Business Goa May 2017

May 2017

VOL 3 ISSUE 5 panaji goa

goa’s only business magazine

RNI No.: goaeng/2015/59955

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

www.businessgoa.in

industry dossier

And the award goes to...

The sixth edition of Goa’s only business awards was celebrated in style and grandeur with 26 awardees taking a bow

News Views Articles Interviews Profiles Focus Analysis Opinions Events Features

CONTENTS Cover Story 14

The sixth edition of Goa’s biggest business awards applauding 26 awardees for corporate excellence

Focus Goa GST 24

Consumers, small businesses and Goa as a state has less to worry with the upcoming new indirect tax regime

Focus Goa Taxi Issue 26

Legal battle awaits the Online Petition to mark the entry of App Based Taxi aggregator in the State

14 30

28

32

Starting Young 28

Ashma Kamat’s Black Palette Studio is setting a new trend in makeup and styling

Enterprise 30

Karl Teles’ state-of-the art sound and video experience centre in Vasco

Interview 32

In conversation with Yi Goa’s newly elected Chairman Rupesh Gauns about Yi’s milestones and future plans

34

Industry 34

Local village industry Star Agro Products capitalizes heavily on the best of Goan flavours

Goan Brand 36

Shukra Jewelers strives to reach out to customers with their high quality design and delivery of jewelery

26 36

Lady Power 40

Dr. Celsa Pinto releases two books celebrating the 175th anniversary of the capital City of Panjim

Professional Dossier 42

42

24

Rahul Shankhwalker’s work around the world embody his passion for design and art

Bon Appetit 68

Mum’s Recipes stays special with its good ’ol authentic Goan flavours

COLUMNS 64

52 People Tree

Kishore Shah unearths lessons in people management from a cricket tournament

54 Beyond Classroom

Dr Pradeep Salgaonkar says that every customer is different as they display different behaviours

39 68 08 Editorial 10 Corpo Scan 38 Campus 38 BG Crossword 39 Book Shelf 44 Events 48 Biz Bytes 62 Global Business 64 What’s Up Goa 70 Goa Buzz 82 Newsmakers 82 BG Quiz Cover Pics: Aliston Dias and Shammiulla Sayyed 06 | Business Goa industry Dossier | MAY 2017

56 Antarprerna

Nandini Vaidyanathan contemplates the confounding business of wellness

58 Freewheeling

Hester Bergh-Appoyer reveals how to hack cross-cultural collaboration

60 Letter from America

Jay Dehejia writes about Subhash Kapadia, the brains behind the trusted establishment ‘Sam & Raj’

MAY 2017

VOL 3 ISSUE 5 PANAJI GOA

RNI No.: GOAENG/2015/59955

editorial

POSTAL LICENSE No.: G-2/RNP/Monthly/Goa-19/2015-17

hb@businessgoa.in GOA’S ONLY BUSINESS MAGAZINE

www.businessgoa.in

INDUSTRY DOSSIER

AND THE AWARD GOES TO...

VOL 3 ISSUE 5 panaji goa

RNI No.: goaeng/2015/59955

Awarding High-Performers The sixth edition of Goa’s only business awards was celebrated in style and grandeur with 26 awardees taking a bow

NEWS VIEWS ARTICLES INTERVIEWS PROFILES FOCUS ANALYSIS OPINIONS EVENTS FEATURES

may 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 Jay Dehejia Kishore Shah Meenal Bale Nandini Vaidyanathan Dr Pradeep Salgaonkar Prajyot Mainkar

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

This is the sixth year in succession that we have hosted the Business Goa Awards for Corporate Excellence. This magazine was launched in 2009; and in the year 2012, we decided to take a step further and honour the most deserving and game changing business persons, businesses, business ideas and entrepreneurs of the state.

The amazing thing about the Awards is that in the past six years, we have awarded 163 business ideas, entrepreneurs and businesses.

This is a laudable feat, because our state is unfortunately saddled with a negative notion that there is no business in Goa. The awardees this year, and in the years gone by, prove exactly the opposite – that Goa has a very strong and vibrant economy and business community. They may not be on par with what we see in the metros, but it’s a very different kind of ecosystem that we have here; and people have been successful in business.

In fact, just to give you an example, the Goa Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the prime industry body is 110 years old. That should say a lot about the kind of heritage and lineage we have with business in the state.

Taking it to the next level, in 2014, it was Nana Bab Bandekar who inspired and supported us to take the idea of the Awards a few notches higher, and here we are today four years hence from 2014, that we have taken the idea of Business Awards in the state of Goa to the next orbit. I hope we keep doing better, because our benchmark every year keeps on increasing and going higher and higher.

We compete with ourselves every year and this has been, I won’t just say satisfying, but a gratifying feeling that we have been able to outdo ourselves every year.

Besides, hosting the Awards every year, the idea of the magazine has always been to be a kind of a forum for knowledge dissemination; and we have had with us some of the most inspiring speakers over the last six years. In fact, this year, we were lucky to have two of the greatest and biggest names in their businesses in the country, today.

Harshvardhan Bhatkuly We had with us Piyush Pandey, the most revered advertising name in not just the country, but in the world; and we had Rajdeep Sardesai, one of the most celebrated faces in the media and news business.

I have been asked this question a few times, ‘why are media persons the only kind of people who come in and address us at the Awards?’

One of the reasons is that media people are not pigeonholed to one aspect of life; they have to know something about everything and everything about something. And it is their out-of-the-box thinking which can help people understand the knowledge factor in this entire exercise of giving out the Awards to Goa’s most deserving business line-up.

I take this opportunity to congratulate all the Awardees this year; and I hope that they do better every year and create more business, generate more employment and help the Goan economy along the way, while running their own enterprises.

The tracking of probable awardees is a year-long exercise for us at Goa’s only business magazine. As we are keyed in to the best performers in the space of business and excellence, we are privileged to recognize contribution in these areas and fete these high performers.

It is humbling, when people who have scaled the top echelons of their lives and service to society, walk up to me and say that the Business Goa Award has inspired to do them to contribute even more to their corporate or social ecosystem. I think that this is the true success of the Awards over its small but significant journey.

Putting together an event of this magnitude would not be possible without the support of sponsors and partners. On behalf of Business Goa and presenting sponsors, NRB Group, I thank each and every partner and my highoctane team who make the grandest corporate awards show a huge success.

We abide to live by our mantra to honour and felicitate every significant contributor of business in Goa in times to come

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

08 | Business Goa industry Dossier | MAY 2017

corpo scan

GSL delivers second fast patrol vessel for Mauritius Coast Guard

Indo-Mauritius Defence Cooperation got another boost with the delivery of the Second Fast Patrol Vessel, MCGS VALIANT (50 meter length), designed and built-in-house by the Goa Shipyard Limited for Mauritius Coast Guard, on the 30th of April at GSL. The vessel has been mainly designed for coastal patrolling, anti-piracy, anti-smuggling, anti-drug surveillance, antipoaching operations, and search and rescue operations.

The ship was handed over ahead of the contractual schedule by R. Adm. Shekhar Mital, NM (Retd), CMD, Goa

R. Adm Shekhar Mital (GSL) with K Jhungroo (Mauritius Police Force) and others

Shipyard Ltd to K Jhugroo, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Mauritius Police Force, Government of Mauritius in the presence of Mauritius Officials Capt Saurabh Thakur, Commandant, National Coast

Gaunekar panel wins Goa Urban Bank polls

Dr. Anil Gaunekar’s panel won in the recent election held to decide on the new board of directors of the Goa Urban Cooperative Bank.

The Gaunekar panel includes of Dr. Anil Gaunekar (2925 votes), Sandeep Khandeparkar (2677 votes), Venktesh Naik (2640), Shivaji Bhangi (2625 votes) and Narayan Talaulikar (2616 votes), who won in the general category.

The Gaunekar panel got its five members elected to the board of directors whereas Dr Govind Kamat’s panel

managed to get four members elected to the BoD. Dr Govind Kamat (2536 votes) got elected in general category.

In professional category (Chartered Accountant) Ashish Prabhu Verlekar (2407 votes) and in banking category Audhut Chimulkar (2342 votes), both from Dr Kamat Panel, were elected. Advocate Shubhlaxmi Pai Raikar, from Dr Kamat’s panel was declared elected unopposed in the women’s category. Formed in 1964, the GUCB is the oldest cooperative bank in the state

TATA Nx awarded “India’s Best Natural Sweetner” at Ayush Natural Food Expo ‘India’s Best Natural Sweetner’ award was given to TATA Nx in Goa recently at Ayush Natural Health Food Expo organised

by Trinity and inaugurated

by Ayush Union Minister Shripad Naik. TATA Nx is the Nutritional Solutions Division, a spin-out from the Innovation Centre of Tata Chemicals.

With years of research infused with nature and science, TATA Nx is a new range of nutritional solutions specially created for new age Indians. Over time, TATA Nx aims to be the customer’s lifetime partner for health and

wellness.

TATA Nx launched its range of healthy alternative sweeteners in January 2017 this year which caters to both diabetics as well as nondiabetics, who are health conscious and are looking for healthier sugar alternatives.

One of the products is TATA Nx Zero Sugar which is a Diabetic sweetener and is 100% Natural. It has low Glycaemic Index and is made of 100% natural ingredients – Lactose and Stevia. It does not contain artificial sweeteners like aspartame or sucrose

10 | Business Goa industry Dossier | MAY 2017

Guard, ASP O K Guness, Commanding Officer, CGS Valiant, Directors, Senior Officials of GSL besides other dignitaries. Mital thanked Government of Mauritius, Ministry of Defence, state

government and local authorities for providing all the necessary assistance, which has enabled GSL to achieve new milestones in the performance.

K Jhugroo, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Mauritius Police Force, while addressing the gathering, lauded the excellent work being done in the shipyard and complimented GSL for delivery of the state-of-the-art new ship for Mauritius force.

He further complimented the GSL work force on their working skills and positive attitude, which is an example for others to emulate

Goa Investment Promotion Board reconstituted. Rohan Khaunte and Babu Azgaonkar on the Board

L to R: Manohar (Babu) Azgaonkar, Rohan Khaunte, Atrey Sawant and Yatin Kakodkar

The Goa Investment Promotion & Facilitation Board (IPB) has been reconstituted and five new industry members have been inducted into the 12-member body. According to officials, although the term of the IPB’s six industry representatives had expired in October 2016, they had received a temporary extension.

Former IPB members Nitin Kunkolienkar, President of the Manufacturers’ Association for Information Technology (MAIT); Atul Pai Kane, Chairman and Promoter of Pai Kane Group; and Narayan Bandekar, President of Goa Chamber of Commerce & Industry were among those who have made way for the induction of Atrey Sawant (CII, Goa Chairman), Ernest Dias (Hospitality), Yatin Kakodkar (Manufacturing), Girish Bharne (Information Technology) and Rajkumar

Kamat (BNI Goa Chairman) to the Board. MD and chairman of KINECO, Kaman Shekhar Sardessai, however, continues to retain his position on the IPB. The Board, which will be Chaired by Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, will also include Tourism Minister and MGP MLA Manohar Azgaonkar, and Information and Technology Minister Rohan Khaunte.

Other members include the Secretaries for Tourism and Industry, and CEO Ashton Godinho.

Once the Board has been formally notified they expect to hold a meeting shortly thereafter, for the time first time, to set the agenda for the next few years. It is hinted that a review of the approvals given might also be taken.

A gazette notification is expected shortly

corpo scan

JERC points out that ‘Electricity Dept. is hugely overstaffed’ The electricity department is yet to comply with a number of directives of the Joint Electricity Regulatory Commission (JERC) which are still pending. The fixed assets and depreciation register that the Commission had directed the Department to prepare last year is yet to be submitted to the Commission. The Department, in its latest petition before the Commission, stated that the data collection of the fixed assets for the years 2013-14 and 2014-15 is proceeding and that the mapping of the assets will be completed this year.

The energy audit reports that the Commission had

Distressed bar owners appeal to CM for license renewal

Aggrieved over Excise Department’s decision to not renew their licenses on the grounds that their bars are located within 500 mts of the state highway (SH) – 8 passing through the villages, affected bar owners and retail vendors in Chandor, Guirdolim and Curtorim, have now petitioned the Chief Minister over the ‘erroneous’ notice.

The Excise Department’s decision comes following a Supreme Court order dated December 15, 2016 directing that it ‘restrains the grant of licenses for the sale of liquor along national and state highways and within 500 metres of the outer edge of a highway or of a service lane along the state highway’.

The bar owners have

received notices stating their units are located within 500 mts of the outer edge of SH-8 and therefore their licenses will be invalid from April 1 following the SC order.

The aggrieved parties had also met Town and Country Planning Minister Vijai Sardesai, who had subsequently arranged for a meeting of PWD officials and villagers to provide an explanation on the village road being categorized as a state highway. Sources said the PWD officials admitted to the ‘mistake’ and have promised to rectify it soon.

In a letter to CM Manohar Parrikar, the bar owners have pointed out that the notice sent by the Salcete Excise Inspector stating SH–8 is passing through the internal village roads of Chandor, Guirdolim and Curtorim is factually incorrect, as SH-8 has been shown to pass from Ravanfond to Quepem via St Jose de Areal, Guddi and Paroda in the Regional Plan 2021.

They have urged the CM to direct the PWD ‘to rectify the mistake’ and direct the Salcete excise station to renew their bar and retail vendors licences at the earliest

12 | Business Goa industry Dossier | MAY 2017

directed the Department to submit before October last year are also in the process of being prepared. The Department has stated that Station Metering, Feeder Metering and DTC metering are in progress, following which energy auditing will be initiated. A systematic study of manpower has also been submitted to the Commission. Last year, the Commission had issued directives that a report with specific focus on manpower rationalization is prepared by October 2016, failing which it would be constrained to take

appropriate action against the Department. “The issue of rationalization of manpower cannot be postponed, as it is not in the interest of consumers,” it has stated.

Observing the department as “extremely overstaffed”, the Commission had directed it to analyze its employee strength, rationalize their requirement and reduce manpower costs.

The commission pointed out that there was one employee for every 100 consumers as opposed to the all India average of one employee for every 2500 consumers

Minelab Launches with Adventure Gear in Goa

Tarun Sachdev (Adventure Gear), Jim Kwo (Minelab) and Simon Gomes (Champs, Goa)

Minelab, World’s Best Metal Detection Technologies launched its Metal Detection Tools and Equipment in India, Goa for the first time.

Goa is the adventure and party destination of India and has visitors all year around, Minelab products are adventure, fitness and fun! The products were launched in the presence of Jim Kwo. Business Development Manager (Asia Pacific) of Minelab, Tarun Sachdev of Adventure Gear India LLP and Simon Gomes of Champs, Goa.

Jim Kwo, Business Development Manager (Asia Pacific) of Minelab said “When detecting for coins, relics or jewellery, use your imagination – anywhere people are likely to have left things behind – you are likely to make good finds with our Minelab products.”

Adventure Gear India LLP, New Delhi is a sister

concern of Hansa Sports N Adventure Pvt Ltd. ‘Adventure Point’, is the retail arm which was the result of 22 years of association of its promoters with various adventure sports and hospitality. In its endeavour to provide its customers with a complete outdoor activity solution, the company is constantly adding new products and is essentially dealing with branded goods.

Minelab’s worldwide network of authorised dealers is able to give you the most upto-date knowledge in products and techniques that will help you to improve your success rate in the field. Minelab is an ISO 9001 Quality Endorsed Company. ISO 9001 is a worldwide quality standard certification that ensures continuous improvement is maintained in order to provide the highest level of product quality for customers

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Celebrating The Business

After its spectacularly successful debut in 2012, the much awaited Business Goa Awards for Corporate Excellence were back, and this year, bigger and better. So, while the sun set into the Arabian Sea on 30th April 2017, 26 excellence seekers took away a personalized award plaque amidst thundering applause and cheering from the who’s who of the Goa’s business fraternity. Held at the Goa Marriott Resort and Spa in Miramar, the event witnessed a spectacular turnout of industry biggies and associates of Goa’s only business magazine.

The Guests for this stunning evening were Piyush Pandey, national creative director of Ogilvy & Mather India and vice-chairman of O&M AsiaPacific; and Rajdeep Sardesai, currently a consulting editor

at the India Today Group.

The first speaker for the night, Piyush Pandey spoke about the excellent quality and business acumen that Goa has. He highlighted the importance and creativity that startups bring to the masses and also mentioned that Goa is indeed one place where startups can find their way to success.

With his roots in Goa, Rajdeep Sardesai, the second speaker for the evening, spoke about the remarkable diversity present in the state. He also put forth his observations on the immense potential that Goa inherits to become the next educational hub and the high quality of life that the state holds compared to many other parts of the nation.

The cynosure of the event was a spectacular set designed

by Sushant Tari, Managing Director of TPT Productions

14 | Business Goa industry Dossier | MAY 2017

Pvt Ltd. that held everyone’s attention through the evening.

The evening started off with an introductory speech by Publisher-Editor of Business Goa Harshvardhan Bhatkuly, about the idea behind hosting the Business Goa Awards for Corporate Excellence. Entrepreneurs are the backbone of any vibrant economy. This is especially relevant to Goa, which has in the past few years, seen a slew of individuals make their foray into the business world via their exciting and innovative business ideas. While earlier tourism and mining were the chief drivers of the economy, today, thanks to the daring and entrepreneurial spirit of an increasing number of Goans, as well as settlers who have made Goa their home, a range of businesses including realty, health, logistics, retail,

lifestyle, restaurants, tourism and education have become great success stories. So when there are glittering awards ceremonies honouring the likes of actors, artists, musicians, etc, it was only a matter of time before these amazing entrepreneurs, too, were appreciated for all their hard work and efforts and after its debut grand success, the Business Goa Awards for Corporate Excellence were back for the sixth year in a row.

Endorsing this opinion were stalwarts from the industry who echoed these sentiments and congratulated Business Goa for initiating such awards and looked forward to them every year. The awards are classified under four broad categories – Real Estate & Hospitality, Excellence Awards, Best Companies and Personal Honours.

Achievers Of Goa

The illustrious list of awardees for 2017 included Casadeco (Real Estate Furnishing Company of the Year); Denzil Xavier (Real Estate Professional of the Year); Risara Properties (Real Estate Brand of the Year); Anantashram, Vasco (Best in Goan Cuisine); Copperleaf, Porvorim (Best in Indian Cuisine); Cavatina (Best in International Cuisine) and Cafe Real, Panjim (Best Vegetarian Cafe).

In the Excellence Awards, Prajal Sakhardande bagged the award (Preserving Goan Heritage); Gangaram Morajkar was awarded (Service to Business); The Dempo Group was awarded (CSR Initiative of the Year); Rajendra Talak was awarded (Entertainment Personality of the Year); Mr. Farmer was honoured (Green Business of the Year); V. M.

The sixth edition of the NRB Group presents Business Goa Awards for Corporate Excellence 2017 awarded entrepreneurial excellence in Goa

Release of the Awards Souvernir: (LtoR) Harshvardhan Bhatkuly, Urvija Bhatkuly, Narayan Bandekar, Piyush Pandey, Rajdeep Sardesai and Sushant Tari

Salgaocar College of Law (Educational Institution of the Year); and Goa Management Association was awarded (Business Organization of the Year).

In the best companies category the following companies were awarded: MapxencaRS (Fashion Brand of the Year); EDC Limited (State-owned Corporation of the Year; Upgrade (Trading Company of the Year); Star

Agro Products (Empowering Rural Goa); Umang Software Technologies (IT Company of the Year) and Goa Hyundai (Auto Company of the Year).

In the personal honours, Norbert’s Fitness Studio was awarded (Brand of the Year); Subodh Kantak (Professional of the Year); Prajyot Mainkar (Young Turk); Kshama Fernandes (Business Woman of the Year); Dilip Salgaocar (Businessman of the Year); and

Alcon Anil Counto Enterprises (Business Group of the Year).

