Since I had taken a break from blogging, there were so many stories I wanted to share, and this is one of them. It was the day I stepped down from the serene hills of Neihbawih to the lively shores of Goa.
Imagine this: In the morning, I was on my farm at Neihbawih, welcoming the first rays of the golden sun while watering my crops and feeding my chickens. By afternoon, I was flying across the blue skies, hopping from one crowded airport to another. And finally, by nightfall, I was sipping a refreshing glass of Margarita on the tranquil beach of Goa.
For those who may not know, I work as a farmer here at Neihbawih, planting different vegetables and crops and tilling the soil and watering them and chopping trees and fetching water from the river and stuff, you know, the usual farmer chores.
But when I am not busy farming, I also... work as the Creative Director and Copy Head at Ronin Labs, based in Pune and Mumbai, where we craft immersive experiences for clients by merging gaming, advertising, tech, and design, as well as metaverse multiplayer, extended realities, hype videos, AI customisation, and bespoke branding solutions.
So... yeah, I may not be your typical farmer.
While I get to do the best of both worlds by working in the Corporate World out of my secluded farm and getting on daily video calls with my team members to brainstorm new ideas or pitch to clients, it was also necessary for me to meet the team in person at least once a year. And that would be when our annual office vacation takes place.
Ronin Labs has this tradition of going on a team vacation once a year, usually to Goa or other exotic places. These trips aren’t just about relaxing with a drink in hand and having a fun time though - We immerse ourselves in a variety of team-building activities, strengthening our bonds and returning with a renewed sense of camaraderie.
Last year, I was thrilled to receive an invitation to join this annual getaway. It was going to be my first opportunity to meet in person the colleagues I had been connecting with daily through video conference calls for over a year, making the experience all the more exciting. And so, off I went to the airport.
But, of course, there was a challenge. Since there are no direct flights from Mizoram to Goa, I had to first fly from Aizawl to Kolkata in the morning. While there were two daily flights from Kolkata to Goa, the morning flight wasn’t an option due to my Aizawl-Kolkata schedule, and the night flight would have gotten me to Goa at 2 AM and the resort by 3 AM, by which time everyone would have passed out, lolz.
And so on the same day, I took a second flight from Kolkata to Bengaluru in the afternoon, followed by a third flight from Bengaluru to Goa in the evening, which landed at 9 PM.
Finally, after three long flights in one day, I made it to our resort by 10 PM, just as the party was reaching its peak - perfect timing, lolz!
It was so great to finally meet all the guys in person for the first time, though to be frank, I didn't feel like a stranger at all because we had interacted every day for the past year. In fact, I could correctly name all 18 of them right then.
It was also awesome to meet my dear friends Sumeet and Amit as well.
Sumeet is the CEO and Co-Founder of Ronin Labs, and a long time ago in 2013, he and I had started our own mobile games development company in Mumbai, under the patronage of the late Sidharth Rao.
That venture was highly successful, and we were quickly acquired, setting the stage for my career as a game designer. His brother, Amit, also a Co-Founder of Ronin Labs, served as our Art Director during my time at Dentsu Webchutney, where I worked as a copywriter and gained invaluable experience in the world of digital advertising.
So in a way, my past work experiences with copywriting, advertising, branding and game designing were all a perfect fit in what Ronin Labs does today.
That night we bonded and chatted. Sumeet and Amit had booked the entire resort just for us, with each cosy cottage on a sharing basis. I was bunked up with Varun, a brilliant tech nerd, who had led our award-winning campaign for OnePlus where we showcased their latest phone launch and its 5G speed by linking phones to actual RC cars in a race circuit tournament, where the speed of the car was purely determined by the attached phone's 5G speed capability.
As the night went past midnight, a few of us wandered down to the beach, drinks in hand. The resort that we had booked was situated right on the beach, making the short walk a breeze (badumtsss). We continued chilling and talking about various topics, including the usual boys' talk like... whose phone camera had the best night shot, lolz.
Some of these new phones' night mode features were just crazy and surreal. Using AI tech, phones could now manipulate low-light conditions so effectively that they transformed pitch-black surroundings into scenes that looked like they were taken in broad daylight. See the photos below, it was completely dark in reality.
While it’s impressive, it almost feels like technology is fooling us, completely erasing the mystery and depth of the night. Call me old fashioned, but I think I'd prefer those dark, grainy photos that truly captured the essence of that moment, rather than a bright "daylight" image that might leave me wondering years later when it was actually taken.
We also played around with the Insta360 cam, capturing dynamic shots of us tossing light-up balls in the dark. By using long exposure settings, we created stunning light trails that danced around us, turning each moment into a mesmerising display of motion and light.
Soon it was time to sleep and we headed back to our rooms. I took a quick shower and then fell asleep immediately the moment my head hit the pillow, as I had a long exhausting day taking three different flights followed by a late-night revelry.
The next day I woke up completely refreshed and took a stroll down the beach. So the name of this beach is Morjim, and the resort we were staying at is called "Rock Bite" beach resort.
The other guys too started waking up one by one and groggily walked out of their rooms.
