Business Goa June 2017

JUNE 2017

VOL 3 ISSUE 6 panaji goa

goa’s only business magazine

RNI No.: goaeng/2015/59955

Postal license no.: G-2/RNP/Monthly/Goa-19/2015-17

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industry dossier

focus

focus

GST Rates declared

Online & traditional pharmacies spar

Madhav Sahakari interview

Bohemian Crystal Co. enterprise

Mascot

goan brand

Sandra Sousa Menon lady power sushant tari

Designed CEO & Managing Director TPT Productions Pvt Ltd

for success

Prasad Pawar

professional dossier

S S Dempo College education

Cavatina

bon appetit

Sushant Tari’s company is rated highly for set design and execution on the national canvas. His is a story of overcoming hurdles by sheer hard work and determination

News Views Articles Interviews Profiles Focus Analysis Opinions Events Features

contents

inside this issue

Cover Story 14

Sushant Tari, Managing Director, The Production Terminus, has built from scratch a leading set design and execution company

Focus Goa GST 20

GST assures to bring down prices of most commodities

Focus Goa Pharmacy Wars 22 AIOCD observed a nationwide bandh of pharmacies for 24 hours in protest of e-portals

Starting Young 24

14

What started out as a passion evolved into a full-fledged career for Upendra Pai Raikar in the events business

Enterprise 26

Establishing a niche market within an ever growing industry, Oscar Fernandes, proprietor of Bohemian Crystal Company (India) braved with patience and innovation

28

24

38

Interview 28

Goa Dairy Chairman Madhav Sahakari speaks about the game-changing reforms undertaken under his leadership

Education 30

The Premier institution for business education in Goa, S. S. Dempo College of Commerce & Economics scales greater heights

Goan Brand 32

Mascot Pet Shop led by Chaitanya Malkarnekar provides high quality pet care products for its customers

66

36 26

Lady Power 36

Golden Aisle’s latest venture by Sandra Sousa Menon showcases a live set-up of what it feels like to be at a dream wedding

Professional Dossier 38

Pawar & Sons is one of the most trusted tax advocacy consultants in Goa with a rich history of 50 years of practise

Bon Appetit 66

‘Cavatina’ treats its guests with the best of world cuisine; pastas, steaks or some wellness salad, they have it all.

30

COLUMNS

52 Beyond Classroom

57 HR Mantras

54 GuestSpeak

58 Green Goa

56 Freewheeling

60 Letter from America

Dr Pradeep Salgaonkar talks about handling angry customers

Dr. Hiru Bijlani talks the need to inculcate best training practices in the corporate space Hester Bergh-Appoyer talks of the ‘Communication Basics’ lane for a clearer inter-cultural connectivity

RN Misra says Exit Interviews are vital to understand employee perspectives Nirmal Kulkarni explains the importance of the Goan Muggar Crocodile

Jay Dehejia tries to understand the differences in culture and business practices

08 Editorial 10 Corpo Scan 34 Campus 34 Book Shelf 34 BG Crossword 40 Real Estate 42 Celebrations 44 Accolades 46 Events 48 Biz Bytes 62 Marketing 64 What’s Up Goa 68 Goa Buzz 70 Newsmakers 70 BG Quiz cover pic: shammiullah sayyed

06 | Business Goa industry Dossier | jUNE 2017

editorial The quest to be ‘world class’

JUNE 2017 Editor & Publisher

Harshvardhan Bhatkuly Co-Publisher & Group Head

Urvija Bhatkuly

Advisory Board

Datta Damodar Naik Ralph de Sousa Rajiv D’Silva Swapnil Kamat Business Head

Annalise Gouveia Reporters

Alexia Fernandes Ankitha Joseph Ramrai Naik Admin & Accounts

Ashok Kolvekar Sandra Dias

Advertising Graphics

Govit Morajkar Sanskruti Naik

Distribution & Logistics

Mayur Santinezkar Pritesh Naik

Contributors in this Issue

Hester Bergh-Appoyer Dr Hiru Bijlani Jay Dehejia Meenal Bale Nirmal Kulkarni Dr Pradeep Salgaonkar R N Misra

Unsolicited material may not be returned. The opinions in columns and other stories expressed in Business Goa Industry Dossier are not necessarily that of the publishers and the Publisher/Editor shall not be held liable for any inaccuracy or otherwise.

While great care is being taken to ensure accuracy of information, the publishers are not responsible for omissions or incorrect information. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the permission of the publishers.

Editorial, Advertising & Administrative Office

Business Goa

409, Citicentre, EDC Patto Plaza, Panaji, 403001 Goa India Tel.: 0832-6456555, 2437822 Email: businessgoa.media@gmail.com

here used to be a tavern at St Inez. This watering hole was where the night owls of Panjim – journalists, policemen and other insomniacs would congregate after their long working nights, while the world around them slept blissfully. There’s not much that I remember about the food there; but what has been etched in my memory is that whenever you asked the opinion about the items on the menu to the jovial owner, he would say “best in the world.” Till this day, regulars at the joint cannot but remember fondly the memories of those days and the phrase that threatens to break into the legend of the city.

Which brings me to the whole funda of being ‘world class’. We, in Goa, use the term rather loosely, often without understanding the true intent of the sentiment. Easy to please, as most of us are, the idea of ‘world class’ seems far-fetched to those who have not seen the world in the true sense of the concept; let alone being able to compete on a world space.

One of the main criteria to be ‘world class’ is to be able to compete on a global platform in the same category or unit and be the best of the best – a first among equals.

So we have ‘world class’ cuisine, apartments, hotels, apparel and what not. But the moot question that nobody begs to answer is whether we are really world class?

One of the areas, that I feel Goa has an outer chance to compete globally, is tourism.

But look at the state of affairs in our state – we don’t have a hang of many basic issues. Firstly, the total absence of good quality, reliable public transport for people to get around the state. Followed by the sparse population of information kiosks and trained personnel to guide travelers. Then you have complete absence of clarity and standardization of private vehicular players. And lack of clear tourism policy – that Holy Grail which has been promised for years, now. Jaunts and jamborees across the globe seem to have

T

Harshvardhan Bhatkuly served the purpose of only a few officials and their cronies. Did I forget to mention filth and garbage strewn all over the state?

The other factor is that as a state we have been unable to repel fears of lack of safety for travelers to Goa. Whatever few unfortunate incidents that have taken place with regards to international and domestic tourists, the aftermath of which, have left the state with a very bad name. Agreed, there is little one can do with an unfortunate incident. But the state action following that can mean a lot in restoring traveler confidence. Swift remedy and showing of care and concern would go a long way in making Goa a chosen destination for global tourists.

I am happy to note that tourism ideas that you encounter in more evolved travel destinations like the hop on hop off buses have made their debut in the state. This mode is a nice way to get acquainted with the tourist destination with brief nuggets of history and stories of interest relayed to the traveler.

The internet is a great leveler. The response and reviews get posted by travelers on a real time basis. In this day of social media proliferation, being ‘world class’ is in the eye of the scanner every day. And there are no excuses for screwups.

Grateful Thanks I place on record our gratitude to all our readers, advertisers and stakeholders for having reposed faith in this magazine year after year. It seems that I was holding the first issue of your favourite business magazine just the other day. But it has been eight long years since we put this magazine together. For 96 issues, month on month, we have aspired to live up to our dictum – to be ‘The Voice of Business in Goa.’ Whether we are or not, will be decided by you – the final arbiter of our existence and growth. Thanks for being with Business Goa. Stay with us

Printed, published and owned by Harshvardhan V. Bhatkuly and printed at Printek Printers and Printed, published

by Harshvardhan Bhatkuly printed at Harshvardhan Printek Printers and Published atand 409,owned Citicentre, EDC Patto Plaza,V.Panaji - Goa and 403001.

Editor: V. Bhatkuly Published at 409, Citicentre, EDC Patto Plaza, Panaji - Goa 403001. Editor: Harshvardhan V. Bhatkuly

08 | Business Goa industry Dossier | jUNE 2017

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corpo scan

Tejas Express will boost tourism for Goa: Tourism Minister Ajgaonkar

Manohar Ajgaonkar, Minister for Tourism, said that the Tejas Express, India’s first semi-high speed luxury train service that will operate between Mumbai and Goa, will be a big boost for Goa tourism.

The Tejas Express packed with modern facilities on board, is a big delight for travelers to Goa, both during the peak season and offseason. Ajgaonkar not only welcomed the new rail service initiative, but all tourists utilizing this rail service to

the State. He is hopeful that the Railway Ministry will give special attention to the urgent need for up-gradation of railway stations and improve

Yakult Danone India Pvt Ltd expands in Goa Yakult Danone India Pvt Ltd announced its expansion in Goa, thus strengthening its commitment to the Western India market with the launch of its globally acclaimed probiotic health drink, Yakult.

The drink was launched in India in 2008 and is currently available in different parts of the nation including Delhi NCR, Mumbai, Pune, Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Lucknow, Jaipur, Chandigarh and Punjab Minoru Shimada, Managing Director, Yakult

Danone India Pvt Ltd said, “We are happy to launch Yakult in Goa after the positive response from other major markets in India. In Japan, Yakult is a household name and people of all ages drink it as a part of their daily diet. Launched in 1935, we sell more than 35 million bottles every day in 38 countres and regions.

In India we have engaged Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty Kundra as our brand ambassador to spread the concept of probiotic food for healthy living

CM congratulates EDC for turning profitable Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar recently said that the progress of government companies earning profits has begun with EDC. “Process of government companies earning profits has begun. EDC has turned into a profit making venture now after many years and other government companies will follow suit,” Parrikar said addressing the gathering after inaugurating the EDC Park at Panjim.

He further added, “In the last five years it has been seen that government companies have started making profit.

Two or three corporations

are still not making profits but another three or four government companies have started making profits. EDC has made a profit of Rs 45 crore and I congratulate the entire team on this.” The minister also mentioned that CSR activities are undertaken whenever a corporation has profits and the fact that EDC was getting on with CSR projects was a sign that the government corporation is doing well. EDC has financed units, which has helped the state to ease the problem of employment and created a business ecosystem for entrepreneurs

10 | Business Goa industry Dossier | jUNE 2017

facilities, cleanliness and hygiene as Goa is a tourism destination.

The 19-coach fully airconditioned train has LED

TVs, tea and coffee vending machines, catering service, bio-vacuum toilets, GPS based passenger information display screens and adequate leg room for each seat. The train will run on the MumbaiGoa route five days of the week: Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday during the non-monsoon period.

During the monsoon, between June 10 and October 31, it will operate thrice in a week on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday

Chaudhary extends support to Goa’s IT plans

P P Chaudhary

P P Chaudhary, Union Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology extended full support to Goa for the development of the information and technology sector. Chaudhary, who was on Goa visit, called on the Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar and had discussions on the various issues pertaining to the IT industry of the state.

Later, he also held a meeting with the officials of

Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology including National Informatics Centre (NIC), which also marked the presence of the Information and Technology Minister Rohan Khaunte and director of IT Ameya Abhyankar.

“As he has suggested, the state government will send proposals to Union Ministry regarding various projects.

Accordingly, the ministry will release the fund to the state,” the IT Minister said.

Khaunte said that he held a discussion with the Union Minister of the State on various initiatives in the IT sector of Goa. He also added that the minister has promised to extend all kinds of support to the State of Goa for the development of the IT sector of the State

Goa leads the way on LED for street lighting

Goa is on its way to becoming the first state in the country to have LED-powered streetlights. Around 1, 21,000 streetlights fixtures have already been fitted throughout the state as on May31.

“Sixty-five percent of streetlight fixtures have already been replaced with LED lights. All streetlights in Panaji and Curchorem have been replaced with

LED fixtures. The project is ongoing in other divisions of the electricity department and is expected to be complete by the end of the month. Once complete, Goa will be the first Indian state to be using 100% LED streetlights,” says Manik Kshetrapal, CEO, Bharat Vikas Group, the company that is implementing the street lighting national programme in the state

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corpo scan

Goa to be promoted as destination for exhibitions and fairs

Minister for Tourism, Manohar Ajgaonkar impressed on the importance for promoting Goa as an International Destination for Exhibitions and Fairs to boost tourism and the hospitality industry in the State.

Inaugurating the 31st edition of Food Hospitality World (FHW) Expo, Ajgaonkar said, “It will be the endeavour of the Government of Goa through the Department of Tourism to provide the right infrastructure and platform for MICE tourism in Goa where such mega exhibitions and fairs of national and international repute are held for the benefit of tourism stakeholders in Goa.” Ajgaonkar revealed plans being drawn up by the Department of Tourism,

Tourism Minister, Manohar Ajgaonkar inaugurating Food Hospitality World( FHW) Expo at Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Indoor stadium

Govt. of Goa for initiating various projects in the State which will be tabled in the House in the forthcoming sessions

Goa Chamber elects new Managing Committee

of the Goa Legislative Assembly.

Chef Ranjeet Pandey, President, Goa Culinary Forum and Mohan Deshpande, President, Hospitality Purchase Managers’ Forum (HPMF) were also present at the inauguration.

The third edition of FHW’s Goa edition, was held from the 1st to the 3rd of June 2017 at the Dr. S. P. Mukherjee Indoor Stadium at Bambolim. The show featured over 5,000 product categories and witnessed participation of over 300 international brands, alongside more than 7,000 industry professionals. Live demos, panel discussions, culinary competitions and participation from leading kingpins in the hospitality industry were some of the key highlights

IDC to take possession of the unutilized and underutilized plots

NEW FACES Rajesh Dempo

Aakash Khaunte

The new Managing Committee of GCCI for the term 2017-19 was declared elected unopposed on 31st May. The new Committee will assume office from July 2017 under the leadership of Chartered Accountant Sandip Bhandare who was earlier elected unopposed as President. Bhandare will succeed Narayan Bandekar who served as President of GCCI for last two terms from 2013-2017 The new Managing Committee will have stalwarts like Mahadev (Manoj) Caculo (Caculo

Ranjit Singh Chugh

Group), Ralph de Sousa (de Souza Group), Pratima Dhond (Hotel Manoshanti), Joseph D’Souza (D’Souza Biotech), Chandrakant Gawas (Shraddha Shipping), Yatin Kakodkar (Apex Packaging), Kirit Maganlal (Magsons), Datta Damodar Naik (Commonwealth Developers), Girish Bharne (Persistent Systems), Ranjit Singh Chugh (Zuari Agro Chemicals), Dr. Sangam Kurade (Zuari Foods) and some young entrepreneurs like Harshvardhan Bhatkuly (Savoir Faire Media), Aakash Khaunte (Alcon Anil Counto Enterprises) and Rajesh Dempo (Vision Dempo).

The members of the newly elected Committee represent a wide variety of sectors like IT, taxation, automobile, tourism, hospitality, manufacturing, retail, agriculture, logistics, shipbuilding, real estate, mass communication media etc

12 | Business Goa industry Dossier | jUNE 2017

The Goa Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) is expected to begin with a process to take possession of the unutilized or underutilized plots since its allocation in 2014. With the introduction of the IDC Allotment Regulations 2014 and IDC Transfer and Sublease Regulation 2014, the Corporation has allotted 140 new plots to small and micro industrial players for setting up their respective units. All the 140 plots allotted will be surveyed and the unutilized plots will be reallotted.

It is obligatory for the person allocated the plot to utilize 30 percent of its area by carrying out certain portion of production activities, before putting up papers for transfer as per the plot transfer regulations.

“We will be conducting a fresh survey to identify the plots that are left unutilized

or underutilized by the owners since 2014. We would be coming out with a comprehensive plan to take over the vacant plots and re- allot them,” a senior official said.

An official said that as the government is serious on endorsing Goa as an industrial destination, it has to solve the problem of land. “We have enough land in the industrial estates, but it has been occupied and kept without use,” the official said.

The Comptroller Auditor General (CAG) has censured IDC for its failure to act against 146 defaulting plot allottees involving 6.37 lakh sq.mtrs of land left unutilized or underutilized since 1989.

He had also shown that IDC failed to repossess the plots but also remained unsuccessful to levy a penalty of 30 percent of the plot premium.

In 2013, IDC had initiated a procedure to take over unutilized plots and had issued show cause notices to 142 plot owners.

The Corporation since then had taken over possession of nearly 50 plots from the occupants

cover story

Sushant Tari’s company is rated highly for set design and execution on the national canvas.

His is a story of overcoming hurdles by sheer hard work and determination

sushant tari

Designed CEO & Managing Director TPT Productions Pvt Ltd

for success

14 | Business Goa industry Dossier | jUNE 2017

Pic: Shammi Sayyed Location Courtesy: Goa Marriott Resort

www.businessgoa.in

By RAMRAI NAIK

he quest for career opportunities took Sushant Tari, an Art Director to his Karmabhoomi in Mumbai.

The hunger to know and do ‘something’ helped him learn the tricks of the profession. The desire to do a business from one’s learning and instinct of survival has made him a successful entrepreneur in creating his brand TPT Production to the world. Nothing has come overnight for the man born in St. Estevam. Behind the thriving business, lies a story of struggle and consistent dedication by this first generation entrepreneur.

Sushant went to Mumbai (then Bombay) in 1990 after answering his final exam at Goa College of Arts. There, he worked with several art directors and event companies. He says, “There were many things I struggled with – right from not getting the due payment for my work, to someone else claiming credit for the work that I had done. I knew no one in Mumbai, but somehow I had decided to survive there.”

Sushant Tari began his business journey in 1998 when he started ‘The Production Terminus (TPT) Pvt Ltd’.

Upon starting his company partnered with the events behemoth Fountainhead, who used to farm their projects to TPT Productions on regular basis. “For several years we worked for the same company and 90% of our projects were with them.

However, now that share has come down considerably as we have managed to build a huge parallel client base. Finally, we are working on our own terms and choosing whom to work with,” says Sushant with a sense of achievement.

For Sushant, breakthroughs came when he decided to move to Mumbai itself. He elaborates, “It was an instinct

T

AAAI Awards Goafest 2017

of survival, after I left Goa. In Goa, there are too many things to fall back on, even if you don’t do anything for yourself, there is a support system in place – your relatives and friends. In Mumbai, you have to stand on your own legs and compete without anyone else pulling the strings for you. Every simple job you have to do yourself without depending on others.” He continued, “When I started approaching people for work in Mumbai, I realised that I know nothing and many people took advantage of that.

Neither opportunities, nor success came overnight. This experience helped me create the professional in me. The more I worked, the more I realized how little I know and how much I was able to learn.”

Sushant says there are takers for ‘doers’ in Mumbai, and more so in his line of business – set designing, execution and events. “When you’re working for someone, it doesn’t matters from which background you come from. The only thing that matters is if you can execute the job given to you. That was how I started out in the maximum city. There’s no end to gaining educaion, you’re learning constantly, you understand the language of business, artistic elements that you come across. The more you get involved with your work, the wiser you get. You understand people management; your perspective widens, and subsequently you develop a sense of self-confidence,” he adds.