Business Goa has held this belief close to its heart that every business man and woman who has the guts and gumption to go out and pursue his or her dream, no matter how big or small, is a winner all the way. These awards are a token of appreciation and encouragement for their efforts and the magazine congratulates the winners for their success

may 2017 | Business Goa industry Dossier | 15

cover story

Jeetesh Tolani and Rohit Jain, Partners of Casadeco

Denzil Xavier, President of GAR

Gaurang Suctancar, Founder-CEO

Real Estate Furnishing Company of the Year

Real Estate Professional of the Year

Real Estate Brand of the Year

Casadeco

Denzil Xavier

Risara Properties

Shripad Shetye and Sanjay Shetye, Partners, Anantashram

Shreekant V. Pai Bir and Sachin Pai Bir, Partners, Copperleaf

Chef Avinash Martins

Best in Goan Cuisine

Best in Indian Cuisine

Best in International Cuisine

Anantashram

Vinod Shirodkar and Dr Beena Shirodkar, Directors

Best Vegetarian CafĂŠ

CafĂŠ Real

16 | Business Goa industry Dossier | MAY 2017

Copperleaf

Cavatina

Prajal Sakhardande, Historian

Gangaram Morajkar, Prop. Gansham Traders

Preserving Goan Heritage

Service to Business

Prajal Sakhardande

Gangaram Morajkar

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Dr. Krishnagopal Rajanala (Gen. Manager, HR) & Rajiv Kulkarni (Dy. Manager CSR and HR)

CSR Initiative of the Year

Dempo Group

Dr. M.R.K Prasad, Principal, VMSCL

Educational Institution of the Year

V M Salgaocar College of Law

Rajendra Talak

Rozendo Mendonsa, Managing Director

Rajendra Talak

Mr farmer

Entertainment Personality of the Year

Dr Pradeep Salgaonkar, Chairman, GMA

Business Organisation of the Year

Goa Management Association

Green Business of the Year

LtoR: Santosh Kenkre, Ralph de Sousa, Arvind Ghatkar and Sandip Bhandare

State-owned Corporation of the Year

EDC Limited

Ravindranath Pai Kakode and Pravin Pai Kakode

Shradha Sawant

Mangirish Salelkar

Prashant Joshi

Trading Company of the Year

Empowering Rural Goa

IT Company of the Year

Auto Company of the Year

Upgrade

18 | Business Goa industry Dossier | MAY 2017

Star Agro Products

Umang software technologies

Goa Hyundai

cover story

Riddhi and Siddhi Mapxencar

Fashion Brand of the Year

mapxencaRS

Norbert D’Souza, CEO

Goan Brand of the Year

Norbert’s fitness studio

Subodh Kantak, Senior Advocate

Kshama Fernandes, MD, IFMR Capital

Dilip Salgaocar, MD, Geno Pharma Ltd

Subodh Kantak

Kshama Fernandes

Dilip Salgaocar

Professional of the Year

Business Woman of the Year

Business Man of the Year

Mementos presented at the Awards to sponsors and partners (LtoR): Harshvardhan Bhatkuly (Business Goa), Ryan Costa (Cosme Costa & Co.), Nurallah K Veljee (Space Deal Pvt Ltd), Narayan Bandekar (NRB Group), Mahesh Pai (Mahesh Pai Financial Hub), Prashant Kumar (Grand Empire), Angelo Nunes (Adcity Advertising) and Sangeeta Shetye (Oman Air)

20 | Business Goa industry Dossier | MAY 2017

Prajyot Mainkar, MD, Androcid Media P Ltd

Young Turk

Prajyot Mainkar

Gaurav Khaunte, Director

Business Group of the Year

Alcon Anil Counto Enterprises

A Big Thank You

The NRB Group has supported Goa’s biggest business awards show by being the presenting sponsor of the Business Goa Awards for Corporate Excellence

Narayan R Bandekar, Chairman and Managing Director of NRB Group being felicitated at the hands of Piyush Pandey and Rajdeep Sardesai

may 2017 | Business Goa industry Dossier | 21

cover story

“The challenge for Goa is to translate the enormous promise and potential into performance” “I was going through the souvenir yesterday when Harsh showed it to me and I believe it reflects the remarkable diversity of this State. It may be small in size but Goans have always had large hearts. And the word passion which Piyush used, I would like to add to that; large-heartedness of Goa. There is no other state which to my mind, combines the finer qualities of being Goan. I think today’s winners list shows the enormous human capital that exists in Goa. Goa is a state with huge potential, and with things that living in a place like Delhi I know don’t exist otherwise – law abiding citizens, citizens who are conscious of their environment despite the occasional aberration, and citizens who importantly are not just well educated but have great respect for each other’s community traditions.

In my opinion, it’s a state which combines the modern outlook with a huge respect for tradition and this is what makes Goa special. If you were to ask me where I would like to retire, I would say, Goa, not for any other reason but because it just represents the quality of life that is so often missing in other parts of India. The challenge, for Goa is to translate this enormous potential into performance. And it would be foolish just to blame the government and say that Goa deserves better politicians; it’s not just about politics, but it’s about creating an environment which is conducive to translate potential into performance.

Last year, I did a Digital Economy Series for the India Today Group which included going to different states to find out how states had bought into the idea of Digital India. And the two states that stood out for me were ironically states that had been carved out in 2014; the new Andhra Pradesh and the new Telangana. Most of the

Rajdeep Sardesai Senior Journalist | Author | Consulting Editor, India Today

real action that takes place in India today, is in the southern power houses. The manner in which they have created the start-up culture in Telangana and Chandrababu Naidu’s remarkable digitalization of Andhra Pradesh is worth an applause. These states have had huge advantages and they remain to be the ones to embrace the ever-growing startup culture. I ask myself why should’nt Goa embrace such a culture with many of the advantages that these states perhaps don’t have? We have a better educated young population, passion, and larger hearts; then why shouldn’t Goa become the startup hub of India? Why shouldn’t Goa become the next big thing when it comes to digital economy?

The whole gamut of digital education today offers enormous potential. And I say this as a media person because I believe that the future even in the media depends on how

22 | Business Goa industry Dossier | MAY 2017

well we embrace the digital world and how we are able to convert this great opportunity into building a multi media machine and this is the future.

That future can be millions of small startups that are able to come up with great ideas; an educational hub, for example.

Why shouldn’t Goa become the educational hub of this country? I know there would be huge issues about the land because every time you say something in Goa they ask, ‘but where’s the land?’ Well, there’s land for a lot of other things in Goa. Why can’t there be land for educational estates for young Goans to give them a chance to believe in Goa. One of the most depressing things is when young Goans have to go outside Goa to make name for them, which is why today’s event is important.

Because I hope it will inspire a lot of young Goans to create wonderful stories, and to base themselves in Goa; for

which you need to provide opportunities. I believe that opportunities lie in areas like digital education and in going a step ahead.

I would like the Goa’s politicians to go see what KTR, the son of KCR is doing in Telangana. He is a remarkable politician and there are very few young politicians that I’ve seen who have embraced the future so readily, which is why Telangana today is the state on a fast track. Why should Goa not be on a faster track, is the question I ask you and many of you who know Goa better.

The Chief Secretary is here, he and I went to college together several years ago.

As an outsider with a great passion for Goa, I believe, there is a huge opportunity waiting for someone to look beyond the traditional industries of Goa. You can’t see Goa the way you do simply because it suits us, because it builds complacencies, we need to shake it up a bit. We need to be a little disruptive but, that doesn’t mean politics but, you need new faces, new energies and new ideas. This is a State waiting for a great new idea and the idea I want to throw today is to build a digital educational hub of the future of this country. You’ve got Pune and Bangalore but they are saturated, Hyderabad is also bursting under the seams today. Therefore, there is a huge opportunity for a capital in a sense of India’s digital economy and which better place can there be than Goa?! The number of awardees today are a proof that if you want to do it, Goa can. So congratulations to all the winners, congratulations to Harsh for organizing this and creating a platform that hopefully will inspire many more young Goans to become entrepreneurs and change the face of Goa in this country”

“Small is an opportunity, not a problem” “I’m extremely delighted and its wonderful to be here in Goa, at the Business Goa Awards for Corporate Excellence. Business Goa is a truly fantastic magazine to have.

Rajasthan, to be precise Jaipur - the place I was born, is almost ten times the size as that of Goa, and yet it doesn’t have a business magazine, so congratulations for that!

The smaller you are the greater passion you have and I think for me Goa is filled with people who exude immense passion.

I’m a half Goan, because my wife lives here and so we spend a lot of time in Goa, and I like being here as well.

‘Small’ is actually an opportunity, and not a problem like most people would assume it to be. The smaller we are as a state,the bigger the opportunity we have to grow. This is when we can really put ourselves out there and make our mark.

I’ve seen a lot of small brands out here in Goa, whether its a travel and tourism

Piyush Pandey National Creative Director of Ogilvy & Mather India and Vice-Chairman of O&M Asia-Pacific

brand, or something like a much bigger business involved like mining, it really doesn’t matter. The entire scope of making things happen is much bigger than we realise.

Start ups are fantastic because the smaller you are, the bigger a startup you can launch because you havent got much to fear about. You have a chance to think clear and big, plan bigger and thus, create magic. In my opinion the territory of Goa gives us the opportunity of flying.

A lot of you are winning awards today, for excellence in your respective fields, but awards don’t really matter to me, it’s the impact you’ve created that matters the most. Awards are a bonus to your achievement and today you’re receiving your well-earned bonus. Earn the bonus but tomorrow morning promise yourself that you will get up, take a fresh guard, and say “I’m batting on zero and I’m going to make the world rock!”

‘Creative Ideation’ by Sushant Tari’s design genius

The 2017 stage themed ‘Creative Ideation’

Since 2014, Business Goa Awards for Corporate Excellence has been in collaboration with TPT Production Pvt. Ltd. With their breath-taking stage decor, TPT has brought together the extra charm to the awards night every year. Since its collaboration, TPT has fetched unusual themes that reflect the entrepreneurial success of the state. 2014 saw a set created on the ‘steps’ that an ‘entrepreneur’ had to climb up; next year followed a honeycomb

Sushant Tari

theme and 2016 witnessed the ‘Make in India’ theme encouraging the industries of Goa. This year saw the theme of ‘Creative Ideation’ that added to the glittering success of all the business achievers of Goa. Speak of designing, fabricating and delivering high quality customer interaction and experience environments; TPT Productions will top the list.

Sushant Tari, the Managing Director along with his team has carved a number of stages for various globally acclaimed clients. Few of them include corporate events for global brands like Ferrari, BMW, Kohler, and Toshiba among the others. “Sushant’s innate creative thought, his global exposure, and eye for detail has been the cornerstone of the Business Goa Awards being elevated to another orbit. Everyone who walked into the grand ballroom was stunned by the sets,” says Harshvardhan Bhatkuly, Publisher-Editor of Business Goa and the ideator of the Awards. Sushant Tari is a graduate from the Goa College of Art and has spent over two and a half decades in Mumbai, creating some of the finest and most appreciated sets for an array of clients from different domains may 2017 | Business Goa industry Dossier | 23

focus goa

GST: On the roll

By ramrai naik

The passage of the Goods and Service Tax bill has taken a rather long time until it became a fully fledged Act. While the nation is preparing for the smooth rollout from the 1st of July, it may or may not be long enough till this game changer legislation translates its benefits to the country with a billion dreams. The biggest tax reform since independence will address many microeconomic problems and will further; strengthen the already positive macroeconomic condition of the country.

The bill has gone through several revisions since it was first tabled in the Parliament. Big demands like setting up of standard GST rate and keeping certain commodities out of the GST ambit were mutually agreed according to political understanding. The remaining decisions are taken by the GST council – which comprises of all the state Finance Ministers under the chairmanship of Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley.

Consumer Friendly The current system of lot many taxes promoted the cascading effect of tax at every stage. From manufacturers to retailers, all had to pay the tax without getting the input tax credit at all stages – wherein the end consumers had to bear the brunt of the tax over tax. With the coming of GST in all supply chain, one is set to get the input tax credit even in case of interstate marketing channel.

It is expected that most of the commodities will be cheaper than their existing prices. To ensure that benefits of the reduction in prices are passed onto the end consumer, the Government has brought in the anti profiteering clause in the GST law itself.

Unreasonable profiteering practice due to GST by a taxable person will be 24 | Business Goa industry Dossier | MAY 2017

Consumers, small businesses and Goa as a state has less to worry with the upcoming new indirect tax regime

India’s financial condition is set to improve massively in the coming years due to path breaking ‘one nation-one tax’ legislation.

Overall productivity is set to be high; there’ll be free flow of movement of goods, lesser entry barriers and neutral tax regime all across the states in the country challenged through the Act. It is seen as a consumer protection act which might be used in the rarest of the rare cases – as businesses, after deriving profits, will tend to reduce prices and increase the sale.

Profits or savings made through cutting the logistic costs cannot be challenged, as it is not defined by the law.

Positive Impacts The country’s financial condition is set to improve massively in the coming years due to path breaking one nation one tax bill. The overall productivity is set to be high; there’ll be free flow of movement of goods, lesser entry barriers and neutral tax regime all across the states in the country.

All these will bring perceptional changes and will further facilitate the Ease of Doing Business and unlimited investment opportunities.

Ideally the GST meant that all the taxes had to be subsumed; however, as per the demands of States, some of the things have been kept out of its purview and those include petroleum products, electricity, alcohol and education. These are primarily kept out as its rate can be tweaked as per the State’s ruling party’s political wisdom.

Additionally, States had feared the loss in revenue as these commodities form a major chunk of income flow to the

exchequer.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the consensus on the GST will go down in history as a great illustration of cooperative federalism, adding the landmark legislation reflects the spirit of “one nation, one aspiration, one determination.” PM Modi also thanked all the Chief Ministers for coming on a single platform keeping aside their political and ideological differences. The Prime Minister asserts the vision that a ‘New India’ will be released through the combined effort and cooperation of all States and their Chief Ministers.

Dual Model India has a dual GST model in place. Taxes on the sale made within the state will attract State GST; and Central GST, where the taxes will be equally distributed among the state and centre. In the case of an interState transaction, GST will be administered by ‘Integrated GST’ and taxes will be kept by central government. IGST is designed to ensure seamless delivery of input tax credit among different states.

Proposed compensations GST is a consumption based tax wherein the taxes will be kept by the State where the goods or services are consumed and not the manufacturing State. Therefore manufacturing states like Gujarat, Tamil Nadu will lose a significant share of tax contributions with GST. While States like Goa, which is high on consumption, will hugely benefit from the new tax regime.

Experts have agreed that, in the long term, GST will be highly profitable than the current tax regime. Still, as a precautionary measure, the central government has made legal provision within the GST Law, wherein if any state incurs losses for the initial 5 years of implementation, then they will be compensated.

Compensation will come from the compensated cess which will be levied only on the tax above 28% slab of the GST, which includes the ‘sin items’ like tobacco products, luxury goods, aerated drinks etc. It is estimated that a corpus of `50,000 crore will be created due to the separation of the sin tax. If none of the States incur losses, then the same money will be equally distributed amongst the State and the Centre. Apart from the above slab, there will be four other tiers of slabs which are 5%, 12%, 18% and 28%. Necessary items like food grains will be exempted.

Other items will be adjusted to its nearest

percentage slab.

Relaxation for Small Businessman The government has started a Non Profit Organisation ‘Goods and Service Tax Network’ where uploading of the invoices will happen before the 10th of every month.

To create the framework for the businesses existing all over the nation, the government requires massive IT infrastructure. Since it’s an online platform, one can expect small businessmen to face difficulties in the initial stages or the regions where there’s no internet connectivity, to suffer.

Goa State government has assured to open up GST centers for those businesses not having access to internet. A registered taxpayer can put tax details on a CD and submit it to the centers that’ll be present across the state. GST Council,

in its current proposal, has exempted all the businesses having a turnover of less than 20 lakhs to be exempted from registering for the GST unless they want to avail benefits of input tax credit. Then they’ll have to register under the 20-50 lakhs bracket where a low tax rate of 1-2% will be applied on them. Additionally, the government has allowed certain small businesses to upload the tax on the overall turnover (turnover tax) than on the individual transactions.

GST session in Vidhan Sabha Goa Assembly has unanimously passed the Goods and Service Tax Bill in the special session called on May 9, 2017. The state government is set to be a net gainer amounting to `500 cr annually. A brief discussion was conducted on the passing of the bill in which legislators complimented the Bill and urged the state government

to take certain precautionary measures.

Sidharth Kunkolienkar, Panaji MLA while addressing the house on the special GST session highlighted several positives with the coming of the new indirect tax regime. “The Goods and Service Tax Bill will redefine how businesses work.

Goa will be hugely benefited since we are a consumption based state and we are not much into manufacturing.

Tax compliance would be very high and there will be lesser tax evasion,” Kunkolienkar said. He further added that, “Inter-State hurdles will lessen due to the One Nation One Tax bill.” Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar assured the House to hold special GST camps for businesses whose turnover is less than 2 crores.

While answering the query raised by Congress MLA Ravi Naik, Parrikar replied that Casino tax contribution will

be equally distributed between the State and the Centre. CM Parrikar further added, “We are consuming three times the national average and since we are a service oriented state, in the first year itself Goa will gain about 600-1000 crores.

We have already started receiving the benefits of the 14th Finance Commission.

The amount has tripled since the last time I had presented budget as Finance Minister in the previous tenure.”

Taking a jibe at the NDA government who had opposed the Bill in 2006, Congress State Chief Luizinho Faleiro said, “I support the economic reform the government of India has passed. However if this legislation was passed 10 years back when it was introduced by the Manmohan Singh government, it would have brought sweeping changes all over the country by now” www.businessgoa.in

may 2017 | Business Goa industry Dossier | 25

focus goa

Online petition sparks a debate for taxi reforms Legal battle awaits the online petition to mark the entry of App Based Taxi aggregator in the State

By ramrai naik

The online petition which asked for CM Parrikar’s intervention in welcoming the private app based taxi players has received tremendous response not just from the State, but even from whole of India and abroad. The petition has sparked the statewide debate on the business friendliness of the state government to app based aggregator.

The State government, however, has made little effort in communicating their clear viewpoint on the subject. As per their consistent silence, it can be derived that the government wouldn’t any sooner give into to the Taxi Lobby in Goa. App based cab aggregators have been successfully run businesses all over the world for its convenience and competitive prices. The service has taken a huge technological leap and continues to do so, when compared with existing services.

Global giant Uber has been a major player in the world and in the domestic markets.

Homegrown brand Ola has also shown tremendous potential with its user experience. Further, many other small timers have entered the app based cab business, but haven’t been able to catch up with Uber or Ola. Consumers however, have been the biggest beneficiaries when the new company enters the sector, with the amount of money that is pumped in to make the service lucrative in the initial stages.

Online Petition Similar has been the success of the online 26 | Business Goa industry Dossier | MAY 2017

The viral petition on Change. org is directed to Goa CM Manohar Parrikar and is few weeks old. It has almost reached its 7500 respondents threshold to be able to be presented before the court. The overwhelming response to such a petition from people of all walks of life highlights the deeprooted problem that exists in taxi industry in the state petition which has brought path breaking reforms all over the world. The petition which was filed by a Goan based in Canada, Mahesh Sardesai, who has been able to strike the right chord. The viral petition on Change.org is directed to Goa CM Manohar Parrikar and is a few weeks old.

It has almost reached its 7500 respondents threshold to be able to be presented before the court. The overwhelming response to such a petition from people of all walks of life highlights the deep-rooted problem that exists in taxi industry in state.

“Tourism is the backbone of Goa’s economy and tourists across the world and India are used to services like Ola or Uber, it’s time to allow them to operate in Goa. Besides, Goan taxi drivers never use the taxi meters required by law and charge exorbitant fares for their services,” Sardesai asserted in the online petition.

Canada based Techie Mahesh Sardesai further requested the elected

representatives to provide improved alternative which encourages innovation and competition instead of “broken taxi system and not to give in to the voice of Taxi drivers ‘looting’ tourists and Goans.”

