minute! How many can you blow up in this given time period? One, two, three…. The participants were having a tough time pumping in air, though there was one contestant who patiently continued to concentrate on the given task. Priyanka Jain, from the content team, blew up six in a minute. Three cheers were on for the winner! Let aside, came in the second game. Four more participants were picked up and this time, the chosen ones were our bosses. And guess the game? Tying a perfect tied tie in the least time! On the countdown, our managers began their task and Dharmendra Singh ended with a perfectly tied tie in about just 40 seconds. A round of applause went on for our hidden gem!
How easy is it to fold a paper in two? Sounds too kiddish and stupid, right! Well, that was exactly the third activity on the list. Folding the maximum number of papers in two folds! The easier the task was, the tougher the competition got. When Arvind and Mohit ended up in a tie, they were asked to unfold the papers. With another tie on the cards, the only way to break the bar was to fold the papers twice, with the result favoring Arvind, from the travel department. By now, the ambiance of our office was filled with thrill and joviality. The next set of four contestants were lucky (read sarcastically) to showcase their talent of separating green colored thermocol balls from a given box of multicolored balls (or they were ill-fated to have their minus point displayed, rather!). Participants who’ve mastered the act of cleaning rice and lentils at home were surely at advantage. This was evident from the winner, Sanghamitra Brahma, who picked out 33 balls while others managed to separate just about 20.
Well, demonstrating kitchen acts weren’t enough. With the next four participants coming forward, exhibiting their primary culinary skills proved mandatory. Peeling peas seems to be a kid’s job. But when it comes to displaying it on stage in a competition, the tough surely gets tougher. Two guys and two gals… The competition turned neck-to-neck, with all of them drawing to a close shave. Nonetheless, the winner was still a girl, Nisha Rajpoot. With five games done with and another five to go, the level of enthusiasm reached higher. Playing with bat and ball is something that probably no kid must have missed during childhood days. But that was not the game to be recalled on the podium. A smaller version was put on display by throwing 10 balls into a box from a given distance. With an all-boys team, it was expected to be a good game. What came as a surprise was only two of the four managed to target 5 balls successfully. While Ravi Masaun ended with 5 balls, Akarsh Jain defeated him by targeting an extra ball.
How easy can tying a knot be? Does it strike you with a stupid activity to keep on the cards of a professional organization? Well, it did to all of us. But that wasn’t the actual game. The already tied knots had to be untied in a given time period of one minute. Sounds even easier, though it wasn’t… Give it a try! On the count of three, the four participants began their task with full dedication. While the three indulged in a tug-o-war with the knots, there was one contestant, Ankur, who chose to keep mum and let his skills do the talking. He came up untying 10 knots from a total 21, where others struggled to get only one or two knots opened. The fun quotient was on a new high, so was the craving for tea and snacks. A sigh of relief was almost offered to four of them, as bingeing on the maximum number of biscuits in a limited time of one minute was the next game. The game, in actual, was much more easy than from the mere thought. Such was the level of competition that the organizers were forced to add on more biscuits to judge the winner. With an unbeatable 14 biscuits in the first one minute and an additional 12 in the next 30 seconds (as a tie breaker with Shishir Singh), Sachin Tomar was a surprise packet to the entire workforce.
After gorging on biscuits, it was time for some refreshments. And with summers on the call, what better than a chilled glass of lemonade could be to battle the thirst. But alas, it wasn’t about just drinking a glass or two of fresh-made lemonade, but the maximum number to outshine other participants and emerge as a winner. As our office boy brought and placed the glasses, one by one, on the table, anxiety and nervousness reached to a higher level. For, each contestant had seven glasses of lemonade to gobble down in ‘one’ minute. On the countdown, the four picked up their respective glasses and started gulping down the drink. What added to the excitement of the game was Ashutosh completing three glasses and Sandeep four and backing out. Watching Boaz proceeding to the fourth glass inspired Sandeep to return and gulp down another one-and-half glass. But that did not stop Boaz from beating Sandeep and turning as the champion.
Last but not the least, with three contestants remaining; everyone was in full entertainment mood. When instructed by Neeraj about the game, all three were confident of giving in their best. But then, it was an instant game. Recalling the names of Bollywood movies starting with a given letter was pretty simple. But executing the same before a matchstick blows out was something to watch out for. While Neetu Jha managed to recollect just four films starting with the letter A, I took a step forward by listing seven with the letter R. Entered Vikas Kumar who was motivated to name eight movies with the letter N in order to turn victorious, but he stopped at six. Hence, I was declared the winner. This brought an end to another set of fun-filled and electrifying activities for the month.
This was, but, a beginning to the approaching weekend, while ending a tiring week at work. For a happier ending (or should we say start!), treats were offered to satiate our tickling tummies. Steaming hot and crispy patties were served, coupled with cold refreshments. While most picked up a glass of refrigerated soft drink, some chose to contribute to the health quotient by opting for a glass of lemonade prepared for the task. Indeed, a healthy and nutritious way to beat the heat, what say! Uff! Every single fraction of each game conducted was a moment to cherish and laugh about in days to come. Not before the activity session came to an end that we all realized that the clock, too, needed a break for two days (holiday, we mean…). Everyone took time to pamper themselves with the light snacks offered and started winding up for the week. I, too, with my colleagues, took another few minutes to wrap up and proceed for the weekend. I, sometimes, wonder whether we would have accepted a movie without any interval or not!