Why Mumbai?

Sushant elaborates about his choice of Mumbai to work out from, “When I first started, the market was very limited and surviving in the Goan market was difficult. Secondly, there were fewer technicians in Goa trained in this field and it is not

BMW Art Fair 2017

because there is lack of knowledge but the absence of practical exposure. The events business requires hands-on experience more than a degree to you prepare you for the job.”

Despite the limited market in Goa, Sushant has advice for young enthusiasts.

“To get the exposure you have to get out of Goa. A minimum of 10 years’ experience outside Goa is essential in many professions. Then you can come and work in Goa. Another advantage of working outside is that you get to meet a lot of different people with different mindsets,” he adds. Sushant foresees the Goan market building up at a much quicker pace than before.

Sushant has built a strong foundation of confidence from his college projects and additional work experience over the years, all of which allowed him to take long strides in starting his own business.

He put together a team of like-minded people with whom he shared similar educational backgrounds and set the business in motion. He continues, “My team has grown with me in the process of working for 20 years and more. We weren’t highly qualified in terms of traditional education when we first started; however, now with so many years of experience, we have executed projects which even highly qualified professionals tend to find difficult.”

Executing ideas: From paper to real life Sushant explains several roles at TPT Productions and how they maintain perfect team co-ordination. He says, “The creative art director who works for me is a tech savvy person. We have ideators who take design briefs and suggest ideas; and skilled technicians who can execute any given job. Together, we collaborate thoughts and plan out the entire project. june 2017 | Business Goa industry Dossier | 15

www.businessgoa.in

cover story

BMW i Launch

The biggest challenge lays in supervising the job and ensuring that that the work executed is exactly how the idea was conceived by our clients. The job involves creative execution. The basic idea is drawn on paper... to bring it to real life in a time-bound manner, is our forte. That is where we have earned our stripes,” says Sushant.

He elucidates, “When there are exclusive projects which need execution within a short time frame, clients prefer to work with us as they are assured of the service that we guarantee. This is something that has made TPT Production stand as the topmost set designing company in the country today.

Our timely delivery, quality of work, safety net for our workers and total business focus has augured well for TPT Productions.” Despite making a name in executing projects efficiently within a short timeframe, TPT Productions like any other company still finds this a challenging task to do consistently. As Sushant says, “Executing a project within a small deadline is the biggest challenge and especially when it comes to mega Business Goa Awards 2016

16 | Business Goa industry Dossier | jUNE 2017

BRICS 2016

projects. However, we have had no regrets as such quick executions have earned us maximum number of clients.”

Clashing of big events is not a new thing for TPT Productions. However, the company has made consistent progress in developing a team that can work on multiple projects at different locations.

When it comes to regular clients for TPT Productions, the company has an idea about any given project five to six months prior to the date of the event. Sushant confidently states, “We are prepared for any such situation and can boast of our timely delivery. We execute big projects just as efficiently as the small projects; there is no scope for mistakes irrespective of the scale of the project.”

The core team of TPT Productions is always on the move. Although Sushant himself can’t be present at all events all the time, he makes sure to visit the site at least once. Apart from that, he is involved in every project at the planning level and set designs. The team at TPT Productions enjoys working in Goa. Sushant explains, “We definitely enjoy working in Goa as this is my birthplace. We worked on a project for the International Film Festival of India in 2014 in Goa. I received much appreciation for the work. Goans tend to relate better to the work done by someone they know personally.”

T P T Productions participates in the Global Design Exhibitions which exposes them to

international projects as well. Sushant says, “When companies request the design upon visiting our stall at the exhibitions, our team in Mumbai instantly works on these. After approvals, we then work towards the execution with the assistance of local technicians.” He continues, “There have been certain instances where the entire core team visits the foreign location and works on completing the grand projects. TPT has created sets for the World Economic Forum at Davos in Switzerland. Besides other automobiles and pharmaceutical exhibitions.”

Working on the Sets TPT Productions is strategically located in Mumbai, with Bombay Exhibition Centre (BEC) in close vicinity, which has its advantages. The company is planning to open new branches in Delhi and South India. Despite not having an official branch, the company works extensively at such locations. Annually, the company takes up to 50-60 projects; however the mega projects are in the range of 8-10 per year. TPT Productions Pvt Ltd offers services in Customized Designing, Fabrication and Production, Installation/ Setup and Dismantling, Furniture for the stall, TV/Fridge/Coffee Machine/Water Dispenser etc, Logistics and Transport across the country, Manpower coordination, Printing of graphics/panels, 3D laser cutting etc.

TPT Productions has been able to design certain events which were unforgettable in public memory. The BMW electric car i8 launch was one of such events, which in return got many clients for the company. Sushant expresses the dominance TPT Productions has on the automobile industry. He says, “There are several event management companies in the automobile sector vying for mega

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cover story

IFFI Goa 2014

car launch events. The company that receives the contract for such projects changes every time; however these event companies in the end, approach us for the project execution.”

Then events like BRICS 2016 which took place in Goa, was a project executed

by TPT Productions. Sushant considers BRICS as one of the projects that he is proud to be associated with.

When asked about competitors, Sushant says, “Being a Goan, and going to Mumbai as a first generation businessman, I had my own limitations. We have grown from nothing and within that we aspire to grow even further without thinking much about the competitors in our business.”

But he sure admits that the world is seeing more competition due to coming of new technologies. “There are many changes that we see in day to day operations due to technological advancements. The speed at which things function now and the way people embrace technology is a paradigm shift in attitude. To fulfil such demands we invest a lot in upgrading our technology.”

The Int’l Film Festival of India 2014 Sushant Tari’s sets for the International Film Festival of India 2014 was an unforgettable sight to every Goan. This also won him an award the next year at the hands of I&B Secretary Sunil Arora at a fully-packed Shyama Prasad Mukherjee stadium.

Disappointed for not bagging the IFFI contract for the following years, Sushant said, “We as TPT Productions, had understood the importance of the occasion; and we went out of our way – even sacrificing on the commercial aspects, to ensure that Goa gets the best out of IFFI. I can say that our work was 18 | Business Goa industry Dossier | jUNE 2017

“I don’t mind losing a project to a healthy competitor as long as they display good work; and the competition is on a level playing field” Sushant Tari complementing the event. People were overwhelmed with our work and we received fantastic goodwill and publicity due to our work. Those having a visual sense of the project, complimented us lavishly. And they were proud that a Goenkar had done that work. We had got the IFFI work order on 9th and we executed the project on 17th of the same month.” He added that, “IFFI is one project which we feel that we should get every year; so we can exhibit our art to fellow Goans irrespective of the party that’s there in the government. Having said that, I don’t mind losing the project to a healthy competitor as long as they display good work.”

Business Goa Awards Sushant Tari speaks about his association with Business Goa Magazine, “Business Goa is a leading magazine in Goa and Harsh is my personal friend. From the magazine, I get to read even about really small businesses in Goa. The magazine tells many inspirational stories.

When I got to know about the good work Harsh was doing in encouraging local entrepreneurs and giving them recognition – I myself approached Harsh and volunteered to do the sets for the Business Goa Awards. He was happy and complimented me for that.”

Turning Point Sushant Tari narrates an incident, which he believes, changed his life. He

narrates, “In 1996, we had got a project in Mumbai which had to be completed on a short notice and within a few days.

We lacked experience then. I started the project and without sleeping or eating or doing anything else, I completed that project before the event started. My senior partner who was there with me had left the location thinking that it was not possible to complete the project. He himself was shocked when he saw the project completed. Before leaving the site, he had told me and other few technicians that ‘Even if Gods come down, they won’t be able to save this project.’ I think that one project created me.”

Despite being the big businessman of the stature that he is, Sushant Tari doesn’t shy away from getting himself immersed into certain projects. He states the reason behind it, “Having been an artist myself, there are certain things which need to happen according to what we plan. For many people, this is just a job. And many a times, it’s not like ‘I will do only what you have told me to do’, Sometimes we have to go beyond the brief. We get our payment all the times; but when our client pays us with complete satisfaction, you know the difference. Such projects, mutually makes everyone happy, further that client recommends 10 other clients to work with us.”

Sushant says everyone has to face the critics throughout their career. However, in the initial years, they are harshest when you have no credentials to your name. In such times, taking them positively is the only way ahead for any person. “When you have proved your worth about what you can do, then the critics don’t matter as you are confident in yourself and in your abilities,” says Sushant.

TPT Productions is quite active in their CSR activities in Goa as well as in Mumbai, they do their bit whatever possible. Sushant says, “We contribute to society in whatever best possible way we can. We do many small projects for schools without charging them; and then they send handwritten notes thanking us.

That gives me immense happiness.”

Sushant is thankful to all the people that he has met in his journey. Especially, he recalls the people he met during student agitations in college where he was Chairman of student council for two consecutive years.

Humble yet confident. Simple yet street smart. Always in search of knowledge, Sushant Tari is still hoping to do ‘something’ that he set out for

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focus goa By ramrai naik

It is expected that GST will bring down prices of most commodities, marginally.

he much awaited GST rates are out. This has given a much needed sense of relief to the taxpayers planning the upcoming indirect tax regime. It is now clear to a considerable extent as to what impact the GST will have on various commodities and what will be its price difference from the existing tax system.

The GST Council meet held at Srinagar has put over 1,200 goods and 500 services in four tax slabs of 5%, 12%, 18%, 28%. The GST council has adjusted most of the commodities to their nearest tax percentage in the existing system and has not gone for drastic changes.

Daily necessities like fresh milk, bread, vegetables and fruit will continue to be exempted from the tax system and will attract no tax. Some of the states earlier had the power to levy purchase tax on such items which no longer would exist in the GST. As the nation is gearing for the GST roll out on July 1, companies selling the electronics have started offering mega discounts to clear the remaining stock. The GST will attract increased tax percentage on the consumer durables.

Especially when it comes to large appliances such as ACs, Refrigerators, Televisions, Washing Machines.

The proposed GST will see an increase of at least 4-5% tax on large home appliances. Therefore it’s to understand that GST will inflate the prices of those items. Industry experts believe that sales of such items will be impacted with the implementation of GST from July to August. However that might be further rationalised with the festive season ahead.

Industry bodies related to smartphones had raised their concerns on the increased tax rate from 5% to 12%.

The Government, in its clarification, has responded through a PIB report saying, “Smartphones attracts 2% central excise duty. VAT rates vary from State to State from 5% to 15%. Weighted average VAT rate on smart phones works out to about

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GST Rates in place Goods and services rates classified The proposed GST will see an increase of at least 4-5% tax on large home appliances 12%. Thus, the present total tax incidence on smart phones works out to more than 13.5%. As against this, the proposed GST rate for smart phones is 12%.” Therefore it is safe to assume that smartphones will get cheaper.

Cars as a whole, will attract the highest slab of 28%. However, there have been distinction made depending on the size of the engine and length of the car. And higher the engine size and car length will attract higher additional compensated Cess on top of the 28% GST slab. Small cars will be charged 1% cess, mid-sized cars will come under 3% cess while luxury cars will attract the 15% cess. Aerated drinks will attract higher tax slab of 28% along with the additional cess of 12% which will get the total tax burden at 40%, which has worried the Indian Beverage Association (IBA). In a statement issued by them, the IBA said, “This increase will have a negative ripple effect and hurt the entire ecosystem of farmers, retailers, distributors and bottlers in India. This increase in tax will further limit the growth of the beverage industry.” They also added that, “Imposing cess on non-aerated flavoured water and nutrition drinks was not in line with the stated intentions of levying cess only on aerated drinks.”

Personal care items like shampoo, perfumes and make-up items would get costlier as the GST tax rate will go up to

28 per cent, from the existing 22 per cent.

While processed food items, ice cream will get cheaper.

Services As the GST bill is poised to become reality soon, we look at how various services havr been distributed amongst the four different slabs as against the single slab in the existing system. Setting of slabs has been done based on the nature of the service such as transport of goods by air, railways, roadways are at 5%. Similarly air travel on economy-class is set to get cheaper along with hiring a taxi for which the tax has been brought down to 5%.

Restaurant having central air conditioning facility with liquor licenses will attract 18% GST rate. While non-ac alcohol serving restaurants and Telecom services will come under the 12% slab.

Five star restaurants, entertainment events will attract the higher slab of 28%.

The Government has also allowed continuations of certain exemptions on services which currently exist like services provided by educational institutions and healthcare services from clinical establishments, authorised medical practitioners and paramedics. Although the nominal percentage on services has increased, experts believe the prices will come down as the service sector will now be able to get input credits to a large extent.

Goa prepares for GST The Goa government has confirmed that 73% of the businesses have complied with the registration of the GST and by June 15 the registration process will be

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completed. The Government has also assured of putting an advisory team comprising of tax consultants, chartered accountants and other experts on the GST in every taluka who would be found at a predefined place. The handholding exercise will continue for at least 3 months from the GST implementation. Further, free consultation team will be available at every district Taluka headquarter.

CM Manohar Parrikar speaking with media persons on the new tax regime confidently said, “When it comes to Goa, GST will improve state economics to the extent which we had never thought of.”

He added, “GST will be a game changer only when it will be smoothly transferred from the current system to the new tax regime. In real terms, benefits of the GST will be seen within 3-4 months of its implementation, which will bring down prices eventually.”

The textile industry has welcomed the 5% GST tax rate on garments costing less than `1000, while clothes pricier than that would attract 12%. Similarly footwear costing below `500 will come under 5% and rest is fixed at 18%

Business Goa got an exclusive interview with Panchayat Minister Mauvin Godinho who had attended crucial GST council meet at the Srinagar on behalf of Finance Minister Manohar Parrikar.

How do you think the GST will facilitate the Ease of Doing Business in Goa? GST will definitely help in improving the ease of doing business in Goa. It will create a healthy atmosphere not just in Goa, but in the entire country. Imagine what a game changer the GST is for such a large country as ours. The new indirect tax which will subsume all other taxes will itself augur well for our country. When you introduce something new, there’s always the apprehension that it may or may not work. How will the people, industries take it? I think as you move along and try to understand the GST better, then the industries will realise that it has been brought in to help them as the whole of India will become one market.

And Goa will benefit even more as we are a service oriented state. Wherever there are more services offered, that state will benefit. There are also apprehensions

Mauvin Godinho

among the manufacturing states. But in the end of it all, they know that they will get the input tax credit.

Which issues did you raise at the GST Council meet at Srinagar?

The meet was for the fixation of the rates of taxes for different goods and services.

I took up all points which our CM and Finance Minister Manohar Parrikar had asked me to. The GST Council took the cognisance of those points and they acted upon it. We had specifically suggested with regards to compensated Cess – if the states don’t incur losses then whatever the remainder of those funds, after 5 years, should be returned back to the states and the GST Council readily agreed to our suggestion

june 2017 | Business Goa industry Dossier | 21

focus goa By ramrai naik

On May 30, 2017, AIOCD observed a nationwide bandh of pharmacies for 24 hours straight in protest of the operations of e-portals he Indian e-commerce space is growing at a rapid pace. Things like vehicles, gold, or even fresh goods like fish and groceries have started selling on the online platform.

When all of these have started their sales, how do medicines remain behind? While issues of convenience will be solved to a large extent through the online sale; the new market, at the same time, brings its own set of negatives. Industry observers raise grave concerns which might be overlooked by the authorities and the decades old regulatory framework.

Pharmaceutical companies are known to keep a very high margin on every product, especially the branded ones.

Consumers will be hugely benefitted due to online sale of medicines as there will be competitive prices provided by multiple sellers. Increased sale would compensate the retailers keeping a low margin. Companies can even open their own online stores through which the trusted brands will gain significantly from the new trend. Advertising will be better targeted to the potential customers with the internet algorithms doing the magic on search engines and social media sites.

When it comes to the government, the regulatory body will be able to monitor the exact sales of any medicines, pharmacy, wholesalers. There will be real-time insights and trends available on the increasing diseases in the country or a particular region due to tracking of particular sale. This rich data will help the researchers in various studies and surveys. This also provides a platform for small pharmacists to take up their business on the internet.

Online aggregators will have to ensure a level playing field for big and small players alike; however, due to several reasons, major brands with their heavy marketing and reliable services move ahead in the business while the small sellers due to their own limitations fall behind. Insights on such platforms provide easy method to track demand

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Pharmacy Wars

Online and Traditional players spar

generation.

India currently, has a massive internet connectivity through which many consumers could benefit from such technological advancement. It is evident that there are multiple benefits that consumers can draw from online sale. What’s worrying is the absence of government framework to regulate the sale. Currently, the leading online companies work on self-regulation with a certain code of conduct, but to what extent the companies adhere to strict standards are unknown.

Raj Vaidya, owner of Hindu Pharmacy elaborates on the irregularities of online sales of medicine. He says, “Online pharmacies are currently illegal.

The Bombay High Court has also asked the government to shut these. Yet the government is doing nothing about it.

If at all any permissions are to be given, first the government has to streamline the medicine train. Presently, the government cannot manage or regulate this properly which is blatantly allowing onliners to run illegally.” Vaidya feels that the government will get the wakeup call only when there will be serious trouble, which will further be a national tragedy.

Government appointed subcommittee headed by Maharashtra FDA Commissioner Dr. Harshdeep Kamble has made several suggestions with regards to e-pharmacy. The committee suggested opening up a centralised e-portal for registration of online pharmacies, mandating the sale of drugs on e-prescription, audit trial to prevent drug abuse, linking prescription with Aadhar Card.

The Kamble panel also recommended

excluding certain categories of drugs which are sensitive in nature such as narcotics, psychotropic drugs, habit forming drugs and others. Many of those recommendations will convert into a full-fledged law for regulating the online medicine sale. The Government is planning to have an e-portal through which online, as well as offline pharmacies will be regulated.

Mandating offline pharmacies for the e-portal registration has received flak from nearly 8 lakh pharmacies in India which are associated with All India Organisation of Chemists and Druggists.

The AIOCD which generally comprises of offline pharmacists had consistently opposed the idea of online sale of drugs.

On May 30, 2017, AIOCD observed a nationwide bandh of pharmacies for 24 hours straight in protest of the e-portal.

Prasad Tamba informed that the All India Organisation of Chemist & Druggists has approached the central government multiple times with the issues of the industry. He says they had written to Health Minister, as well as Prime Minister. Since there has been no response from the government, their organisation had to resort to a strike.

Prasad Tamba, President of Goa Branch, All India Organisation of Chemists and Druggists (AIOCD), strongly disapproves the Government’s decision of regulating sale of medicines through an e-portal. “We are opposing the idea of e-portal because it will complicate a simple process of buying medicine and put the additional cost on the patients. We will have to scan every prescription which will be verified by the e-portal and bills will be generated. In the

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process, a chemist will have to put the added cost of Rs 200 on every transaction on the patients. Patient will have to bear this fixed charge set by the government on behalf of the chemist as well as doctors,” asserts Tamba.

