I travel to learn from people and their culture. I live in Berlin, originally from Mumbai. I am a Sr. Engineering Manager and a Iead a couple of engineering teams. As a hobby I like doing standup comedy and I have performed several shows.

In 2017 I shut down a start-up I founded and traveled all across India in an effort to meet my people across cultures. I traveled 25 states in India for 5 months at a shoestring budget. In 2018, I traveled Vietnam, Cambodia, Germany, Denmark, and Svalbard. In 2019, I traveled to Japan, Indonesia, and Netherlands. In 2020 I traveled to Egypt and Iceland. From 2021 as the world opened up I traveled to many European countries as well as Thailand, Kenya, and Turkey.

I love to interact with people about their way of thinking and living, and how that shapes their lifestyle and purpose. To those people kind enough to host me, I'd love to share the perspectives I have acquired in life, discuss the contrasts in thinking we have, exchange travel and life stories, and maybe cook some Indian food :)

https://www.fb.com/launganik

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I read this on a blog "What you know is what you get". Meaning, in most situations unfamiliar to us we subconsciously search for familiarity with what we already know. Our reaction is a function of what we know in the little universe of our mind.

I am on couchsurfing to meet people from backgrounds different than mine, have deep meaningful conversations with them, and wish to expand the universe of their mind along with mine.

Interesting CS experience: This one time I was traveling in North East India. Someone from CS offered to host me while I was travelling. Turns out, he is an Army Colonel and he hosted me at at his ARMY QUARTERS! I got a lift in an Army car with army officers!! It was an amazing experience. Money can't buy this!

Interests

• cooking
• wrestling
• business
• adventure
• improvisation
• mindfulness
• gym
• local food
• improv
• comedy
• deep conversations
• standup comedy
• startups
• local culture
• improvisation theatre
• local people
• wwe

Music, Movies, and Books

Book: The Direct Truth (Kapil Gupta)
Music: House, Techno, and 80s/90s Bollywood songs
Movies: Inception, Into the Wild
Series: Game of Thrones

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

1. Quit my job at 23 and founded a start-up
2. Illegally jumped into a well in India from a height of 42ft. Locals say somebody had died doing the same about a month ago
3. 10-day fully silent Vipasana meditation. Life transforming!
4. Hitchhiked in Cambodia for 7 days without money, eating fruits from trees and living in buddhist temples

Teach, Learn, Share

Teach: I can teach you to make your own website in 2 hrs, I can discuss your startup ideas, can share Vipasana meditation learnings, and teach you some cool card tricks.

Need to Learn: About myself, About the nuances of your culture and how that shapes your personality, Recipes of your local cuisine

Want to Share: Perspectives on life, Indian food cooked by me, culture where I come from.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I can cook Indian food for you

I can help you in cooking, dishes, etc.
I can share lots of good vibes and conversations :)

Countries I’ve Visited

Albania, Austria, Belgium, Cambodia, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Japan, Kenya, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Serbia, Spain, Svalbard and Jan Mayen, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

Germany, India, United Arab Emirates