For breakfast, we could ask the chef to make anything we wanted, like toast, choice of eggs, poha, puri bhaji, alu paratha etc. Since we had booked the entire resort, we were free to enjoy all the food and drinks we wanted.
Nothing says vacation quite like a refreshing dip in the private pool of our resort.
I dipped my feet inside the pool and sipped on Feni with Limca under the sultry afternoon sun to truly enjoy the Goan vacation. Once everybody was up and fresh and had worked up a good appetite, we took a leisurely stroll along the beach to "Burger Factory" for lunch, which was located at the far end of the shore from our resort.
I loved the place. It had a laid-back vibe, with rustic yet stylish decor that perfectly complemented its beachside setting. The open-air seating, adorned with eclectic artwork and cosy lighting, was buzzing with patrons, most of whom were Russian tourists. For a brief second, I thought I wasn't in India anymore.
It’s the kind of place where you can just relax, enjoy the cool sea breeze, and indulge in some of the best gourmet burgers in Goa, as well as their special in-house signature cocktails, all while taking in the stunning views of the coastline.
The t-shirt I wore that day was a perfect fit with the ambience :D
The food was absolutely heavenly! OMG OMG OMG. While my colleagues were equally impressed, for me, it was something even more special - after living on my farm in Neihbawih for the past four years, nothing I recently had could compare to the flavours I was experiencing right then.
Once we were properly stuffed and gained more than 5 kg each, we slowly walked back to our resort.
Some of the guys got their hair braided and stuff.
I on the other hand went looking for a spa. Having spent the entire previous day travelling, my body and feet were aching. I needed a full-body massage badly. I found a couple of good Spas on Google, but I had to hire a cab to get there. Instead, I went to the only spa which was within walking distance, behind Rainbow Resort, 500 meters from our location.
Funny thing though, the place had one rule - males were massaged only by a masseur while females were massaged only by a masseuse. And so, even though I was a bit uncomfortable with another dude massaging me, I had no other option.
I mean, that was such a weird rule. Why was it a "same-sex only" massage? If they were concerned that tourists or foreigners would misbehave with them or ask for "extra", the spa "rooms" were covered with flimsy transparent nets and anybody walking by could see everything inside, so why make it same-sex?
Anyhoo, yes, I did feel much better after the massage and headed back to our resort.
The merrymaking continued at our resort and more drinks flowed. I had never felt that relaxed in a very long time. My colleagues continued playing in the pool. A bunch of cute Russian kids also joined our party and we welcomed them happily, as the resort they were staying at didn't have its own pool.
By the way, yes, there were Russian tourists everywhere. Apparently, this beach is their favourite location because during off-season, it is affordable and has good privacy. In fact, all the restaurants and bars on the beach have a separate menu printed in Russian!
We continued with our fun at the pool. Here's Sumeet and Manasi.
Sumeet and Amit's dad also joined us for the vacation. Since the unfortunate passing of their mom two years ago, their dad had become a familiar presence at Ronin Labs events. It’s heartening to have him with us, providing him with good company and keeping him connected.
Meanwhile, the boys had the most fun.
In the evening, I went to the beach again (with my drinks) to view the sunset. But I dozed off on one of the long wooden bench chairs, right in front of the freaking setting sun. :D When I woke up, the sun had already disappeared, lolzzz.
After spending some time splashing around in the waves, I made my way back to our resort, where a feast of more food and drinks was ready and waiting, promising yet another round of indulgence and good times.
Pool party indeed.
Authentic Goan prawns, lobsters, fish and kebabs for starters! Yummm.
A very nice shot from behind.
Most of us didn't drink much that night, as we were drinking almost the entire day, lolz. We all retired to bed around 10'ish.
The next day was Office activity-day! After a good lunch at the resort, we all wore our Ronin Labs t-shirts and headed down to the beach again.
A quick groupfie.
We were divided into 4 teams, and we performed many fun activities together on the beach, like group racing, tag it, etc. All the activities required a strong sense of teamwork and planning. We also engaged in creative challenges that required team strategy, as well as co-ordination. These activities weren't just about winning; they were about bonding, learning to rely on one another, and building a stronger, more cohesive team. All in all, it was a very memorable and important moment.
Below are some short videos of the activities we did.
Ronin Labs team, 2023.
We ended the beach activity with the final event - a sandcastle-building contest, lolz. Look at the four beautiful castles below and let me know which is your favourite. :)
That night I slept quite early as I was quite bruised up from all the sudden physical activities, lolz.
The next day was a casual day for all, where people could do anything they wanted, like shopping in the city, visiting tourist attractions, etc. I decided to meet my friend Maymi Zote and spend the night at B. Ramhluna's place.
Maymi and I had been friends on Facebook for a long time, but we had never met in person. We shared a long list of close mutual friends, so it was only natural that we would finally meet now that I was in Goa. She and her husband ran a chain of premium resorts and villas around Goa, and I was also eager to learn more about their business.