Major criticism of an e-pharmacy has been that most of the times medicines will be sold without checking the quality.

Despite having amendments, habit forming, fake medicines will be sold to the end consumers which will then have adverse drugs reaction. Stakeholders also see an impact of online pharmacies on the physical pharmacies.

Raj Vaidya opines, “Physical pharmacies will be affected but only time will tell to what extent and how the equations will be. This level of unregulated online sale of medicine does not happen in other countries. India, unfortunately, has promoted chaos.”

Sailee Govekar, pharmacy student says, “Online medicines are good for those who are on medication for a chronic illness which usually goes for months or years. However, it won’t be useful for the acute illnesses where the

Pharmaceutical companies are known to keep a very high margin on every product, especially the branded ones.

Consumers will be hugely benefitted due to online sale of medicines as there will be competitive prices provided by multiple sellers. Increased sale would compensate the retailers keeping a low margin patient will require getting the medicine immediately. In such cases, they will take the prescription and get them from the nearest pharmacy store, rather than buying it online which will take a rather long time to deliver.” Sailee also foresees an impact on the small pharmacy stores, if the e-pharmacy business model progresses over a period of time.

Tamba doubts the authenticity of the drugs that will be available online.

He says, “There won’t be proper quality checks maintained on the Online Sale of medicines. For instance, if the doctor tells you to take Crocin only and the website sends you some other cheap alternative then that will be a major issue. Also, there have been cases where the online sellers have been found to remove the

expiry dates with the help of spirits and have been putting up new expiry dates.

Therefore, authenticity of the drug is a big question.”

The Government is yet to make amendments to the Drugs and Cosmetic Act, through which the e-portal would function. Some have even raised questions on the IT infrastructure that is required for such a system to work at the national level. Challenges even lie ahead for rural areas with lack of internet connectivity.

If the government mandates the online pharmacies to have a physical store to be able to trace and track, then many mishaps can be prevented. Further, the authorities can conduct the routine quality check exercise

june 2017 | Business Goa industry Dossier | 23

starting young

www.businessgoa.in By meenal bale

His career in the events industry began as a commerce student at the S. S. Dempo College of Commerce & Economics where his exposure to college events, strengthened his passion of converting it into a full-fledged career y father was working in Delhi for Airtel, where I interned for three months, which later got converted into a job for five years, in 2008,” says Upendra Pai Raikar, the proprietor of Conquer Events.

The experience of these years in the national capital gave him an edge, to learn the ups and downs of the industry.

“I learned everything, right from how to deal with the top vendors of India, to meeting and interacting with celebrities. I also paid attention to the technology used a events – I gathered knowledge about 3D mapping, hydraulics, pyro effects, revolving stage, laser show, fog curtain, cold pyro techniques, colour smoke, huge ice sculpture, etc and today, we provide an array of options to make an event standout,” he adds.

In 2013, Upendra returned home and worked with the local event management companies, to gain an insight into the Goan market. In August 2016, Conquer Events was founded, and there was no looking back for this young lad.

From birthdays to NRI destination weddings, from corporate conferences to traditional thread ceremonies, Conquer Events undertakes it all. Upendra strongly believes that décor can be created by anybody. But giving the client a unique idea to make their celebration memorable makes all the difference.

“It’s the simple things that matter. My forte lies in conceptualizing and curating special events. One of the recent events we did, the thread ceremony of Yatish Dempo’s son, had a flower girl and a musician on flute welcoming the family onto the stage. Every table top piece was custom made to suit the occasion. Your clients notice, and along with the client, everybody else too,” states Upendra.

This new age thinker introduced the concept of ‘half birthdays’. Elaborating on the same, he says “When the baby is born, it becomes difficult to throw a grand celebration as the baby is too small.

And by the time it is his first birthday; it

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Upendra Pai Raikar

The

afternoon of the event, the wind swept off every effort that we had put in. The client panicked and was tensed, but we didn’t give up. We pooled in all our contacts, gathered every resource possible, brainstormed, and the show started an hour late from the scheduled time, but it was totally worth it!” Upendra fondly recollects.

There have been many players in the industry, but the one that thinks out of the box, survives. Upendra’s experiences and exposure in Delhi have made it easier for him to execute all sorts of ideas in Goa. Right from a simple entry in a vintage car for the bridal couple, to the entry on a bike accompanied by fireworks, to the couple being introduced to the crowd from a height of a 150 ft crane.

Conquer events specializes in all sorts of special effects.

Upendra believes that the key to making any event a success lies in the detailing. The entire event may be that of a smaller budget, but what is it that you are giving to the client, that the others cannot? What is your uniqueness and how will it add value to the client’s event? “I believe that if you want to have a successful career, you need to have a dream. Whether it is big or small is secondary.

One key person responsible for shaping up and making Conquer events’ dream come, or in Upendra’s words, his ‘godfather’, is Arvind Desai. “I was not academically inclined, and back then we had no proper career guidance either. There was the utmost focus given on the traditional streams of science and commerce. Slowly, the field of arts picked up as a first choice to make a career in, and today, every artist from the vocational field is valued, be it a tattooist, a mehendi artist, or even a photographer.

It is Mr Desai who pushed me to follow my passion for events and till date, I am grateful for his encouragement and support,” states Upendra.

“There have been late nights, stressful projects, and times when I have not been able to give enough time to the family.

Overall, my parents have been extremely supportive and patient towards my profession. For me, everyday is a challenge as today, there is so much competition.

But I believe in hard work. I would like to tell the students, take up what you like.

Let your passion triumph over your need to earn a stable salary. Don’t force yourself into a profession for the mere sake of a certificate,” he concludes

Celebrant

is too late and gets difficult for the parents to create a limited guest list. Hence, a half birthday at six months serves the purpose and is ideal for all.”

Conquer events’ first mega event was the ‘Jai Ho Draw’ by the Magsons Group during the home and lifestyle exhibition in October 2016. This was followed by a national conference on bridging the mental health in association with Sangath in December 2016. The company also facilitates the service of artist as well as celebrity management and houses an office in Delhi, thus catering to clients nationally.

Upendra has worked with renowned artistes in the industry, right from Shankar Mahadevan to Sonu Nigam, Malaika Arora, Niraj Shridhar, Boman Irani, Kashmira Shah, Pankaj Udhas, Suchitra Pillai, etc. At a local level, Conquer Events has received immense support from DJ Ajit Pai and his family.

“Till date, there is an ambiguity about what event management is all about. But the new generation and youngsters are fast catching up on the intensity of planning an event to the minutest of details. Right from the Mehendi, Haldi, Sangeet and Wedding, each celebration can be made into a grand affair. Event management is an art, it requires dedication and is a wellcoordinated team effort,” he adds.

Having been in the industry for more than a decade now, Upendra’s most unforgettable moment was during his first days in the industry, when he had to facilitate a college event of a crowd of around 5,000 in Gwalior, called the ‘Bombay Rockers Show’. “It took us two days for the set-up and right on the

enterprise

By Meenal bale

Establishing a niche market within an ever growing industry, was an unthinkable feat. But turning it into a reality was a challenge that Oscar Fernandes, of Bohemian Crystal Company (India) braved with patience he Bohemian Crystal Company was established in 1999, on the MargaoNavelim Highway as a showroom to showcase hospitality products. It catered to the hotel, fine dining as well as airline industries – a place where the target audience would see the products at display, and accordingly place an order in bulk.

But as the number of footfalls increased, the customers began inquiring why the products were only on a display, and not for sale. That is when Oscar decided to expand the business and converted it into a retail space, shifting the showcasing of the hospitality products to the top floor.

“At the beginning, we conducted a lot of marketing campaigns and on-ground events, only to make our customers aware about the products that we were selling.

People from North Goa came all the way to make purchases during our annual sale, as we had a range of uncommon products, that were not available anywhere else in Goa,” says Oscar.

Being located along the national highway gave BCC an added edge as vacationers as well as the locals would randomly walk in out of curiosity, and would walk out with a souvenir or a gift set for their family and friends. “We even had a showcase of our products at the airport to reach out to a maximum clientele in the nascent stages,” adds Oscar.

In 2011, the business was officially expanded and branched out into Oscar Hospitality Concepts (OHC) that merely differentiated the processes of retail from that of catering exclusively to the industry. At OHC, the range of products is a widespread, right from crystal chandeliers and light fittings, to crockery and cutlery of international specifications. Today, the products are being used by the best international chain of hotels, right from Star Wood, Marriott, Grand Hyatt, Taj, to Le Meridian, Planet

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Bohemian Crystal Company

The Crystal Effect Hollywood, The Leela and more. The company has established a firm footing in the HoReCa (Hotels / Restaurants / Catering) industry.

“As a Goan, nobody had ventured into this industry before. Having worked in the Gulf myself, I realized the amount of potential that the hospitality industry showed in India. Being in a managerial role, I got exposed to various nuances of the trade and coming from a financial background, I knew the risks involved to start such an establishment. I studied the various mindsets as to why certain brands and products had an upper hand over others; and accordingly incorporated the best at BCC as well as OHC. Goa proved to be an ideal location to establish a base for operations, and that is how I came back home,” states Oscar.

Be it Asian, Japanese or French – each cuisine has a different style of presentation, and each of it demands a special set of tableware to display its superior taste. It is a slow learning process that needs to be absorbed into the modus operandi. Oscar took tiny steps to bring about a change in the way of thinking for the industry as well as the masses. “It is a very delicate industry and needs to be handled with care. You need to invest a lot of time for business to grow, while ensuring that there are no complaints along the journey,” says Oscar.

Right from hosting crash course trainings for the F&B teams of various hotels, to pioneering the need of gaining a deep and profound knowledge of the trends in the industry, he even went to the extent of explaining the importance of serving a particular wine in the right glassware and maintaining the silver polishing, to increase the overall revenue of the business.

“When BCC began, my friend challenged me that nobody would buy such a premium range. But when I bagged my first order from the Salgaocar-owned Goa Marriott Resort, there was simply no stopping. Till date, we have had purchases made from the top five-star hotels across the country, right from Bengaluru, Chennai and Cochin to Jodhpur, Mumbai, Pune, Udaipur, Jaipur and more,” he states proudly.

Introducing the industry to a niche segment was indeed a big risk. Oscar explains how his apprehensions were eventually laid to rest. He elaborates “The industry was used to local products, that weren’t of such a superior quality. Our products brought about a refreshing wave of change that the industry readily welcomed. Till date, I am remembered for having introduced the industry to new standards of branded dinnerware.

Each of our product is unique and has a classic pattern, designed intricately for the purpose of maximum utility.”

Slowly, the products became popular in the hospitality sector, at big business houses, in the aviation industry and even amongst the locals as an exquisite gift item set for special occasions. From glassware to buffet ware and holloware, kitchen equipment, linen and other decorative gift items, BCC houses it all. A few of the brand names include Rosenthal, Luigi Bormioli, Raynaud, Tafelstern, Guy Degrenne, Ercuis, etc. Oscar had some of the company representatives come and train his personnel about the brands to ensure that the customers receive a highend shopping experience.

Annually, OHC partakes at the AAHAR, the International Food & Hospitality Fair, hosted by the India Trade Promotion Organization, in New

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Delhi. Right from the first year, Oscar has projected the brand as a trendsetter in the market that stays abreast of the changing vogues and concepts within the industry.

“At BCC as well as OHC, we ensure that we cater to the customer’s need, rather than displaying our assortment of products. We first show them the options, educate them and then suggest the possible purchases that would best suit their purpose. Over a period of time, the industry in India has evolved; but at a comparatively slower pace than that of overseas,” he adds.

Each mood, every interior, be it a fine diner or a standalone restaurant, this is a ‘one stop shop for high-quality products in the hospitality industry’. Products that are competitively and reasonably priced.

Oscar has maintained a low profile with not much of marketing or PR. But he is a workaholic, nonetheless. Whatever free time he gets from work, he spends either travelling or attending work related conferences, and strictly ascertains that the company houses only those brands that have a thorough background of R&D; where the manufacturers are reputed as

Oscar Fernandes

“At the beginning, we conducted a lot of marketing campaigns Fernandes and onOscar ground events, merely to make our customers aware about the products that we were selling” Oscar Fernandes well as reliable.

“At times, the demands in the industry are erratic and our ability to adapt and cater to each customer with the same amount of commitment is our strongest point. The one major challenge that I have however faced is the difficulty to get human resources that would bring stability to the business. We had earlier set up offices in various parts of the country, that now have to be re-aligned due to the

lack of manpower,” states Oscar.

Till date, the organization has lived up to the expectations of its customers as well as the industry. Its business philosophy is to provide the best products, at the best prices with the best services. On a concluding note, he mentions that there are plans of expanding the showroom to Panjim and re-organization of the branches, in the future pipeline

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interview

By Ramrai naik

Goa Dairy Chairman Madhav Sahakari speaks about the game-changing reforms undertaken under his leadership What are your key priorities for Goa Dairy after winning the election?

I had taken over as chairman of the present board in August last year; my work had started since then. Previously there have been mismanagement, some of the key areas were neglected – that is regarding the procurement, giving attention to producers and addressing their grievances. The previous leadership also lagged behind in taking care of the quality of the milk and customer feedback. These issues had to be attended urgently. I started working on all these issues in August 2016 itself.

Our administration took 2-3 months just to grasp the exact requirement.

After that, we took some hard decisions, where I increased the prices of the milk. Through our meeting with the stakeholders, mostly the milk producers and chairmen of the member societies, we tried understanding their difficulty and why they were moving towards SUMUL. I kept a constant dialogue with them and I was successfully able to stop the outflow of our members to SUMUL. When I took the chairmanship, SUMUL had reached to about 8000-10000 Ltrs of milk procurement. As of today, the same has come down to below 3000 Ltrs of procurement. It was only possible as I was able to impress upon my people by understanding their demands. I think they were convinced and we were able to easily execute targets set by me. And they were completed far better than my expectation. Within another one and half year, I’m trying to get all of them back to Goa Dairy and see to it that I understand the needs of the industry.

Which are the few important decisions that you intend on taking after assuming chairmanship?

Decisions pertaining to procurement as well as sales; because of our past negligence you can say that things had gone wrong. Decisions were not taken at the correct time. That can be corrected and we have to correct it right now.

We have to ensure that the milk which 28 | Business Goa industry Dossier | jUNE 2017

Madhav Sahakari

Ensuring continuous progress of Goa Dairy comes to our dock is the best milk that is available in the market. We have to review some of the decisions taken earlier, like extra staff which were recruited. Similarly reducing expenditure is another big focus for now. We have made significant increase in the milk procurement that is in purchase price, improving the quality of the feed supply to milk producers, further enhancing services given to them as well as I was able to improve upon the quality of the milk that’s going in the market. Now, after the election, we have to put everything in its place, as till today I have not been fully satisfied. We have to look at the health of the member societies, as well; and if all these factors work in cohesion, then only we will be able to achieve all our targets and ensure that Goa Dairy is making continuous progress.

How do you plan on retaining the farmers?

If we attend to their problems on a day to day basis, then retaining them is not difficult. Our supervisors are spread all over Goa – they can attend the complaints on a timely basis. We also have good veterinary services which are provided to all the farmers as and when needed.

What are your expectations from the government?

We don’t expect financial help from the government as we are better off on our own. We want the government help in management of the milk producers and maintaining good co-ordination between government departments such

as Animal Husbandry, Agriculture, Cooperations and Food Directorate. We now need to be more aggressive towards our government approach. Right now, the government is helping us, due to which our production has gone up by 25000 Ltrs per day. Currently, the production per day is 70,000 Ltrs which I want to take to 1 lakh Ltrs by next 3 years. At the same time increasing current sale from Rs 80,000 to Rs 1,80,000 per day.

What is your role in providing government assistance to farmers?

The Government is already providing many subsidies for the farmers and the milk unions. At the same time, we can also facilitate loans to farmers through our associated banks. We have to convince farmers to take up more animals to increase the current business.

Continuous co-ordination between the milk producers as well as the government officers is very much essential which Goa Dairy had failed to do in the past.

Goa Dairy should be the facilitator to government agencies as well as Milk producers. We will reintroduce the schemes which were stopped earlier. We will also bring some new initiatives with the help of state government as well as central government.

Your comment on the ever so increasing milk prices and deterioration of milk quality?

Our liquid milk production is not as per the requirement. The increase has been 5% per annum whereas the demand has been around 7%. Hence we need to

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fill the gap of around 2%. Liquid milk is inadequate in the market; hence the prices are shooting up of all the milk companies.

If we are self sufficient in Goa, then only we can control the prices. We need to get maximum milk from the local farmers; or else we have to draw milk from other states – and then price fixation slips out of our hands. As per my understanding, prices won’t go up in the nearby future.

My target is to keep the prices stable for at least one or two years.

I can assure our stakeholders as well customers through your medium that deterioration of milk quality will never occur at least in my tenure. In the next 5 years, no substandard milk will be sold.

We might sell lesser milk, but we will sell only good quality milk. For some time now, people used to raise the questions on the quality and smell of the milk; however we have successfully worked on this issue and for the past one and half month we haven’t received single complaint. We received support from FDA on that front, as well. We have kept a complaint book at every retail outlet, so that we receive all

kinds of feedback. We try to resolve each and every complaint within 24 hours. I think we are working very efficiently.

What are your strategies to improve efficiency of the Goa Dairy?

Sales and procurement both go hand in hand. This will eventually help us in getting good financial results. That can be achieved by rigorous efforts. We

will assess the requirement of the staff, as some of our old staff is already being retired. After the same process, we will lay off the extra staff which was recruited in excess by previous leadership. Further we want to expand our product line. Reorganising of our booths has also started.

As per government consultation, we will execute the additional strategies as and when possible

june 2017 | Business Goa industry Dossier | 29

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education By alexia fernandes

S. Dempo College of Commerce & Economics, Goa’s oldest institution for commerce education, was established in 1966 under the Chairmanship of Vasantrao S. Dempo, a leading industrialist of his time in Goa. The institution stemmed from a philanthropic passion of the Dempo family to provide the youth of Goa with better education opportunities within the state, and to encourage them to contribute to the economy of the state. Today, 50 years hence, the institute remains dedicated to its founding vision and continues to be supported by the Dempo Charities Trust, under the chairmanship of Shrinivas Dempo and the member trustees; the leadership of Principal, Dr. Radhika S. Nayak; and a robust faculty.

“It’s one thing to pursue interests in philanthropy, but to invest your money expansively and expect no profitable returns, except generations of welleducated youth, truly reflects the Dempo family’s commitment to strengthening higher education pursuits in Goa,” says Dr. Nayak. The Dempo College unfortunately did not have a campus of its own, until it moved to its newly constructed state-of-the-art campus in Cujira, Bambolim, this year. The massive 35 crore campus, was inaugurated in April 2017 by Union Minister Prakash Javadekar, at a grand celebration that marked the institute’s golden jubilee in education excellence.