“At least allow online taxi due to lack of proper public transport system,” he added.

Recent Past Back in 2014, Indian taxi aggregator Ola had marked its entry in Goa. However, with a 2-day strike from the local taxi operators, the government had to immediately halt its operations. Last year, around this time, the Taxi Union had led a statewide protest – demanding a ban on the illegal rent-a-car operators, stopping the shuttle service from airport along with few other demands.

Although the government did not comply with all the demands, they made sure the shuttle bus service was removed from airport due to mounting pressure.

According to taxi operators, the Government has failed in displaying fare charges at all tourist venues – which in return, end up giving a bad name for the taxi drivers. They believe that they charge the predefined rates. However, unavailability of fare charts at different locations makes the customer think the operators are charging inflated rates. Vinayak Nanoskar, General Secretary, North Goa Tourists Taxi Owners Association says, “If you tell us to put app system immediately, then it’s not possible for us. But if you give us some timeframe then we can definitely work on having such mechanism.” He further took a jibe against the state government saying,

“The Government cannot put simple fare charts at different locations and wants us to start app service.”

GTDC is contemplating on having their own App based Cab service. Meanwhile Women Driven Taxis which were introduced by the same corporation hasn’t proliferated or seen major technological improvement since it begun its operation. Nilesh Cabral, Chairman, Goa Tourism Development Corporation told a local daily, “We will develop our own app; and taxis can be booked through the app. We will not allow Ola and Uber, as we are not considering that. GTDC will have its own service.”

Restless Operators Anticipating the online petition reaching its threshold and before being presented to the court, Taxi operators had

recently met TCP Minister Vijai Sardesai seeking his support. The 100 plus member delegation was led

by Taxi union poster boy and Benaulim MLA Churchill Alemao. Sardesai asked the Taxi Operators to prepare justification in case of a writ petition. He also emphasised on adopting the technology to stay competent in the market.

Displaying Taxi Operator’s strength in the government Nanoskar stated, “The Government has assured that they won’t let the app based cabs to come to the state. We have full support from the Tourism Minister Manohar Azgaonkar, TCP Minister Vijai Sardesai, Deputy Speaker Michael Lobo, BJP MLA Alina Saldanha, NCP MLA Churchill Alemao and few others.

Amidst a brewing debate, Inacio Fernandes, an IT Professional based in Mumbai

who frequently travels to his native state comments, “Taxi fare at times is 75%-200% (sometimes even more) of the airfare/3AC train fare paid, also when compared to other cities for the same distance which is a sad reality of Goa. This is unfair for the customer and with no other option of public transport from the airport or railway station, one has to give in to the open fleecing by the taxis. The taxi-mafia needs to be belled soon, and app-based aggregators is the easy answer.

If not Ola-Uber, a home grown app based cab aggregator should be encouraged by the government. It’s a definite win-win for the customer and a driver.” It’s high time the government formally clears its stand on the issue as they are soon to come out with the Common Minimum Programme of the Coalition Government.

Tourism definitely needs a revival in the state and introducing global standard reforms is the need of the hour; more specifically the public transport, which has been the key highlight of the ruling party manifesto.

Effectiveness of the online petition is a grey area for now and will be seen as we move along. However it has generated a strong public opinion on the issue. Respondents to the petition are highly anticipating the future course of action by Manohar Parrikar. Even the Taxi operators have certain demands with the government.

Although politically difficult for any party to execute bigger decision as the taxi operators forms a huge vote bank in many constituencies. Perhaps the government should address the problem of cartelisation by bringing out a solution that is acceptable to all the parties

may 2017 | Business Goa industry Dossier | 27

starting young

Ashma Kamat

Customized styling and makeovers is her forte

Black, a colour so powerful that it never gets out of fashion, and the next word ‘palette’ is a stark contrast, bringing to mind an array of vibrant colours. That is the impact, the 22-year-old Ashma Kamat aimed to have with the unique name for her venture

Black Palette Studio

By meenal bale

The entire concept of the Black Palette Studio revolves around the exclusivity of being a hair, make-up and nail studio. Set-up at a prime location in Caranzalem, the inaugural of this unisex studio was held on the auspicious occasion of Gudi Padwa on 28th March 2017.

“I have always been fascinated by hair styles,” says the proprietor of Black Palette Studio, Ashma Kamat. “I have always wanted to visit a salon which was exclusive for hair cutting and styling. Be it fashion, beauty or grooming, the only thing that remains constant is ‘change’. I have aspired to create that lasting magic,” Ashma adds.

Ashma has completed her Bachelors in Commerce from the S. S. Dempo College of Commerce & Economics and initially aimed to get into a field surrounded by numbers. “It was while studying for my CA entrance test that I realized my interests and passion lie in an altogether different industry. As I stepped into college, I began my research on all the possibilities of career opportunities that I could explore,” she states.

The bug of entrepreneurship subconsciously crept in when her father Rajkumar Kamat, Executive Director of BNI-Goa and Managing Trustee of the Goa Entrepreneurs Mentoring Services (GEMS), persuaded Ashma to attend 28 | Business Goa industry Dossier | MAY 2017

the Passion Test conducted by Janet Bray Attwood. Following which Ashma’s determination strengthened. She enrolled herself in one of Mumbai’s top academies – Toni & Guy, (the franchise of a Londonbased renowned brand) and acquired an International Diploma in Hair Dressing.

This was followed by attending multiple workshops on professional make-up and styling by the Fat Moo Academy. She has also pursued a certification course with Bina Punjani in Goa that focussed on customization for bridal photo shoots.

Ashma believes that the short stint in Mumbai has played a major role in shaping her life as a professional. After she finished with her certifications, she came back to Goa and freelanced at the Relooking Beauty & Slimming Center for a while.

Over a period of time, she realized that it would be wiser to set up her venture in her hometown, where she would be more energized in experimenting with looks and make-overs. She has previously been a part of the make-up team at the Goa Konkani Film Festival (2016) and a couple of destination weddings as well.

“As I grew up, I always wished I could do something related to the grooming industry. I just wasn’t sure of where to begin. After the Passion Test, things started falling into place. I have received immense support from my father. Right from introducing me to the CMRY

Ashma Kamat

scheme for women entrepreneurs that has comparatively low-interest rates and added subsidies; to helping me look for a place. He sat with me for long brainstorming sessions, giving suggestions, recommending vendors, and helping me start my business. My family and friends too, have played a major role in the successful setting up of my venture; not to forget the ever supportive BNI Members,” she adds proudly.

The entire look and feel of the place has been pieced together with the help of multiple experts. The civil work has been executed by Naveen Karapurkar, the architecture and interiors by Rajesh Kenkre, the furnishings by Bhawarlal Suthar, graphics by Cruz D’Silva and lighting by Daud Electricals.

Being a new age entrepreneur, Ashma took to social media for marketing and promoting. With regular posts on Facebook and pictures on Instagram of satisfied customers with new looks, gauging the response by the number of prior booked appointments as well as walk-ins; the business seems to have taken off well. Besides, the traditional method of word-of-mouth publicity has helped too.

The Black Palette Studio now also has its own website.

The products used at the studio are of Wella and Tigi Bed Head, which lie in a premium range of consumer products and

provide excellent results. The prices of the services offered are reasonable. A team of five individuals, with prior work experience have now been personally trained by Ashma to assist her. The studio is open from 10 am to 10 pm, on all days except Tuesdays.

That makes it a perfect hub for those looking to achieve a customized look, be it for a mid-noon wedding, or a late evening party.

“The beauty industry today has been captured by few major dominant players and I personally felt that this should be the change, that I would like to be a trendsetter for. People should be able to gain the maximum benefits at a very standard rate. Quality will always remain our prime USP! Even the styling tools that we use at the studio, have directly been sourced from the

manufacturing company,” says Ashma.

Coming from a background that has been highly exposed to various genres of entrepreneurship, and having briefly interned at the Regional Office of Business Nirvana Inc. (the Goa arm of Business Network International), one would think that Ashma wouldn’t face obstacles while setting up her own business.

On a conclusive note, when asked what was her biggest challenge, she simply says “Convincing people around me that I was actually serious about setting up my own studio! I have always wanted to make a mark for myself. I love being independent and self-sustaining. Today, I have come a long way to achieve that level of acceptance for my profession and my aim will be to make it last”

may 2017 | Business Goa industry Dossier | 29

enterprise

iCHOS

The best of sound and video

Karl Teles has his state-of-the art experience centre in Vasco, ‘iCHOS’ (Greek: ēchos, “sound” that showcases brands that are world leaders in audio and video technology

iCHOS has become Goa’s destination to experience the best in audio technology

By ankitha joseph

An audiophile is a person who is enthusiastic about highfidelity sound reproduction.

When you focus on the sound and get the clarity and harmony that the musicians have laboured to perfection over weeks or months, you understand the passion of audiophiles.

A passion that was observed in Karl Teles since his childhood, took the shape of iCHOS three years ago.

From gearing up his own audio gear to helping his friends and family, Karl did it all till he realized that it was time to change what was just a fascination into a passionate occupation. “I am thankful to my dad who actually introduced me to ‘separates’ when everyone else used to boast about their ‘all-in-ones’ with 6 CD changers,” Karl recollects. A small step taken by his dad led to the enterprise at the forefront of quality lifestyle.

According to Karl, it was no cake walk. When the company started, one of the

main challenges that Karl had to face was to introduce Stereo and Home theatre setups which are all about clarity and soundstage, but it was difficult for the masses to understand the concept. “Everyone wanted to be louder than the next door neighbour. People would think higher price is directly proportional to how loud the setup would sound – which isn’t true.”

Karl and his team provide first-hand experience in understanding clarity and quality, hence giving the best on offer to all their clients.

30 | Business Goa industry Dossier | MAY 2017

iCHOS stands to be the only destination in Goa where one can experience Ultra highend audio and Lifestyle gear on demo. Without relying totally on online reviews and opinions, iCHOS helps the client understand what they need to hear and make appropriate decisions for their personal spaces, which fit their lifestyle – of course, with a little guidance from the team.

What stands out the most about iCHOS and its services is their dedication in delivering the best to their customers.

Budget is important, but equal

At iCHOS, we provide a solution which we think is best suited for the client, taking into consideration his requirement. Thus we deal with the entire gamut of brands unlike with other dealers where you are only given a select few choice of products Karl Teles

importance is given to the client’s requirements. Clients find satisfaction in the services offered by iCHOS for their customized solutions.

“During the first interaction with our clients we try and understand their basic requirements, genres of music they are fond of, brand affinity and not just the regular yardstick of clients’ budget which is important but, for iCHOS, it’s not the only factor.

To summarize, iCHOS stands for Bespoke Audio,” says Karl.

The remarkable services offered by the company is not just a vision by Karl Teles but also the most efficient team that iCHOS holds. A great team of an acoustician, an interior designer and an automation consultant makes iCHOS reach the heights that it has scaled today. iCHOS focuses on offering the best services to all its clients which includes designing houses to be future proofed for cabling and communications. iCHOS is into consultations on stereo and home theatre setups that includes proposal, sale, installation and calibration; multi-room audio automated and controlled through one’s phone and sound isolation for spaces with high decibel level like clubs and pubs that operate close to residential areas, so that they don’t remain to be a disturbance to the neighbourhood.

They also do automation for the entire house that includes lights, curtains, audio/ video, Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC), irrigation and security. Unlike others from the same field, iCHOS uses a hybrid system that encompasses both wired as well as wireless network.

“At iCHOS, we try and offer a solution which we think is best suited for the client, taking into consideration his

requirement. Thus we deal with the entire gamut of brands unlike with other dealers where you are only given a select few choice of products.”

One of the most updated technologies is discrete speakers for home theatres which can be found at the experience centre of iCHOS for the convenience of the architects and clients.

Some of the prestigious brands that have chosen iCHOS as their exclusive distributors are PMC, Manger Audio, Octave, AVM, Bel Canto, Joseph Audio, Transparent Cables, Rega, Kii Audio, Kuzma, Emotiva, Barco, Agath. For automation, they distribute Fibaro, Control4 and Rako lighting systems. All the weather outdoor systems available at the centre are by Sonance and Terra. Recliners and seating systems are made available by Little Nap and Moovia; the brands are known

iCHOS’s lavish experience centre offers a first hand demo of the best brands in audio

for their explicit levels of customization unlike other brands.

They also deal with handcrafted Belgian handmade switches, designer fireplaces, electro chromic glass, where the transparency can be controlled by automation. The brands at iCHOS are world leaders in their respective

fields, thus delivering high quality services to their clients.

With such exclusive high quality deliverance, it is of no surprise that iCHOS has a remarkable clientele base.

Their clients include numerous residential and private theatres in North and South Goa, Pune, Mumbai and Bengaluru.

One of the latest commercial

projects undertaken is the two miniplexes at 1930 Vasco by the NRB Group. iCHOS looks forward to reach out to its clients through a ‘vinyl club’ they have created.

The members of the club meet once in a month for a listening session. They are also soon planning to launch a high-end fidelity audio group and reach out to more music enthusiasts.

While the experience centre in Goa is doing extremely well, they also have great support coming from clients in Pune and Bengaluru. Soon iCHOS is planning to expand into those markets too. iCHOS assures to make available superior audio technology in Goa with their wide range of high quality products and services. Every budget, every space will find its best fit with iCHOS (Karl can be contacted on karl@ ichos.in) www.businessgoa.in

may 2017 | Business Goa industry Dossier | 31

interview

rupesh gauns

“Goa has steadily evolved to be one of the most consistent chapters for Yi in the country”

In conversation with Yi Goa Chapter’s newly elected Chairman Rupesh Gauns who talks about the milestones Yi has achieved and the future plans

As the newly elected Chairman of Yi Goa, what is your new goal, this year?

The core mission of Yi is ‘Thought Leadership, Youth Leadership and Nation Building.’ These are focus areas through which we will be guiding all activities to be undertaken in the coming year. If I were to identify one particular exceptional aspect, then it will be an initiative in ‘Thought Leadership’ for the Youth in form of a series of lectures or dialogues. An initiative like this will benefit the youth by stimulating them towards nation building and also help them to aspire, beyond resources, in pursuit of dreams.

What are some of the objectives that Yi plans to draw attention to for the year ahead?

Yi has identified certain focus areas where work has already begun in an organized manner. Some of these verticals, as we call them, are Entrepreneurship and Innovation – for creating a well balanced eco-system by bringing innovation and entrepreneurship at the center stage of both business and social growth, and to support the innovation promotion by identifying, discussing and evangelizing innovations in Yi’s key focus areas of education, healthcare, environment and the like.

The next is the Swachh Bharat initiative – to work with institutions and companies in the area of social responsibility, with an objective to create awareness, encourage cleanliness and effective waste management.

We also have an awareness campaign on organ donation and organ transplantation called ‘Gift an Organ’. The campaign seeks to make more people sign up for this noble cause. Through awareness, efforts have been made to clear any preconceived notion about organ donation and transplant, and to advocate policy changes to facilitate this cause.

Yi’s ‘Project Masoom’ was another public campaign that highlighted child safety through various programs aimed at creating awareness on child sexual abuse; amongst young children, parents and other stake holders.

Yi also had the ‘Horn Not OK Please (HNOP)’ program to draw attention to the problem of noise pollution in all forms and to suggest ways to combat noise pollution.

32 | Business Goa industry Dossier | MAY 2017

the country at large, working towards a movement for nation building.

Yi establishes YUVA in schools and colleges across the state, each of which is mentored by Yi members. Yi nurtures and supports the YUVA and helps bring students into mainstream, by giving them a platform to work on leadership and nation building initiatives.

Rupesh Gauns

The main aim of the project was to send a bold message to use vehicular horns only when necessary and thereby reduce noise pollution, especially in cities.

What are some of Yi’s recent successful initiatives, in various sectors of the state?

The most impactful initiative by far has been ‘Project Masoom’. Over the past 2 years, we have been able to sensitize over 25000 primary school students in Goa about the malaise of child sexual abuse.

We have had positive reviews about this program from all the schools where it was conducted and also from our partners in this project like Childline, Goa Institute of Management (GIM) and all the participating counselors.

Our other efforts in Career Counselling and Promoting Entrepreneurship and Innovation have been met with considerable success, too.

As the voice of Young Indians globally, what are some of the youth centric initiatives that Yi will be looking at this year?

With a vision to influence, inspire and motivate millions of students across the country who are the pillars of India’s progression for the years to come, Yi started its ‘YUVA’ Platform, through which it envisions connecting students to the community, the corporate CEOs and

How successful has Yi Goa been in providing a platform for young entrepreneurs?

Entrepreneurship and Innovation is one of the key focus areas for Yi. Most of the Yi members are business persons and professionals themselves, and hence they understand the nuances of entrepreneurship. Yi has conducted frequent seminars, panel discussions, lectures, workshops and other such events where learning and networking opportunities were provided through interaction with fellow businessmen, industry icons, senior bureaucrats, academicians and others.

For students interested in entrepreneurship, we have been organizing the Blue Ocean Dialogues (BOD) in the schools and colleges. The BOD is a workshop conducted to stimulate young minds to identify uncontested market spaces and come up with solutions to plug them profitably.

We are also in partnership with Centre for Innovation and Business Acceleration (CIBA). Through a series of boot camps planned for students across the major towns of Goa, we are to provide students and novice entrepreneurs with the necessary tools and framework for taking the first step in the business arena.

As one of the Founding members of Yi Goa, tell us about Yi’s progress since its establishment; has it been able to grow on par with other chapters in the country?

Goa has steadily evolved to be one of the most consistent chapters in the country.

All the past leaders at Yi Goa have ensured that the Chapter has grown in all aspects.

Membership, Nation Building Projects and Activities, Learning Programs and the Camaraderie in the group have all grown in leaps and bounds; and we wish to take it further by continuing to make a difference in our chosen areas of work.

What is Yi’s vision in Goa? Yi wants to be a platform for Young Goans to participate in and contribute by becoming an integral part of the Indian growth story. It will be our endeavour to work effectively with all stakeholders and contribute our bit in making Goa a progressive and ideal state through relevant, progressive and impactful projects in our chosen areas of work.

How successful has Yi Goa been in providing a platform for knowledge sharing, nationally and locally?

Nationally, Yi is one of the proud founders of the G20 Young Entrepreneurs’ Alliance, which is a collective of leading entrepreneurially-minded organizations representing the G20 countries who seek to promote youth entrepreneurship as a powerful driver of economic renewal,

job creation, innovation and social wellbeing.

Yi is also one of the founders of the Commonwealth Alliance of Young Entrepreneurs (CAYE- A) which is a network of young entrepreneurs from the Commonwealth Asia region and the organizations that support them. Yi has organized learning missions in many countries around the world to understand and learn from the best practices and diverse cultures. We have also worked with the Planning Commission of India to conduct consultation workshops across its chapters for accumulating a youth perspective to be included in the 12th Five Year Plan and with the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India; to facilitate missions of visiting delegations of young entrepreneurs to India from around the world. Yi Goa locally has organized ‘BRICS

India 2016: Advantage Goa’ at Ravindra Bhavan, Margao in October 2016, where experts in the field shared their views on how Goa can benefit from the 8th BRICS Summit which had taken place in Goa. Has Yi Goa had any collaborative projects with the Government to fulfill its objective for Nation Building?

Yi has been collaborating with the relevant government departments for many of its initiatives. We have had the support of the Education Department for most of the Nation Building initiatives that we took up at schools.

Our initiatives have been welcomed and supported from time to time by various government departments like Goa Tourism Development Corporation(GTDC), Economic Development Corporation Limited (EDC), Directorate of Industries, Goa

University, The Municipal Corporation / Councils and many more institutions of the government.

How would you rate the current government on providing opportunities for the young entrepreneurs?

It may be too early to thoroughly rate the current government.

However, with good leadership in place, we hope to see many more opportunities for young entrepreneurs.