B.Ramhluna, or Bee-a as we call him, was my partner-in-crime back during my Mumbai days. He got transferred to Goa soon after I left Mumbai for Pune, but unlike me where I was an introvert in Pune and no Mizos in Pune knew about me for at least 2-3 years, Bee-a was immediately voted to be the President of the Goa Mizo Welfare Association on his second year in Goa itself. Such is the contrast between our lifestyles, lolz, but we remained good friends.
Both Maymi and Bee-a transferred money to me on Gpay and asked me to get burgers for them from "Burger Factory", after all, it is the best burger joint in Goa, and so I left our resort in the afternoon and ordered all their burgers while sipping on a refreshing cocktail.
Hehe, 4K for just burgers. Now you know why it's the best in Goa.
I hired a vehicle to get to Maymi's place. By the way, the only thing bad about Goa is when it comes to hiring transportation. Since tourism is one of the main sources of income, transportation is heavily controlled by politicians and mafias. So there are no Olas, Ubers etc, and even local companies like "GoaMiles" cars are frequently attacked by the local cabbies, who would fleece tourists. The best option is to hire a car through the resort you're staying at, as that has less chance of the driver fleecing you.
I was completely blown away when I arrived at Maymi’s place. Her villa was nothing short of palatial, a stunning blend of rustic charm and modern elegance. The grand structure instantly transported me back to the colonial era, with its timeless architecture and expansive design.
The interior of the villa was just as impressive as its exterior. The rooms featured high ceilings with exposed wooden beams, adding a touch of rustic charm. Large, framed windows flooded all the rooms with natural light, adorned with a mix of modern computers and entertainment sets, making every corner of the villa feel like a retreat steeped in both history and contemporary luxury.
I decided to take a quick swim at Maymi's private pool and it was a refreshing change.
Soon, Bee-a joined us and the fun continued. Even though my time with Maymi was short, it was great to finally meet each other. I do hope you visit some of her villas for rent, like Landmark Goa Villas and Artist Cottages.
After saying goodbye to Maymi, Bee-a took me to his house, where he introduced me to his lovely wife, Mayline. She looked familiar, so I quickly took out my phone and pulled up an old blog post I had written in 2018 - "Wedding in Bangalore part 3".
In that post, I had mentioned about flying down from Pune to Bangalore, while Bee-a flew in from Goa to Bangalore, to attend our friend Thara's wedding. Back then, Bee-a had taken me to the same Mayline’s house in Bangalore, which explained why she looked so familiar. However, at that time, he had introduced her to me as his sister! Hmmmm.... :D
Bee and Mayline have two rumbustious boys running everywhere in the house. And then we assembled this new wardrobe he ordered. It was two engineers competing to see who could attach the parts better! :D We had a great time catching up and talking about the old days, and then Mayline cooked an awesome dinner for us.
While all this was happening, my colleagues at the resort were having a great time too. They went out for lunch to Tomato's, a popular beachside restaurant, known for its fancy cocktails.
And in the night, Sumeet, Manasi and Amit surprised everyone by treating the entire team at Thalassa, a luxurious (and expensive) club known for its stunning parties, chic ambience, and vibrant Greek-inspired decor.
The boys had a very memorable time.
Mesmerising fire show.
As for me, in the morning, Bee and his family dropped me back at our resort. We chilled over some good cocktails at the beachside, enjoying the cool ocean breeze and the rhythmic sound of the waves crashing against the shore.
As you can see from the photo above, Bee-a wore dark glasses, so that he could act like he was looking at his wife while he was actually ogling at the Russian ladies around us. Meanwhile, Mayline too wore dark glasses so that she could act like she was watching her kids while she was actually looking at Bee to see who he was looking at. Ahh married life. :D
Here is a photo of Bee-a with his cute son. So adorable naw, just wanna pinch those pale white fluffy cheeks.
Bee and Mayline soon left and I started packing. The rest of the team was driving back to Pune, but I decided to take a flight, which was a good thing as uncle was also flying back and I could assist him along the way.
Also, pssst pssst, you can buy Goa's cheap booze and take them along with you by flight, but you can't do that by road, as the excise department will confiscate them at the border. Quite a strange rule na?
I bid my farewell to the team, including Oindrilla who was the only person from my copywriting team to come for the vacation as John and Aviral had some other plans. I also hugged my dear friend Sonal goodbye. She's the Production head at Ronin Labs, but she and I had earlier worked together for a couple of years at Gravy Inc. under Sidharth Rao.
Uncle and I soon reached the airport.
Once we reached Pune, my bro Nitin picked us up from the airport. We dropped uncle to his room and said goodbye to him.
I spent the next day with Teresa and Nitin in Pune, enjoying a relaxed day filled with good conversation and fond memories. After that, I flew back to Neihbawih, returning to the quiet rhythms of my farming life.
The contrast between the bustling beaches of Goa and the serene fields of Neihbawih couldn't have been more striking. From the vibrant energy of coastal parties to the peaceful solitude of tending to my crops, it was a reminder of the beautiful duality in life. Both worlds hold their own unique charm, and as I settled back into my farm routine surrounded by my 5 adorable dogs, I couldn’t help but appreciate how these contrasting experiences make life so rich and fulfilling.
Cheers.