The campus was designed to spaciously accommodate all the requirements like smart-board enabled classrooms, well equipped computer labs, an audio visual room, a large library with e-browsing stations, computer labs for all sections; and an outdoor amphitheatre and a mini auditorium for student activities. The gym is another section of the campus bustling with activity. The gym has allocated sections for various indoor sports like table-tennis, carrom, chess; a power station unit, to be shortly installed; and changing rooms with shower cubicles for students.

In keeping with its pursuit of providing academic training to young business enthusiasts and entrepreneurs, the college also emphasizes on its motto for imbibing students with ethical standards of business practices; through its vision: ‘Commerce as a service to society’.

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S. S. Dempo College of Commerce & Economics offers core courses in business management for the under graduate section and, has begun with postgraduation courses such as M.Com, M.A in Tourism and Heritage Management, and a PG Diploma in Event Management.

Each course is crafted to furnish students with a strong skillset and includes internships for international and local for hands-on training while studying.

“As a tourist destination, Goa has a need for event professionals. We are the only college in Goa to provide academic training for young event managers,” says Dr. Nayak.

A self-motivated leader, Dr. Nayak took charge as Principal of the College in 2009. Having previously worked as a lecturer in Economic Studies, Dr. Nayak prides herself on having risen to a level where she, along with the management, is able to create a spirited difference in the education sector in Goa. Among her

list of goals was the idea of elevating the standard of commerce education offered in Goa. This began with a complete revamp of the courses offered to make the programs all-inclusive, professional and updated with the market’s latest requirements from a fresh business graduate.

Next, on her mandate was getting the College accredited by the NAAC. The accreditation had lapsed for a period of three years, prior to her joining. As a single faculty college, the institution had its fair share of challenges to prove it was just as diverse and competent as the other multi-faculty colleges in Goa. For the next five years, they worked tirelessly towards achieving a remarkable grading.

The team’s hard work reflects in its title as ‘Best College in Commerce in Goa’ with an ‘A’ grading of 3.30 on a 4.0 scale.

Following the accreditation of the college by National Accreditation and Assessment Council (NAAC), the

S. S. Dempo College of Commerce & Economics

Commerce as a service to society The Premier institution for business education in Goa, S. S. Dempo College of Commerce & Economics scales greater heights

college established the Internal Quality Assurance Cell (IQAC), to keep a tab on the quality enhancement measures and to gain perspective on the kind of demands for commerce professionals in the market.

The cell comprises of a well-balanced panel of the Principal, Vice-Principal and senior teachers; and external members.

“Through the IQAC, we are able to use quality inputs to refine the courses we offer and train students in essential areas to give them an edge in the field,” says Dr. Nayak. Taking the learning experience beyond textbooks, the college organizes industrial visits, study tours, and assisted internships for every program to give students a glimpse of on-field experience and hands-on training. “The accreditation committee was so impressed with the kind of work we execute that it has suggested we now draw our focus on qualifying as a center with potential for excellence under the University Grants Commission Scheme,” says Dr. Nayak. The college draws long term goals to become an autonomous college from then on. Recognizing the progressive demands of education today, the college will diversify its academic programs to include new courses such as an M.A in Business Economics and a Bachelor’s in Vocational Studies which will provide students with an integrated background in media studies, advertising and journalism. Additionally, the faculty is looking to create a specialised program, a first of its kind B.Com Honors which will train students in C.A. program examinations and include articleships for more comprehensive learning. “In Goa, since we don’t have facilities for such training, students feel compelled to move to centers in Chennai or Pune for C.A. coaching. We want to be the first to give students in Goa an integrated program to help them avail better opportunities after graduation,” says Dr. Nayak.

With ICT enabled classrooms, the faculty uses technology for interactive learning and updates all course material onto their online platform for easy student access. To give all students a chance at trying out new fields, the college has introduced a number of addon certificate courses like Accounting for Small Businesses, Tour Management and Business Analytics and Digital Marketing.

In addition to these, the college also offers short term certificate courses in photography, Tally, Microsoft.

“We have a franchise for IATA, and we are the only college in Goa to be so.

Top: Release of the K-OSS, inter-collegiate event booklet Left: Well equipped large capacity labs for every section Below: Newly constructed campus at Cujira inaugurated in April 2017 Facing Page: (LtoR) Yatish Dempo, Antonio Fernandes, Siddharth Kuncalienkar, Manohar Parrikar, Prakash Javadekar, Pallavi Dempo, Varun Sahani, Shrinivas Dempo, Sunil Prabhudessai and Dr Radhika Nayak

“We have a franchise for IATA, and we are the only college in Goa to be so. Since our management doesn’t believe in gaining profits, we are able to offer these globally certified courses at a subsidized rate” Dr. Radhika Nayak PRINCIPAL Since our management doesn’t believe in gaining profits, we are able to offer these globally certified courses at a subsidized rate,” says Dr. Nayak. The institution also has program related associations with the British Council, Goa Management Association and other commerce based organisations. In the long run, the college is hoping to partner with National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC).

The faculty is constantly encouraged to grow at every step of the way and develop a keen sense of learning by participating regularly in seminars at state, national and international levels. Through the Faculty Development and Research Cell, they are encouraged to undertake minor research projects, and pursue higher academic research qualification such as M.Phil. and Ph.D. “Currently, we have two research guides recognized by the Goa University – one in Economics and the other in Commerce. We also have a

Research Center for Economics and are in the process for securing a Commerce Research Center, too,” says Dr Nayak.

Over the years, S. S. Dempo College of Commerce & Economics has brought forth critical thinkers and successful graduates of all kinds who have gone beyond academics, to political leadership like Jayesh Salgaonkar, Pravin Zantye, Luizinho Faleiro to name a few, to renowned personalities in theater and film like Producer Rajesh Pednekar, Actress Varsha Usgaonkar. The college has had impressive history of academic achievements for long and recently secured five out of the top ten state ranks at the Goa University exams.

S. S. Dempo College’s strong alumni and large number of applicants pouring in at the beginning of every academic year reflects the kind of repute the college has achieved and paves way for the successful road ahead june 2017 | Business Goa industry Dossier | 31

goan brand By ankitha joseph

Mascot Pet Shop led by Chaitanya Malkarnekar provides high quality pet care products and soon intend to expand their manufacturing unit to Pune or all the pet lovers and pet enthusiasts, one name that could mean the world would be ‘Mascot Pet Shop’.

The unique combination of a pet shop, pet pharmacy and grooming centre is what stands out the most about Mascot. A vision and effort by Chaitanya Malkarnekar made Mascot one of the most successful pet brands in Goa. Vaccinations, toys, food; name it and Mascot will have it for you.

Instead of finding himself playing between a variety of pets, Mascot sticks to the ones that they feel they can cater to the best; Cats and Dogs. Chaitanya’s love for pets grew since his childhood as his father belonged to a profession that helped him understand animals better.

His father, Dr. Vasant Malkarnekar, assistant director of the State Animal Husbandry retired as Deputy Director and passed on the idea of Mascot to Chaitanya.

What started as an idea, grew into receiving great appreciation from the customers. Achieving recognition with Mascot as a business seemed rather a long road to travel for Chaitanya.

Mascot started off in the year 2010, while like many other ventures, this too did not see success in the very first shot.

The first two years only saw discouraging moments walk by their first store in Gogol, Margao, which later evolved into a store that witnessed 70-100 walk-ins every day. “It was disheartening in the early days, as customers walked in just to enquire. And in terms of business, we were falling apart,” confesses Chaitanya.

Though there were a few grooming centers already present up north, the prices charged made Chaitanya realize the need for an affordable grooming centre for pets. With their constant efforts to innovate, Chaitanya started off with the first grooming center down south in their second outlet in Colva. The center received great appreciation and response from the public for their high quality service deliverance.

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Mascot Pet Shop

Pet, Set, Go Considering the requirements for quality grooming, Chaitanya went on to take a short-term course in Mumbai on the subject that led him to achieve more reliable customers. “Once I returned, it was all about doing it by myself and going ahead with a plan that could reach the heights I always wanted it to.”

Besides the grooming centre, Mascot also provides few services that remain exclusive. In the age of Olas and Ubers, Mascot provides special AC taxi services for pets; baking for pets is another exclusive service available with Mascot alone.

It was in 2013 that Mascot Pet Shop started receiving the desired returns from

its business. The brand later expanded from a single store to 3 stores all across the state; Gogol, Colva and Ponda.

While the Colva store runs along with a grooming centre, Ponda runs in company with a pharmacy. The upcoming store in Porvorim, will also have a grooming centre alike the Colva store. “We are planning to expand, because it is now that we are comfortable with the market and know exactly where we stand. We are also ready to explore new markets,” states Chaitanya.

Known for their most welcoming customer service and high quality product availability, Chaitanya plans to take a step forward by installing a manufacturing

Keeping in mind the same concept like any other floor cleaner in the market, Mascot came out with a product that would cater to your need of a clean home environment along with the well being of your dear pets Chaitanya Malkarnekar

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unit in Pune soon, along with a dear friend and business associate. While the Pune unit is still in the process of construction, there already is a manufacturing unit present in Kundaim, Ponda.

A product that came to existence out of Chaitanya’s love and care for animals

is the ‘Essentials’ floor cleaner. Keeping in mind the same concept like any other floor cleaner in the market, Mascot came out with a product that would cater to your need of a clean home environment along with the well being of your dear pets. “It is basically a substitute for normal floor cleaners, as normal floor cleaners can cause rashes or excessive hair fall for the pets, but the one that we manufacture is pet friendly.”

After two months of the product’s launch, it has received great response with over 5000 bottles already sold. “The product is already being sold in Pune, Kolkata, Mumbai, Delhi and more parts of the country. For a new company and a new product, this is indeed a great success,” he added. Apart from the floor cleaner, soon to be launched is the odour repellant by Mascot. In the phase of being tested, the product is to hit the markets soon.

While the manufacturing unit is reaching its heights, Chaitanya also plans to invest in a repacking unit too.

Considering the unnecessary high price range set outside Goa, Mascot is ready

to help clients with a pocket-friendly range of products. “Previously we were buying already packed products but now we are trying and getting in touch with the factories directly. The factories are situated in places like Kanpur and we plan to directly buy from them. This step will help us price the product at a comparatively cheaper rate which will be convenient for the customers.” Though the brand has already established its presence among the clients, one grievance that Chaitanya mentions is the lack of importance given to Indian products in the Indian market. “There are people who wait to buy items abroad but, the truth is that we manufacture the same products.

Just because there are one or more languages written on the label, people think for it to be good,” he laments.

He further adds, “No one is trying to do something different, and we’re trying to change the same system and get it done in India itself.”

With effective efforts to become Goa’s best name in pet care, Mascot does not only promise quality but also delivers the best in pet care

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campus

book shelf

World Trade Day observed at Rosary College

MLA Glen Souza Ticlo who is also the Chairman of the Goa Industrial Development Corporation notified that, Goa is known for its tourism, iron ore, and pharmaceuticals exports but very few people are aware of the small entrepreneurs who manufacture ophthalmic lens, handicrafts, automobile parts etc, and sell in foreign markets.

Ticlo was speaking during a seminar held at Rosary College, Navelim organized by the World Trade Centre (WTC) celebrating the World Trade Day. The seminar was based on the topic ‘Beyond Borders’.

Also present at the seminar were Deputy Director General of Foreign Trade Goa, Ramesh Holeyachi, Principal Rosary College Dr. Simao R Diniz, Director Lift Controls Pvt. Ltd Mahendra M Khandeparkar, Director projects WTC- Mumbai Rupa Naik and Functional Manager Directorate of Industries, Prashant Kamat.

Lift Control’s Khandeparkar, mentioned that, he hopes that with the implementation of GST, India would become a more

competitive manufacturing destination.

Holeyachi, spoke on the importance of exports as a growth engine of the country and said that India should use the democratic dividend of youth between the age group of 19 and 39 years which is an asset for being more productive and competitive in international trade to earn foreign exchange.

Kamat pointed out that foreign trade is a lucrative field but it also needs some great care and nurturing particularly in maintaining high standards of quality.

Professor Anson from the College, proposed the vote of thanks and Cyril DeSousa, Assistant Director, trade promotion WTC – Goa, moderated the event. Around 80 participants from different sectors including industry, banking and education sectors were present for the event.

On the occasion of the seminar celebrating World Trade Day, Kineco Kaman Composites, Buoyancy Consultancy & Engineering were also feliciated for their outstanding performance in exports

The Lean Startup How Today’s Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation To Create Radically Successful Businesses

by ERIC RIES Starting up a new company or a business always involves a lot of risk. A number of startups fail even before they can reach a certain level. The Lean Startup: How Today’s Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation To Create Radically Successful Businesses is about using a new and innovative approach called ‘Lean Startup’ to revolutionise the world of business.

When an individual or a group of individuals starts a new business, there is

always an air of uncertainty prevailing over their minds.

What they want to do is to create something meaningful that will sustain, proving all the uncertainties futile.

The Lean Startup approach concentrates on increasing the capital efficiency of the companies as well as using the human creativity to its highest level. The book explains difficult concepts like validated learning and vanity metrics, with ease. It puts forward new ideas to make the company agile and flexible

BG CROSSWORD 90

QUIZZARETM

People’s High School to be Goa’s first ‘Smart School’ People’s High School hopes to be the state’s first smart school. The school will soon be receiving students’ exam results through an app on their smartphones.

They are presently in the process of developing a software that will be accessed by teachers as an app on their phones and parents too, will have part access to the software, school trustee, Rahul Deshpande informed.

One class from Class I to XII of the school has been fixed in with a ‘smart board’,

with the entire curriculum on it in an audio-visual format.

The smart board will also be convertible to a regular board for teachers to write on.

He said that students retain better when taught using audio-visual aids and therefore the idea of installing smart boards. “Teach Next’ has made smart boards available to the school.

This year, the school will also install machines, where students and teachers will have to swipe cards to record their attendance

34 | Business Goa industry Dossier | jUNE 2017

Across: 1. National Association of Software and Services Companies, in short (7) 6. Iconic robot dog made by Sony (4) 7. What Pringles and Intel have in common (5) 8. All India Tennis Association, in brief (4) 10. Famous Brazilian F1 driver Ayrton (5) 12. Diamond, coloured stone and jewelry certification organization (1,1,1) 13. Former tennis star Chris _____ (5) 14. Arguably the most famous result from a page search in Google (5) Down: 1. Energy source which went bad in Chernobyl (7) 2. Mexican business magnate Carlos ____ (4) 3. Popular coffee chain (5) 4. French Presidential candidate for 2017, _____ Le Pen (6) 5. _______ Alpha – computational knowledge engine (7) 9. New car model from Tata (5) 10. Godrej Presidio and Godrej Halo Bio are examples of this (4) 11. Skin care products company (5) answers to crossword 89 Across 1. Cognizant 6. Ebola 7. Laura 9. Hansa 11. Louvre 12. Lira 13. Remo 15. TRP 16. Trivago Down 1. Cellular 2. Gulu 3. Idea 4. Agora 5. Trans 8.

Ravioli 9. Helena 10. Naruto 14. ERT

Sandra Sousa Menon

lady power By meenal bale

What if you were given the option to live your dream wedding before it actually happened? Golden Aisle’s latest venture showcases a live set-up of what it feels like to be at a dream wedding… eing in the business of wedding planning for the last 12 years, Sandra Sousa Menon, proprietor at Golden Aisle Wedding Planners, has always been at the forefront of organizing events for family and friends. And one day, decided to do it professionally by integrating her passion into an entrepreneurial venture. From hosting an event that involved just the bridal couple and close family friends, to moving to an event that easily houses more than 1500 guests, Golden Aisle has come a long way.

“Many couples find it difficult to visualize concepts. Even though they are well aware of what they need and how to go about it, somewhere during the brainstorming sessions, it helps to have a clear picture. Thus, my daughter Mercedes and I, decided to take this venture a notch higher,” says Sandra.

Nestled in a renovated heritage building, on Rua Abade Faria in Margao, the Golden Aisle Galleria was founded eight months ago and is a completely unique concept. From outside, it looks like just another boutique. But the moment you step in, you are transformed into an altogether different land. The reception itself gives you a ‘WOW’ feeling. Stepping into the first room is like stepping into the production set of an actual wedding with elaborate themes on display that include everything right from the table-tops and centrepieces, to the chandeliers and ambience decor. The second and third rooms make you want to fall in love, just to get married through the hands of Golden Aisle!

The Galleria also includes a section exclusively for bridal wear and gear, right from the dress, to the corsages, the tiaras, props for photoshoots and much more. Adding to the grandeur, the rest of the rooms in the Galleria house lifestyle products; both in-house, as well as of collaborated designers. Everything from seasonal wear, to western, as well as ethnic wear; all complimented by an

Golden touch

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Sandra Sousa Menon (Left) alongwith her daughter Mercedes

array of accessories, shoes, and gifting ideas, both for men and women. “We also have our own line of resort wear, made of natural fabrics; that is branded Sousa Menon,” adds Sandra.

The entire tour feels like walking through the sets of a dream wedding. On one hand, there is a perfect ambience for a beach wedding; while on the other is a mandap with the most royally ethnic décor. You can look through different options, envision your big day through the mock sets, mix and match the cutlery, the linen, the décor, and you can sketch out every minute detail of your wedding at the Golden Aisle. This is exactly the kind of response that Sandra’s extended venture wishes to evoke. The sets keep changing every quarter, thus providing a new outlook and perspective of the numerous possibilities for a theme, throughout the year.

“I have always had the flair for designing events; and over a period of time I have witnessed the changes in the industry as well. Just as no two couples are the same, at Golden Aisle, we ensure that no two weddings are the same, as

well. We are very particular that we take up only one wedding at a time; as each concept is tailor-made exclusively around the theme of what the couple is all about,” she adds.

Apart from Goa, destination weddings have been executed in Jaipur, Kerala and even Dubai. With Thailand as its next international destination, Sandra ensures that every meeting with the client is attended by her. Not only does she herself plan every tiny detail, but is also handson at the site, personally supervising the production work and sets. Golden Aisle has offices based in Goa, Delhi, Dubai and London.

“I believe that it is somebody’s special occasion and every special occasion deserves a personal touch. Seeing their ideas come alive, the positive feedback that I receive from my clients is my biggest reward. Today, clients are very particular about their requirements, right from the linen to the cutlery. They even fly down, to personally discuss every minute detail. Sometimes the planning can be as elaborate as two years in advance, as time nears; it undergoes multiple changes in

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terms of requirements. But sometimes, we have to execute a wedding within a month as well! Both the situations demand equal amount of attention,” states Sandra.

