Alright, buckle up for the lowdown on how our office went from zero to hero in the socialization game, thanks to a major change in the company leadership.

International Women's Day - 8th March 2024 - was the first time in my eight year long career that my office had given permission to organise something for the employees.

So I was surprised (rather shocked) when the organising committee announced about the event on 7th March. As the announcement was made after office hours, I didn't have any option to ensure that it was a valid news. Nevertheless, I decided to go to office in some non-formal dress for the next day.

Now let's talk about THE day - 8th March 2024.

The first gift given to us was that the time to reach office was extended to 11 am (office time is 9 am, the time when the men had arrived that day).

Now, when I reached the office, I decided to turn around to curse my driver for dropping me to a wrong location...I mean yes, the office was so beautifully decorated that I couldn't even recognise it - rose petals strewn along the path, and gorgeous rose bouquets being given to the women at the entrance - the whole setup just blew my mind away, turning a regular office into a magical space for the day. 🌹✨

As I had reached quite early, there were only few ladies present. We chatted a bit & as expected, everyone was talking about how they were also taken aback by this function. We clicked a few pictures around the banner wishing 'Happy International Women's Day' with genuine smiles on our faces.

While I was waiting for the other women to arrive, I began observing the arena (it was the office conference room). Decorations were still going on, new seating arrangement had been given - small tables with 4-5 chairs loads of chocolates were kept which was for the winners of the games I guessed, packets in a corner which I believed would be given as a return gift to all the women.

Slowly, women started pouring in - everyone's face was covered with an expression of surprise. As expected, everyone had worn something special - traditional wear in general. I was glad that I wasn't the odd (wo)man out.

Now we started clicking pictures everywhere, with all types of poses & expressions possible. And guess what?! The cameraman hired for the day was actually a camera-woman...I was quite impressed!

After some time, the office MD & the chief guest (his wife) arrived. He gave a short speech & left after asking us to enjoy the day to the fullest.

Now the festivities started. The anchor had been hired from outside & it was definitely worth it!
Some of the games were group games, where each table was a group; some were individual games where one woman from each table was asked to participate; some were games where everyone participated. I have described the games in detail as I am so excited to share this experience that I just can't leave anything out!

1. Participants had to blow balloons, throw it up in the air & within the time that it touched the ground, they had to put chocolates on a plate. The person collecting the largest number of chocolates would be declared the winner.
2. Housie with gifts for - Early 5, Top line, Middle line, Bottom line, Full House.
3. Musical chairs.
4. Prizes were given to women who had the following - Picture of their family on their mobile screen, Largest number of makeup items in their purses etc.
5. A couple of friends were asked questions & asked to answer without seeing the other person's answer, so as to know how deep their friendship was. Questions were - Who's the angrier one, who does more bitching, and many more like that.
6. Two groups were formed, where each had to carry a cup on their heads & form a castle out of it. The group forming it the fastest would be declared the winner.
7. Women sitting on the same table were made group-members & they had to raise their hand if they knew a song containing the word given by the anchor. And boy, it turned into a World War - everyone was screaming to make the anchor look towards their team!
8. Women were asked to walk in a big circle with music playing in the background. When the music stopped, the anchor announced a number & that number of women had to hold hands to form a group. It was something worth watching - Women grabbing each other violently to play safe, impression of nails clearly visible on the hands of the women wearing sleeveless dresses!

My phone was buzzing with the messages of my male-friends working upstairs to keep them updated with the festivities...after all, the entire office was interested in knowing what was going on!

One of my friends even compared the environment to a Ladies Sangeet (an event in Indian marriages) where men make silly reasons to pass through the door to have a peak inside the room to see the ladies.

The senior-most lady official couldn't help but share a cheeky grin, saying, "Among the many reasons I'm thrilled today, the happiest one is that we're here enjoying, while our fellow male colleagues are deep in the trenches of work. Call it sadistic pleasure, but I'm savoring every moment of it!" 😂😈

At 1 pm, lunch started. As the food area had become quite crowded, I decided to go upstairs for some time to meet my friends. Afterwards when I came back to have lunch, most people had finished their food & were eating dessert. I started eating food & I must say that it was quite delicious.

After lunch, games started again & everyone heaved a sigh of relief as we had been apprehensive thinking what if we were asked to go and work post-lunch?! After all, noone wanted to work that day!

After a couple of hours, the event ended & we were told that we could leave (& not work)...this day was genuinely filled with surprises!

As I was waiting for my cab to arrive, I went upstairs to meet my friends again. Oh god, the jealousy on their faces! I chose to calm them down by giving them the chocolates that I had won in the games.
The guys, unable to hide their envy, threw a comical taunt, saying, "Well, looks like the only one day worth celebrating for us is Labor Day. At least then we'll get a break from the jealousy!"

So that was my first experience of 'living life' in office. Every year I had been sad when I used to see my friends getting all decked up to celebrate this day in their offices. But everything changed this year.
The activities weren't just fun; they were the secret sauce that finally cracked the code of workplace formality. Suddenly, colleagues turned into pals, and the office felt more like a hangout spot than a 9-to-5 grind.

Allowing to have this celebration might have been a minor decision for our MD, but for folks like me who had been navigating the murky waters of discontent, it was nothing short of a lifeline! This small get-together was like a revolution - a proof that when you sprinkle some inclusivity and good vibes into the mix, you get not only happy campers but also a damn awesome work environment!

In those fleeting moments of celebration, we discovered the power of a simple change – it showcased how a small initiative in the company culture could bring about the most significant waves of happiness 😊

Here's to the little moments that make the biggest impact, and to a future filled with more reasons to celebrate and smile 🌟