A Global Connect

  • Abhishek Behl / FG
  • India
  • Sep 19, 2014

Soulful art, mouth-watering Morrocan food, mood-lifting music, a belly dancer and an expatriate crowd from across the world joined together to celebrate the yearly ’welcome back’ bash organised for the expatriate community here by Gurgaon Connections, a social network of foreign residents mostly residing in the Millennium City. Gurgaon Connection took shape in 2007 and presently comprises 500 to 600 households in the City, which reach out to each other over weekly meetings, monthly parties and yearly bashes. Peggy Bhohi, President, Gurgaon Connection, says that they connect to support each other and share valuable information about living in Gurgaon and India, which helps people to settle easier and faster in a new city and nation. The network has formed a toddler group, which meets once a week; a book club, which occasionally meets on evenings; and regular meet-ups, where people can network, share and relax among a like-minded set of professionals from across the world. Gurgaon Connection also organises an annual Welcome Back bash in September every year, as people come back from ‘home’ at this time, after holidays. Peggy says that getting information about basic living and getting things done, as a foreigner, is quite difficult if one does not have local contacts – which is where Gurgaon Connection comes in. Finding quality housing is a major problem in Gurgaon, as even the premium homes here lacks the ‘finesse’ that is available back home, cites Peggy. It remains one of the major challenges in India, apart from safe commuting and driving on the ‘roads’. Many expats who want to drive say that their companies do not allow them to do so, because of chaos on Gurgaon roads. Finding household help that is reliable and timely is another issue that the expatriates find difficult to handle. What delights them most is the availability of maids, which relieves them of the regular household chores, say some of the women. 

 

Talking about the Welcome Back bash, Peggy says that good music, art and food welcome the expatriates when they return to Gurgaon for a ‘gruelling’ year ahead. "This year we have invited four artists- two photographers and two painters - to participate in the event, showcase their art and network with people who like it," adds Peggy. One of the artists is Maayan Gutgold from Israel, a photographer who loves the colours of India, and likes to shoot people – especially expressions. "I love people, their faces and expressions and go to myriad places to capture these moods. I prefer to shoot in natural space, without lights, and have been shooting many street people in Delhi at construction sites," she says. “Since my early days I have devoted myself to photography in many forms - documentary, portraiture, street and people. After I purchased my first SLR I took my first photography course under the guidance of one of the big photographers of Israel. My diverse experience and the fact that I speak four languages has made me comfortable in nearly every photographic situation,“ she adds. Rubkirat Kour is a young architect and painter, has also been invited to show her paintings. They depict her passion, of  seeing beauty in the daily routine of people. Kour's style has been influenced by her profession (she’s an architect), but she asserts that painting for her is meditation. "I have been painting since I was young, and it has been my way to see things and describe them; I find an emotional anchor in my work," adds Kour. Her solo exhibition is coming soon, and she is getting trained at Triveni Kala Sangam, to understand the deeper meaning of colours, which for her define the myriad ways of life. Melanie Dornier, a  French freelancer photographer, has been living in Asia for more than 5 years. She likes to capture the lines and lights of Indian streets, and people, and works mainly on long-term subjects – like social change and the gender issue. She has also produced social documentaries and loves to play with colours and lines. "I shoot in remote areas and locations. I am also deeply concerned with gender issues and have worked with many women, transgenders and others. Being an outsider I see the people and country differently, and this adds to my art," says Melanie. The fourth artist in this group is Igor Kuhn, whose work is centred on a classical style and historical events. Kuhn paints in several layers, and uses different media to express his ideas on canvas. He studied painting, drawing, and the history of arts at Leningrad and Moscow. "I do what I do best. I create," is the basic premise of his art. These artists say that this City is known to have a large number of expat professionals and businessmen who are connoisseurs of art. They hope that, like Delhi, Gurgaon would also emerge as an art hub, where artists get respect and due compensation for their efforts. Peggy says the mix of art, music and good food always works for Gurgaon Connection.

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