Golden Aisle has facilitated destination weddings at a majority of the magnificent five stars, as well as the remote Bat Island where about 120 guests were taken on mini boats to the location.

Solar Dos Colacos in Ribandar has also been one of the venues. Upon asking how the response to the concept of destination weddings has been locally, Sandra states “Back then, Goa was not very well versed with the concept of a planner for a destination wedding. Today, everybody seeks for the best in the industry. The one challenge that the industry however faces is the rules and regulations. The cut-off time for music proves to be a hindrance, as most of the wedding celebrations begin late.”

Being in the business for so long, the one thing that Sandra believes, proves extremely crucial for any entrepreneur, is to have a very good team. One, that over a period of time, gets so used to your way of functioning, that the next time, they can predict what you would be thinking

and efficiently handle a crisis situation on their own.

With a firm belief in staying at par with the industry trends, Sandra ceaselessly travels for various conferences that are hosted for wedding planners across the country. Meeting different people, interacting with them, gauging their viewpoints, exchanging ideas, and the overall execution with finesse; is what keeps her inspired. “Yes it has been a very demanding profession and although I am more of a ‘behind-the-scenes’ person, I have still had multiple late nights at the venues. It has always been my dream to

set up a store where I could display my creations, tell people ‘What I am all about’, and my family has been extremely patient and supportive throughout my journey,” says Sandra.

One lesser known fact about Sandra is that she is also into the field of interiors. The entire Galleria has been conceptualized and designed by her end-to-end from scratch. Living upto expectations, that are on par with the international standards of operations, Golden Aisle Wedding Planners is all set to bring about a drastic change in the way thematic destination weddings are planned and executed

june 2017 | Business Goa industry Dossier | 37

professional dossier As told to ankitha joseph

Pawar & Sons is one of the most trusted tax advocacy consultants in Goa which has a reach of around 4000 clients with their 3 generation long experience in the field of tax awar & Sons celebrates 50 years in the field of tax advocacy and I’m proud to be the third generation lawyer of the firm. My grandfather started Pawar & Sons in the year 1967, which was later continued by my dad; and I took over in 1997. The firm Prasad Pawar deals with providing out-of-the-box tax solutions to various tax laws prevalent in our state/country.

In 1995, I completed B Com and then went ahead to read law at Salgaocar College. Being lawyers who deal with allied tax laws, my father was hugely problem arises and each problem has successful in the field and enjoyed a large to be solved with a different approach. set of clients. When I joined, the firm But above all, what matters the most, is had reached almost 1500 clients; and that the client should benefit from your presently, we have around 4000 clients, efforts. especially in the area of tax consultancy.

We use our expertise to help clients Our main forte is income tax with their tax difficulties. This is one of consultancy and audits. Presently, we have the reasons why I joined this field and a 25 member team; the oldest member is then eventually, I started enjoying it. there with us since the inception of the Quite obviously, there were challenges firm. Each team member is specialised in in the beginning. Being a novice, I had their own job and has individual client to convince clients that they could put service goals. their trust in me. It is much Our scope of work mainly Reading is easier to get someone to includes audits of corporate, one important believe a senior person, but it small scale industries, element of our definitely is not the same with hotels, and more. We also practice. This is a younger person. You have deal with taxes like that of put forward new ideas and one thing that to entertainment and luxury, expertise and for that they service tax. Considering will help you need to start having faith in the immense dearth in gain an edge you. employment, we also do on a continuous Clients are of two kinds; HR recruitments for the basis the older generation and the hospitality sector under the people who’ve just come in. trade name Atria HR & Placement LLP It is easier with the younger people, as and will soon be launching a BPO system they agree with your suggestions and to deal with GST. they’re comfortable with you as well. But With GST, there will be substantial according to many senior most clients, growth in our work. So, the BPO will my father was the “go to person”. The help the public vastly at just a fraction of clients are right in a certain way; my the cost. For instance, if you require an elders have created the trademark that I accountant for a month, it might cost you follow today.

Rs. 20,000; but, for the same work, our In my opinion, every day is a new BPO will charge Rs. 3000. We will start beginning, a new challenge. Law is one operations from July 2017; and there will field where you can interpret the truth be a separate office for it, as well. the way you wish to, but the fact also In the field of law, everyday a new remains that you have to go by the books;

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and that’s where the challenge is. Academic knowledge is indeed important in this field, but that is not enough.

Continuous training is equally crucial to understand the field and come up with effective and efficient solutions for the clients. What I learnt in college is just twenty percent of my knowledge, eighty percent of which, I acquired here at Pawar & Sons. You learn more in the process of meeting people, interacting with them and encountering their problems. And this remains same in almost any profession. It’s also important to have someone from the same field as your mentor or guru. Until you accept someone as your guru, you cannot succeed; as having a mentor will help you learn and understand the work better. In my case, my father has been my guru. Like every parent, he too held my hand, guided me and helped me get hold of the profession.

India being such a diverse country, the laws here are changing rapidly and with every change, there is a new challenge.

The real task is in sharpening your skills.

It is similar to cutting a diamond; you need to sharpen and polish your skills according to the needs of your customers.

Like now, with the GST coming, as part of our job we need to read 300 pages every month to make sure that we are updated.

Reading is one important element of our practice. This is one thing that will help you stay updated and gain an edge on a continuous basis.

When people reach us with their queries, we cannot remain monotonous in repeating our answers – we need to know how to help them with customized and appropriate solutions and for that reading is a must; as only then can you exercise effective command over the subject.

I would want to encourage youngsters to take up B Com/CA as there are a lot of opportunities available in this field and what stands out the most is that there is no dearth of jobs in the field. I would request the commerce colleges to train students in such a way that they can take up jobs the very first day they are out of college. There is great scope in Goa, but it is all going unseen due to lack of efficient workforce

real estate

credai-goa: Professionalising the

By alexia fernandes

Dr. Jagannath (Desh) Prabhudessai, President of CREDAI-GOA, speaks of the organisation that represents the real-estate community of the state at different altitudes of business ost liberation, the state of Goa was on the highway of transformation; both structurally and economically.

These changes of epic proportion spiralled a population growth and thereby carved a vibrant real-estate industry for the economy. “We began to witness the realestate industry slowly take shape; and as developers, we felt the need to come together to ensure that this transition would spell benefits to the Goan economy and that is how the Chamber of Housing Industry was formed,” says Dr. Jagannath (Desh) Prabhudessai, President of CREDAI-GOA. The Goa Chamber of Housing Industry was formed in 2000, to address the interests of housing in the State.

The GCOHI began to channel its vision through various activities, while working alongside Government bodies. Eight years hence, the GCOHI merged with the national body for real-estate developers, forming the Goa chapter of CREDAI. Though the initial years were a struggle for recognition, CREDAIGOA, with its well driven initiatives, soon grew to become synonymous with ‘credibility’ and continues to represent the real-estate community at different levels in the government ministry among bodies such as the Town And Country Planning Board. “By being directly involved with the government, we are able to communicate with each other as vital stakeholders. Our role on the panel is to ensure that the Government takes us into confidence while drafting any policies or regulations that may directly or indirectly affect us as an industry,” says Prabhudessai.

The Confederation of Real Estate Developers’ Associations of India’s core foundation has been to provide a levelled platform for developers and stakeholders in the real estate sector and thereby facilitate growth and create opportunities.

As the apex body for private Real Estate Developers in India, CREDAI represents

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Dr. Desh Prabhudessai

over 11,940 developers through its well networked associations across the country spread over 23 State level Chapters and 171 City Chapters in India. Through its numerous proficient initiatives, CREDAI has been at the forefront of pioneering better practices and improved customer services for a flourishing real-estate industry.

In Goa, about 99% of the market is dominated by private builders, with just one or two bodies as extensions of the government such as the Goa State Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd (GSIDC) and the Goa State Housing Board (GSHB). This puts the private developers at the helm of the real-estate industry operations. “There were two motives that drew us together. Firstly, the need to recognize our own industry requirements and work together to set things in order. And secondly, to ensure that all businesses within the sector conform systematically to the policies drafted by the government institutions,” says Prabhudessai.

Real Estate developers deal with a host of operations which extend from skilled labour to other ancillaries for every project. To keep processes organised at all levels, the members came together, bound by a moral code of conduct, which enumerates certain rules and regulations.

While voicing out the real estate organisation’s interests, CREDAI Goa extends its role to assure that their members coordinate with the Government procedures, as well. “We came across certain hurdles at the Government level which we needed to

work past. This is why we are now a part of their discussions and meetings to ensure that a comprehensive perspective is taken into accord,” says Prabhudessai.

As an individual member Prabhudessai’s company, has been associated with CREDAI-GOA right from its inception. He currently serves his second term as President of CREDAI-GOA and has contributed immensely to what the organisation stands for today.

“One of the things I believe in is that as an association, CREDAI-GOA has to be seen as an outstandingly and exceptionally professional organisation for people to put their trust in its members. This is something I have worked very hard to secure for CREDAIGOA during my tenure as President,” says Prabhudessai. Today, when people buy property across the state and country, they’ve come to recognise the CREDAI mark as a seal for reassurance of credibility among the housing community. The recognition of CREDAI-GOA has picked up just as well among people, banks and other such financial institutions.

The Association does not view its list of ever increasing members or funds as a yardstick for its achievement, but believes that it’s growth lies in the growing cohesiveness among its members. “Before the existence of such an organisation, there existed a sense of insecurity and stiff competition among stakeholders in the real-estate industry. But today, we have managed to come together as like-minded professionals, sit across the table and rationalise out difficulties to help each other as a community,” says Prabhudessai. The body meets weekly to review policies, and examine issues pertinent to production, construction, and sale of property in the markets. To be able to put aside the competitive air and work to help each member, and the community, continues to remain one of this organisation’s greatest achievements.

CREDAI-GOA has 70 illustrious members, all of which are acclaimed brands in Goa’s real estate sector. The organisation has extended efforts to support the younger generation of its members.

The CREDAI Youth Wing, an internal

the real estate business in goa body primarily comprised of young entrepreneurs, is constantly encouraged to take up certain activities, particularly CSR activities, to become more active in the business community. In addition to its numerous initiatives that stem from its steadfast vision, CREDAI-GOA has been channelling efforts to promote green housing in Goa. “Goa has a lot of potential for green housing. Companies like IGBC and TERI have recognised Goa’s construction to be within a bracket of 50%-60% for all the natural materials used like the locally available laterite stones, the ash and mud bricks. We also have well-spread green belts to help balance out environment concerns.

With a little more effort, we can achieve a position in 80%-90% bracket,” says Prabhudessai. CREDAI-GOA has been inspiring its members to incorporate green technology and methods in construction.

With the Goan real estate sector inching its way to the implementation of The Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016 (RERA), much

work awaits before its implementation across the state. Adjusting to RERA won’t be too steep a climb, for this organisation has been working along similar lines as proposed in the RERA. Prabhudessai explains that CREDAI-GOA has been following a stipulated line of action when it comes to business. “The RERA mandates the mention of the carpet area which is something we have been following from long before. We do not promote projects unless all the necessary approvals and documentation is secured and the constructive foundation has been laid.” CREDAI-GOA welcomes the Act as the best thing that the Government could gift the consumers, and subsequently to the industry, as well. The Act is seen as a much required step in the industry to address issues like delays in project completion, irregular price, quality of construction and other such changes.

Prabhudessai says that the Act will steer real estate offerings towards a more systematic and transparent manner and encourage a stronger consumer- builder relation.

At a wider glance, RERA is expected to reap benefits; however, the developer community is still uncertain about the government accountability and responsibility. “We hope that when Goa drafts its own rules and regulation, that this is taken into consideration, so that proper approvals or certifications issued by the Government come on time and thus, facilitate smoother functioning that will keep us motivated, as well,” says Prabhudessai.

Timely adjustments to the Government’s recent introductions such as the demonetization, the GST and the RERA have affected the industry to a certain extent as well. “Pricing in the real-estate sector did slow down for a brief period, but they haven’t increased exorbitantly for the last two to three years.

Once the industry has fully implemented and adjusted to the GST and the RERA, we will see a positive impact on pricing,” says Prabhudessai. In an industry like real estate, challenges are a plenty. But the organization remains committed towards the Indian real estate’s growth story

june 2017 | Business Goa industry Dossier | 41

celebrations

The Dempo Sports Club recently celebrated their golden jubilee by honouring 50 of their all time best players Inacio Fernandes, Dempo player from the first team in 1967, Club President Shrinivas Dempo, Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar and AIFF President Praful Patel release ‘Golden Eagles’, a commemorative book that celebrates Dempo’s rich 50 year history

Dempo honours football greats at golden jubilee celebrations empo Sports Club brought down the curtains on their golden jubilee celebrations by honouring their best 50 players of all time and releasing a commemorative coffee-table book titled Golden Eagles.

Selected by a panel of former players and coaches, the 50-player list had players right from the time the club was established in 1967. Dempo have always had the best players from Goa and rest of India, and this made the job of the selection panel all the more difficult.

However, the panel selected the most deserving players, most of whom gathered at the Taleigao Community Centre to collect their award at the hands of Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, President of the All India Football Federation, Praful Patel, and Dempo Sports Club President Shrinivas Dempo.

To commemorate the 50 glorious years of the Club, a commemorative book

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that documents the Club’s rich history was also released at the hands of the guests, besides Inacio Fernandes, a top50 player who was part of the first Dempo squad in 1967.

The book has player perspectives from five players from five different decades – Socorro Coutinho, Nicholas Pereira, Mauricio Afonso, Clifford Miranda and Samir Naik – besides accounts from five other personalities, which includes the Group Chairman (Shrinivas Dempo), its most successful coach (Armando Colaco), an all-time Indian football great (Shabbir Ali), the current general secretary (Wilfred D’Souza) and football journalist (Marcus Mergulhao).

The 168-page book has an elaborate pictorial section which pays tribute to the patrons, officials, coaches and players who contributed to the success story while also highlighting some of its domestic, national and international triumphs that accrued along the way.

“When I was in Delhi, I learnt that outside Goa, Dempo is only known for football and for no other business. I congratulate Dempo for their phenomenal success during the last 50 years,” said Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, who was the Chief Guest at the function.

AIFF president Praful Patel also paid a rich tribute to Dempo Sports Club.

“The DNA of Goa can be only described in one word: Football. And it is wonderful to be here to celebrate wonderful 50 years journey of one of the most illustrious institutions of Goa – Dempo Sports Club,” said Patel.

Club President and Group Chairman Shrinivas Dempo was pleased with the progress his Club has made since inception in 1967; and is now looking forward to a new project.

“We are starting an academy. We have already chosen 24 boys. We are going to pay fully-funded tuition fee including their school and stay,” said Dempo

Dempo players and some of their representatives are delighted in the company of chief minister Manohar Parrikar, club president Shrinivas Dempo and AIFF president Praful Patel after being felicitated for being among the club’s 50 best players of all time

42 | Business Goa industry Dossier | jUNE 2017

accolades

Power Engineering India Pvt Ltd, a Pai Kane Group company is currently focused on quality driven markets

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Power Engineering India Pvt Ltd

Writing a global success story

LtoR: Sushant Pai Kane, Gaurpriya Pai Kane, Atul Pai Kane, Jose Fernnades and Conrad D’Costa

uem based, Power Engineering India Pvt Ltd, bagged the Engineering Export Promotion Council award for export excellence in western region for the second successive year. The award marked the company’s achieved exports of about Rs. 84 crore in the year 2014-15.

Atul Pai Kane asserted that, “Local markets are price driven where quality is not the important factor; hence we are looking at the foreign markets where quality is the norm.”

The Award was given at the hands of Piyush Goyal, Minister of State with independent charge for Power & Coal at a glittering function held at the ITC Grand Central, Mumbai. Gaurapriya Pai Kane and Atul Pai Kane accepted the award on behalf of the Power Engineering India Pvt Ltd. “The Indian genset market is growing at 7% annually; and the demand is expected to be stable in coming years,” revealed Atul Pai Kane. He said that hopes are “to bag the export excellence award in 2015-16 as well.” In exports, Kane is looking at 20 per cent growth in the current year.

Power Engineering is the flagship company of the Pai Kane Group that manufactures gensets and switchboards with a production capacity of about 15,000 gensets per year, and exports to about 63 countries. Their top exporting countries are UAE, Qatar, Tanzania, Kenya and Myanmar. In the last 12 months, Power Engineering has

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4444| |Business BusinessGoa Goaindustry industry Dossier Dossier| | jUNE jUNE2017 2017

completed prestigious projects for the US Army Qatar, NamPower Namibia, AMAS STP Bahrain, Dangote Fertilisers Nigeria, Formula 1 - Singapore, Myanmar Telecom to name a few.

The company was established in the year 1989 at Mapusa. The Pai Kane Group has a collective turnover of about Rs 350 crore. “Our group is primarily Goa-based but we are setting up representative offices in other cities such as Kolkata, Chennai and Delhi,” said Kane.

In 2008, the company diversified its marketing strategy to get into exports with a plan to appoint 100 dealers across the globe. The Pai Kane Group staff comprises of 390 employees, excluding the contract staff. The group has been consistently investing in technology and has a comprehensive production facility spread over an area of 4 lakh sq ft in Tuem.

The facilities provided includes a panel factory with a total expertise to manufacture any type of control panel; AMF and synchronizing panel for customized requirements, base frame factory, state-of-the-art Amada punching and bending machine, fabrication line, a fully automated powder coating line, genset assembly, single engine loadtesting facility up to 3,000 KVA with provision for radiator-cooled and heat exchanger cooled engine, load bank testing facility up to 2000 amps with an in-built cooling tower.

Tested Generators approved by CPCB from 15KVA to 715 KVA, a large canopy assembly facility and a design cell is

also present. The design cell’s expertise includes acoustic enclosures, control panels, diesel generating sets, genset control electronics etc. The cell is also well equipped with advanced design software.

Generators tested and approved by CPCB from 15KVA to 715 KVA, a large canopy assembly facility and a design cell whose design expertise includes acoustic enclosures, control panels, diesel generating sets, genset control electronics, etc.

The Pai Kane Group has survived the global slowdown and has continued to grow in exports. “Despite the Global meltdown we have won this award two years in succession. We are very confident that we want to win it this year as well.

There are several competitors in this business, but we are providing much better quality which is why our Group stands out,” said Atul Pai Kane. He added, “Our plant in Tuvem has capacity to manufacture 15,000 gensets. We have built up its capacity over the years and kept investing on the plant, in newer technologies and innovations.”

Atul Pai Kane also mentioned that he feels, his perception for the country has changed in the recent past. He says, “India was not considered a quality manufacturer earlier and that mindset is changing quite rapidly. Further, the very fact that we are exporting to several number of countries tells that we are well accepted as a company based in India.