Investments being drawn in in the areas like Defence, Electronic City, The New International Airport, Agro Business Zones etc. should augur well for the over business atmosphere in Goa. Also, we look forward, with much hope, to areas like e-governance and ease-ofdoing business to be given a boost As told to ALEXIA FERNANDES

www.businessgoa.in

may 2017 | Business Goa industry Dossier | 33

industry

Star Agro Products

Capitalising on the authentic Goan flavour Shradha Sawant considers providing employment opportunities to local women as her biggest achievement

Shradha Sawant

Authentic Goan food offerings by Star Agro Products

By ramrai naik

Shradha Sawant started her career in the teaching profession, and over a period of time she’s moved to an entirely different line of work. While the business that she’s heading currently is different from her profession, it’s not unknown to her family.

Star Agro Products is an expanded village industrial unit earlier owned by her mother Ratnamala Parab under the name of Star Products.

Within four years of its formation, Star Agro Products and its earlier entity Star Products have grown exponentially and spread throughout local markets in the state.

Shradha Sawant holds a diploma in Fashion Designing from the Government Polytechnic Panaji and a post graduate degree in Commerce.

She earlier worked as a lecturer in Business Studies at the Government College of Arts, Science & Commerce, Khandola. Sawant elaborates

how she got into the business, “I taught at the institution for more than ten years. On the other side, this business was being run by my mother.

There came a point in my life when my mother said it was time for me to handle the family business. Hence, I started managing it, as well as working part time as a lecturer.

However, managing all this eventually started getting difficult. Besides there was also a factor of age and health of my mother. Therefore I gave up my teaching job and took on the full responsibility of running this business.”

“My mother had started this business in 1987 as Star Products with just 2kg of production in a day. I was just seven year old back then, we were manually doing most of the work. There were around five employees working under her. Star Product was started by my mother while Star Agro Products is my brand. Products made under both units are same, only there’s change of name in the branding of the products. We have focussed as

34 | Business Goa industry Dossier | MAY 2017

There is huge difference between us and self-help groups.

There’s no leadership and proper vision there.

What we do here is to be under constant guidance of my mother.

Her teaching has been reflected in our line of products Shradha Sawant

an agro product company, so that in future we can diversify within the food industry and increase our line of products.

Although I don’t want to move to any other sector, further expansion within this industry is my vision for the company,” she adds.

Shradha initially had set up the Star Ago industry at their own house in 2013.

However, the workplace was inadequate for upscaling the production due to growing demand. She says, “We then moved to a bigger unit to a four shop spread structure based in Marcel. I applied for a loan under the EDC’s scheme of CM Rojgar Yojana. After getting the same, I installed a fully automatic machine and employed 5-6 women from

Marcel and Cumbharjua.”

At the existing unit Shradha says she’s faced good as well as bad experiences. The existing Star Agro Products unit is in the residential area and locals have had previously issued many complaints of pollution. However, Shradha has fought all the legal battles and got the temporary clearances for an industrial unit to be functional in this area. She has also secured stay orders from Directorate of Panchayat. For permanent solution from this hurdles, Star Agro Products have planned to shift the unit to their recently acquired plots in Kundaim IDC. Shradha asserts, “We have a sound monitoring device at the unit and the noise produced by our unit is much within the permissible limits of the industry. However, we don’t want these obstacles coming in between our regular functioning. We also don’t want to carry this business by causing an inconvenience to people.”

Star Agro Products’ bestselling products are Goan Xacuti masala, stuffed mango Pickle, and Papad. They get bulk orders for the Xacuti masala from 5 star hotels and other popular restaurants in Goa. Shradha continues, “Our biggest client is Bardez Bazaar from Mapusa. We supply for large orders on a forthrightly basis to them. We also supply a huge quantity to Bagayatdar Bazaar. In the initial stages, my father Ratnakar Parab made immense efforts to capture various local markets. Both my parents have made this product what it is today.” She adds, “For buffet orders, we have certain products which are a little different from our regular high quality products and are also conveniently priced. Our other extended product line is highly nutritious and is a Goan

specialty. Certain products which we sell now are difficult to find in the market. I have retained these authentic products and we continue to deliver such products as demand grows.”

Shradha Sawant occasionally participates in exhibitions which brings the biggest opportunity for them. “Our products have tremendously grown over the years and people now come searching for our stall. I see such events as an opportunity to connect with sellers across the country,” she says.

For Star Agro Products, vendors are the market researchers. “Most of the time we don’t have to carry out a market study as we believe our vendors give us a sense of what to focus on.” says her husband Dnyaneshwar Chudu Sawant.

Her husband who stays away on duty as Marine Engineer says, he appreciates her work. “Even though I’m not here, she’s running the show on her own capacity.

I provide the required technical and financial help. Our work philosophy has been to work and earn sincerely and never to cheat or compromise on the quality of our products. We want to make this brand popular all over the state.”

Shradha believes in experimenting with

new products with the help of her mother.

She is also focussing on creating products that require rigorous preservation, which is what time-pressed homemakers look for today. Almost all the products at Star Agro Products are handmade except for the papads. They have to rely on machines when it comes to making papads, as throughout the year there is a consistent demand for this product. Machines also help in maintaining the consistency within the product. Another item which requires attention is Stuffed Mango pickle. It takes a long process till it is ready to be sold. From collecting raw mango to the final stage of getting it packaged. And as they are seasonal products, Star Agro Products give it maximum focus while slowing down the production of other products.

Shradha elaborates on the product quality standards at Star, “We make it a point that we never use artificial

preservatives.

All our raw materials and products adhere to strict standards that are required Factory Unit in the food industry. Also all our employees are given strict dress code and provided with health card and a routine medical checkup.”

For Shradha, meeting targets on a day to basis for the company is what drives her at work. She says there is a picture in her mind of what needs to be done on the next day. And when she works with a positive approach, she is able to execute most of the tasks successfully. Providing local women with employment opportunities is what she considers her biggest achievement as an entrepreneur. Workers also get incentives during the festive seasons. Shradha says she is satisfied with her sales within the state; however, her goal for the near future is to export her products abroad. She says, “We get a lot of requests from our NRI friends. Authentic Goan flavour is our unique selling point and we want to capitalise on that, and take the footprint of our brand acrossthe globe”

may 2017 | Business Goa industry Dossier | 35

Goan Brand

Shukra Jewelers

A dazzling world

With a wide variety of choices in gold and diamond jewellery, Shukra Jewelers strives to reach out to the masses with their high quality deliverance

Damodar Raikar and Shilpa Raikar at their store, Shukra Jewelers in Ponda

By ankitha joseph

One of the most renowned jewelers in the cultural capital of Ponda is Shukra Jewelers.

The store has been functioning for over a decade now and is run by Damodar Raikar and his wife Shilpa.

Since 1996, Damodar had worked with his father and brother and ran the established Raikar and Sons, a name known to all in and around the town. It was in the year 2004, that he felt the need to open his own store and hence led on to begin with the second store of Raikar and Sons. Within a few years, he decided to create his own brand name and renamed the store Shukra Jewelers.

“Even though I had my own store, it was still functioning under the old name and it was something that I wasn’t completely convinced with.”

And the year 2007 saw the evolution of a new brand, Goa’s very own, ‘Shukra’. Among the many names that were shortlisted, Shukra, bright in Sanskrit, stood out the most for its simplicity.

Though Damodar had enough knowledge and

experience from his previous store, going ahead with his own brand was no cake walk.

As the saying goes, it’s all about the survival of the fittest. “It was all about surviving in the market as there were already a lot of established names in the market. And getting people to know of the existence of my brand was another challenge all together,” Damodar recollects.

The sudden inception of a new brand was difficult for many to grasp. People were used to hearing the name Raikar and Sons and associating it with an age-old trust worthy name among goldsmiths. A sudden change in the brand name was a risky business proposition. “I wanted to create a unique brand name of my own and have something different than the name that had been running for ages,” asserts Damodar.

Spread across a 70 sqmt area, Shukra jewelers makes available a variety of designs for all its customers. In most cases, the designs are shortlisted and chosen from Mumbai. The manufacturing of the final product is usually done in their own unit or in Mumbai.

36 | Business Goa industry Dossier | MAY 2017

Shukra jewelers makes available a variety of designs for all its customers. In most cases, the designs are shortlisted and chosen from Mumbai. The manufacturing of the final product is usually done in their own unit or in Mumbai.

The store also has a diamond section that showcases a variety of designs to choose from The store also has a diamond section that showcases a variety of designs to choose from. “We also deal with customized jewelry.

Anything that the customer demands for, we make it available,” Damodar says with pride. He further adds, “If anyone is hesitant to finish an order, no worries, we make

sure to get it done.” Other than the store, Shukra Jewelers also has its own manufacturing unit.

Today, Shukra Jewelers have achieved immense success and appreciation for their high quality deliverance and Damodar owes it all to his team. “I am blessed with a team that stands synonymous to perfection for me. They are the most co-operative team anyone could ever have,” Damodar expresses. With a total team of 12 efficient persons with 5 at the store and 7 at the manufacturing unit, Shukra is yet to achieve the heights that they aspire for.

Apart from his team, it’s also his family that has been by his side through thick and thin.

“My wife and sons have given me the much required support to achieve all that I have today.

My sister Sukanti has also played an important role in my success.” Besides them, it was his mother Late Shantabai Shabu Raikar who gave him the much needed encouragement to grow his business. While there were many playing the role of a support system for Damodar, there was one

Shilpa Raikar along with the team at Shukra Jewelers>

man who inspired him to go ahead and win the battle of entrepreneurship – Ramnath Lotlikar from Margao.

Damodar assures that his business works on the principles of quality deliverance and transparency.

According to Damodar, people put in a large amount of trust before buying from them and they are obliged to keep up to that trust.

Shukra Jewelers has also come forward with its own Shukra Yojana that helps people get closer to their dream of buying gold. “It’s a monthly scheme where every month the client can invest a certain amount of money, continuing the same for 12 months. The 13th month is taken care of by us and in the 14th month they can buy an item from the store of the total worth. We don’t pay back in any other form such as

Damodar assures that his business works on the principles of quality deliverance and transparency. According to Damodar, people put in a large amount of trust before buying from them and they are obliged to keep up to that trust

gold coins or cash.”

In Damodar’s opinion, Goa, with its comparatively smaller population, doesn’t have the similar craze for gold like many other parts of the country. “Here people like to remain simple and stick to simpler designs of jewelry. And that’s also what we focus on.”

Considering the growing number of jewelers across the State, Damodar hopes to reach out to the masses by soon expanding and setting up more stores across the State. Step by step, Damodar expects to reach out to the entire nation someday soon with his brand Shukra

may 2017 | Business Goa industry Dossier | 37

campus

Students of VMSIIHE embark on a culinary journey to Portugal

Students along with Prof. Irfan Mirza, Director, VMSIIHE and Martha Rebello, Academic Coordinator gearing up to embark on a month long culinary adventure to Portugal

Students of V. M. Salgaocar Institute of International Hospitality Education (VMSIIHE) are gearing up to embark on a monthlong culinary adventure to Portugal in the coming week.

10 outstanding students have been shortlisted by the institute to visit Portugal as a part of a knowledge exchange program. The initiative stems from a MOU signed recently by the institute with Turismo de Portugal in the presence of the Prime Minister of Portugal António Costa when he was in Goa on a state visit.

Professor Irfan Mirza, Director of V. M. Salgaocar

Institute of International Hospitality Education led the efforts in forging collaboration between the two nations.

The knowledge exchange programme between the two countries will see a collaborative effort in the fields of research, training, teachinglearning methods and other aspects over the next 2 years.

The exchange programme to Portugal is the first of many such initiatives.

Over the month long educational tour curated by Turismo de Portugal, the students accompanied by Martha Rebello, Academic Coordinator and Compliance

Officer, VMSIIHE, will go through a wholesome academic experience, which will include lectures, masterclasses by experts, wine appreciation sessions and visits to culinary institutes. The delegation from VMSIIHE will be hosted at the Escola do Turismo de Portugal located in the beautiful coastal town of Douro Lamego. The

BG CROSSWORD 89

team from VMSIIHE will also showcase Indian cuisine and culture while on their visit to Portugal.

As part of the exchange programme, VMSIIHE will be hosting a similar delegation of students and faculty members from Portugal at their campus in Raia during the academic year

QUIZZARETM

Kare College to provide free legal service Vidya Vikas Mandal’s G R Kare College of Law, Margao joined hands with the South Goa Collectorate to provide free legal service to the citizens, and create legal awareness on laws.

A memorandum was recently signed between Vidya Vikas Mandal’s G R Kare College of Law and the South Goa Collectorate in respect of setting up of a permanent citizens’ facilitation centre named Jana Suvidha Kendra at the South Goa Collectorate building. Principal of G R Kare College of Law Dr. Saba Da Silva and Collector of South Goa Swapnil Naik signed and exchanged the MoU documentation at the Matanhy Saldanha Complex, on behalf of the College and South Goa Collectorate respectively.

The event was also attended

by Advocate Pritam Morais, second Vice President of Vidya Vikas Mandal; Vishal C Kundaikar, Mamlatdar, Salcete; and Shruti Nadkarni, Assistant Professor of the college and nodal officer of the Kendra.

According to a press note, the law students shall provide free legal service through the Jana Suvidha Kendra and assist the citizens to avail various services like mutation of land records, issuance of residence certificate, solvency certificate, divergence certificate, caste certificate, dependency certificate, income certificate etc. Besides, the college in collaboration with the Collectorate will also organize legal awareness programmes for the benefit of the citizens

38 | Business Goa industry Dossier | MAY 2017

Across: 1. American MNC led by Francisco D’Souza (9) 6. Deadly African virus causing hemorrhagic fever (5) 7. Car brand from Skoda (5) 9. _____ Cequity – marketing analytics co (5) 11. Where you would go to see the Mona Lisa (6) 12 – Current currency of Turkey (4) 13. Popular singer from Goa (4) 15. Television Rating Point, in short (3) 16. Hotel search engine company (7) Down: 1. See 3D 2. British businessman Lalvani who founded Binatone (4) 3. (&1D) Co which merged with Vodafone India (4,8) 4. Ancient Greek gathering place or market (5) 5. _____-Siberian railway – world’s longest railway (5) 8. Pasta type involving a stuffing within dough (7) 9. St. ______ - island where Napolean Bonaparte died (6) 10. Popular Japanese manga series (6) 14. Emergency Response Training, in short (3) answers to crossword 88 Across 1.Mistry 5.Repo 6.Lloyd 7.Impala 8.EPA 9.ABS 11.Tech 13.Yukon 14. HUL 15.MYOB Down 1.Mallya 2.Stokes 3.Radiation 4.Gowardhan 5.Report 10.Bayou 12.EPFO

book shelf

A Walkthrough to Startup from Zero to One

In her new book Start Up Stand Up, Nandini Vaidyanathan provides “sutras” which could help you with step-by-step guide for growing your business. The dilemma for any entrepreneur when they startup is whether to build products for customers or finding customers for the product. Nandini highlights some of the key points to bringing the first valuable customer. How much ever you must have thought of the customer discovery, it all depends on the reality that you face when your product is out there and you start receiving consumer feedback. Not just this, but she also highlights who should be your ideal customer – someone from your network or a total stranger. In the later sections of the book, she also highlights how one can acquire customers more intelligently.

With the ‘Digital India’ theme going full-swing mode with investors pumping in

money, a lot of entrepreneurs focus on building business plans for investors rather than business plans for business.

That’s the difference that gets right treatment in the second sutra where she highlights on building innovative business model. Business Plan is entirely different from Business Model but they together influence greatly on the startup you grow.

In my business career, I have met several business owners and one of the most important criteria they speak about, which I second as well, is the group of motivators that keep faith in your inspiration.

Stay amongst the network of people, who have faith in you and your ideas. Not all find the right kind of people, so the cue always points at the tackling problems. Here’s where the role of mentors come in, to not only guide you in business triggers but also to keep you on your toes so that you shouldn’t lose focus.

Crowdfunding is one of the popular ways you can raise funds. A lot of organizations such as KickStarter, IndieGogo, and many others help entrepreneurs raise funds for their startup.

Nandini powerfully puts down her thoughts on how the approach of crowdfunding works. Honestly, it’s one of the very few books that have

Dr. Renji George’s Driven by Passion - Narratives of First Generation Entrepreneurs released

LtoR: Datta Damodar Naik, CEO of Kashinath Damodar Naik Group of Companies; A Anthony Joseph General Manager, MRF Goa Plant; Swapnil Naik, IAS, Collector & District Magistrate - South Goa; Dr. Renji George Amballoor, author of the book

Driven by PassionNarratives of First Generation Entrepreneurs is about the success stories of 24 first generation entrepreneurs from Goa including those from agriculture, drama, music, waste management, medical, IT, manufacturing, hospitality, etc.

Datta Damodar Naik, guest of honour, while speaking about the book at the release appreciated Dr. Renji George for documenting the journey of first time entrepreneurs from Goa. Their success stories should inspire and motivate the youth into business and entrepreneurship. Datta Naik, in fact, recommended that these stories should become a part of academic learning. All

the ingredients for a successful entrepreneur are contained in the stories of the book.

Anthony Joseph, the Chief Guest, in his address, spoke about the need to promote the risk-taking attitude among the students for a better tomorrow. The child should be encouraged to break the tradition and seek a career in unconventional areas.

He narrated an incident

crowdfunding covered which is cool to read, especially when the world witnesses plenty of crowdfunding projects going viral and being converted into designed milestone-goals.

A brand is defined by customer experience, but it’s the team that builds this experience. Building a high performance culture, implementing design thinking and its importance for entrepreneurship are some of the important aspects in the book. Some of the other topics covered include the art of negotiation, forming an advisory board and the science of networking. I loved the way Nandini has expressed her honest views based on the industry and her own experiences.

If you want to bring about change, what stands between you and the change is your approach.

The pessimist complains about the wind and the optimist expects it to change. Instead, be a leader and adjust the sails Prajyot Mainkar from the life of J N Tata when he approached the British Government to finance his steel plant. The British economic philosophy was that “the steel will not roll from India”. Tata took this negative approach of the British government as a challenge and soon set up his own steel plant. According to Joseph, youth should come forward to start businesses and entrepreneurship for creating more jobs.

The author, Dr. Renji George, while addressing the gathering, said that his maiden efforts at writing the book has gifted him a variety of rich experiences.

Through this book he dreams to empower at least one youth from every family in Goa into the start-up culture.

Roshun George, CEO of Rean Publications, the start-up publishing company welcomed the gathering.

Visit reanpublications.com or email at reanpublications@ gmail.com to place orders

may 2017 | Business Goa industry Dossier | 39

lady power

Dr. Celsa Pinto

Chronicler of Goa’s glorious history Unravelling Goa’s rich economic past, Dr. Celsa Pinto releases two titles celebrating the 175th anniversary of the capital City of Panjim By alexia fernandes

With over 30 years of experience in historical research, Dr. Celsa Pinto, one of Goa’s most prolific historian and researcher, has recently launched two more titles adding to a grand total of 7 publications. Dr. Pinto’s books have covered a wide spectrum of Goa’s history, including the Lisbon based commerce, and the Goa-Brazil trade affairs. Besides her elaborate work on these, she has also authored 25 research papers, all of which have been published in leading local, national and international journals.

Born in Karachi, Pakistan, Celsa and her family moved to India in the year 1965.

A traumatic change for a young teenager, Celsa struggled through her initial year to overcome the feeling of being uprooted from her place of birth and childhood, to move to a place she barely knew. She eventually did warm up to Goa, which has been her home for the last 50 years.

A keen learner, Celsa maintained an academic track record of first rank throughout her schooling. A Cambridge student up to class 8 at Karachi, Pakistan, she then moved to Goa to complete her secondary education at Lourdes Convent in Saligao. After graduating in B.A. at St. Xavier’s College in Mapusa, majoring in History and Psychology, she discovered her profound love for History and went on to acquire an M.A. in Entire History.

