DOT PUNE - BANER/PASHAN Cloud: Discover or reconnect to your passion/hobby.

A. What is Dot?

Dot is a non judgmental environment to enable you to pursue your hobbies on a regular basis with the encouragement of other like minded people.

B. Why does Dot exist?

Pursuing our hobbies makes us happy. Pursuing our hobbies on a regular basis makes us happier. There are hobbies we would love to pursue and we are able to pursue them. But sometimes there are also those that we would love to pursue but are unable to (due to lack of motivation, company, time, fear of being judged by others etc.).

Dot was created to enable people to pursue their hobbies on a regular basis with the help and encouragement from each other. It provides a non judgmental environment because our focus is on pursuing what you love because it makes you happy without worrying about what someone else would say, are you good enough, etc.

C. How does Dot work?

We meet once a week at a physical location. The agenda of the meeting is:

1. How was your week - updates by existing members about their hobbies last week, their interactions with their buddies, any interesting learnings, etc

2. Introduction by new members

3. Buddy bowl - an activity to find your buddies for the week. Everyone writes the activity they need help with on a piece of paper that goes into a bowl. The Catalyst who moderates the meeting calls out every chit and interested members raise their hand to buddy up with that person. You write a fake name, and not your real name, on the slip along with the activity you need help with.

4. Meet your buddy - After the buddy bowl, we take a break so everyone can meet their buddies and plan their week ahead.

5. Post your goal - During your discussion with your buddy, you decide on a specific goal for the next week. The goal could be as little as "I will read one paragraph/practice yoga/run for five minutes next week". But everyone takes a specific goal and posts that goal in the common whatsapp group.

6. Performance and Showcase - Every meeting ends with some members singing, dancing, reciting poetry, talking about a book they read etc.

During the next week, you try pursuing your activity with the help of your buddy and share your experience with the other members during the meeting in the next week.

D. Who is Dot suitable for?

Dot is for everyone who either wishes to pursue a hobby or would like to discover a hobby to pursue.

E. What kinds of hobbies do you include?

All hobbies are welcome. We have people pursuing music, art, photography, dance, reading, fitness , cooking, etc. While we are focused on hobbies, it is quite common for members to also find buddies to help them with their health goals such as going for a walk or drinking water regularly.

F. What activities are prohibited?

Our focus is strictly on hobbies and not activities that you might pursue professionally to earn money. If you wish to promote your professional work or get more business, Dot would not be the right platform for you.

G. What is expected of me?

Dot works like a positive energy field created mutually by its members. We encourage you to not only find a buddy who would help you, but also simultaneously be a buddy to help someone else.

As someone's buddy, you are not required to teach the activity or even accompany that person for a walk or run (if you would like to, that is great). You are merely to remain in touch with the person, remind them or help them in any other manner that you may think of (send relevant material, recommend a class, etc). We have repeatedly seen that engaging in both the roles - finding a buddy for your activities as well as being someone's buddy - at the same time is immensely helpful.

H. Do you have any activities other than the weekly meetings?

We conduct events on a regular basis which include multiple activities (music, dance, art, cooking). We also hold monthly potluck dinners at the residence of any one of the members every last Sunday of the month. The weekly meeting is held first followed by dinner.