Sip coffee, spill the tea

CHENNAI: The room buzzed with conversation in a Chennai cafe as strangers became friends over art and coffee.

Through 722 Collective, named by combining sisters Mercy and Nancy John’s birthdays, the duo has created a space where meaningful connections take centre stage.

The space was filled with people who had never met each other before. What began as a gathering of strangers soon transformed into a place buzzing with conversation, creativity and laughter. Sketchbooks were passed around, stories were exchanged over coffee, and awkward introductions slowly gave way to genuine connections. By the end of the morning, participants didn’t just leave with collaborative artwork, they walked away with meaningful conversations and new friendships. That is the experience sisters Mercy John and Nancy John set out to create through 722 Collective, an invite-only community that brings people together through art and conversation. Fittingly, the name itself is personal, combining the sisters’ birthdays into one shared identity that reflects the collaborative spirit behind the initiative.

For Mercy John, the idea of 722 Collective had been taking shape for nearly a year. A podcaster drawn to meaningful conversations, Mercy had always found it difficult to settle for superficial connections. “If I meet someone, I can’t just have small talk and move on. If I need to build a relationship with you, I need to really get to know you,” she says.

Her sister Nancy John, an illustrator, shared a similar instinct but envisioned it through a creative lens. The sisters had long imagined spaces of their own, Mercy wanted a gathering centred on honest, vulnerable conversations, while Nancy dreamed of a creative community where artists and illustrators could meet, attend workshops, or simply sit together and draw.

“Why should we do this separately?” they eventually asked themselves.

The idea of creating something together had been around for a while, but it was during a casual Wednesday morning at Nancy’s office that the two finally connected their visions. “Why not bring art and conversations together?” they thought. The concept was also rooted in a shared longing for a “third space”, somewhere beyond home and work where people could meet, talk, create and simply spend time together.

For Nancy, the inspiration was partly personal. Having lived in the UK, she had seen creative meet-ups happening regularly and missed the sense of community they fostered. “It almost came from a place where I wished I had that. Why don’t we create that?” she recalls.

Rather than overthink the idea, the sisters decided to test it spontaneously. They put up an Instagram story asking whether people would be interested in a gathering centred around art and conversations. The response was far beyond what they expected. “We just put up a story, random, no planning, nothing,” Mercy recalls.

Within two days, more than 350 people had signed up. By Wednesday evening, they had already crossed 150 registrations. “Nancy and I were just looking at each other and saying, ‘This is getting real.’ Once that many people showed interest, we knew we had to do something about it,” Mercy says.

And so, rather than beginning with a fixed blueprint, the sisters began working backwards, building 722 Collective around a need they had discovered was already shared by hundreds of others, a desire for genuine, offline human connection.

Held on Sunday mornings, each edition of 722 Collective brings together around 20 carefully curated participants instead of a large crowd. Those interested first fill out a Google Form, after which Mercy and Nancy personally go through every response to select a diverse mix of people together. Selected participants receive a confirmation email and complete their registration by paying a fee of Rs 1,499.

The sisters believe that the experience begins long before the event itself. Mercy, an extrovert with a knack for conversations, focuses on creating meaningful interactions, while Nancy, a self-described introvert, carefully designs the creative activities and overall experience.

Every activity at 722 Collective is carefully designed to blend art with conversation. The experience begins with participants receiving a name sticker, illustrated by Nancy, where they write their name and profession. They then choose from a collection of illustrated prompt stickers, also designed by Nancy, which serve as subtle conversation starters, helping strangers break the ice and easing them into meaningful interactions.

Participants are then divided into small groups for a collaborative drawing activity. With only a few minutes to sketch, each person adds something to a shared sheet before passing it on to the next group. As the drawings evolve, so do the conversations. The activity encourages spontaneity, laughter and creativity, bringing out the child in them. By the time the artwork has travelled through every group, strangers are already laughing over unexpected sketches.

The conversations continue with another activity, where participants are shuffled into new groups to ensure they interact with different people instead of staying within the same circle. Using a set of carefully curated questions designed by Mercy and Nancy, the discussions gradually move beyond basic introductions without making anyone uncomfortable. The prompts are balanced, deep enough to encourage meaningful conversations, yet gentle enough to avoid putting anyone on the spot. As stories are shared and perspectives exchanged, the room slowly transforms from one filled with strangers into one filled with genuine connections. By the end of the session, conversations flow effortlessly, with participants opening up naturally and forming bonds that extend well beyond the event itself.

For Deyga founder Arthi Raguram, 722 Collective offered a refreshing change from the events she usually attends. “Most of the time, I go as a speaker, where I’m in the spotlight. This was my first event with complete strangers, and I loved it because people got to know me for who I am, not what I do,” she says. “As entrepreneurs, we often carry a certain public image, but here I felt completely grounded.” Describing the gathering as “fun, casual and light-hearted,” Arthi says the experience reminded her of the joy of making authentic friendships and hopes more such communities continue to grow.

The experience doesn’t end when the conversations do. Before leaving, every participant receives a bag of goodies featuring products from partner brands, along with Nancy’s illustrated stickers and other thoughtful keepsakes. Even after the event officially comes to a close, many participants linger, continuing conversations over coffee, exchanging phone numbers and social media handles, and leaving with something far more valuable than souvenirs, a few new friendships that began with a simple conversation between strangers.