Dear Host,

I am Samarpan Mondal, a cultural person by nature, who loves to travel and meet new people and learn from their experience. I hail from Pondicherry, a costal town by the Bay of Bengal, in the southern India. I am a Bengali by birth, but I have lived in Puducherry from the age of 4 till 24. My family relocated from Kolkata to Puducherry for a better quality of my education at the Sri Aurobindo Ashram School.

Currently, I work as a Customer Success Operations Manager at PubMatic Inc. My company helps publishers monetise their ad spaces. I joined PubMatic in August 2023.

Earlier, I have worked in Amazon Retail Business Services as well as Amazon Ads for a total 5 years. I have experience of the retail catalog side of business and Amazon Sponsored ads, DSP and campaigns and ad creative moderation and management.

I have lived and worked for 9 months in Normandy, France and travelled a few countries in Central Europe. I served as an English language assistant teacher (TAPIF Program), teaching English to native French high school students. This work contract allowed me to travel through Europe and learn about the European culture.

I have done my studies in French Language from Pondicherry University and prior to that I learnt French in Sri Aurobindo International Centre of Education, which is an integral part of Sri Aurobindo Ashram. In this centre of education, I got to learn Indian classical dances like the Odissi and Kathak, read some works of Sri Aurobindo and The Mother that deals with spirituality and human evolution. I have learnt Sanskrit, German and did lots of sports activities.

I look forward to meet new people and make new friends.

Amicalement,
Samarpan Mondal

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

To explore places and cultures. To meet new people and make new friends.

Interests

Attending Cultural Evenets, Dancing, Singing, Cooking, Watching movies, Hiking, Watching talks and speeches on YouTube, Reading news

• dance music
• adventure travel
• exploring new places
• meeting new people
• exploring nature
• make new friends
• learning about different cultures
• learning new stuff
• history and culture

Music, Movies, and Books

- Music: Yanni, Secret Garden, Instrumental Music (Indian & Western), Coldplay, Adele, Ed Sheeran, Owl City, Coke Studio India, Sa Re Ga Ma Pa (Hindi & Bangla), Enrico Macias, Celine Dion.
- Books: The land of seven rivers, The ocean of churn, Moon Mountain, The Home and the World, Tuesday's with Molly, Some works of Sri Aurobindo.
- Movies: Sci-Fi thrillers, Psychological thrillers, Historical & Adventure movies.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Visited the Hallstad Salt mine which is the oldest salt mine in the world.

Teach, Learn, Share

I can teach: French, Sanskrit, Indian Classical Dance such as Odissi and Kathak, simple Indian Cuisine, Indian songs, and speak about Indian culture, religion & spirituality. Speak about my stay & work in France, and experience of roaming central Europe.

What I Can Share with Hosts

- Inform about, teach some simple and ancient verses in Sanskrit (oldest living language on earth).
- Speak about Indian culture and some spiritual concepts.
- Show some dance moves of Odissi and Kathak.
- Cook simple Indian food (if ingredients are available).

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungary, India

Countries I’ve Lived In

France, India