She was the title holder of first class first in the same in Goa. After clearing both her M.A. and B.Ed. examinations from the Bombay University, she went on to pursue her doctoral degree from Goa University under guidance by renowned historian and scholar Dr. Teotonio R. De Souza, then director of Xavier’s Centre of Historical Research. Having earned regard as a historian of repute, Celsa participates in conferences and seminars held nationally and internationally at Portugal, France and Brazil.

“My first book: Trade and Finance in Portuguese India, was well received.

It examines resurgence in commerce in Portuguese India in the late 18th and early 19th centuries which was mainly privately operated,” she says. Initially, she was reluctant to work on this particular theme for a Ph.D. thesis, but with support from her guide and mentor Dr. Teotonio R. De Souza, she was able to convert her initial aversion into an obsession.

40 | Business Goa industry Dossier | MAY 2017

Dr Celsa Pinto

Over the years, she worked on a number of publications which include: Goa – Images and Perceptions: Studies in Goan History (1996); I (2003); Economics of the Tobacco Monopolies in Goa, 1674– 1856 (2012); A Revolt of the Natives of Goa, 1787 (2013).

“My most recent works are both based on Panjim. These are not just special as original academic contributions to IndoPortuguese urban studies, but these also mark the 30 glorious years of my obsession with historical research and writing,” she says. The twin books not only unravel Panjim of the past but set the tone for its future, especially with the proposal of transforming Panjim into a smart city.

She conceived the idea for these projects around the 1990s, but her tedious journey through research allowed her to only begin penning down the books during 2010 and 2015. During all this time however, she took a brief break to work on two other publications – The Economics of the Tobacco Monopolies in Goa and A Revolt of the Natives of Goa, 1787.

Much of the population of presentday Panjim is unaware of the city’s colonial past. The two books – Anatomy of A Colonial Capital Panjim; and Colonial Panjim: Its Governance, Its People; delve into Panjim’s colonial past, as well as what brought up such a transformation to shape it into a capital city.

She explains how the idea behind such an intriguing theme came about. “I felt Panjim as an urban space had not been sufficiently and academically examined,”

she says. While some essays and works have touched upon the physical growth of the capital city of Panjim, Celsa Pinto explains that there is no study on the city administration, its demographics and the economy.

Apart from her celebrated achievements as a historian and a writer, Celsa Pinto has over 40 years of dedicated service in the field of education from working as a lecturer, to taking up higher responsibilities as the Director of Education at the Government of Goa. “I’ve been directly involved with the education sector as a teacher for almost 22 years. This includes my time as a lecturer at Parvatibai Chowgule College, Margao, where I taught for almost 16 years.”

She spent the next 18 years contributing extensively at the Directorate of Education, Goa, where she worked over a range of projects. “During my time at the Directorate of Education, I was able to work directly with the education system through a host of initiatives.” She also served as the Principal of DIET, the ‘District Institute for Education and Training’ which offers the D.Ed. program for teachers.

“I was a part of two important centrally funded initiatives in the state; the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyaan for elementary education and the Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyaan for secondary education.” Having spent almost six years as Director of Education, Celsa Pinto is the longest serving Director of Education and has initiated several academic and administrative reforms which testify as visible achievements today.

Her work did not just stop at structural changes within the program but extended to infrastructural introductions, too. “I was responsible for the construction of the New Education Department, and the SCERT buildings at Porvorim.” Through her efforts Goa enjoys the State Central Library at Panjim and the South District Library in Navelim.

Celebrating her literary achievements, Celsa Pinto owes gratitude to close friends and mentors supporting her passion. She recalls her journey and those who have helped. “I owe my obsession for research and writing to Dr. Teotonio R. De Souza.

Another person who has stood by me throughout my research journey of 30 years is Maria Lilia D’Souza, one of Goa’s finest librarians. The constant encouragement by friends – Bonfilio da Cruz, C. K. Mathew, Yvette Rego, Uttam Raut Dessai and others held me in my tracks. I owe tons of gratitude to all of them”

Professional dossier

RAHUL SHANKHWALKER

Around the world on a ‘design yatra’

With more than 15 years of experience working in several disciplines of design, Rahul Shankhwalker has a significant body of global built work around the world, all of which embody his passion for design

Water Villa Bedroom at the Grand Park Kodhipparu, Maldives

By alexia fernandes

After graduating from the Goa College of Architecture in 1998, Rahul Shankhwalker moved to Australia to pursue a postgraduate degree in urban design at The University of Melbourne, Australia. He graduated in 2000, when he began working with one of Australia’s renowned architects, Greg Burgess. A year later, Shankhwalker moved to Singapore to work with one of the world’s largest architectural firms, Nikken Sekkei. Over the next five years, his work spanned across various large scale projects ranging from airport infrastructure, to hotels, and residential developments. In 2005, he moved back to Australia and started his own design practice.

While his own firm was thriving, the leaders at Hirsch Bedner Associates (HBA) took notice of his work and recruited Shankhwalker to join their world-leading design team. HBA is the world’s leading hospitality interior design firms with 26 offices and 1,500 designers worldwide, where Shankhwalker is now a founding partner of Studio HBA, a subdivision of HBA. Studio HBA, specializes in cuttingedge design solutions for an expansive international client base. The firm’s portfolio spans the world with projects in Israel, India, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, Australia, Maldives and Sri Lanka.

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Reception at the Doubletree by Hilton, Goa

Grand Residence at the Grand Park Kodhipparu, Maldives

Studio HBA is based in Singapore and has a well-supported network of efficient offices based in more than 18 different cities across the globe, in key regions: USA, the Middle East, Europe, China, Southeast Asia, Australia, Japan, and India.

In India, Shankhwalker oversees teams in both Mumbai and in Delhi; in Singapore he managers 25 team members from 15 different nationalities – adding invaluable diversity to each project they produce.

Shankhwalker believes his success largely comes from working with people spanning the globe – they tend to have very strong and empowering personalities, which he finds invigorating. In a profession like design, he believes that people with such complex personalities tend to be the most passionate and committed – they contribute extensively to the firm’s creative capital. Shankhwalker works to channel these creative differences in a strategic way in order to make Studio HBA’s designs exceptional.

“I love design. I love the process of design because it always starts off as an intangible thought that takes shape in your mind,” said Shankhwalker. “Slowly and progressively, this abstract thought begins to take form, through one’s infinite imagination, into a building. To me, this whole process, in every step, of taking

an intangible thought and turning into a tangible form is phenomenally magical.”

After a decade with Studio HBA, Shankhwalker has built an outstanding portfolio of some the most ingeniously designed structures – his work has received accolades in national and international publications and global recognition.

Some of Shankhwalker’s most notable projects at Studio HBA include: The Ritz Carlton Phulay Bay in Phuket, Thailand; Conrad Hotel, Bangalore, India; Grand Park City Hall Hotel, Singapore; Trump Towers, Mumbai, India; Grand Park Resort, Kodhipparu, Maldives; Six Senses Spa, Mumbai, India; Radisson Blu Hotel, Faridabad, India.

In Goa, the firm is spearheading design throughout the state, with current projects that include: Four Seasons Tiracol, Double Tree Hilton, located at the Ribandar Plateau, in addition to a luxury residential development in Reis Magos.

Last year, Studio HBA completed a project in Myanmar, Sedona Hotel Yangon, which was widely acclaimed by media, guests and awards organisations alike. In fact, the hotel was named one of Asia’s best designed hotels – a significant milestone for the firm that speaks of its creative designs and ingenuity.

Most recently, the firm opened the

Grand Park Kodhipparu in the Maldives, which is set on a private island just 20 minutes from the capital city of Malé. It was an extremely exciting and innovative project to work on an entire island, a first for the firm. Given the remoteness of the island and its disconnection from the mainland, the designers had to build self-sustaining infrastructure. Whether it was a sewage recycling plant, water treatment plants or power generation units, they needed to find the most innovative way to engineer solutions in an ecologically sensitive manner.

What might have been one of the firm’s most challenging projects pushed the team to create something absolutely spectacular as a one-of-akind destination resort and unmatched guest experience.

Studio HBA incorporated local elements into the interiors of the resort, which were associated with a very specific

As architects, our approach is very similar to that of an artist filling a canvas with paint. We work in depth, layer by layer, beginning with the base as architecture, and adding dimension with the materials, textures, fabrics and art Rahul Shankhwalker function, yet elevated them to a higher aesthetic function by using them in new, creative ways. For example, the team incorporated locally crafted coconut coir baskets, which are a part of the local day-today, to style a space along the walls. The elegance of design, Shankhwalker believes, is its ability to transcend any object, no matter how ordinary, from its conventional usage to something tastefully artistic.

Despite being a very detailed project, it was executed in a remarkably short span of 10 months, this project

remains extremely close to Shankhwalker’s heart.

Given the vastness of the geographical locations the team works in, there is no end to inspire creativity. A good example is during their Medi Terre hotel project in

Netanya, the northern coast city in Israel. As the hotel was structured to stand on the edge of a cliff, overlooking the deep blue sea, designers drew inspiration from the ocean to create a sense of place. Abstract design elements like the soft ripple of waves, the colour and depth of the vast ocean, the sound of crashing waves are all found throughout the design to create a space that offers the same experiential dimension one would encounter living on water.

“As architects, we work in depth, layer by layer, beginning with the base as architecture, and adding dimension with art. And each element fits in with a purpose and has some story to tell. Life is full of challenges, but your outlook towards these challenges is what matters most. Challenges to me are building blocks to do something unconventional and deeply meaningful,” he concludes

MAY 2017 | Business Goa industry Dossier | 43

events

The sixth edition of Cashew Trail at Park Hyatt Goa

A spectacular culmination of the week-long celebrations that showcased cashew inspired food and beverage, and a delightful experience

Stomping of the cashew fruit

Park Hyatt Goa Resort and Spa successfully culminated the eight day Cashew Trail 2017 celebration over a delightful carnival brunch on April 23. In celebration of the 15 year anniversary of the hotel, the sixth edition of Cashew Trail was truly a magical amalgamation of multiple facets of Goa from art to culture, to excursions at the farm and feni appreciation, kids carnivals to spa afternoons, home chefs cookoffs to indulgent food and wine pairings and much more.

The Cashew Trail began with the Vintage Car Trail & Beachfront Brunch; bringing alive the farm to table experience, the group of Vintage cars owners covered the route from Madame Rosa Cashew Farm in Tivim to the hotel and officially inaugurated the sixth edition of Cashew Trail over a delectable brunch with their families at Palms.

In celebration of the fifteen years of the Park Hyatt Goa Resort and Spa, a thoughtfully curated art experience showcased 15 discerning artists and an array of art forms. The artists

Mac Vaz

Cedric Vaz (second from right) with cashew enthusiasts

included Verodina Desousa, Ramdas Gadekar, Viraj Naik, Mohan Naik, Suhas Shilker, Norman Tagore, Raj Bhandare, Rajendra Usapkar, Girish Gujar, Nirupa Naik, Katharina Poggendorf Kakar, Nandini Raikar, Swapnesh Vaigankar, Veenita Chendvankar and Aadhi Vishal.

Six vibrant home chefs showcased their family recipes perfected over generations and preserved with love at an interactive cooking challenge in collaboration with the Goan Culinary Club. All these wonderful recipes had a common ingredient – the

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cashew. Park Hyatt Masters of Food and Wine is an event held at the turn of every season, crafted for celebration and to pay tribute to native culture, ingredients and flavors.

Feni Appreciation Afternoon was master class conducted by none other than the feni sommelier Jeffrey Manuel who has been an iconic experience at the Cashew Trail. A group of discerning connoisseurs enjoyed the rare collection of the choicest variants of Feni specially presented for the launch of Cashew Trail by Madame Rosa.

Kushal Suri

The Cashew Trail Brunch was a spectacular culmination of the week-long celebrations that showcased thoughtfully curated cashew inspired food and beverage experiences, interactive entertainment, splendid cultural sights. In addition, this year there was also a mini flea market with only the most exquisite hand made products and artifacts.

Cashew Trail is an annual event that was conceptualized

by Park Hyatt Goa Resort and Spa in association with Madame Rosa Distillery in 2012. This event was curated to showcase the legacy of the fruit of Goa – the cashew in its many forms and manifestations to the global audience so as to create another rare and unique Park Hyatt experience. April is the ideal time for this unique celebration being the perfect harvest season for cashews, showcasing the fruit in its true glory.

Edition 2017 was hosted in collaboration with Goa Tourism Development Corporation, Carpe Diem Art Gallery, Madame Rosa Distillery and Goan Culinary Club

events

Celebrating creative excellence at Goafest 2017

A festival of knowledge, wisdom, entertainment, fun and a great networking opportunity, the Goafest 2017 celebrates excellence in the industry

Goafest 2017, India’s foremost advertising, media and marketing convention kick started its annual festival with a ceremonial popping of the Champagne bottle to herald a brand-new edition of the event.

The day one of the festival which saw an exciting conclave with industry stalwarts such as Upasana Taku of Mobikwik, Hemant Malik of ITC Limited and Acharya Balkrishna of Patanjali Ayurved taking the stage reached a crescendo with the announcement of Media & Publisher ABBYs later in the evening.

In its 12th edition this year, the festival received highest ever number of entries for the ABBY Awards this year from across media and advertising agencies in India with 94 entries alone making it to the

Ashish Bhasin, Nakul Chopra, Ramesh Narayan and Raj Nayak of AAAI

Media and Publisher ABBYs which were judged by 112 jurors from across India.

Speaking about the event, Nakul Chopra, President of Advertising Agencies Association of India said, “Twelve years ago, Goafest began as an event for people from the world of advertising to celebrate quality work.

Today, it gives me immense pleasure to see how this festival

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has grown into becoming one of the foremost events in the creative calendar.”

Raj Nayak - President, The Advertising Club said, “Goafest is the world’s largest industry event in the advertising industry. In the true sense, it is an event by Indians, for Indians and completely made in India.

This year, we had over 300 jurors from across the country coming together to judge the

entries for which awards will be presented over these three days of the event, with almost 112 of them judging tonight’s Media and Publishing ABBYs.” With industry specific conclaves to expert seminars and ABBYs presentations, the Goafest ABBYs 2017 presented by the ‘The Advertising Club and The AAA of India has once again seen the entire advertising and marketing community descend upon the silver sands of North Goa to celebrate excellence in creativity across media platforms and genres.

The Advertising Club also announced Marquee Awards, to recognize brands for their excellence in marketing.The debut edition of The Marquees is slated to premiere in August, 2017

biz bytes

Vendmix Goa unveils a whole new range of vending machines Vendmix Goa is a well-established vending machine brand which flaunts a broad range of Vending Systems to a variety of businesses and sectors. A co-brand of Tolani Infrastructures Pvt Ltd., Vendmix Goa is led by CEO Jeet Tolani.

Offering a range of systems from Combo Vending machine to Hot & Cold Beverage Vending machine, Vendmix guarantees the best for your brand and your business. Vendmix Goa provides its customers the option of Purchase or Rental of vending machine, and includes timely servicing and maintenance for all their machines, whether on purchase or rent.

In addition to the wide range of vending machines, Vendmix Goa can also provide a bespoke design service which is dedicated to creating an array of machines and systems to suit customer specific requirements.

Equipped with some of the finest technology features, the vending machines are secured with an anti-theft device, and a special sensor that guarantees product delivery. The machines have fully insulated

Jeet Tolani

foam cabinet and a double glazed viewing window with argon gas interspace.

The vending machines also come with adjustable shelf height with 15mm spacing.

For easy loading the snack shelves support

a 250 tilt and have single or dual spirals for different sized products. As a product, the machines are highly energy efficient and have LED lighting to enhance product presentation while reducing energy costs.

Vendmix Goa’s featured products include the ‘Snacks and Drinks Combo Vending Machine’ and the ‘Hot & Cold beverages Vending Machine’. Snacks and Drinks Combo Vending Machine contains 6 Trays refrigerated with R-134a, and has dual temperature zones for drinks and snacks. This makes for an ideal vending system at venues like canteens, public foyers, receptions, rest rooms, showrooms, waiting areas, workshops, hospitals etc.

The Hot & Cold beverages Vending Machine offers an option of 5 Kinds of Hot Drinks & 5 Kinds of Cold Drinks and operates with Instant Powder (Premix) for hot and cold beverages like coffee, tea, soup, ice tea, hot chocolate etc.

A vending machine is advantageous because it makes work easier to organize things, sell and earn profit round the clock without any manpower. Vendmix Goa has offices are located at Panjim and Vasco

Saltwater Associates sets up Global Prayaan Social Enterprise Foundation Investment Analytics Centre in Goa organises ‘Prayaan CSR conference’

Saltwater Associates, one of India’s fastest growing investment banking firms, has decided to set up its Global Investment Analytics Centre in Goa. Saltwater Associates had a spread team of analysts in Pune, Bangalore, Mumbai and Goa, which have now been integrated into its Global Analytics Head Quarters in Goa. Besides being owned by a Goan Chartered Accountant, Gautam Verlekar, the thrust of regional governments like Goa, Maharashtra, Andhra, Telangana, Gujarat, etc appears to be more attractive to such

strategy consulting groups to advise and lead their clients to regions and states which are fast decision makers and clean governments.

The Government of Goa which led in creating a focused and knowledge driven Investment Policy 2013 seem to have been a driver for Saltwater to set up shop in Goa. The Goa Investment Promotion Board being nodal agency has speeded up this process.

Promoted by Gautam Verlekar, Shaunak Naik and joined by individual discipline experts like Sidharth Rahalkar, Manguirish Kunde and Ameya Salatry, Saltwater Associates work at deeper levels of strategic consulting to curate new age businesses and jumpstart mid-size companies for global growth

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Prayaan - CSR Conference was held on 1st May 2017 at Hotel Vivanta by Taj. The theme of the conference was to facilitate a common platform to corporates seeking sustainable social projects and to the nonprofits seeking CSR funds.

Many corporate and non-profit professionals participated to deliberate and discuss various measures to be adopted to make ‘Corporate Social Responsibility’ an ‘inclusive concept’. Sudesh Gawde, Asst.

Director of Directorate of Social Welfare was the Chief Guest and Umesh Malhotra, Founder of Hippocampus, a Social Enterprise in Bangalore was the key note speaker. The Panellists were Dr. Nandita Desouza, Director SETHU; Kishore Shah, OD Consultant & Founder Sponsor Goa CSR

awards; Manish Gosalia from I-Create; CA Swatee Shere Rane and Aartee Aurora from Prayaan; Dr Peter Castelino, F o u n d e r COOJ; Akshata Arlonekar from S J Innovations; Urjita Damle, Company Secretary from Smart Link Network Systems Ltd.; and Peter Borges from Human Touch.

The topics discussed by the panellists were: “Investing in sustainable Social Projects”, “Finding Innovative Solutions to critical social problems, and “Changing CSR environment in India”. The participants in an interactive way were involved in understanding the challenges faced by the Non-Profit organisations in conducting the social projects with limited resources www.businessgoa.in

biz bytes

Ford enhances the Style & Fun-to-Drive Quotient with Figo and Aspire ‘Sports Edition’

Ford India introduces sharper and spirited ‘Sports Editions’ of hatchback Figo and compact sedan Aspire, further enhancing the fun-to-drive credentials of its two popular and extremely capable models.

True to Ford’s commitment to driving enthusiasts, the Figo and Aspire Sports Editions are

engineered to offer precise, agile and responsive steering, and stable, predictable handling.

The sporty, trendy update – featuring a tuned suspension, bigger and wider 15-inch alloy wheels – enhances the funto-drive character of the two popular Ford models. It adds to the Figo and Aspire Sports Editions’ sophisticated ride quality. A rear spoiler has been added to the Figo Sports Edition to improve aerodynamics for a more

refined performance.

Both the models are available with a choice of two powertrains -- 1.2l TiVCT petrol engine, and 1.5l TDCi diesel engine. The engines will be paired to a smooth, five-speed manual transmission.

