Flat-out fun

Diverse events are held at the firm's office space that are fun, intimate affairs

Joravar Bhavan in Marine Lines is one of those vintage buildings that are sturdy enough to withstand the ravages of time. You enter the premises through a door on the side to find a lift with a black collapsible gate facing a wide flight of stone steps. We walk up to the second floor, where a sign saying "Dysco" is placed against a large door. It's the office of a networking platform meant for creative millennials, which also doubles up as a space for intimate curated events. A Halloween party is on the cards tonight, for instance, and we ring the bell to find out exactly how this location is structured.

A uniformed helper opens the door to what looks like an elegant flat that's now been re-purposed. Khrisha Shah - who co-founded the firm with her brother Mishal - approaches from behind him, and leads us into a room on the immediate left. On a normal day, this spot serves as the place where she works from. But tonight, it will be turned into a photo booth for the Halloween party that people are encouraged to come in costume for. Shah then leads us to the main area, a fairly large open space right in the centre of the flat that used to possibly be the living room, but is now utilised for diverse events such as film screenings and themed discussions. It's where people will get spooky make-up done at the party, with food and drinks on offer as well.

This area leads to the far end that's occupied by an L-shaped balcony. It's a space meant for more personal conversations, and has a second door in one corner, which leads to a different room that has chairs surrounding a bulky table with a marble top. That's where the people at tonight's event will play games like Cards Against Sanskar, before they head back through a door to the adjoining main area to mingle with the rest. Mingling with like-minded people is in fact the entire basis behind the Shah siblings starting Dysco. The sister tells us that the idea was to create a sort of Facebook-meets-LinkedIn platform for the city's creative community, with the events functioning as a fun opportunity for members to meet face-to-face. It's new-age networking. So let your business card remain in your pocket and ditch your suit, in other words. Shah says, "Millennial brands or even large-scale start-ups that are modern and forward-thinking find it difficult to pinpoint the sort of talent they need through, say, a naukri.com. So, by using Dysco in its various forms, they are able to find the right kind of partners, collaborators and teammates. And I think that in this age of collaboration, you don't have a dedicated platform or network to go to if you're looking for brand collaborations. That's also something we help you with."

Khrisha Shah

She adds that this is the business venture she decided on in 2016 when she joined her brother in India after quitting a consultancy job in London. The two built the firm from scratch, and the flat where the office is belongs to their mother, who earlier used it as a fashion studio for her clothing line. So, before its present avatar, the place would house tailors busy stitching clothes together in the central area, with rows of stands exhibiting the finished products. But all that went out of the window when the siblings took over. They repainted the walls and hung up more youthful artwork. They got chairs and tables that you can shift around to suit the different events (except for the one with the marble top, which you'd need someone like The Hulk to move). And they hired a small team of colleagues to help out with marketing and other day-to-day activities, before opening their doors for Mumbai's creative community to seek out professional help from each other. So, if that sounds like something in your area of interest, log on to their website and sign up for tonight's Halloween party to meet people you might just end up working with some day. But, don't forget to put your costume on.

ON Tonight, 7 pm to 11.30 pm
AT Dysco, Joravar Bhavan, 93 MK Road, New Marine Lines, Marine Lines.
Log on to dysco.in to sign up
Cost Rs 650

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