Making of the Book
In 2004, I came across FooCamp, an invite-only, camping style meetup of great minds in Sebastapool, California. The event was restricted to the who’s who of the brilliant people doing cutting edge work. Its an event that I can only dream to be part of. However, I fell in love with the format of casual networking and learning from each other.
In 2005, when I began to hear about BarCamp and how it aimed to do a more democratic, inclusive version of FooCamp, I was fascinated. The fact that anyone who has the interest can organize one without the need for licensing caught my fancy.
I took up the initiative to organize BarCamp Chennai in 2006 along with other passionate volunteers (who have now become very good friends). The success and the joy of organizing this event totally changed my perspective of events. Some of the best talks at the event did not come from CXOs but from youngsters who would never have stood a chance to talk at any major conference. Everyone had a role to play in the event. People took up responsibilities. There were not attendees. They were participants. They felt ownership towards the event.. I’ve organized many events but never felt the joy I felt at this event. To me, this was an eye-opener.