The Sports Edition cars will also feature MyFord Dock, a first-in-class feature, offering drivers a unique solution for mounting and charging mobile phones, MP3 player, and satellite navigation systems, and for integrating

GMA hosts panel discussion on Goa Budget 2017

Goa Management Association (GMA) in collaboration with Business Goa – the state’s only business magazine of Goa and International Centre Goa, organized the ‘Budget Focus’ – a panel discussion on Goa Budget 2017 on Thursday – 6th April 2017 at the International Centre Goa. The Panel

members were Dr. Jagannath (Desh) Prabhudessai, President CREDAI Goa; Anil Kher, CEO of Micro Interconnexion Pvt Ltd; Dr. Jennifer Lewis e Kamat, Chairperson, Women’s Wing of GCCI; Gautam Verlekar, Chartered Accountant and Investment Banker; Rohan Bhandare,

Chartered Accountant; and Ashutosh Kharangate, CEO of Mangal Advisory Services.

Prof. Dr. M. S. Dayanand, Department of Management Studies, Goa University, moderated the Panel Discussion. The event was attended by around 80 participants

Jervis Pereira to spearhead GEMS Trust

young entrepreneur awards, it has forged its way forward as a leading centre for entrepreneurship in Goa. It is an organization of entrepreneurs, by entrepreneurs for entrepreneurs.

Keeping up with the changing trend of the Goan entrepreneurial landscape, GEMS will play a crucial role in channelling

entrepreneurial talent with available opportunities.

Students, youth, employees, senior citizens and NRIs are some of the

With an aim to develop entrepreneurs and nurture businesses, Goa Entrepreneurs Mentoring Services trust (GEMS) was formed in 2012. GEMS has since been at the forefront of guiding budding entrepreneurs.

Through awareness programs, workshops, training and its signature Goa Bizfest for

50 | Business Goa industry Dossier | MAY 2017

Jervis Pereira

these devices into the car’s entertainment system.

Both Ford Figo and Aspire Sports Edition boast of an aggressive, impressive look.

Sharp, fresh exterior changes include sporty grille, and smart, dynamic graphics on the sides and rear segments GEMS will focus on this year. Leveraging its organic network, it is in a position to connect various available resources like Govt.

Schemes to end users. GEMS goal is to help 1000 budding entrepreneurs start their enterprise by 2022.

With a clear mandate and an objective to make it now a Centre of Excellence for entrepreneurship, programs centring around local and national level collaborations, focused programs on skill development and new technologies that will benefit all types of businesses. This month, GEMS appointed Jervis Pereira to spearhead its activities across the state.

Pereira was the previous director of the Goa IT Innovation Centre and a GEMS trustee.

GEMS also inducted Manoj Patil, Harshvardhan Bhatkuly, Dr. Pramod Sawant, Andre Shackleton and Anirudh Walawakar as trustees

With a clear mandate to make GEMS a Centre of Excellence for entrepreneurship, programs centring around local and national level collaborations, focused programs on skill development and new technologies that will benefit all types of businesses.

This month, GEMS appointed Jervis Pereira to spearhead its activities across the state

The writer is an organisational development and talent analytics consultant. He is also the founder sponsor of Goa CSR Awards. He is the recipient of Limca Book of Records and Business Goa Award. He can be contacted at shahkishorem@gmail.com

people tree

Kishore M Shah

A game of glorious uncertainties, indeed Hosting a cricket tournament, and lessons in people management unearthed

Business is all about people; yet the value, importance and the empowerment given to HR is really not up to the mark, given the fact that they relentlessly contribute towards the top and bottom line of their organization, without any noise or voice.

Let me share some shocking facts the ratio of HR w.r.t the employee strength it is indeed appalling. Well, I cannot even call it ratio as most of the companies either have clubbed this function with finance or would have not more than 2 to 3 in the department to manage on an average employee strength of 500 plus! Most of the HR departments do not even have a decent budget which they can utilise without seeking approvals and to add to this if there are any cost cutting drives, then the first to get axed are either the HR or their initiatives.

Inspite of their resourceful contributions, we carry only a partial understanding about them and their contributions and that is predominantly related to wage, recruitments, training programs, arranging staff picnic and annual get togethers of the employees; but in reality their work is actually designing, building, holding the social fabric of the organization, so that it grows and develops and it needs a heart to feel their work.

The entire approach towards valuing HR seems to be based on “problematic frame work” means that their existence is related only to the problems and they are summoned mostly when there are 52 | Business Goa industry Dossier | MAY 2017

With automation and VUCA environment, the role of HR is really under the scanner... there are serious discussions about outsourcing this function, but I strongly feel that only those in HR who are engaged into routine functions will have a severe threat of survival People issues created by others, but to be solved by HR. Beyond this, there is also an assumption that they have no competency or capability about business and technology, and it is also a fact that low assertiveness from HR professionals have kept them insulated.

The roots of such behaviour may show some correlations, connecting dots back to management education, where very few opt for HR because of aspiration and inspiration – most of them join because they do not want Marketing and find Finance difficult – this approach gets carried forward when they join the industry and thus they prefer to stay away from main stream operations even though they have much richer insights!

We all want growth and development and there is no doubt about the fact that it is our top most priority; yet we still find that growth and development is evasive and this is because of few fundamental reasons: 1. HR departments are not given the empowerment and more specifically the financial ones for reasons unknown.

2. Cost Management gets upper hand over revenue generation which is a counter productive force for HR. 3. Revenue generation and productivity never integrate because the Operations Head hardly involves HR. 4. Growth and development is not internalised as “Everybody’s business” so HR is left high and dry.

There are also some “Asymmetric filters” such as the CEO and other Heads who are not even qualified in HR – who can take a final call on ‘people issues’ and also have a blanket licence to take over HR role which means those who have worked in operations, finance, sales – can come into HR with ease, but HR are rarely allowed to switch over to other functions or even considered for transition or promotion to be the CEO! To add to this pain, most of the companies in Goa have their Head Office either in other states or countries and with centralised HR, the local HR department is reduced to to take a mere ‘compliance’ role and execute the SOPs inspite of their competence and a deeper understanding of ground and local reality.

My biggest joy was when the AV Birla Group broke this myth by promoting Dr. Santrupt Misra who was then their Group HR head as the CEO – this was a paradigm shift which shattered the myth about HR, soon few other organizations followed this path and prospered.

A few days back I was approached for sponsoring a very unique concept “HR Cricket League” by Sudan Surlakar who heads the HR in Bosch; and as he shared the entire story of how the idea to concept to reality unfolded I was simply thrilled and deep down, I felt finally the HR has begun to make the right type of noise.

It is high time they needed a rejuvenation for themselves and also move away from the stereophonic annual HR conferences.

It was a sheer joy to see them playing on front foot and managing such an epic event inspite of constraints and limitations but it is said that God helps those who help themselves. Soon another veteran HR Anurag Kadam, with his expertise,

experience moved swiftly to shape up the event. Amey Hegde passionately used social media to integrate the HR community, he has been piping out e-newsletters and Chai pe charcha initiatives to keep the HR fraternity connected.

Then there was a game changer moment – Parag Velusker who heads HR at Manipal Hospital Goa, well know for his exceptional cricketing and organising talent, influenced his management to assure principal sponsorship.

Knowing Parag and his contagious enthusiasm, it barely took any time to ensure the timely support from the management of Manipal Hospital Goa, thus pushing this unique initiative to the next level. It just did not stop here – in order to foster participation of lady colleagues, rules were rewritten – winning team having female player would get one bonus point and it

worked out quite well. HR professionals like Susan and Kritika who were also part of playing teams, served as role model for others. Linfa who voluntarily took ownership of few critical areas, processes made the project fail-proof.

In real terms, these HR professionals belong to organizations who may be competing with each other in markets; but here, each one was working like one family.

Sudan, who is also well know for his articulation and forthright personality shares that “One of the key reason for the success of HR League is that cricket is supposed to be religion in India and we all love this sport. More so, we HR fraternity always talk about collaboration and this time we ourselves have shown a good example of collaboration”.

Much before the advent of cricket on television, IPL and T20s, somewhere in the 80s and 90s, Arlem Grounds,

Margao hosted the famous ‘Arlem Trophy’ which was a treat for cricket lovers to watch legends of Indian cricket like Dilip Vengsarkar, Ravi Shastri, Sunil Gavaskar, Sayyed Kirmani, Sandip Patil and many others; and the HR Cricket League gave each one the feeling that you are playing on the same ground which has been graced by cricketing legends – and this was indeed nostalgic for one and all.

The credit rightly goes to one and all who came forward with the idea; to those who built this idea, to those who transformed the idea into reality; to those who played; and to Manipal Hospitals who sponsored aptly living their motto “Life is On!” Doesn’t the business operate on similar terms, then why is HR forced to take a back seat? Why are HR departments malnourished by design? Why do these veteran HR professionals not have financial empowerments of

even 50% of their salary? Why they do not get their rightful independence to think, decide and act? Why nobody feels for them and the fact that they too have career aspirations?

With automation and VUCA environment, the role of HR is really under the scanner... there are serious discussions about outsourcing this function, but I strongly feel that only those in HR who are engaged into routine functions will have a severe threat of survival – on the contrary, the role of HR will be the most critical as this is the era where the organization will need HR to transform as coach, counsellor, facilitator!

The HR Cricket League in Goa is a testimony of this, it is a wake up call for all of us to give them their rightful share, make them partners and not just service providers in the organization’s growth and development www.businessgoa.in

may 2017 | Business Goa industry Dossier | 53

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

He can be contacted at pradeepsalgaonkar@gmail.com

beyond classroom

Dr Pradeep Salgaonkar

Customer handling: one size doesn’t fit all Every customer is different as they display different moods, behaviours and emotions. This demands a different approach to satisfy each category Often in my facilitation & training sessions on customer care & management, one of the exercises I conduct is to ask participants to list down different types of customers they come across. And I get a handful of names and definitions for same. Customer service executives tend to categorize customers based on their behaviour, shopping habits, emotions and moods displayed etc. There is no one standard categorization of different types of customers. In a single workshop with 20 participants, I get around 15-18 categories of customers. Some of the common categories given to customers are: Need based customers, Aggressive Customers, Grumbling Customers, Confused Customers, Difficult Customers, Stubborn Customers, Inquisitive Customers, Shop Lifters, Complaining Customer, Knowit-all Customer, Discount Customers, Loyal Customers, Delighted Customers, Impulsive Customers, Angry Customers, Wandering Customers, etc. And the Customer Service Executives are right in their understanding and definitions.

No two customers could be same as they display different moods, behaviours and emotions, and as such demand different actions to satisfy each category. For convenience, I would group customers into six broad types viz.: Need based customers, Discount customers, Loyal Customers, Impulsive customers, Wandering customers, and Angry customers.

Sam Walton, founder of Wal-Mart once said “There is only one boss. The Customer. And he can fire everybody in the company, simply by spending his money somewhere else.” As such, one has to understand that all the categories of customers are important for a business, the delighted and loyal customers being the best. Research has proved that loyal customers are the most beneficial customers to any business. On the flip side, the worst kind of customers, which no organization would like to have, are the trouble makers, and customers who are on look out to rip-off the organization 54 | Business Goa industry Dossier | MAY 2017

by untrue, unrealistic and unjustified complaints and demands. They create ruckus and scenes within the business area creating nuisance and inconvenience to other customers as well.

Different types of customers and how to handle them: Customer 1: Paul, the Need based customer: Paul is a middle aged man having a family of five, and is a government employee in grade B. He has a decent salary. He is on his routine shopping trip along with his wife.

They carry a list of items, the detailed list being prepared by his wife, a homemaker, with great interest and minor details. They enter a hypermarket. Throughout shopping, they stick to the list and nothing in addition to that. They are true planned shoppers.

They buy only the goods required, i.e. only need based shopping. Nothing is purchased on impulse. Such customers are not open for suggestions and for pushing new products to them. It is difficult to up-sell or cross sell or even sell a new product to them. Though these customers give good sales. it’s difficult to increase their size of basket easily. They need to be handled carefully. Leave them undisturbed. After one or two failed attempts to sell a different product or a new introduction to such customers, leave them on their own. Or else they might defect silently. In general, they are good and profitable customers. Provide them what they want. Ensure there are no stock outs and shortages.

Customer 2: Ageema, the impulsive customer: Ageema is a young executive in a private bank. She along with her friend enters a hypermarket. She has neither a list with her, nor any clue what she is going to buy. They go from counter to counter, with Ageema picking up whatever she likes at that moment. After about two and half hours shopping spree, she heads to the billing counter, with a cart full of items selected. She makes the payment and comes out carrying four bags full, mostly garments, fashion accessories, cosmetics etc. This is a case of an impulsive customer.

They are driven by impulse and stimulus and will buy those items which they like at that particular time. They are unplanned shoppers and are on the lookout for great variety and choice in merchandise. To get maximum sales from such customers, have a wide range and mix of merchandise, display wide array of goods, and project the new items most prominently. If handled properly, such customers could generate high percentage of sales. Give them options, give them choice, give them information and they will buy. They are good targets for up-selling and cross selling goods.

Customer 3: Denis, the Discount customer: Denis is in his late twenties, is employed and always on the lookout for discounts, freebies, schemes etc. whether it is in respect of online shopping or shopping in any mall or supermarket or purchasing petrol for his bike. He purchases only if there are discounts, else nothing can enthuse him to purchase anything. He is not the only one in this category; there are many customers who are on lookout for discounts. They will be frequent and repeat customers of a particular business, online or in brick and mortar, and will also spend a lot of time wandering around or window shopping, but will make a purchase only if there are discounts. Such customers are good; they will also spread a good word about the business, but will generate sales only in the event of discounts. They will shift loyalty easily and flock to businesses which offer discounts. To keep such customers attracted, businesses should work out discount schemes on a regular basis ensuring that profit margins are not affected. Though costly to retain, well balanced offers are worthwhile.

Customer 4: Rama, the loyalist: Most delighted and loyal customer, though having split loyalty to different stores for different requirements. He has a set of businesses fixed for his requirements and for years he has not switched a business.

He ensures that he buys from his chosen

stores, that category of items, even if these items are available elsewhere.

For example, for laundry, medicine or stationary requirement, he goes to those designated stores which he has been buying from, for several years. Within these few stores he is highly loyal. He speaks high about these stores, he recommends to others, and on an average his spending increases over time. Good customer, indeed, to have for life time. And the ‘Life Time Value’ of him will also be high, sending some cheers to the businesses. Such customers need to be given extra attention, give discounts time and again, run loyalty schemes etc.

Customer 5: Priya, the wandering customer: Priya is a young lady, married, employed in a private firm, and having a child of five

years. She believes shopping is one of her favourite activities in free time. Going to malls, supermarkets or hypermarkets or in local markets, or wandering on internet through various website trying to purchase something, many a times without knowing what she wants, is very common with her. She is a wandering and confused customer, not knowing what she wants and what she should buy. At times, she picks up a product, puts it in the shopping cart and after a turn comes back and puts the product back on the shelf. Such customers need a shopping buddy, not in true sense, but a buddy in form of Customer Service Executives, who could accompany and assist such customers choose goods.

They need information and encouragement to purchase.

They need affirmation that what they buy is worth the

deal, has value for money, and that they have made the right choice. Customer Service Executives must identify such customers, strike a rapport with them and assist them in their decision making.

Customer 6: Ashutosh, the angry customer: Ashutosh is in his early fifties, self employed, dynamic and aggressive. He believes in results and expects quick actions. He enters a hypermarket with a hot plate in his hand. From the body language it looks like he is really in a hurry and very angry. He heads straight to the customer care counter and there goes out the anger……. one could experience the emotional outburst from this customer. After about five minutes of shouting and venting of anger, Ashutosh leaves the hypermarket leaving behind the hot plate for

repairs, not before creating a scene and attracting attention of the many customers in the hypermarket. Businesses would be most happy without these customers; or it would be nice to lose these customers to the competition. But hold on, these too are customers and help you move your goods out from the shelf. Handling them is most challenging and needs to be done with a cool head and sound tactic.

One size does not fit all and similarly one strategy or Standard Operating procedures (SOPs) in customer handling does not work for all.

There has to be human touch and tact according to the moods of customers to ensure that goods move from the shelf and your turnover cycle time is reduced. Handle all customers differently, and tailor make solutions for better results www.businessgoa.in

may 2017 | Business Goa industry Dossier | 55

The writer mentors entrepreneurs and teaches entrepreneurship. She is the author of Entrepedia, the best-selling book on how to start your own business in India. She is also the Managing Editor of the monthly digital magazine for entrepreneurs, Chatterpillar nandini@carmaconnect.in

ANTARPRERNA

Nandini Vaidyanathan

The confounding business of wellness A look into the industry of nutrition and health raising confusion with its larger than life claims If there is one industry that is going laughing to the bank by peddling confusion, obfuscation and vague promises, it is this business of nutrition, weight loss, fitness and health. Each of these key words represent the Shangrila that each one of us seems to have set out to create for ourselves and there is no dearth of facilitators who are more than willing to take us to that promised land – nutritionists, fitness trainers, yoga gurus, Ayurveda spa owners, medical and nonmedical professionals from the medical aesthetics industry, alternative medicine practitioners and cardiologists. Whew, that’s an awfully big list of people who mess with your head!

Avon’s founder David McConnell famously said that Avon sells not beauty products but dreams. So does this industry, which has come to be branded as the Wellness Industry. Every representative of this wellness space is a master dreamweaver; or at least he (I should say she because I think this is one industry which employs significant number of women, but under our Constitution, he includes she and not the other way) postures to be one.

Let’s look at some live examples.

Your homeopath thunders that tomato is bad for health. An article you are reading in a reputed medical journal categorically states that tomato is rich in anti-oxidants and therefore good for your health. But the power of your homeopath’s conviction is such that you quickly quit the page and remove tomato from your shopping list!

Coconut, up until a year ago, was the bane of nutritionists. Grated coconut caused bad cholesterol to spike, coconut oil used as a cooking medium caused heart attack, coconut milk was way too rich in calories to be good for you. Dawns 2017 and suddenly you are told that virgin coconut oil is the healthiest cooking medium as it loves your heart; grated coconut does not spike your cholesterol as there is no such thing as bad cholesterol because don’t you know, cholesterol no longer is a marker for heart attack! How did the bad boy of nutrition get into the good books of 56 | Business Goa industry Dossier | MAY 2017

nutritionists and cardiologists?

Up until day before yesterday, I was told that one must exercise to live healthy.

I was also told that body weight is a balance between how much you expend by exercising, and your calorific intake. Day before, I learnt from a reputed medical journal that a study was conducted on a tribe which continues to hunt and forage for a living, which means they live physically taxing lives. The study concluded that notwithstanding their intense physical lifestyle, these tribal men consumed and burnt 2600 calories a day, their women, 1600 calories a day, same as their sedentary American counterparts. In other words, physical exercise had no role to play in weight management!

When I was growing up I hated okra (ladies finger as it is called in India). I think I hated the gooey mess it presented itself as, in the dish. My mother always promoted it as brain fodder. Eat it, she admonished, it will make your brain sharper. Which was not much of an incentive for someone who was a class topper anyways. And I told her so. She barely paused before she fired again. If you don’t eat okra, your brain will become like this cooked okra and you will become the class idiot, she thundered.

Now that was a prospect which scared the bejesus out of any 10-year old and so the okra on my plate was washed down.

About a month ago, I learned, much to my dismay, that whilst okra has a lot of things going for it, improving your brain performance is definitely not one of its KRAs. I have made my peace with it because over time it has become my second most favourite vegetable (after potato, now that’s a huge honour, don’t you think).

One of the things repeated ad nauseum by health experts is how nuts are good for you. I love all nuts but I particularly love ground nuts. Especially the masala ones we get in a typical Iyengar bakery in Bangalore.

Shelled, split, roasted and smeared with the goodness of turmeric, red chilly and curry leaves. For some reason it is branded as Congress (why Congress, I don’t know) kadalekai (Kannada for ground nuts).

Since it tastes awesome and is good food as stand alone or paired with beer, I wolfed it down by the buckets. And somehow I felt it behove a true blue Kannadiga like me.

