In Part 1 of the Fun@25 story, we introduced the vision behind the event – how it was designed to bring Naandi employees together for a day of camaraderie, creativity, and athleticism. Now, in Part 2, we take you behind the scenes…
Finding suitable venues for hosting Fun@25 posed quite a challenge for each cluster. While the sports set up called for a flat, open stretch of ground longer than 30 meters, creative events required a hall or stage, ideally prepped with lighting and sound systems. The Araku cluster set up the most beautiful venue on their doorstep – a mango orchard equipped with performance tents and a freshly laid sports ground. Hyderabad, on the other hand, resorted to improvisation by preparing sports lanes in the office’s underground parking and a stage on the communal rooftop.
Mumbai and Amritsar opted to rent out event halls in nearby hotels, while Varanasi chose to do the same but for spaces on the campus of a nearby university. Chennai outdid themselves with their adaptability, as a last-minute venue change was needed after their pre-booked venue was flooded by torrential rain on the eve of the event! It goes to show that with a determined team, any problem can be solved – they found an indoor sports arena that would serve just as well, just in time.
Fun@25 came alive at all six clusters with an infectious energy. Having transformed into event managers overnight, the passionate group of volunteer organisers meticulously planned every detail and managed schedules to ensure the fun never flagged. They handled logistics and stuck to scoring systems, coordinated with vendors, set up the race tracks, stages, and cooking facilities, and more – all to ensure that everything (and everyone) ran smoothly and that fun prizes were available for those who beat the clocks and impressed the judges. What’s more – each cluster made Fun@25 its own. Much like the way Naandi tailors our community programs to the unique needs of the people we serve.
While participants of the best recipe competition in Amritsar, Hyderabad, and Mumbai prepared their dishes at home to bring to their venues for tasting, Araku and Varanasi requested that ingredients be brought from home to cook fresh on the day itself, using the vessels and cooking stoves provided. Inspired by the infamous Tamil show ‘Cooku with Comali’, Chennai went a step further and provided facilities for comedian-cook pairs to prepare dishes in front of the live Naandi audience… in under 1 hour! Some clusters went to great lengths by organising extra events – like Varanasi, who held a 1.5 hour icebreaker and warm-up session to bring everyone to a comfortable level of familiarity, dissolving any relational gaps that may have existed between people from different offices and projects. Araku took full advantage of the day, adding in a tug-of-war, a treasure hunt, and a fireworks-cake-cutting finale to bring Fun@25 to a most sparkling and memorable close.
To conclude, Fun@25 was a day of laughter and a celebration of everything Naandi stands for: diversity, inclusion, and community spirit. We want to send our deepest thanks to all the organisers and, most importantly, all Naandi’s employees who through their enthusiasm and participation, turned the event into an unforgettable experience. Together, we’ve proven once again why Naandi remains a trailblazer in social impact, touching the lives of millions of people across India. Stay tuned for an update on the results of the Fun@25 finals, recently hosted at Season 5 of Toofaan Games.
