SolidWorks User Group - Chennai

On Wednesday morning, I took a quick 35 minute flight to Chennai with Ravi Varadarajan, our TTM for India.  We were met at the airport by Mr. Mohan Santhanam of Barry-Wehmiller who would be our host for the day.  The traffic was very similar to Bangalore and I was once again amazed at the way our driver skillfully maneuvered his way the the BWIR offices.  We were treated to a fine lunch, and a quick trip to the Cane 'n Bamboo, a small shop that offers beautifully handcrafted items at prices you wouldn't believe.

After that we headed out to the very first Chennai user group meeting held at The League Club, a perfect venue for a user group meeting.  Nearly 40 users braved rain and some minor flooding to attend.  I was lucky enough to be able to present once again, and the audience was very polite as I spoke about user groups in the US.  Then it struck me - I could actually have been in the US.  The meeting set-up, the attendees, the presentations, the venue - it was very much like any other user group meeting I've been to this year.  The only difference - I was half way around the world.  We had a great meeting, and I was a just a little embarrassed when one of the attendees stood up at the end and thanked me publicly for coming.  It was me that should be thankful - my favorite part of my job is attending user group meetings, and here I was at a meeting in India.

I also have to thank Mr. Santhanam specifically for his hospitality.  We could not have had a better host, and you won't meet a finer person.  Thank you Mohan, I look forward to seeing you again.

Next stop - Pune