Until last week, that is. Why is my cholesterol still border line high, I moaned to my cardiologist. I work out so much, I’m so disciplined in my eating. Including eating nuts, I said. His ears physically perked. What nuts do you eat, he asked.

Kadalekai, I said. Aah, he breathed and sat back. Don’t you know kadalekai is bad for cholesterol? That is why ground nut oil is no longer recommended as cooking medium. Stop immediately! I have since then and am waiting to see the difference it will make to my cholesterol when I do my blood check in three weeks from now.

Dark chocolate is another pet peeve of mine. I have read so many reports that say having a bite of dark chocolate or simply drinking cocoa in warm water after an intense workout does wonders for your metabolic rate. So my partner and I contributed not in any mean measure for the spike in sales of Cadbury Silk. Since I don’t have a sweet tooth, don’t even care for the taste of sugar on my tongue (I hate milk and sugar, have stuck to black coffee and green tea for years), I thought sugar intake in small measure via Silk was no deal breaker. Evidently it is and seems to have contributed its might to my stubbornly border-line high cholesterol values.

Wine is yet another culprit. First they said, all wine is good. So I took to white wine like the proverbial duck. Then I was told white wine is high in calories, red is low in calories and has other god-knowswhat medicinal properties. I tried, I really did, but like the proverbial water off the duck’s back, it has fallen off my shopping list as I hate its taste.

The latest fad seems to be green coffee beans, everyone and his aunt is raving about its weight-loss properties. I don’t know when it will fall off the wagon.

Don’t’ even get me started on exercise and fitness regimes. But now that I have, read my vent in the next column!

freewheeling

Hester Bergh-Appoyer

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.

3 valuable hacks on how to be great at cross-cultural collaboration

The writer shares her experiences on how questioning herself made it easy to fit into a new culture Greetings Goan readers! As promised and in true Schwarzenegger style I said “I’ll be back” and here I am with my other column about taking a walk in Vienna’s beautiful Stadtpark and getting the biggest cultural shock of my life...

Simon Sinek – optimist, life-enthusiast, author, speaker and believer in a bright future with our ability to build it together – is also described as “a visionary thinker with a rare intellect.” Simon Sinek teaches leaders and organizations to start with ‘why’. You should read what he’s got to say.

Shortly after arriving in Vienna in 2003, my personal “why” presented itself in the form of three painful bouts of shingles. Nothing I had experienced or previously been through from the time I started travelling as an unaccompanied minor (7 years young) – my father worked in Saudi Arabia – to my 6 year stint as a head of a department in an international educational institute in Kuala Lumpur with grad and post graduate students from all over South East Asia and North Africa, had prepared me for the first 6-18 months in my new culture, Austria.

It is here that I felt the shock of the renowned cultural shock and learnt about unexpected and unseen cultural differences. The shock manifested itself in the crappy condition mentioned above and it came with persistent nagging questions on how I got it, why I got it and what led to it.

It was Austria. Can you really be allergic to a country? It seems you can if you assume too much.

My transition from “bush girl” to “bumi putri” – Bumiputera or Bumiputra being the Malay word which comes from the Sanskrit word Bhumiputra meaning “son of the earth/soil” and putri meaning daughter or princess – was “easy” in the sense that my expectations of going to a very different and exotic “world” were met. I had gone through the laundry lists of dos and don’ts. I was ready. And, as anticipated, I was confronted and surprised with a bunch of things that challenged me 58 | Business Goa industry Dossier | MAY 2017

on a daily basis, but, I was relatively well equipped to deal and cope with them because I was waiting for them. I managed myself – and my new environment – with a naive curiosity and an attitude of “nothing can shock me” – which wasn’t always true but it helped. I also learnt that the contrast between neighbouring countries was far greater than countries further off. In the beginning I thought that Malaysians, Indonesians, Borneans, Thais, Chinese living in South East Asia, Burmese, Laos and Vietnamese would have a lot of things in common. I really don’t know why I thought that considering I come from a country that recognises English, Afrikaans and 11 African languages as the official “colours” of our unique rainbow nation. I must’ve been having a blonde moment.

Then came my move to Austria which was/is a totally different ball-game! Be warned! Indians are wild about Austria because it is so clean and pristine you can eat amongst the cows and daisies, way above the Alpine clouds – it is true that the hills are alive with the gentle jingle-jangle sound of cowbells! How lovely!

But, apart from the Austrian landscape and language, which at this stage was not music to my ears, I expected that everything else was going to be pretty much like home. It turns out my ignorant assumptions of “same same lah” were, quite simply, misguided. I had been led up the mountain path and I had forgotten the golden rule: never assume – it makes an ass out of u and me! So I got out my notebook and started making notes. The things that were triggering and tripping me up were: • in particular the word “muss” (must).

It sounded so very domineering. So very strict and rigid. You must do this and you musn’t do that. They – the Austrians – don’t mean to sound like that and when they speak German it sounds slightly better but heck, when they directly translate their sentences into English it becomes painful.

To say the least. *There is a “must” PS in the PS. • the sour vinegar-ed lettuce leaves,

potato salad and kraut that manifested itself in the diner’s taut lemon-lipped expressions. Despite all the delicious pastries, Sachertorte and Apfelstüdel. The mind boggles. And while we’re on the subject of dining out, it was, in my opinion, the non-smiling brusque and rude coffeehouse waiters as well as the “stammtisch” (only regulars sit here) rule.

• the 9.30am “mahlzeit” (enjoy your meal) greeting, the shrug-of-the-shoulder “eh gut” (I’m OK) response to a “how are you” and then the audacity not to inquire about my well-being, the “schau mal mal” (let’s w-a-i-t and s-e-e) indecisiveness, and “es ist mir wurst” (I don’t care) culture.

• the hostile, unspoken but apparent “go home foreigner” attitude in public departments and services.

• the narrow cobbled streets and the steep deep valleys with little outside contact that created the narrow-minded “what I don’t know, I don’t eat/tolerate/do” etc. valley mentality.

• the national sport of complaining. So much so that the State of Vienna launched and funded a “Nicht Raunzer Zone” (no grumbling zone) poster initiative with taxpayers money (that included me) at bus and tram stops.

• the discriminating and blanket stereotyping towards me as a white South African. People who had never visited my country were telling me who I was, how they perceived white South Africans.

Absolute unconscious assumptions – that word again – made my hair stand on end!

• finally, it was the overly polite and “nett” (be nice) culture.

My hills were not alive with the sound of music and it wasn’t very nice.

This is not a bash Austria column. On the contrary. This helped me to answer my whys. I am deeply grateful for the cultural contrasts that Austria served me on its imperial “kalte Platte” (cold meat and cheese platter). It propelled me into finding answers for questions which I hope will serve you too. It made me dive in and find out how the above mentioned

challenges could impact others and affect individual and collective behaviour in other countries. I discovered the value of space and how proximity impacts our interactions and expectations of letting others come, or, not get too close – something that might be of interest for Indians standing in a post office queue!

I learnt how cultures consider distance depending on the geographic elements of a country. In South Africa you can travel for over 100kms before hitting the next town. Not like that in AT, or in IN. I learnt about concepts of time and punctuality, which is a column all on its own. I learnt the difference between “away from” and “toward”, “low risk” vs. “high risk” as well as attitudes toward cheating. I saw what the over-reliance on social benefits does to personal and national psyche, why deadwood employees are still on payrolls and why a CV with one or two places of long-term employment is preferred over a more “colourful” (bunt) CV with various job functions and responsibilities. Yip. All the things you won’t really find on country specific do and don’t lists. #getmeinstead Austria forced me to reflect and examine my own intercultural ethnocentric “baggage” that I was schlepping around from country to country. Was it the leftovers of my “apartheid” (seperateness) time? I was obliged to unpack some outdated tried and tested ways of doing things and got the chance to try on new ideas, notions and beliefs. I got to focus on becoming a participator and contributor, a connector and collaborator. Austria also exposed a neat little gap-in-the-market niche opportunity– which I grabbed – and so led me to start my own business a year after I arrived. Not bad!

It was Austria that provided me with the stage to rehearse and prepare for work beyond its borders. Austria made

Simon Sinek – optimist, lifeenthusiast, author, speaker and believer in a bright future with our ability to build it together – is also described as “a visionary thinker with a rare inteallect.” Simon Sinek teaches leaders and organizations to start with ‘why’ it possible for me to impart, imprint and impact my ever expanding boundaries positively by up-skilling others in their cross-cultural (C-C) activities.

And this is why I now know Austria was all part of the big plan: the Greeks, apparently, engraved “know thyself ” on their ancient temples – an invitation to their people to question their motives and their actions – to go to their inner core.

They were pretty smart people so here’s an invitation for you to question your motives and actions when trying to collaborate with others. I’ve been there and I know that it will make you feel uneasy but while you’re easing yourself through the unease of acquiring new people skills you might discover you’re having a whole lot of “new” fun. The other thing I know is that you can only take others to their inner core – in other words inspire and motivate them – if you have taken the journey yourself.

Austria invited me to “know myself ” so I’m inviting you to do the same. I could only venture into the world of sharing cross-cultural hacks once I had done it myself. What stuck with me was: C-C hack #1: depending on how you “see” people – threats, nuisances or a means to an end – will determine how you talk to them. You can talk at, talk down or talk with them. You choose. But I know which one I prefer. #nopatronising C-C hack #2 people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care – so forget about getting

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abbreviations in front of your name. Quote from the Virgin man: “I try to treat people as human beings...if they know you care it brings out the best in them @Richard Branson.”

C-C hack #3 BS – you can only expect no BS from others when you stop talking bull yourself. In other words: know thyself.

Well. #knowledgeispower These three are still, and have been my consistent and constant source of joy and income.

Like Simon Sinek I am an optimist and believe in everyone’s ability to build a bright and more harmonious future together – considering we’re prepared to answer our whys and demonstrate the courage of our convictions.

PS (Post = after, Scriptum = written, Latin, i.o.w. what was written afterwards) here the extra bit on “must” and “have to”: German speakers use “muß” a lot. It’s almost as if they speak in the “higher order” passive form of “have to”. I give them some slack because not many English speakers know the difference between “must” and “have to” – so here they are: • “have to” is one on one – equal status but order or instruction comes from higher up. In India, one has to drive on the left. In Austria, one has to drive on the right. The respective authorities tell us what we have to do.

• “must” is one on one – unequal status and a direct order or instruction. You must have a driver’s license in order to know which side of the road to drive on and you must wear a helmet while on your bike!

Jokes aside. The impact of using too many “musts” in English are a real pain in the butt. German speakers should take special care when working with non German speaking colleagues. The best meant advice can really irk someone if it is presented with a “muß”

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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

letter from america

Jay Dehejia

Marketing wizard and the Indian consumer The brains behind the trusted establishment ‘Sam & Raj’, Subhash Kapadia shares his journey The year was 1973, and Richard Nixon had just begun his second term as President of the United States. The seventies saw a major recession around the world, but specifically in the OECD countries. For many reasons, the United States saw stagflation with high unemployment accompanied by high inflation. Causes included Nixon’s announcement of unilateral cancellation of the direct international convertibility of the United States dollar to gold, the oil embargo, and sudden massive need for steel by the newly industrialzed countries. The US stock market crashed, and unemployment peaked at around 10 per cent.

This was the time when a young man from Bombay (now Mumbai), Subhash Kapadia, was trying to get settled in his career as an engineer. He had worked for Syska and Hennesey Engineering as an HVAC design engineer since 1968. In 1973, Subhash was about to get all the benefits of a permanent employee when he and many of his colleagues were laid off, with not even the typical American severance pay of two weeks’ salary. Subhash made the decision that he was never going to work for someone else. Sitting in the verandah of the Willingon Club in Mumbai early this year, enjoying a cup of tea overlooking the beautifully manicured golf course, he said to me: “In a mere 30 days I would have been confirmed as a formal full-time employee. I fought with the management, but they were not willing to listen to anything I had to say. I was convinced that the only way ahead was to work for myself.” A successful entrepreneur was thus ‘born’.

Subhash and his Indian colleague who was also laid off, decided that various Indian government rules and regulations deprived people living in India of wellmade electronic and other household products. Indian tourists, and those on short-term assignment to America, were on the rise. The Immigration and Nationality Act Amendments of 1965 (the Hart-Celler Act) made it easier for Indians to visit the United States and also live and 60 | Business Goa industry Dossier | MAY 2017

Subhash Kapadia

work there.

Subhash and his friend Rajnikant Gandhi, both engineers, and both newly laid off employees decided to open a shop in Jackson Heights, Queens, New York.

Subhash articulated his vision to me. “I had a dream to build an Indian market that would be known not just in America but in India and the world.” In the seventies, there were few immigrants from South Asia. White Americans found it difficult to pronounce their often long and complex names. Subhash and Rajnikant decided to name their shop ‘SAM & RAJ’, easy to remember, simple to pronounce, and catchy, and it was soon to become a big hit. This was the very first shop to be started by Indians in that area, close to Idelwild International airport (now called JFK airport), and the rent was managable for young entrepreneurs. They decided to stock 220 volt household electronic products, Corning ware, melamine crockery sets, and other items that Indians living in India craved for, but could not get easily. They started by marketing ‘Sam & Raj’ and the products to Indians coming to New York by Air India. In addition, the Indian Consulate and the mission to the UN were excellent places to promote products that could be packaged and shipped as accompanied luggage back

‘home’. Even after paying minimal customs duties, ‘foreign-returned’ Indians became the go-to people, as they had the latest gadgets and fine looking kitchen and table ware. From a modest beginning, Sam & Raj became a shop that every Indian visited, even before enjoying the view of Manhattan from the ‘Top of the Rock’ or the Empire State building.

Subhash Kapadia soon realized that the available market could be multiplied by reaching Indians who could not come to New York. He and Rajnikant sent out mailers to people in cities and major towns across India – an achievement in itself, as computerized address labels were not the norm in the eighties. They started a mail order system, and soon Sam & Raj started shipping packages directly to people in India. The credit goes to Subhash Kapadia for making Sam & Raj an establishment that customers trusted.

Subhash received his engineering degree from Manipal Engineering College of Karnataka University, and followed that with a Masters from the Pratt Institute. He traveled to India as often as he could. “My elder brother should get most of the credit for my becoming an entrepreneur, from being a typical engineer in an electronics factory in America.” Kapadia’s brother would teach him how the family business in Mumbai was run, and would allow him to learn different aspects of the business.

As India liberalized in the early nineties and foreign items became easily available in India, Subash decided it was time to diversify his business. They jointly started “Sam & Raj Real Estate”, with Subhash taking a primary role in the orginal shop, and Rajnikant managing the real estate business. Sam & Raj’s consumer business in Jackson Heights closed in 2013.

Subhash decided that he should spend all his time helping the Indian community in the greater New York area integrate with local society and be totally accepted by the multinational population of New York.

Subash Kapadia has received several awards including from the Mayor of New York and from the Governor of New York

State for his service to the city and the State. He is a director on several Boards, having seen the growth of Indian establishments starting with his single shop in 1973 expand to over 400 flourishing establishments in 2017 – an achievement he is rightly proud of.

Unlike many other Indians who have settled in the US, some of whom have even reached high political status, Subhash has done, and continues to do even today, the important job of integrating Americans and Indians at both the individual and government to government level. He convinced Mayor Bloomberg to allow the Indian community to formally celebrate Diwali at South Sea Seaport, a full day event that has become one of New York’s major attraction in October each year. Indian Independence Day celebrations in New York formally started in 2000, and all credit should go to Subhash Kapadia.

I asked Subhash what it was like to be the only ‘colored’ person operating a business in the early 70s. His response: “If you treat people with respect, they will reciprocate in kind.” A simple Gandhian message for all of us to remember.

What does he recommend to young Indian entrepreneurs?

Once again, in the disarming way he has, he gave a short answer.

“Be passionate about the work you take on. Be honest with yourself and most importantly with your customers, bankers and the community in which you operate. You always need a little luck to help you when everything looks bleak.” His final comment: “The recession of the seventies changed my life for the better. I am not sure if the recession of 2008 that continues even today would have been good to me!”

Our hats off to Subhash Kapadia who loves India as much as he enjoys his adopted country – United States of America

may 2017 | Business Goa industry Dossier | 61

global business

NRB Pharma’s Zambia plant commissioned

A bold new step into Africa’s pharma space by Goa’s diversified business group with an investment of USD 12 million President of Zambia, Edgar Changwa Lungu inaugurates the NRB Pharma Zambia facility

Narayan Bandekar receives President of Zambia, Edgar Changwa Lungu along with Amit Bandekar and Nitin Bandekar

The manufacturing facility of NRB Group’s Pharma Plant at Lusaka, Zambia was commissioned on 26th April at the hands of HE Edgar Changwa Lungu, President of Republic of Zambia.

The NRB Pharmaceuticals Zambia Ltd’s ultra modern state-of-the-art facility with an installed capacity to manufacture 375 million tablets and capsules annually is set up with an investment of USD 12 million and is located at the Lusaka Multi Facility Economic Zone.

Currently only antimagnetic, antibiotics and anti TB tablets are being manufactured. The plant is first to apply for WHO certification which is expected to be done soon.

Once it gets WHO certification, it will also be manufacturing anti retroviral drugs for HIV/Aids. The facility has employed 50 people right now and will go up to another 60 when anti-retroviral drugs

manufacturing begins. The plant which will initially cater to the demand of the drugs within Zambia, is slated to expand its manufacturing base to cater to the huge demand in the sub-Saharan Africa.

Welcoming President Lungu, MD of NRB Group, Narayan Bandekar thanked him and other Government officials and authorities in Zambia for their co-operation and support extended to the NRB team. He said that the Group was quite satisfied with the facilities and infrastructure available at the Economic Zone and that NRB Group would assess more opportunities to

62 | Business Goa industry Dossier | MAY 2017

invest in Zambia and partner the Zambian Government in its efforts to bring development to its people.

President Lungu thanked the NRB Group for showing confidence and investing in Zambia. He said that the opening of the pharmaceutical plant was a significant milestone particularly, since local manufacturing of medicine would make a difference in the lives of not only Zambians but also neighbouring countries and the continent at large. He also called on other international investors to take advantage of Zambia’s geographic

position together with the peace and stability prevailing in the country to set up their businesses. He pointed out that Zambia is surrounded by eight countries, which are ready markets for the locally manufactured products and this is a rare opportunity for businesses especially those that will enjoy the incentives available in Zambia’s Economic Zones. Others who were present on this occasion included Sr. Chieftainess Nkomenshya Mukamambo II; Minister of Health Dr. Chitalu Chilufya; Minister of Commerce Trade and Industry Ms Margaret Mwanakatwe; High Commissioners and Ambassadors of other countries and officials of the NRB Group. This is the first overseas foray of the Goa based NRB Group whose flagship business is iron ore mining in Goa. They have now diversified into the hospitality sector, engineering, fitness / ayurveda centre, entertainment and retail

what’s up goa

Mango Moments at Cidade de Goa: The Return of the King

Cidade de Goa celebrates the mango season and organized its very own mango festival, ‘Mango Moments – the Return of the King’ from the 7th of May onwards for all the mango lovers out there. With over 80 species of mango including deliciously pulpy varieties, you can sink your teeth into as well as those particularly suited for jams and pickles.

Renowned for its large size, consistent quality and long shelf life, the Alphonso has become widely prized not just in India but throughout the world. However, for most discerning Goans, it is the succulent Mancurad which takes pride of place for its drooling juicy texture and exquisitely luscious taste.

Juiciest of all, though, is the salivating passion and sheer ecstasy one can experience as Cidade unleashes Mango Moments. Between 11 am and

11 pm, one can indulge in an exciting menu featuring the king of fruits at all of Cidade’s restaurants and bars, specially crafted for the mangourmet in you.

Try the sinfully rich mascarpone Mango Cheesecake or the ever popular Phirni with a twist of mango or the delightful Aamrakhand with a creamy blend of curd and fresh Alphonso mango.

