“It is always the same with mountains. Once you have lived with them for any length of time, you belong to them.”  

– Ruskin Bond (Rain in the Mountains: Notes from the Himalayas)

Mountains have always had high importance for mankind. They have been considered the abode of Gods, the haunt of holy sages and the supreme pilgrimage destinations according to different traditions. In Daoism, the sacred peaks are viewed as numinous pivots between Heaven and Earth. Since time immemorial high thinkers with different names chose mountains as their abode.

They have been a dominating theme in works of artists, painters, photographers, writers, etc. In the present context, it has been a commonplace for us to seek solace through vacations, solo travels, trekking or camping holidays. Mountains help us in creating a stronger connect with ourselves, to have that clarity of mind. So be it the transformation story of George Harison and The Beatles from mop-topped boy band to groundbreaking artists, or the life-changing experience of the author of Eat, Pray, Love, Elizabeth Gibert, or the huge impact we keep reading about in Steve Jobs journey. Being closer to nature changed something for them, helped them to create something and realize their true potential.

At ColoredCow we all have shared some association with hills, though the span might range from a couple of days to a couple of years but the connect existed for all. So when we decided to expand ColoredCow we thought why not from hills. And so after many rounds of discussions, long meetings, researches, and analysis ColoredCow moved ahead with its dream and collaborated with THDC-IHET for their Incubation Center. With that, we started our new office in the hills of Tehri-Garhwal.

In a set-up like this, you blend with nature, you are not confined to a 2*2 cubicle and work does not seem like work. You no longer segregate your work and your life and are no longer worried about one while living the other. So why do we make so much effort to have a work-life balance? Why can we just not have a life where we live, work, and have time? Thinking about it closely you would see that the best workplaces in this world like Google,  also pay a lot of emphasis on their workplaces, they too believe that it brings out the best in people. We just went a bit ahead and changed not just what is inside the walls but also outside it.

As we started working with our head office in Gurgaon and satellite office in Tehri, we realized that the change of workplace did not hamper the deliveries and productivity of the team. On the other end, the peaceful and un-distracting environment increased the desire to make things happen. Seeing this incremental shift we started to develop our flagship product ManageMyNGO from Tehri and also started hiring from there.

With a majority of youth-centered workforce, we soon started seeing that this kind of setup helped them in working better. A distraction free space no doubt helps in bringing out a person’s true potential and a valid example of this has been the ancient gurukul system. Just taking the essence of the concept we are experiencing a connect in THDC-IHET which is shaping us for better and what we feel right now is just like what John Muir said,

“We are now in the mountains and they are in us, kindling enthusiasm, making every nerve quiver, filling every pore and cell of us.”