We are also selling in markets such as the Middle East where all the major global players compete”

events

Indian Society of Training and Development organized a three day seminar where PSUs across India participated

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ISTD-Goa organises national seminar on strategic industrial relations in India

ndian Society of Training and Development (ISTD)Goa Chapter organized a three day National Seminar on ‘Strategic Industrial Relations in India’ from 12-14th May 2017 at the International Centre, Goa. Officers from various PSUs spread across India participated in this conference.

The programme was inaugurated by Padma Jaiswal, IAS, Secretary (Labour and Employment), Government of Goa along with Rupak Dayal, Convenor of the conference and former Director (Personnel) Western Coalfield Ltd, Dr Promod Mohan Johri, Dr G. V. Prabhu, conference Co-coordinators and Dileep Parab, Chairman of the Indian Society for Training & Development (ISTD) Goa Chapter.

Secretary (Labour and Employment) spoke about the social security net being provided by the Government through Smart Card and about the workers in organized and unorganized sectors and their social security need. Skill upgradation, Make in India and Digital India were also subject matter of her

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address. She also talked about the workers engaged in construction and their social security in the State of Goa. The second day of the seminar was addressed by Anil Kumar Nayak, Chief Labour Commissioner of India. He said that during last 2-3 years India has witnessed a scenario where there has not been any strike and for the same he congratulated the IR fraternity and enlightened Trade Union leaders. He talked about the Industrial Dispute compliance and at the National level and talked about many cases where non Payment of Wages and Gratuity were seen. He also emphasized the need of fair wages and provisions of safety and health.

He also said that management should try and see that accidents at the work place need to be avoided. “There must be robust grievance handling mechanism and works committee must be strengthened.

The organizations should work for CSR to win the hearts of the people residing in the nearby area. There is a need to have trust with the union to sustain peaceful and harmonious industrial relations,” he added.

The participants were also addressed

by R Adm Shekhar Mital (Retd.), Chairman and Managing Director, Goa Shipyard Ltd who talked about the importance of harmonious and peaceful industrial relations which paved the way for increase in productivity.

The seminar was later addressed by Virjesh Upadhyay, Secretary of BMS Union and Professor P. C. Verma who worked for Industrial Relation of TISCO. The seminars were also addressed by P N Samant, President, AEW a veteran trade union leader from Mumbai, Rajen Mehrotra, V. M. Chamola, Director (HR), HAL, P N Prasad, Ex-Chief HR, Tata Steel, N M Shetty, RLC (Central), Goa, Putu Gaonkar, Trade Union Leader and other speakers from the industry and IR fraternity.

The valedictory function was graced by the presence of Cmde. B. B. Nagpal, NM, IN (Retd) Director (Corporate Planning, P& BD) GSL, The conference was well appreciated and received excellent feedback from the participating officers and guests making the conference a grand success

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biz bytes

ULHAS Jewellers launches ESPER lhas Jewellers launched its latest collection Expressions in Silver – ESPER, at the Grand Finale of the International Fashion Week 2017 held in Goa. The 3-day event which took place on 12, 13, 14 of May closed on a high note as Show Stopper Priyanka Khurana Goyal, Mrs Earth 2016 unveiled the new collection along with Vikram Verlekar, Managing Director of Ulhas Jewellers Pvt. Ltd. The launch took place in the presence of Directors of IFW Goa, William Xavier, Thasveer M Salim and Newton Dias and Fashion Designer Kapil Banthia. Ulhas Jewellers was the official Jewellery Partner for the event and curated a variety of jewellery exclusively for this show.

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Esper is the all new collection of Silver Jewellery by Ulhas Jewellers.

Silver jewellery being the new craze on the fashion scene, Esper is a welcome twist to contemporary jewellery, with designs that appeal to the bold and chic cosmopolitan woman. The collection also includes traditional art in marcasite.

The collection comprised of fine dainty designs as well as heavy ethnic patterns with gold tones to go with the

Priyanka Khurana Goyal and Vikram Verlekar

western, as well as traditional avatar. The designs were showcased during the 3-day event adding glamour to the amazing collections put together by designers from across India

Goa to be promoted as destination for Aquatic Physiotherapy anohar (Babu) Ajgaonkar, Minister for Tourism, Government of Goa along with Vijai Sardessai, Minister for TCP recently inaugurated the first international Aquatic Conference AquaCon 2017 organized by Dr. Ketan Bhatikar’s Sparc Physiotherapy Centre at the Neelam Resorts, Calangute.

The inauguration of the conference was held uniquely with the lighting of the lamp in the swimming pool by Ajgaonkar and Sardessai along with other dignitaries.

Ajgaonkar mentioned that he has stopped taking medicines after starting physiotherapy treatment of Dr. Ketan Bhatikar at Sparc Physiotherapy Centre in Goa. He also said, “The Tourism Department will promote Goa as a destination for Aquatic Physiotherapy and all efforts will be made to promote this special treatment as tourists visit Goa for wellness tourism.”

He also assured that he will get physiotherapists in every single game under Sports Department to keep the players fit.

Manohar Ajgaonkar also emphasized the need to extend the physiotherapy treatment to Special Children who can

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48 | Business Goa industry Dossier | jUNE 2017

be benefitted with the aquatic treatment without taking medicines.

The Town and Country Planning Minister, Vijai Sardessai said that he will get an independent council for physios and take physiotherapists forward.

Vijai Sardessai congratulated Dr. Ketan Bhatikar for organizing the conference and inviting delegates from all across the country and globe to Goa. The conference was attended by Dean of KLE Hospital Dr. Sanjiv Kumar, KIMS Hospital Physiotherapy Dean Dr Varadraju, Board of Studies Chairman Dr Nanamala, ESI Chairaman Dr Suresh Reddy, Dr Einstein Jerome and many other dignitaries.

Dr. Ketan Bhatikar said, “At the twoday conference we had several key resource persons like Dr Sanjay Parmar, Dr Prachi

Arora who enlightened the delegates on the importance of aquatic physiotherapy.

Water has special properties which are key for treating special children and this is the awareness that we are creating and promoting through this conference”

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biz bytes

iSpace, exclusive Apple authorised store in Panaji Lata, Yatin and Karan Parekh (extreme right) with IT Minister Rohan Khaunte and Panaji Mayor Surendra Furtado

he first and only exclusive apple authorized store in Panjim, iSpace, was inaugurated recently at the hands of IT Minister, Rohan Khaunte. iSpace is the fourth unit of the Parekh Telecom Limited Liability Partnership (LLP), the first three being Little Collection, Big Little Collection

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and a Vivo Authorised Store.

The store provides a complete range of apple products including iPhone, MacBooks, iMac, iPads, Apple Watches and all other accessories from Apple. iSpace hopes to be the highest selling apple outlet in Goa soon. Karan Parekh, Head of Parekh Telecom LLP mentioned that “there is great demand for Apple

products in Goa but not enough suppliers.

With iSpace we also want to give the residents of Panjim a better opportunity to have access to apple products.”

He further added, “People do not have to run to Mumbai or Bangalore hence forth for their desired apple gadget. We’re making it all available in Goa itself and it’s indeed a proud moment for us”

Desserts N More turns its Mapusa outlet into a café nown for their top class quality of desserts, pastries, savouries and cookies, Desserts N More takes a step forward and reinvents itself into a café format. The new Desserts N More café is situated in Mapusa at Elite Towers.

Having created a benchmark for their high quality deliverance, Desserts N More led by Pallavi Salgaocar will be offering fresh and healthy snacks along with the already available savouries. The menu of the café which is expected to grow in the near future, presently includes snacks such as Chicken Salad Sandwiches, Veg Cheese Sandwich, Chicken Tikka Roll, Gobi Manchurian Roll, Chicken Burger, Omelette Pav and many more, besides the regular fare of pastries like Dutch Truffle, Eclairs, Butterscotch Rolls, Donuts, Brownies, Serradura, Mousses etc. Apart from the food, also available are a variety of beverages like shakes, mocktails like Green Apple Soda, Virgin Mojito and Icy Blue Slush and, hot teas and coffees.

The interior of the café is another interesting element with its most relaxed environment where customers can enjoy the tasty savories in comfortable settings.

Apart from these, there will also be free Wi-Fi made available for the customers.

Desserts N More has expanded its

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50 | Business Goa industry Dossier | jUNE 2017

presence across four outlets. Besides the café in Mapusa, present are the factory unit in Karaswada, an outlet at the ground floor of the Caculo Mall in Panjim and at the Mall de Goa food court in Porvorim.

They are mainly known

for their customized designer made cakes. The bakery chain is divided into three segments: Desserts N More, Desserts N More Premia and Wedding Bells. These ventures retail as a part of the bakery division of Geno Pharmaceuticals

named ‘Dainty Delights’. “We are a premium bakery chain and yet our prices are reasonable.

We were among the first ones in Goa to do designer ‘Made to Order’ customized cakes: which is still our mainstay,” says Pallavi Salgaocar, Founder-CEO, Desserts N More.

Pallavi further adds that the decision to start on the cafe model for the Mapusa store is a brand extension that is expected of a inspired-by-youth brand. Research revealed that younger customers not only like to consume the goodies, but also experience the ambience offered by the brand. The choice of products reflect the consumer taste and preferences

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Jamcom Franchise and Allied Services inaugurate Goa Office of ‘Franchise India’ hrivallabh Sardessai and Muzaffar Kadri of Jamcom Franchise and Allied Services brought the ‘Franchise India Show’ to Goa. Jamcom Franchise and Allied Services office at Edcon Incrocio, Opp Don Bosco, Panaji was inaugurated by Sidharth Kunkolienkar on the 4th of June 2017. Tushar Jolly and V. Georgie Philip were also present on behalf of Franchise India.

Goa Franchise India Show was held at the Country Inn & Suites, Patto on the 3rd of June 2017. Shrivallabh Sardessai said “this gives an opportunity to Goa based business people, investors, entrepreneurs, start-ups, to invest in different franchise in food, retail, etc with the confidence that Goan entrepreneurs will do the hand holding at all times”. Kadri mentioned that “Franchise India is a 20 years old company and we feel that Goa has immense potential

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Branch Office of Franchise India Inaugurated by Siddharth Kunkolienkar along with Shrivallabh Sardessai and Muzaffar Kadri (Right)

for brands right from retail, fast food, pharmacy and garments, Goa has many areas apart from the cities where ordinary people can invest in known brands and be owners of their business”.

Franchising, one of the popular business expansion systems in the world today, is the practice of using another person’s business model where the Franchisor grants an independent operator the right to distribute their products, techniques and

trademarks for a percentage of gross monthly sales and a royalty fee.

Shrivallabh Sardessai is currently Proprietor of Comtech Systems, Goa, established in the year 1994.

The company is instrumental in managing an installed base of 25K machines including servers, laptops and desktops.

The company seeks to be an effective catalyst in building, motivating and retaining manpower by utilizing business strategy integration

and positively contributing to enhancing the organizational objectives.

Muzaffar Kadri, CEO and Managing Director, Jamsons Computers Private Limited is known for innovation, work excellence, teamwork and commitment as well as quality products and efficient services. Clients have named Jamsons as the market leader offering cost effective solutions, popular one stop shop for all IT solutions.

Offering software and hardware solutions of top brands in IT and telecom sector, Jamsons Enterprises has spread been in Goa since 2002 and is also catering to neighbouring states. Jamsons is an established partner of companies like Dell, Lenovo, Tally, Oppo, Apple, Lava.

Jamsons Technologies deal with software development, application development, website design, cloud computing and software installations as well as digital marketing, too

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beyond classroom

Knowing how to handle angry customers, one of the most challenging parts of any business

Angry Customers: Handle With Care n my last column, I wrote about different types of customers and that one formula does not work with all types of customers, so as to ensure that these customers are happy and satisfied. If one recollects the example from last article of ‘Ashutosh – the angry customer’ who comes to the hypermarket with a hot plate in hand, many questions come to mind – the major one being how to handle these angry customers so that the store does not lose business. Every business, small or big, dealing with any product or service, witnesses angry customers, and they need to be handled in an appropriate manner. This, in-fact, is the most challenging part for any executive, manager or entrepreneur.

Angry customers raise their voice, are irate, at times abusive and may become violent, as well. They want to vent their anger and give way to their frustration, and employees become target for that. It’s nothing personal against employees, but with the product or service or the organization in question. These customers feel they are at risk for not getting value for their money, they get offended and their ego gets hurt. The outcome is an emotional outburst on a bystanding employee.

“Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning,” says Bill Gates, Founder of Microsoft Corporation. Yes, they are. They provide an opportunity to the organization to prove that they really care for the customers. One needs to take responsibility for the situation and frustration of a customer, without giving excuses, and resolve it to ensure that the customer leaves happily and smiling. There is no magic wand to do this; however, there surely is a magic formula, which, if implemented properly, can create the required magic. This formula is termed by me as CALMER approach.

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dr Pradeep salgaonkar

The CALMER* approach The abbreviation CALMER stands for; C – Calm down A – Apologize L – Listen patiently M – Move customer E – Empathize R – Resolve, Refer and/or Reward There are two major challenges which employees will have to handle (a) The emotional distress i.e. to make the angry customer calm down. And according to me, this is the biggest challenge faced by most businesses, which if handled carefully, can convert an angry customer to be the most loyal customer for life; and (b) The technical problem i.e. to resolve the actual problem or issue that has caused frustration.

Let’s see how to handle these two aspects step by step.

The writer is Professor of Marketing, Corporate Trainer and Founder, SALDOTS Academy.

He is Chairman of Goa Management Association. Email: pradeepsalgaonkar@ gmail.com

Step 1: Calm Down It is most important that the employee keeps calm all the time while dealing with an angry customer, irrespective of the intensity of anger and shouting by customer. There will be natural tendency to get angry and react seeing the customer using abusive words but that’s going to only worsen the situation. The employees, in such situations, should continuously re-affirm themselves that they should not lose their temper and that they should help the customer who is right in getting angry, is hurt and frustrated and needs a solution to his problem. Allow the customer to vent his anger and frustration. Try and understand his concern. One can use the technique of deep breathing and positive self-talk to keep calm or one can simply get into a robotic mode separating personal feelings from the situation, trying to understand the customer’s concern. Focus on the issue and not the person shouting at you; be emotionally intelligent to separate the two.

Step 2: Apologise

52 | Business Goa industry Dossier | jUNE 2017

Apology causes anger to subside. By apologizing, an employee gives the feeling to a customer that he is being heard and is being cared for. Hence, irrespective of whose mistake it is, the employee must apologize to the customer. Never ever accuse the customer, even if he is over reacting or just creating a scene or is at fault. Remember, the customer pays the salary of everybody in the organization, and the apologies are not personal, but on behalf of the organization. The apology will act as a soothing agent and try to pamper the customer’s ego and ease frustration. Further, providing information and proper explanation about the issue at hand also helps angry customers calm down.

Step 3: Listen Patiently Listen carefully to the angry customer and understand exactly what he wants. It is always better to listen to the customer till the end and then repeat what exactly the customer’s concerns are. This will reassure to customer that he is being heard and his concerns are being understood. Customers want to be heard and given respect and importance. They want their time, dignity and intelligence to be respected. The slightest feeling that they are being disrespected, by not being attended to or being accused or not being heard, the angry customer instead of calming down, becomes all the more hyper and agitated; and at times even violent. Employees should be patient listeners, use right and positive phrases while talking and try to be on the side of the customer, reaffirming that they are right and the issue will be solved.

Do not interrupt them or cite terms and conditions or policies of the organization, this will further anger and irate the customer.

Step 4: Move the Customer In spite of the initial apologies and calming down techniques, if customer starts creating a scene, and if this is attracting attention of other customers within the business premises, then it is better to move the customer to a closed office room, or a sitting area or some other comfortable place where other customers cannot see what is happening.

This is of utmost importance because this will create unnecessary bad impressions on other customers.

In a starred hotel, I witnessed such a scenario. There was a young couple in the

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hotel lobby arguing with hotel employee over some issue. And the employee instead of trying to calm them down or apologize was in an argumentative tone trying to convince the couple that it was their mistake. As minutes passed by, the shouting increased and the scene turned out to be very ugly. Everybody around was a spectator. The General Manager was called, who tried to settle the matter, but had no success. After sometime the couple left the place most disgruntled and frustrated, threatening never to return.

This made me believe as well, (and like me many others may be), that this hotel has no respect for customers. Hence it is always best to move angry customers to a comfortable and isolated place.

Step 5: Empathize Treat the customer in the same manner in which you would like to be treated by others.

Every employee handling angry customers should try and be one with their concerns, understand their feelings and emotional distress. First tackle emotional distress rather than the technical problem or actual issue. Own the problem, no matter who

created it, and show willingness to help the customer. Use right phrases that will console such as ‘I understand how difficult it must have been’ ‘I can feel the pain’ ‘I know how you must have been feeling’.

Also assure that the problem will be solved by informing the customer what action will be taken by saying ‘here’s what I am going to do’ or better still ask the customer ‘how can we solve this problem’. Offer all possible solutions to the customer. If the customer demands to see superiors, better call them immediately. Never use negative statements. Never say ‘No’, ‘don’t know’, ‘can’t do’, ‘policy does not support it’, ‘listen to me’, ‘calm down,’ etc. Such statements will only worsen the situation. Understand that the customer is unhappy because of some product of the organization and that the employee’s responsibility is to restore happiness back. So be as empathetic and helpful as possible.

Step 6: Resolve, Refer, Reward Once the customer has calmed down and normalized, the next big challenge is to resolve the issue. Employees must inform the customer what they are going to do

and act fast in this direction. All possible solutions should be suggested. As far as possible, the problem should be solved at this level itself.

However, if the problem still persists and the employee feels that it cannot be handled anymore, then the next logical move is to refer the customer to a superior.

Time and again, ask the customer for acceptance of the action proposed so that the customer feels important. Once the problem is fixed to satisfaction, think of rewarding the customer in lieu of the trouble that s/he has gone through. Giving complementary items or discount coupons etc., will help. Also thank the customer for bringing this problem to the notice of the organization and for cooperating in fixing it to satisfaction.

Angry customers are not an exception to any business. They will appear in every business and there is lot to be learned from them. Being patient, respectful and polite, and following the ‘CALMER’ approach would ensure that most angry customers are converted into satisfied customers for life. Remember, angry customers are fragile like glass – handle with care

june 2017 | Business Goa industry Dossier | 53

guestspeak

Training and development of human resources is part of the corporate world and stands as one of the biggest challenges

Paradigm shift in training needed dr hiru bijlani

s the world shrinks to a global village, the value of traditional competitive advantages such as capital, technology or protected markets is relatively insignificant, and the key competitive advantage of most organizations around the world in the future will be its people. Thus one of the greatest challenges facing the corporate world is that of training and development of human resources.

