Hosted by @SharmaK sir, co-hosted by me, This meet-up was inspired by Connect Moderator @ErmesT’s call to celebrate #LGConnectTurns10 and continued the wonderful momentum created earlier this year by Connect Moderator @NareshDarji, whose initiative to celebrate 11 years of Local Guides and 10 years of Connect brought together dozens of meet-ups across the globe. Further Thank you to Connect Moderator @KashifMisidia for tagging this meetup in his initiative Call for Meetup Leaders] – Celebrating 10 Years of Legacy: Unofficial LocalGuidesConnect Worldwide 10th Birthday Celebration 
Arriving early at the venue, @SharmaK Sir and I began our pre meet-up by exploring Decathlon at Cyber Hub while catching up on our Local Guides experiences.
Soon, @curatorofmemory Sir joined us, and after a quick introduction, I gently reminded @SharmaK Sir about the virtual part of the meetup, as it was already 6:30 PM, the scheduled start time.
Smiling at the reminder, SharmaK Sir quickly initiated the virtual session, which was joined by @Rahul001 @Supriyadevkar @MarcoDavoli @ShreyaMusings @Rkmahajan @EshaHarish He invited everyone to share their fun moments from their Local Guides journey.
@SharmaK Sir invited everyone to share a memorable incident from their Local Guides journey—something that still makes them laugh today. Interestingly, most Local Guides mentioned that they hadn’t experienced such a moment yet. So, he lightened the mood by asking them to instead share a fun fact or their motivation behind contributing on Connect.
To keep the energy high, SharmaK Sir began sharing a few jokes, which instantly brought smiles and laughter to everyone present during the in-person meetup. He then encouraged all of us to share any joke or funny incident that could make the group laugh, turning the session into a lively and joyful exchange filled with humor and positive vibes.
@curatorofmemory “I don’t contribute because I’m expecting something in return. I contribute because somewhere, someone is relying on that information to make a better decision—and that’s a great feeling.”
@The_GauravS “I always thought being a Local Guide was just about adding reviews and photos. Connect showed me that every contribution can spark discussions, inspire others, and build lasting friendships.”
@Ruchee2 “I started my Local Guides journey hoping to receive Google gifts, and after years of contributing without getting any, I even called the Google support team. That’s when I learned about Local Guides Connect. I joined looking for rewards, but I found something much more valuable—friendships, learning, meaningful discussions, and a community that makes every contribution worthwhile.”
@SharmaK “As a travel enthusiast, Sharma Sir believed the Local Guides program was all about guiding tourists and exploring places together. Once he discovered the real purpose of Local Guides and Connect, that misconception turned into one of his favourite stories—and he has loved being part of the community ever since.”
@MarcoDavoli *“Marcos began his Local Guides journey with a simple goal—to help people make better decisions through his contributions. Today, he enjoys being part of a global community that keeps growing through collaboration, learning, and shared experiences.”
@Supriyadevkar “Having completed two years on Local Guides Connect, Supriya shared that the Bengaluru meet-up gave her some of her closest Local Guides friendships, making her journey even more memorable.”
@EshaHarish “Esha shared that attending the Bengaluru Mega Meet-up was a memorable milestone in her Local Guides journey. She made wonderful friends, found supportive mentors, and said the experience made her feel truly welcomed into the Local Guides community.”
@Rahul001 “Rahul joked that Local Guides Connect has given him the perfect excuse to travel. Every meet-up and event becomes another opportunity to explore a new place while connecting with fellow Local Guides.”
@ShreyaMusings “Mohita believes the true essence of Local Guides Connect lies in its people. Through contributions, lasting friendships, and continuous learning, the community has made her journey truly rewarding.”
However, the session turned into a funny experience of its own 
Due to network issues, sometimes our voices weren’t reaching them, and at other times, we couldn’t hear them properly. Despite the glitches, everyone tried to interact and enjoy the moment.
Finally, around 7:00 PM, SharmaK Sir wrapped up the virtual meetup.
Then came the most amusing part!
He shared that originally, he had planned this as a hybrid meetup. But while drafting the post, he changed his mind at the last moment—thinking it would be better to focus on young Local Guides from Gurugram, like me, @The_GauravS, @Nomad_Enkay, and others. So he converted it into an in-person meetup…
But forgot to remove the virtual meetup link and update the banner!
Until I reminded him, he was completely in the mindset that it was purely an in-person meetup. He laughed at himself, saying he had reviewed the post but didn’t notice the virtual link still there.
Still, as they say:
All’s well that ends well!
He also appreciated how helpful and observant the Local Guides community is—even though the title said In-Person, the banner suggested Hybrid, and yet Local Guides still joined the virtual session.
He even thanked me for the timely reminder 
Meanwhile, I was in touch with @The_GauravS, who was stuck in traffic. He finally joined us around 7:00 PM and shared a fun moment from his Local Guides journey where he told us that he joined it for fun but later ended up by learning new experiences and the carvaan is still going on. We also shared ours again, making it even more lively.
It truly turned into a joyful gathering filled with conversations, laughter, and that special Local Guides energy. We were delighted to connect in person and celebrate together.
He also captured me silently while I was capturing the live menu at Chaayos for posting digital menu at google maps.
During the meetup, in a light and playful moment, @SharmaK Sir asked us:
“Where is my birthday gift?”
It started as a joke… but what followed was truly meaningful.
After a quick discussion, we all realized:
“The birthday is not yours or mine… it is Connect’s birthday!”
And that changed everything.
We thought—
instead of receiving gifts, why not give something back to Connect? 
Later, we headed to Chaayos for a memorable “Chai Pe Charcha”, an initiative started by @TusharSuradkar Sir. We were delighted to have him join us over a video call, and together we enjoyed conversations while sipping hot chai. It was wonderful to exchange ideas, memories, and thoughts about the Local Guides community and discuss how we can continue extending the Local Guides Connect 10th anniversary celebrations into 2026, including the excitement around the Namaste India Local Guides Summit 2026.
Of course, no celebration is complete without delicious food! Along with our chai, we enjoyed Bun Samosa and Khakhra, making the conversations even more enjoyable.
Here I caught @SharmaK where he was clicking the photo of chaayos tea box. The box was sustainable, one can reuse it and it was very good for environment.
I captured the crazy thought at chaayos where the lines were written- “Wo Sukoon Se Jeete Hai Jo Chai Peete Hai”
Before wrapping up, we captured group photos and screenshots with our virtual attendees to preserve the memories of this wonderful celebration.
A decade of Local Guides Connect is more than just an anniversary—it’s a celebration of friendships, learning, collaboration, and countless moments created by passionate contributors across the world.
GRATITUDE
I am heartfelt thankful for joining to @MarcoDavoli @SharmaK @Rahul001 @Supriyadevkar @EshaHarish @The_GauravS @TusharSuradkar @curatorofmemory @ShreyaMusings @Rkmahajan
A heartfelt thank you to everyone who joined us, both in person and virtually, and to @ErmesT and @NareshDarji and @KashifMisidia for inspiring these celebrations.
on celebrating the 10th anniversary of Connect in a royal way out in my favorite city - Gurugram 
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