Recap: Quora World Meetup 2017, Kathmandu

The second week of November, 2017 was announced to be the first ever official Quora Meetup Week as a way of celebrating the global growth of its users. Nepal was no exception as Quora Community Nepal set out with the aim to host the event at King’s College, Kathmandu on 11th November, 2017.

The only promotion done by the organizers was setting up a Facebook Event page which surprisingly had over 300 people interested. The meetup was scheduled to start at 11:30 a.m. (the equivalent of 12:00 pm in the realms of Nepali time).

Signatures started filling the registration paper. It was delighting to see that age was not a factor when it came to Quora. The room was almost filled by around sixty five participants in no time. The organizers, without wasting any time rolled the dice with the introduction round.

Mind you, it was no ordinary introduction round with awkward one-liners. Every single person in the room gave an elaborate introduction about themselves and how they unfolded the mysteries of an undiscovered digital version of Neverland that was Quora.

Image Credit: QuoraNepal

Two things were rather apparent after the introduction session – first, there are A LOT of IT students/professionals in this country. The other discovery being the openness that every participant showed. It was beyond refreshing just to be in the presence of a group of people who did not fear being vulnerable.

In the spirit of Quora, a Q&A session followed where the host would ask a question and anyone was free to answer. While the participants were giving their thoughts on everything from political issues to the wonders of lucid dreaming, a notebook was passed through the audience asking them to jot down any questions they had.

There were a handful of questions by the time the notebook made its way back.

Who needs event planning when you’re blessed with an audience this engaged?

The Q&A session extended to a serious discussion about mental illness such as depression, anxiety and panic attacks. There were a lot of eager hands raised willing to answer this question. Sharing about personal struggles and how they overcame the grips of the dark within, the Q&A session ended on an uplifting note.

A short tea break was agreed upon.

The corridor and balcony was now full of attendees sipping tea and munching on biscuits while chatting with newly made friends.

Back in the room, the participants were divided into two groups for the purpose of some good ol’ debate.

The first topic was about whether Kathmandu should still remain the capital of Nepal. Both groups started throwing away ideas and scribbled down points that they collectively agreed upon. The debate involved discussing its impact on economy, geography, culture and beyond.

Putting this topic to a halt after a couple of rounds, the next debate was about whether Electronic Diversity Visa Lottery (EDV) should be discontinued in Nepal. Both sides started firing shots while making valid and intellectual points along the way.

The meetup ended with a photoshoot that involved a bit of chanting and smiley faces still awed by the wonderful time that everyone had.

To wrap it up, witnessing the Quora Meetup first hand was an enlightening experience that was unlike any pseudo-intellectual event. The Quora community showed how a small event with nothing but chairs and a lifetime of experiences can make you feel like it was one of the most liberating moments in your life.

Follow Quora Community Nepal’s Facebook group and page to stay updated with the next meetup.

This is a guest post by Nishant Acharya who was an organizer of Quora World Meetup 2017, Kathmandu. Nishant has done everything from selling Tata cars and real estate to helping organizations in Digital Marketing and Social Selling. He’s also a passionate guitar player who regularly uploads music on his social media profiles while being sleep-deprived in the process.

Note: The views & opinions expressed in the guest posts are those of the guest author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions & views of TechLekh as a whole.

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