With a mango twist given to not only Western but also Indian desserts, you’ll find so much to tempt your sweet tooth. And of course, there’s a variety of mango-licious coolers including Aam ka Panna, Mango Lassi, Mango Milkshake and even Mango Fruit Punch that everyone can enjoy.

Any way you slice it, Cidade’s Mango Moments is the crowning glory for the king

RATIONAL introduces new Self Cooking Center in XS size in Goa

64 | Business Goa industry Dossier | MAY 2017

Global Enterprises announces the launch of the new RATIONAL SelfCookingCenter XS size in Goa. The Self Cooking Center XS, offers full RATIONAL power and intelligence despite its minimal dimensions of only 55.5 cm deep, 65.5 cm wide and 56.7 cm high. In Goa, RATIONAL Self Cooking Center has partnered with Global Enterprises to tap the large Goan hospitality and industrial kitchen market.

Proprietors of Global Enterprises, Savio Cruz and Sheldon Cruz state that “Over the years Global Enterprises has managed to establish an amazing customer base of over 80 clients across Goa for Rational. Rational owners can also get the product serviced by our trained technicians in Goa itself.”

The SelfCookingCenter XS is available in the electric mode and all other units are available as electric or gas models

what’s up goa

Grand Hyatt celebrates ‘The Grand Mango Mania’

Grand Hyatt Goa has rolled out the red carpet to welcome the King of fruits in all its grandeur. With a special menu celebrating the much awaited fruit, get set to appease your every craving for mangoes this summer. The well-curated menu ensures everyone’s favourite, mango, shines as the star ingredient in summer coolers, salads, soups, appetizers, mains and desserts. Starting on May 1st 2017, The Grand Mango Mania will be a month long

celebration of the tropical world of mangoes. Stop by The Dining Room or The Verandah for food offerings and Capiz Bar or the Pool Bar and Grill for beverages and devour the delicious mango in all its glory at Grand Hyatt Goa. Choose to sip on refreshing mocktails like the Khatta Metha Aam, the Mango Panna, Mango Ginger mocktail, or the Mangpple which will leave you refreshed and relaxed. Add a bit of holiday spirits to your drink with the Mango Rita,

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or the Mango Ginni Tini. For whiskey drinkers, try a classic drink with a twist – the Mango Fashioned makes a great drink with its raw mango, Indian spice mix, bitters and orange zest.

The Verandah and The Dining Room at Grand Hyatt Goa draws in guests with an open grill and the ripest mangoes in their menu for the season. The king of fruits added to the soup, salads, appetizers and mains gives you a new flavour to add to your palate. If that’s not enough, end your meal on a sweet note with their deconstructed mango Pannacotta with charred mango or the chef ’s special Eton mess.

With so much and more on the menu, gold has set in at the Grand Hyatt Goa with the high summers bringing in The Grand Mango Mania for all to enjoy

13th edition of Grape Escapade Lifestyle Festival

India’s much loved Lifestyle Festival organized by Goa Tourism and Goa Tourism Development Corporation (GTDC), the ‘Grape Escapade 2017’ was inaugurated

by Minister for Tourism, Manohar Azgaonkar at the D. B. Bandodkar Ground, Campal, Panjim, Goa. The 13th edition of the Grape Escapade, a four day festival has gained steady prominence as one of India’s biggest lifestyle events. The event is a celebration of the finest of everything – food, fashion and entertainment.

The 4 day festival witnessed a host of professionals from the tourism and hospitality industry; hoteliers, restaurateurs, wineries and manufacturers to showcase their premium offerings

bon appetit

Mom’s Recipes

Homemade delights, everyday

If you love home food too much, here’s a place that stays special with its good ’ol authentic Goan fare

The Authentic Goan Thali

By ALEXIA FERNANDES

Located at the heart of the bustling Verna Industrial Estate is a little restaurant that draws people not just from the vicinity but from far and wide. Known for its hot home cooked meals, Amit Naik began with ‘Mom’s Recipes’ in 2007 as a small establishment serving just wholesome Thali for lunch. With time, this little restaurant soon drew crowds and expanded its kitchen and its menu to cover Goan, Indian, Chinese and Continental cuisine. With its flavours growing ever popular, Amit plans to build up on the restaurant’s catering outlet with a separate well equipped kitchen to handle largescale catering orders.

Besides its diner, the restaurant also has an efficient delivery system that covers a range of 5km within the Industrial Estate, but has crossed beyond when required. Mom’s Recipes also keeps its doors open those looking to grab a quick bite for breakfast in the morning and for a short teabreak in the evening with a small menu of omelets, sandwiches, Parathas and PavBhaji.

Getting a table here is a little difficult as it gets extremely crowded, but for great food people are willing to wait outside the restaurant for a spot. Most of the restaurant take-away deliveries are sorted between 11am and 12.30pm, which gives them sufficient time to divert attention to the hungry crowd pouring in at 1pm.

With remarkable efficiency, customers are served their meals in under 15mins, keeping in mind their short 30 min lunch 68 | Business Goa industry Dossier | MAY 2017

The Kalimiri Prawns, Chicken Tikka Biryani and Malvani Chicken

break.

A few dishes that top the menu here are the Chicken Tikka Biryani, the authentic spicy Goan Fish Curry, Chicken Cafreal, and of course the Thali. The restaurant is always experimenting with local flavours and favourites, to give their regular customers something new to look forward to at every meal. Known for their Chicken Cafreal, Mom’s Recipes also does a spin on this dish serving up a delicious Prawn Cafreal for seafood lovers. While the restaurant doesn’t offer any alcoholic beverages, don’t fret just yet. The refreshing spicy buttermilk they offer is a preferred choice here to accompany the good food.

For starters, we settled on some fresh seafood. Nothing says appetizer like fresh tender Pomfret fried in tangy spicy rechado masala. Knowing that their Thali is an ample serving, we decided to stick with a single starter but the menu has a selection of vegetarian and non-vegetarian appetizers. Their generous Special Thali is served with a variety of dishes like spicy fish curry, oyster Xacuti, Kismur, Tissrio sukka (shellfish), rawa fried fish (usually the fresh catch of the day), steamed rice, chapatti and a sweet dish. The varieties of special Thali offered are pure vegetarian, chicken and Jain.

Don’t forget to skim their daily “What’s Special” board for some of their best

Golden Fried Prawns

recommendations for main course. We tried the Prawn Kalimiri and the Chicken Malvani from the recommendations listed, which we found goes best with a portion of steamed basmati rice. The Prawn Kalimiri was definitely a very different flavour, which serves prawns in spicy thick gravy of coconut milk and curd, spiced with caramelized onion, mustard and curry leaves. The Indian Chicken Malvani is made from homemade fiery Khada masala which is a blend of whole spices like cinnamon, chilies, cardamom, cumin, curry leaves; with coconut base gravy.

From among the variety of Biryani preparations served at Mum’s Recipes, we decided to try out the Chicken Tikka Biryani, which is one of their most popular servings. Served with chunks of spicy Chicken Tikka, marinated and grilled on skewers, the Biryani certainly makes for one hearty meal. The restaurant claims to have replicated its best the flavours of North India and it certainly doesn’t fail in its attempt. Do give their elaborate North Indian special dishes a try if you’re in the mood for some Desi flavours.

So, whether you’re looking for some authentic local flavours, Indian or even continental, Mom’s Recipes has something for everyone on its menu and certainly offers the best of ‘Mom’s’ home cooked food

goa buzz

Awarding the best and brightest of business in Goa

On the 30th of April 2017, Goa witnessed one of its most prestigious award gatherings with the Business Goa Awards for Corporate Excellence 2017, held at the Goa Marriott Resort and Spa. Entrepreneurs, businessmen and prominent citizens of the state, all were present at the high-powered event presented by the NRB Group. The night got only bigger and better with the attendance of two of the best in their respective fields; Piyush Pandey, the advertising mastermind and Rajdeep Sardesai, the man who redefines journalism. Both the guests spoke of the enormous potential that Goa holds and that can reach Goa to the unimagined heights of success. Felicitating 26 awardees across four different categories, the night truly celebrated the business achievers of Goa. From individuals to organizations, all were honoured for their entrepreneurial excellence.

Adding to the substance of the night was the most charming stage backdrop executed by Sushant Tari and his team. Apart from watching the industry stars shine, also what stood out the significantly was the entertaining performance by the trio ‘Wentertainers’

Meghana and Manoj Caculo

Jayesh Salgaonkar

Datta Damodar Naik

Sushant Tari

Pravin Zantye

Dharmendra Sharma

Narayan Bandekar

Ricardo D’Souza

Dr. Sanjyot Nadkarni

Ralph de Sousa

Nandan Kudchadkar

Mahesh Pai

Surendra and Ruth Furtado

Pradnya and Abhit Naik Sudin Naik

Victor and Sylvia Albuquerque

Prashant Kumar

Atrey Sawant

V B Prabhu Verlekar

Sahil Adwalpalkar

Suraj Morajkar

Dr. Radhika Nayak

Madhavi Bandekar Shetye

Urvija & Harshvardhan Bhatkuly with Piyush Pandey Sandip Bhandare

Sangeeta Shetye

Dr. Pramod Salgaocar

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Kirit Maganlal

Vivek Mendonsa

Rajiv Nevgi

Shamik Caculo

Dinar Bhatkar

Rajesh Dempo

Bhakti Dempo

Shekhar Sardessai

Sonia Suctancar

Siddharth Zantye

Milind Prabhu

Lata Bhatkuly

Shubhra Shankhwalker

Raya Shankhwalker

Rajdeep Sardesai

Sheetal & Anand Palan

Vikram Verlekar

Angelo Nunes

Shweta Verlekar

Sapna & Satish Shinde

Hanish Timblo

Rahul Shankhwalker

Ricardo D’Lima

Neha Khaunte

Nitin Desai

Rajkumar Kamat

Vaishali Joshi

Amit and Madhura Bandekar

Ashton Lemos Godinho Lara Menezes Godinho

Agnelo Cardozo

Anthony Lobo

Pallavi Salgaocar

Naval Naik

Dr. Sangam Kurade

xxxxx

xxxxx

Raghuveer Vernekar

Vishnu Tarcar

Raghu Shetiye

xxxxx

xxxxx

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goa buzz

Sanjay Sardesai

Gaurish Dhond

Pratima Dhond

Cedric Gonsalves

Tomas Menezes

Lilia Menezes

Rajesh Colvalcar

Nilesh Lawande

Pallavi Lawande

Rajesh Kakodkar

Sonal Kakodkar

Ajay Sardesai

Manoj Patil

Tejashri Pai

Sylvester Rodrigues

Rohit Zantye

xxxxx

Mahesh and Rashmi Angle

Ramesh Tiwari

Atul Jadhav, Savio Messais and Sandeep Sood Sandra Sousa Menon

Milind Shankhwalkar

Vaibhavi and Vitthal Chopdekar

Nath and Kalyani Laud

George Menon

Nitin Kenkre

Yatish Dempo

Karishma and Anup Kudchadkar

Raunaq Rao

Akshaya Dempo

Kumar Pillai

Ryan Costa Arman Bankley

Doura Almeida Coutinho

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Krishnakant Kamat

Shanta Kamat

K K Sekhar

Dr Muriel Sequeira

goa buzz

Peter Pinto

Atul Naik

Sharad Sardessai

Sonali Jain

Rashmi Patil

Megha Pai

K Sudheendra

Tejashree Colvalcar

Rajesh Sheth

Medha Pai

Preeti Sheth

Vilda Timblo

Jennifer and Bharat Kamat

Neha Kamat

Girish and Sapna Sardessai

Rajesh Timblo

Sheetal and Sunil Pai Kane

Yogish Dempo

Yogiraj Kamat

Rasik Naik

Bindiya Dempo

Sairaj Dhond

Kabir Pinto Makhija

Soraya Pinto Makhija

Sajal Dhond

Vinesh Pikale

Priyanka Dempo Pikale

Prasad Bhandare

Sachin Naik

Mahesh Patil

Smita Patil

Dr Sandeep Kenkre

Shalini Xavier

Kishore Shah

Dr Hemangini Shah

Naguesh Rao Sardessai

Sanil Shirwaikar

Saroj Shirwaikar

Tulasidas Pai

Nurallah Veljee

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goa buzz

Siddhesh Kharangate

Cheryl Afonso e D’Souza

Swapnil Kamat

Mahesh Prabhu

Morzenia Almeida Coutinho

Sadhvi and Mangesh Bharne

Dr Vinayak Deshpande Dr Archana Deshpande

Sonali Verenkar

Manguirish and Varsha Pai Raikar

Dr M S Dayanand

Kalash Chimulkar

Saloni Shirwaikar

Purnanand Chari

Rupa Chari

Maya Shirwaikar

Dr Shekhar Shirwaikar

Neha Madan

Sheetal Kadam

Renji George

Rehman Naroo

Charudutt Rane

Swatee Shere Rane

Chetan Malkarnekar

Jeetendra Malkarnekar

Sajini and Allwyn D’Costa

Sachin Mendonsa

Marlene Menezes

Carlos Menezes

Keith and Renita Alvares

Noel Fernandes

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Sandeep Verenkar

Dhruv Madan

Shabari and Mahesh Prabhu

Ajay Gramopadhye

Viraj Dhond

Irina Siminova and Varun Carvalho

goa buzz

Nidhi and Rajesh Kenkre

Raja Melvani

Lisa Menezes

Amit and Rasika Palekar

Priyanka Row

Mac Vaz

Namrata Anand

Gurudas Kamat

Anita Kamat

Anant Prabhu

Santosh Tari

Uma Salelkar

Khairoo Andani Khavtay

Sanjeev Desai

Ehrwin Fernandes

Varsha Bhandare

Rohan Bhandare

Shruti Bhandare

Shreemi Panandikar

Raghudath Panandikar

Virangini Kamat

Balkrishna Kamat

Uday Salelkar

Ramakant Kamat

Emma Kamat

Archana Pai Bir

Pallavi Arondekar

Deepti Swar

Updesh Swar

Anju Sakhardande

Kedar Mapxencar

Dr Rohan Fonseca

Dr Indira Fonseca

Zhenya Marench

Fiola Rego

Arnaldo Rego

Satyen Keny

A K Banerjee

Sujeet Shetty

Noeline Mendonsa

Vikant Sahai

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goa buzz

Wentertainers enthralled the audience with their skill and tricks.

Here they have Rajdeep Sardesai under their spell.

Vincent D’Silva

Rafi Sait

Roshun George

Aliston Dias

Ashish Prabhu Ajgaonkar

Shammi Sayyed

Nitin Kamat

Srivallabh Sardessai

Ashish Kamble

Ritu Kamble

Nivedita Prabhu

Francis Leo Vaz

Shital Mainkar

Sanskriti Naik

Sarita Chavan

Meena Jain

Farzana Khan

Parvish Andani Kamat

Asha Arondekar

Meenal Bale

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TEAM BUSINESS GOA (from left) Govit Morajkar, Sandra Dias, Annalise Gouveia, Ramrai Naik, Ankitha Joseph and Alexia Fernandes

newsmakers Sahakari panel wins Goa Dairy polls

Dr. V S N Murty is NIO’s new Director

Goa Dairy Utkarsh Panel headed by Madhav Sahakari has won the elections held to elect the new Board of Directors (BoD) of Goa Dairy with Sahakari as Chairman.

Eleven members from the Goa Dairy Utkarsh Panel and Aselmo Furtado from the opposition have been elected to the Board. Eleven members of the Utkarsh Panel lead by Madhav Sahakari include Baburao Fotto Dessai, Gurudas Parab, Vothiba Dessai, Rajesh Phaldesai, Ajay Dessai, Dhananjay Dessai, Babu Komarpant, Vijayjumar Patil, Naresh Malik, and Rajendra Sawal. From a total of 1,902 votes, the Utkarsh panel polled 1,146 votes.

Madhav Sahakari said that the new panel will focus on taking Goa Dairy’s local milk production up to 1 lakh liters per day within the next two years

Scientist Dr. V N S Murty has taken charge as acting Director of the National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) after Chief Scientist S Prasanna Kumar retired on April 29. Murty joined NIO in April 1980 as a Junior Scientific Assistant and as a scientist in July 1982, and has been involved with research in the field of physical oceanography, specializing in large scale ocean processes, circulation and air-sea interaction. Dr. Murty has been a visiting Research Scientist at the University of Hawaii, Honolulu, USA, in 2001.

Dr. Murty has been involved in a number of research projects which include Upper Ocean Variability in the Equatorial Indian Ocean, Seasonal Variability of Measured Currents in the Indian Ocean Basin, and Interannual variability of Measured Currents in the Equatorial Indian Ocean

Menino D’Souza takes charge as Director of Tourism

Menino D’Souza took charge as Director at the Department of Tourism, Government of Goa, replacing Sanjeev C. Gauns Dessai.

D’Souza who is also the Goa Excise Commissioner will hold additional charge of the post as Director of Tourism following the appointment of Sanjeev Gauns Dessai as Director of Vigilance.

On taking charge, D’Souza said it will be his endeavour to ensure that all policies and decisions pertaining to Goa Tourism are executed in the right perspective and all functioning of tourism and trade activities streamlined and regulated. He also expressed his eagerness to push forward to new assignments and will be committed in making Goa a top tourism destination. Menino D’Souza is an officer of the Goa Civil Service Cadre and has been the Goa Excise Commissioner since 2012

Ameya Audi wins All India Open Fide Rated Chess Tournament

Geno Pharmaceuticals Brand Ambassador, Ameya Audi brought laurels to the state of Goa by winning the 12th Candor All India Open Fide Rated Chess Tournament 2017, held at Bangalore from April 14 to 18.

With a history of championship titles, Ameya has also won the under 15 Gold, at his very first International Tournament at Sri Lanka. He is also the State under 15 and under 19 Champion (2014), under 25 Champion (2015). Ameya made a hat trick by winning back to back 3 state titles in the year 2016. Ameya has a great passion for chess, and started with a rating of 1692 at the age of 11. The young lad balances between his Academics and Chess. Ameya is also a CBSE X topper from VidyaVikas School, with an astounding 10/10 CGPA

Rameshwar Bhagat wins National Film Award for ‘Best Editing’

Rameshwar Bhagat, editor of scores of hit Hindi films has bagged the 2017 national award in the editing category for the Marathi film Ventilator at the 64th National Film Awards at Rashtrapati Bhavan in Delhi. Rameshwar Bhagat was felicitated by President Pranab Mukherjee.

His first individual credit as a film editor was Yashraj Films Dhoom which was a runaway success at the box office recognizing his talent as an editor, winning three awards – Filmfare, Screen and GIFA for best editing. Bhagat has featured prominently in the credits in such blockbusters as Dhoom, Dhoom 2, New York, Unnaipol Oruvan (Tamil), Ek tha Tiger, Kick, Bajrangi Bhaijan, Sultan, and many more.

The first draft of Ventilator had a different ending. After discussions with the director, Rameshwar had to rework the ending while the shoot was still going on and came up with a new ending which turned out even better. The National Film Award for ‘Best Editing’ is one of the National Film Awards presented annually by the Directorate of Film Festivals

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95 1. Who took over as Chairman of Tata Sons after the demise of Novroji Saklatwala in 1938?

2. ‘Life is our life’s work’ is the advertising punchline of which pharma giant?

3. Which international business consultants firm popularized the terms ‘Learning Curve’ and ‘Cash Cows’?

4. What is the Waterbury Clock company known as today?

5. Which economist was a key adviser to US President John F Kennedy and served as Ambassador to India?

6. Which famous chocolate brand is shaped like Mount Matterhorn of Switzerland?

7. Which movie by Pixar became the first computer-animated film to win an Oscar in 1988?

8. This duo topped the Sunday Times Rich List 2017 in Britain recently. Identify.

Answers to BG Quiz 94: 1. Kiran Karnik 2. El Salvador 3. BS III impact 4. AIDS research 5. Kumar Mangalam Birla 6. Stayzilla 7. Radhakishan Damani of D’Mart 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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