According to Arie de Geus the author of The Living Company, “The ability to learn faster than competitors may be the only sustainable competitive advantage in a rapidly changing world.” Hence, training as a management function will surely be one of the corporate world’s top priorities in the coming decades.

A basic learning instinct is inherent in all forms of living organism including human beings, as a survival mechanism. Training is basically to condense learning through experiences for maximum efficiency.

Nancy Dixon in her book, The Organizational Learning Cycle postulates: “L > C” and Ecology formula meaning in order for an organization to survive its rate of learning ‘L’ must be equal to or greater than the rate of change ‘C’ in its environment.”

In his seminal work The Condition for Learning, first published in 1965 Robert Meckanize delved deep into the process of human learning. From his research and experience on the field, he concluded that the most effective training takes place when the final task or objective is broken up into its set of component parts. The idea is that the mastery of job proceeds from a mastery of simple tasks. Thus a step by step approach to the mastery of complex missions is the best approach.

Research carried out by the American Society of Training and Development show that real training cannot be transactional in nature such as a seminar speaker talking and giving good ideas that are appreciated and bring about great initial enthusiasm, but are seldom absorbed and implemented.

To quote Fred Kofman & Peter Senge ‘the Learning required in becoming a learning organization is “Transformational Learning” According to John L. Marotti, President, The Enterprise Group, people working together in interdependent relationships – partnerships – creating value with knowledge and passion, will succeed in the turbulent world that we will face in the future.

Hence real training must be transformational in nature that brings about enhancement of skills or changes of behaviour. Thus irrespective of whether the training is aimed at improving performances, involving

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The writer holds a Doctorate in Business Policy and Administration, besides an Honours Bachelors’ Degree in Science and a Masters’ Diploma in Advanced Business.

He has over 30 years management and consulting experience in diverse organizations in India, USA, Europe, Africa the Gulf and South East Asian countries

54 | Business Goa industry Dossier | jUNE 2017

the use of physical capabilities, verbal skills, intellectuals skills, or attitudinal changes, the old maxim ‘knowing is doing’ holds very true. The only true evidence of effective training comes in the form of changes in the trainees performance (output) and b e h av i ou r (attitude), the key principle remains the same, that skills or behaviour changes, has to be absorbed in small doses. Practiced repeated, shared with others, thus internalised and finally forms a part of a person’s self transformation.

According to Fred Kofman and Peter Senge “In our organizations today, learning is too important to leave to chance. I will not be adequate to offer training and hope that people will be able to apply new insights and methods.”

In the Indian business environment, until recently, only lip service had been paid to training. Due to a protected business environment, a need for real training was not felt. The ‘personnel administration’ and ‘training functions’ in most organizations were indistinguishable from each other since the only role of the concerned professional was to have a training ‘calendar’ to send people for certain ‘training days,’ and use up the allotted ‘training budget’.

This attitude needs a paradigm shift for the Indian corporate world to keep pace with the dynamic global scenario to meet the new issues and challenges and hence fulfils the need to impart meaningful training.

In order to achieve this objective, Leadership Management InternationalIndia (LMI-India) is conducting Total Leadership development programs for organizations and their people across India (including Goa) to improve their productivity by giving measurable results and help them in achieving their full potential Read Digital on

freewheeling

The writer feels that oftentimes we give a miss to communication basics

Illustrator: Karin Hoffman

Understanding what communication isn’t to become HOT at it Hester Bergh-Appoyer

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The writer is an accomplished corporate professional with over 30 years international business experience primarily in the pharmaceutical, financial and tertiary education sectors.

She is currently in the process of publishing her book on the impact of culture on business, being a product of multicultural influences herself – a South African, married to an Austrian, and having worked in Europe, South East Asia and now in India

n lieu of last month’s laying down of the German “muß” (must and must not) law as far as intercultural communication is concerned and, a lot of things carelessly being said amongst world leaders I thought a stroll down ‘Communication Basics’ lane for clearer intercultural connectivity would be of interest, value and service to you.

Seriously? You ask.

Yes! I’m being serious.

Why? You ask. I can see you rolling your eyes...thinking you should skip this article... turn the page...

Well don’t. I make a good living out of people just like you. Business women and men who think they’ve got the hang of it. But don’t. People who think they deliver clarity in conversation. But don’t. It’s a process of ongoing learning! #practicemakesperfect OK, OK...You do have the hang of it. Sort of. You can tell others what you want, give them your opinion, get your kids or partner (if you have) to make you some chai, ask for a salary increase and tell your partner you think he or she is HOT. I get you. So yes, you are experiencing a measure of success – you are (mostly) enjoying meaningful interactions and (mostly) being understood, but, at the same time, experiencing (almost) the same amount of failed discussions, meetings, negotiations as well as arguments and fights, especially with those closest to you. So now, be honest. How many times has your mind boggled or have you been left speechless and frustrated by answers and reactions you got after having said something? Huh? I guess you’ve invested in communication training at some stage of your life (or maybe not), you’ve, at least, read up on it (perhaps) and since early days you’ve been told what and what not to say. You’ve been inundated with how to’s on how to better achieve results by communicating more generically, I mean, more effectively by being honest and transparent (honestly?), more empathetic, more positive, to listen actively, and have a smile on your dial...blah...blah!

But are you doing it? As they say? Every day?

And. What are they not telling you and why is there (still) so much global, local and domestic conflict, strife, deals gone wrong and misunderstanding?

If you are not experiencing any of the challenges in the above sentence feel free to turn the page. If you are, I am going to • share 8 of wily old Wiio’s (academic, journalist and author) lesser known laws (and disillusionments) on why communication will always go awry. No matter what.

• let you in on some HOT communication hacks which, if you commit to, every day, will bring you huge *ROI in every aspect of your interpersonal activities. Money back guaranteed!

Get this: knowing, understanding and accepting that

56 | Business Goa industry Dossier | jUNE 2017

communication will fail will make you stress a whole lot less about it – but that doesn’t mean you should stop perfecting the art. #the art of communication is the language of leadership @ John Humes First, the dis-illusion-ment: - “dis” – prefix (L) indicating reversal, negation, lack, removal or release - “illusion” – hocus pocus, make believe, fantasy, false – appearance, impression or belief.

- “–ment” – suffix (Fr. & L) indicating state, condition, noun, process or action.

So, this is a release from the any false beliefs about communication. #the single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place @ George Bernard Shaw.

Here goes: #1. You may feel good about your communication because your dialogue partner(s) are either doing a lot of agreeing and head nodding (beware the Indian headshake https://www. youtube.com/watch?v=Uj56IPJOqWE – best video on you tube made by meanfriedchickencurry) or they want to appease themselves – not you. #2. No matter how prepared or how much attention you pay to communicating effectively, there will always be elements you haven’t taken into consideration. #3. The more important your message is, the more likely you’ll forget some essential points. #4. If you are happy with the way your message has “landed” be sure there will be misunderstandings because you have formulated it perfectly for yourself – in other words – how you best assimilate information. #5. Your dialogue partner will understand your message according to how she/he best assimilates information and therefore different to what you said or intended. #6. The more you repeat yourself, or the more you say, the greater the chance of being misunderstood or the message being distorted. #7. There will always be someone who knows more than you do about what you’re saying, intend or mean. #8. If your message can be interpreted in several ways, it can be interpreted in a

h r mantra

Every company’s performance depends on its employees and retaining them should be the superior aim

www.businessgoa.in

Exit Interview: Leveraging talent management r n misra

The writer is a visiting faculty to many B-Schools.

He is a professional trainer in many PSUs and private sector industries.

Email: rnmisra@ tatasteel.com

n today’s knowledge economy, skilled employees are the company’s most valuable asset. It is, therefore, imperative to understand as to why they stay, why they leave and how the organisation may need to change to retain the talent. Exit interviews, when conducted with utmost care, can provide a flow of thoughtful feedback and insight on all these three aspects. They can increase employee engagement and retention by revelling what works or does not work inside the organisation. Too often, exit interview programmes fail to achieve their potential for two reasons: First, the data they produce can be spotty and untrustworthy. And second, little consensus on the best practices that exists.

High turnover predicts low performance and that an organisation with turnover lower than its competitors can be at a considerable advantage – particularly if it is a top performer. If people are leaving an organisation in ever-increasing numbers, figuring out “why” is crucial. The most useful tool for this is one that too few leaders pay attention to exit interviews. Many companies do not even conduct exit interviews. Some collect exit interviews data, but do not analyse it. Some analyse it, but do not share it with the senior line leaders who can act on it. Only a few collect, analyse and share the data and follow up action. The third category is undoubtedly better than others.

Exit Interviews (EI) reduce turnover. Engaged employees and appreciated employees are most likely to contribute and less likely to leave the organisation. If done well, an EI – whether face to face conversation, a questionnaire method, a survey or some combination of those methods – can catalyse leader’s listening skills, reveal what does or does not work inside the organisation, highlight hidden challenges and opportunities, and generate essential competitive intelligence. It can promote engagement and enhance retention by signalling to employees that their views matter. And it can turn departing employees into corporate ambassadors for years to come.

Indeed, of all talent – management processes, a strategic EI programme – one that is designed to yield ongoing, long-term benefits – may be one of the most powerful yet least understood tools in HR. Too often EI programme fail to either retention or produce useful information. The first is the data quality. The usefulness of an EI depends utterly on the honesty and forthrightness of the departing employees. People may be less than candid on their way out the door for many reasons. Some feel pressed for time or unmotivated to explore their feelings. They may not want to say anything negative about a supervisor they like or anything at all about a supervisor they do not like. As one HR Leader puts it, “Are they really going to tell you they are leaving because they do not like their boss? Probably not,

I

way you could not possibly have imagined when you were busy formulating it.

At times, communication, even in its most basic form, might feel like you are navigating your way through a minefield of language “landmines”. In most cases, the things that murk-ify and mess up your communication are the things you take most for granted like the words you choose to use, how you listen and ask

questions mixed up with a bunch of other (unconscious) factors like perception, interpretation, attitude and values. The following quote states it clearly: Between what I think What I want to say What I think I am saying What I say What you want to hear What you hear

because they want references.”

The second reason is a lack of consensus on best practices. The goal, strategies, and execution of EI programme vary widely, and the findings and recommendations from empirical studies are often vague or conflicting. The deepest problem is that many organisations use EI programmes as an excuse to not have a meaningful retention conversations with the current employees.

A strategic EI programme provides insights into what employees’ are thinking, reveals problems in the organisation, and sheds light on the competitive landscape. In shaping their programme, the companies should focus on six goals. They are namely; Uncover issues relating to HR, Understand employee’s perceptions of the work itself, Gain insight into manager’s leadership styles and effectiveness, Learn about HR benchmarks at competing organisations, Foster innovation by soliciting ideas for improving the organisations and Create lifelong advocates for the organisation.

EIs are wholly an HR function and HR often conducts EIs, consolidate the data, share it with the management when asked.

These approaches marginalise the process and suggest that it is an operational duty rather than an opportunity. HR may administer the programme day to day, but it is imperative that the right line leaders participate in the interviews and the executive committee oversees the programme design, execution and results.

The EI should be the combination of series of regular retention conversations with employees focused on organisational learning and relationship building. It should not be the first conversation that the company has with an employee about his or her feeling or ideas. An effective EI process creates a needed mechanism for companies to systemically learn about and from what is their most important resource – their human capital

What you think you understand What you want to understand And what you understand There are at least 9 chances that we will not understand each other!

Bernard Weber

Read Digital on june 2017 | Business Goa industry Dossier | 57

green goa

Crocodiles form an important part of an aquatic system and are an apex predator in that system

The Muggar crocodile of Goa nirmal kulkarni

he marsh crocodile (Crocodylus palastris) is better malpractices. The Muggar is a Schedule known as the Mange or Muggar in Goa and inspires a I animal and is protected under the mixed reaction of awe; fear and respect amongst Goans Wildlife Protection Act, with punishment in the state. It is the only species of crocodile we have in ranging from 1 year to 7 years! the state.

The Muggar is listed as vulnerable on There are records that indicate that crocodiles were introduced the IUCN Red List of endangered species. by the Adil Shah of Bijapur in the backwaters of the Kumabarjua and The species was threatened in the past by Banastari estuaries as biological deterrents against enemy soldiers. unregulated hunting for skins, but now This population is now stable and is connected to the populations that the threats come from habitat destruction inhabit the mangroves at Dr Salim Ali Bird sanctuary at Chorao island. (considerable agricultural and industrial Growing up to a whopping 3 meters in length the Marsh crocodile development), mortality in fishing nets olive brownish in colour with a yellowish white underbelly. They (as they attempt to capture ensnared fish) usually spend the day basking on the banks or rocks, ready to slip into and illegal hunting. the waters on slight disturbance, and are a sight to watch with their Crocodiles form an important part open mouths and listless bodies simmering in the afternoon Sun. of an aquatic system and are an apex The populations of the Kumabrjua-Banastari-Chorao and Mapusa predator in that system. Threats to the rivers have adapted to a high level of salinity and are hence special! species can cause an upheaval in the This has happened in very few locations in the country. system itself and effects can spread out far There are a few other crocodile habitats across the state too, beyond just the place they live in. including dams, small ponds and rivulets and streams but these are World Croc Day is a global awareness smaller populations. campaign to highlight the plight of A small crocodile watching tourism sector too, is developing in the endangered crocodiles and alligators estuaries of the Mandovi and the Zuari. This needs to be around the world and get regulated through training and best practices lessons to I have heard people involved. It is being the operators. celebrated on June 17th across of accounts I have heard of accounts that individuals and tourists that individuals the world. on many a occasion tease basking crocodiles with In Goa, an awareness and tourists on bamboo poles for reactions and throw bottles at them programs will be held in for a reaction. This is not only illegal but dangerous too! many a occasion schools and institutions besides Crocodiles are fast to react and if accidents happen, tease basking the release of a special poster on it will most certainly be the poor reptile that will be crocodiles with the Muggar crocodile of Goa. blamed. There are reports of tourist places where sub bamboo poles For details how you can adult crocodiles are held in captivity to pull the foreign support this initiative email us crowds during the tourist season. Such instances need to for reactions and at ophidian_nirmal@yahoo. be reported to the Goa Forest Department for necessary throw bottles at co.in or gowri.mallapur@gmail. action. Only vigilant tourists can help stop such them com

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The writer is a herpetologist, field ecologist, conservationist, and wildlife photographer.

Chairman of the Mhadei Research Centre, Team Lead of Hypnale Research Station and promoter of HERPACTIVE, a study initiative on Herpetofauna 58 | Business Goa industry Dossier | jUNE 2017

letter from america

Understanding differences in culture and the business ethics of countries is vital

It is the Culture…

JAY DEHEJIA

senior executive from the United States had moved to take over as the new CEO of the Indian subsidiary. One afternoon on a rainy day, the roof over his desk started leaking. He was furious, and as he was leaving the office he asked his manager to make sure that no water is leaking on his desk when he came in the following morning. The scene next morning was hilarious. The office manager had moved the CEO’s desk by two feet and put a water bucket to catch the leak. The Indian manager had specifically done what the CEO had asked, but not what the CEO expected him to do! The American expected the leak to be fixed.

There have been times when I have asked to speak on the phone with an executive. The answer in one case from the secretary was ‘no’!

I then had to ask three more questions before I realized that the person in question was out of town and returning after three weeks. In the United States, the response to the same question would be: ‘I am sorry the person is out of town for 3 weeks. May I help you, or may I direct your call to the person who may be able to assist you.’

I am sure you remember the famous, or should I say infamous, photograph of President George W. Bush patting Chancellor Angela Merkel on the back. Europeans were upset and livid that the American President did not have manners!

These instances make us realize that we could be speaking the same language, but our individual responses are dictated by our culture.

Many of us have travelled abroad for business or pleasure. It is exciting to see new places, and meet different people, understand the way they think, do business, and possibly to spend time with family and friends. Often we are taken aback at the way people behave overseas, or the way they talk. In some countries individuals are very formal even though we think we know them well, while in other countries people start calling us by our first name as soon as we are introduced.

Doing business abroad can be exciting, but sometimes it can be quite a challenge. In some cases we find that we have not secured the business or that a potential venture has stalled for no apparent reason that we can fathom.

The trouble is that we often believe that doing business overseas is very similar to doing business at home. What we often forget is that even minor cultural differences can make all the difference between success and failure. Let me review some real-life situations that I have encountered in my many years of doing business in over thirty-five countries on four continents.

Several years ago a person from Orissa had gone to meet senior executives at a government agency in Copenhagen, Denmark. The gentleman was hoping to sign an agreement with a Danish company for the supply of feed for his prawn-farming project. The project was

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The writer used to be a senior corporate executive, now a social entrepreneur.

He spends most of his time between Goa and New York.

He can be reached at jay@dehejia.net

60 | Business Goa industry Dossier | jUNE 2017

about to fail because neither party took account of the differences in culture.

The individual from Orissa had come directly from the airport in a crumpled and mismatched jacket and trousers. He spoke without making eye contact, and spoke in a way that was deferential and without confidence. The executives from Copenhagen, used to their own way of approaching a new client, concluded that the Indian was not the right person to handle such a large project. It was a question of perception.

On another occasion, an American business magnate travelled to Seoul, South Korea for an important business meeting.

The Korean executives had planned a formal dinner for the visiting dignitary at an exclusive Korean restaurant, to precede the business meeting that would start the following morning. As is the culture in East Asia, the Korean hosts made ‘small talk, and then sat down to concentrate on a delightful dinner. The American executive was more than a little upset when several times he started an important topic as part of the final negotiation, and the hosts did not give him any answers. A potential disaster was averted when the American was advised, in undertones, that business in Korea is never to be discussed at a formal dinner table.

In a similar vein, an Indian business person was totally baffled that she was not getting adequate time with her American counterpart, as she thought that she was doing everything according to her rule-book. It was only after it was explained to her that American business people get down to the work on hand immediately after they are introduced that things began to move smoothly. Like other Indians, she believed she needed to make ‘small-talk’ for the first few minutes of every conversation. Americans are generally put off by this and will close the meeting as soon as possible.

Companies around the world have their own organization structure, and the chart provides the normal hierarchy.

In the American system, there is a clear indication as to the person responsible for making the final decision. Many companies in Asia have a different structure that I will term the ‘power’ structure. Regardless of the title on a business card, an influential person in the ‘back room,’ who does not appear at meetings, often turns out to be more powerful than the CEO or President. It is imperative for businessmen from Europe and America to understand this (ill-

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defined) power structure in Asia.

Indians travelling to the United States on business need to critically review and fully understand both the major and minor cultural differences that can turn a potential successful venture into a possible failure. Mr. Jude Lobo, a friend and colleague, identified the differences as the ‘3 Cs of Business’. They are ‘Competence’, ‘Confidence’ and ‘Credibility’. He advises Indian and American executives, and has summarized the 3 Cs as follows: Competence Americans value your experience, your capability, and accreditations. They prefer to see evidence of it. Telling them about it is seen as pride in your background and ability. In India, we would think it wrong to blow your own trumpet!

Confidence Americans like you to be concise, look them in the eye, and for your body language to be erect and alert. They rate any attempt at slouching, fidgeting, distraction and vagueness as shifty and unreliable, and it leads to dilution of trust. Think of your

One may adapt and apply to other countries Winston Churchill’s perceptive and witty comment: “America and Britain are two nations divided by the same language” first meeting with an American as if it was an elevator pitch. If you have not grabbed his attention in the time it takes to ride up in an elevator, it is unlikely that you will achieve your goal.

Credibility Americans judge you on your past references, successes, and achievements.

They critically evaluate you on how you share this information, and whether you give them evidence in concrete form.”

In the first meeting with the US executive, it is important to clearly and concisely list your objectives for the meeting, and to give specific examples of why and how you or your company has the necessary qualifications to conclude the transaction. We have often seen that Indians tend to be fixated on the important

people they know, and they believe that their American counterpart should be impressed by these connections. It usually has the opposite effect!

Indians travelling abroad on business should spend some time pondering over the differences in culture and the business ethics of the country. It is quite possible that their counterpart from the US has never left the country. Their view of India may be skewed, and possibly incorrect. In such situations, it is best to remain calm and leave the discussion about India to a later time after the meeting is complete, when everyone may be more relaxed.

One may adapt and apply to other countries Winston Churchill’s perceptive and witty comment: “America and Britain are two nations divided by the same language”

june 2017 | Business Goa industry Dossier | 61

Thinking Tortoise’ aims at communicating business ideas through interactive videos, by engaging desired target audiences

marketing

Exploring new and efficient ways of making brands more engaging and effective Thinking Tortoise n Idea can change your life.” This is exactly what happened while writing content for a company profile for Devaki Nayak – a question arose: Who actually reads lengthy company profiles? Especially where our concentration spans are largely reduced and patience even more?

Gone are the days those four and five minutes meant hardly any time. In the era of instant communications of WhatsApp and video chats, people’s minds have been conditioned to seek information in the simplest possible ways. Thus began the quest for the most effective mode of communicating your business message effortlessly and in the shortest possible time being as less as 90 seconds!

Brainstorming on and finding a means to their concern, led to the birth of ‘Thinking Tortoise’. Founded by Balkrishna Kamat and Devaki Nayak, ‘Thinking Tortoise’ aims at creating visual content using storytelling to not just communicate business ideas, but for engaging respective target audiences with their brands. With a proven track-record in marketing and brand building; and mastery in visual content creation, the strategic alliance between the founding partners of Thinking Tortoise brought to the table, clarity of thought in marketing and expertise in fine visual detailing that could effectively create visual ads.

When asked about “Why Visual Storytelling?” Balkrishna says, “A story helps to engage, appeals to emotions and persuades if you want to convert viewers into customers.” He further elaborates, “We did our research and found that the average adult attention span is eight seconds. The first eight seconds of your story has to be exciting and engaging enough to get them hooked into watching till the end. A video is great for today’s attention spans. It helps the viewer understand the essence of an idea faster than with words alone.”

“Visual storytelling is a way by which a brand can create a ‘feeling’ about itself.” Devaki explains, “Upon research on Behavioural Economics, we

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62 | Business Goa industry Dossier | jUNE 2017

for business “Our aim is to create brands out of local businesses” Balkrishna Kamat “Visual Storytelling is the future of marketing” Devaki Nayak

found that consumers are moving away from purchases based on functional and technical characteristics alone. Moreover, people are making buying decisions based on how they ‘feel’ about a brand and its offers. Consumers today, research for purchases online. They respond to online content based on the emotions that it evokes. Video marketing is one of the most effective ways to make an emotional connection with them” Devaki further elaborates, “Research and studies have pointed out that the way a listener or reader experiences a story mimics the creation of their own most important and influential memories. And this is where storytelling’s unique power comes from. We don’t remember the story as something that happened to somebody else; we recall, imagine and relive it as if it happened to us. We apply it to our own lives. So the idea is to emotionally create a brand recall for businesses using storytelling.”

Their services include creation of videos for products and brands, content creation for websites, social media management and creation of collaterals for an entire gamut of marketing activities. Their prestigious list of clients includes Business Goa Real-Estate Brand of the Year awardee, Risara Properties, and other real estate stalwarts in Goa.

Among others is an international coffee brand, an upcoming sporting brand, resorts and restaurants. Thinking Tortoise believes that everyone has a story that deserves to be told. When asked about what the outfit’s strategy to win the race is, Balkrishna jokes, “Though one of our earliest stories tells us that it was the tortoise that won the race, with the hare, the tortoise today has evolved to become a ‘Thinking Tortoise.’ Thinking Tortoise chooses to be out of any race today and aims to pursue its ideology as a noble contribution to local business. We strive to deliver clear and crisp marketing content to local businesses rather than aiming for big brands, because Goa itself has expert entrepreneurs who need their story to be told with pride. We wish to be partners in telling success stories of businesses that deserve to be treated as brands, for the service and credibility that they offer. Local businesses need a facelift for the good work that they have relentlessly been doing for over the years.

We also wish to break the perception that a TV ad is something which will cost lakhs of rupees. We want to make video ads affordable enough to provide a sophisticated appeal to local businesses and that is what makes our strategy of being a ‘differentiator’ in business”

what’s up goa

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Street Feast at Cidade de Goa

A true connoisseur identifies and appreciates the complexity of flavours found in a humble dish of Sev Puri, made using a handful of ingredients ideally found at a street side ‘thela’ or ‘cart’.

‘Chaat’ – a culinary delight in its entirety, which is composed of different combinations of the same elements – two varieties of chutneys (sweet/spicy), a base ‘chaat masala’, chunks of boxed potatoes, chopped onion, fresh green coriander leaves and yogurt for garnish – however the variety it offers with these limited

components.

In a bid to introduce the delicious and highly popular street food of North India, Cidade de Goa has organized ‘Street Feast’ – a festival of traditional chaat items at Doçaria. The Fest will be held from the 9th of June onwards, every Friday, Saturday and Sunday between 4:30 pm and 6:30 pm.

Variations found at the Fest included Aloo ki Tikki, Paneer Ka Chiila, Jodhpuri Mirchi Pakoda and Ajmeri Samose Kadi to Kurkure Aloo Tuk Chaat, Dahi Bhalla, Pani Puri, Sev Puri and lots more

64 | Business Goa industry Dossier | jUNE 2017

Little Superstars shine at the Max Little Icon 2017 With the theme ‘Every Kid is a superstar’, Max Little Icon ended gracefully with the little champs in the city. The finale was held recently at Max-Mall De Goa, Porvorim.

Max Little Icon, which is an integral part of the fest, encouraged little champs and divas to participate and showcase their talent in dancing, drawing and fancy dress competition. The little wonders enjoyed being pampered by Max, as their parents sat back and watched their little bundles of joy revel in unfettered fervour.

The fest witnessed many talented kids during the auditions this year. A host of dancers and artists bedazzled the audience with their talent. Ankitha and Drashti

won the title for drawing and fancy dress competition respectively, at the grand finale of Max Little Icon 2017, Goa. Krishan Sharma, AVP, Max Fashion said, “Max stands for a family destination for shopping, we believe in bringing them closer through our initiatives and engage with them closely. The idea of a kid’s fest is to make summer more fun for kids, ignite their young minds and teach them skills which they will use in future

Surf and Turf Skewers

bon appetit

By ANKITHA JOSEPH

‘Cavatina’ led by Avinash Martins and Tiz Lyngdoh treats its guests with the best of world cuisine; pastas, steaks or some wellness salad, they have it all. avatina started out in 2012 and has been creating waves in the food industry of Goa since then. With the recent Business Goa Award for the ‘Best International Cuisine in Goa’, the restaurant has only made its roots stronger in the Goan food scape.

A baby to the lovely couple Avinash Martins and Tiz Lyngdoh, Cavatina acquires its perfection from their decade -long experience with the world famous ‘The Oberoi, New Delhi. Avinash and Tiz both worked for the service sector for over ten years, which gained them their expertise. Avinash also started with one of the most famous restaurants in New Delhi, ‘361 degrees’; after which he went on to work with the acclaimed Michelin Star Chefs in France.

At the time of its inception, Cavatina wanted to capture tastes from various parts of the world. But with time, they also realized that every dish was a star, but European food was most appreciated.

Moreover, it was all about offering exactly what the customers asked for and hence they created a more refined menu that was little in terms of the contents, but each dish mentioned had a charm of its own that would remain on anyone’s tongue tips for weeks to go by.

Avinash’s unique taste in food also provokes him to change the menu every season. But, due to his immense dedication for food and the other restaurant he runs – Aura in Margao, Avinash has not been able to change the menu since last year. But he also declares that the change is just on the way, as for him, the kitchen is his studio, where he draws works of art which is meant to bring joy to each one’s tastebuds.

Unlike other restaurants with their fancy and explicit interiors, Cavatina keeps it simple, classy and a completely European inspired atmosphere. Focusing mainly on the food served, Cavatina proves that good food is better company than elaborate interiors. Complimenting the simplicity of the premise were also paintings that were bright coloured, themed Goa and food, of course. What

C

66 | Business Goa industry Dossier | jUNE 2017

Cavatina Ahi Tuna and Salmon Sashimi

for the soul

was even more interesting was that the artist name that stroke at the end corner too said ‘Avinash Martins’.

Cavatina’s menu will find a way to serve the health freak and also the taste lover. From cocktails to starters to some continental fascination to the ever fulfilling sweet course, Cavatina serves them all. An artist indeed, the menu too, saw strokes of Avinash’s artistic skills.

“Before putting anything on the plate, he actually sketches them out. These paintings on the wall and the menu are also done by him,” says Tiz. Now, it was time to taste the food and reach a whole new level of comfort. At first came in the ‘Ahi Tuna and Salmon Sashimi’: The dish is Norwegian and to elaborate it was uncooked tuna and salmon served with ponzu aioli, a citrusbased Japanese sauce and wasabi cream, a stir in cream, lemon juice, shallots and tamari sauce. The presentation by itself had won my heart; it was no different from one of those exquisite MasterChef items served in your favourite culinary shows. The fish was tender and the ponzu and wasabi cream was indeed the perfect combination to have it with.

Watermelon, feta cheese with arugula greens, the revitalizing salad, was next on the list. This one was refreshing and delightful; the freshness of the watermelon was best endorsed with the feta cheese. Topped with some arugula greens and pepper, this one was worth the try. The same combination is also

served in the wellness menu of Cavatina, with walnuts substituting feta cheese.

While Tiz was just explaining about the much appreciated Cavatina gourmet burger, it arrived and I spilled the magical word, WOW! The poyi (Goan Bread) seemed to fit well into the category of traditional burger buns. The patty inside was way bigger than the usual, fried well, and you could taste the meat unlike many that claim to be the best but, I suppose, forget to put the required amount of meat in. Accompanying the burger were some home fries and salad.

Surf and Turf Skewers is another signature dish by Avinash made available at Cavatina. The presentation was extraordinary – the menu reads, tenderloin, chicken, tiger prawns and pilaf. The pilaf summarized seafood for me with its blend of flavours and the most amazing texture. The beef, chicken and prawns were fresh, and at the same time had a unique element of seasoning withered on it. If difference is what you wish to achieve next, the Surf and Turf Skewers is an honest recommendation with its difference in display and taste, as well.

Whether you wish to go out for a good meal or host a private party, Cavatina is all set to help you out with it. With their high quality world cuisine and service, Cavatina stands on par with brilliance in food. With Avinash and Tiz at the helm of affairs, Cavatina is not ‘worth’ a try but a ‘must’ try

goa buzz

Solar Enterprise now in Panaji Solar Enterprise opened its fourth showroom in Panaji. The state-of-the-art store was inaugurated by TCP and Agriculture Minister Vijai Sardesai, in the presence of Rohit Mehta, MD, Solar Enterprise; Sidharth Mehta; UlhasVerlekar, chairman, Ulhas Jewelers; VikramVerkelar and PritamVerlekar, Directors of Ulhas Jewelers, Poonam Mehta, and other dignitaries. Football stars Sahil Tavora and Denzil Franco were also present.

Solar Enterprise is associated with reputed brands like Samsung, Lloyd, Sony, LG, IFB, Whirlpool, Bosch, Denon, Bose, Philips and many more

Rohit Mehta

Vikram Verlekar

Denzil Franco

Siddharth Mehta

Gautam Verlekar

Sahil Tavora

Ulhas Verlekar

Ramakant Verlekar

Satish Shinde

Pritam Verlekar

Manohar Raiker

Poonam Mehta

Meeta Verlekar

Karishma Verlekar

Sapna Shinde

Sandeep Keni

Smita Keni

Pravin Pai Kakode

Sairaj Dhond

Firoz Afzal

Aldrin Soares

Arch Sarvada

Sangeeta Sukerkar

Kunal Borkar

Tulasidas Pai

Laxmi Kunkaliekar

Bobby Zuwarkar

Amey Bhangui

Vijai Sardessai

Prashant

Keith Alvares

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Siddhesh

Tejan Karekar

Tanisha Karekar

Santoshi Pai Kakode

www.businessgoa.in

Malaka Spice, celebrated its first anniversary

Malaka Spice, the Pan-Asian restaurant inside Hotel Grande Delmon in Panjim celebrated its first anniversary recently. Several prominent people from across Goa which included the local franchisees Gaurav and Aakash Khaunte, Brand Owner Praful Chandawarkar, CII state head Gazal Bhambri, Margao Municipal Council Chairperson Babita Prabhudessai, Former Goa cricketer Jayesh Shetty, Publisher Harshvardhan Bhatkuly, Realtor Clive Lobo, Cyber-Crime Lawyer Gaurav Borkar, Song Writer Saiesh Poi Panandikar, Surgeons Meena and Lucio Fernandes among others graced the occasion. Singer Joaquim Dias performed live, even as the delectable cuisine and the choicest of wines was enjoyed by all

Gaurav Khaunte

Harshvardhan Bhatkuly

Gaurav Borkar

L-R Tanya Duggal Acharya, Tapan Acharya, Madhavi Bandekar Shetye, Abhijit Shetye and Urvija Bhatkuly

Samad Fallah

Nidhi Fernandes and Marusha Vaz

Aakash Khaunte

Neha Khaunte

Deeksha Borkar

Gazal Bhambri

Saimeera Kamat and Aparna Khaunte

L-R Praful Chandawarkar, Rahul Prabhudessai, Dilip Prabhudessai, Saiesh Poi Panandikar, Babita Prabhudessai and Rahul Chandawarkar

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www.businessgoa.in

newsmakers

Sandip Bhandare elected new President of GCCI

Renowned chartered accountant Sandip Bhandare is the new President of the Goa Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) for 2017-2019.

Bhandare succeeds Narayan Bandekar who was president for the period 2013 to 2017.

Bhandare is a known name in the Goan industry for his various important positions in the industry.

He has chaired the Goa Government’s task force on GST and is currently on the board of EDC. Bhandare has also authored books on VAT. He was elected as the chairman of the Goa branch of ICAI. He has also taught income tax at the Dempo College of Commerce

Dr. Smitha Bhandare Kamat’s book ‘With a Pinch of Salt’ out Dr. Smitha Bhandare Kamat, Associate Professor, S. S. Dempo College of Commerce and Economics was recently invited by the prestigious Indian Institute of Cartoonist, Bengaluru, to exhibit her cartoons. Her book on cartoons titled With a Pinch of Salt was also released on 27th May 2017. The Chief Guest for the function was Dr. Deepthi Navaratna, Executive Director, Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts. Dr. Smitha Bhandare Kamat, started her career in cartooning back in 2009 for the English daily O Herald under the caption, ‘Smile with Smitha’ and continued her journey contributing to various print and electronic media.

Her works are on display till 10th of June at the gallery and her book will be available at Broadway Book Centre

Datta Damodar Naik releases his new book ‘The Jungle School’

Sahitya Akademi award winner Konkani writer and entrepreneur Datta Damodar Naik recently released his new book, ‘The Jungle Schoola Modern Day Hitopadesha’ for children. Through the book, the author takes us on an amusing journey where the characters travel through jungles, oceans and cities and encounter stories of nature. The book is fascinating for its thirty six stories along with interesting puzzles and stories of scientists and leaders which are meant to inspire young readers. The book also consists of a variety of interactive illustrations executed by the talented Eddie Lourenco.

Datta Damodar Naik has written books in various languages including Marathi, Konkani and English. His earlier book titled ‘Uncommon Wealth: A modern day Panchatantra was released in the year 2015 was a huge success among its readers 70 | Business Goa industry Dossier | jUNE 2017

Pratheek Rebello creates new record at BITSAT

Pratheek Rebello from Panaji scored 426 out of 450 beating the earlier record of 411 at BITSAT. Rebello had unlocked the bonus 12 questions at BITSAT, which are given to students that attempt all the initial questions given at the test.

The teenager had earlier scored over 95% at the Goa state board Class XII exams and had become the first in 12 years to top in physics, mathematics and chemistry individually at the Goa Common Entrance Test. Prior to Pratheek, it was Raunak Sakhardhande who had scored 411 in 2008 which remained unbeaten for nine years. BITSAT being an entrance exam held for admissions to one of the campuses of the Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Rebello has qualified for a seat to any course of his choice

Ach. Atre award for Raju Nayak

Editor of Lokmat, Raju Nayak recently bagged the prestigious Acharya Atre Journalism Award presented by two distinguished organizations – Acharya Atre Vikas Prathisthan from Purandar and Maharashtra Sahitya Parishad from Saswad, Maharashtra.

Nayak has been actively present in various Konkani, English and Marathi language dailies for the past 30 years.

He is known best for his well researched environmental journalism.

The award will be presented to Nayak on the 13th of June 2017 at Saswad, Pune, marking the death anniversary of Acharya Atre, who, in his lifetime was a colossal figure in the field of journalism, cinema and literature

96 1. Which well-known American university was founded by Leland and his wife Jane in 1885?

2. This billionaire investor was born in 1930 as Dzjcgdzhe Shorash in a family of Hungarian Jews at Budapest.

3. Which company was incorporated in 1911 as the Computing-TabulatingRecording Company?

4. Which was the first floating casino in Goa? 5. Luca Pacioli is often called the “father of accounting” because he was the first to publish a detailed description of this system.

6. The aircraft manufacturer Embraer originates from which South American nation?

7. Identify this iconic duo Answers to BG Quiz 95: 1.J R D Tata 2.Pfizer 3.Boston Consulting Group 4.Timex 5.John Kenneth Galbraith 6.Tin Toy 7.Srichand and Gopichand Hinduja Email your entries to businessgoa.media@gmail.com First all correct entry will get 1 year’s subscription to Business Goa

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