MD Business Goa January 2021

January 2021

VOL 7 ISSUE 1 panaji goa

RNI No.: goaeng/2015/59955

Postal license no.: G-2/RNP/Monthly/Goa-19/2021-23

goa’s only business magazine

1000 Crore startup india seed fund

industry dossier

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced a funding gamechanger to bolster the startup ecosystem in India

News Views Articles Interviews Profiles Focus Analysis Opinions Events Features

contents Cover Story 12

India has a mission for its startups and unicorns to emerge as global giants and lead in futuristic technologies, by building a startup ecosystem which functions on ‘of the youth, by the youth and for the youth’ mantra

Focus Goa: Legislation 16

The Goa Municipalities (Amendment) Ordinance, 2020 has angered the traders and merchants who put forth their views to the Chief Minister through Goa Chamber of Commerce & Industry

Starting Young 18

12

Aliston Dias speaks on his journey from a photographer to a video content creator

22

Goan Brand 20

Gaurabh Quenim’s different ventures and upcoming projects under his brand GNQ Hospitality

Pharma 22

The Wallace Pharma innovation centre inaugurated will have a special focus on patient-centric New Drug Delivery Systems

24

20

Interview 24

Ernest Dias is the President Skal Club of Goa. Under his leadership, Skal Goa has won the ‘Skal Club of the Year Award’

Lady Power 28

Priyanka Row highlights her journey from a luxury hotelier to a mind coach

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18

Professional Dossier 30

28 44

Jonathan Rodrigues makes a pitch for mediation as a means of disputesresolution

Tribute 32

Peter Vaz - A man of great character whose passion and vision in the field of real estate, football and zest for life, has remained unparalleled; Julius T Nayak - A touching tribute by a friend for a legal luminary who left before the world could celebrate him

Bon Appétit 44

With a well stocked bar and diverse cuisine, Tropica aims to delight both local and international guests; Sayuli Pai Raikar juggles her myriad roles as a lawyer, a home cook and a new mom

46

COLUMNS

38 Beyond Classroom

41 Invest Right

39 Uncomplicate Business

42 Ad Venture

Dr. Pradeep Salgaonkar explains the importance of mindshare in order for a brand to be successful

Sunil Dias writes about the need for dissent in an organisation, the need to disagree and how to manage disagreements

40 Corporate Citizen

Daniel Albuquerque writes about international trade disputes and the institutions dedicated to arbitration and dispute resolution

04 | Business Goa industry Dossier | january 2021

Mahesh Pai explains the importance of financial planning and different ways of investing one’s money Prabhkar Mundkur discusses the ‘gig culture’ in India, its pros and cons and how it has picked up in a post Covid world

06 Editorial 08 Corpo Scan 22 Pharma 27 BookShelf 34 Event 35 New Biz 36 Biz Bytes 48 Goa Buzz 50 Newsmakers 50 BG Quiz

editorial Time to get real, Goa january 2021 Publisher & Editor Harshvardhan Bhatkuly Co-Publisher & Group Head Urvija Bhatkuly Advisory Board Datta Damodar Naik Ralph de Sousa Rajiv D’Silva Dr Vivek Mendonsa Swapnil Kamat Business Head Annalise Gouveia Chief Reporter Sybil Rodrigues Admin & Accounts Ashok Kolvekar Graphic Designer Govit Morajkar Distribution & Logistics Mayur Santinezkar Contributors in this Issue Daniel Albuquerque Dr Pradeep Salgaonkar Mahesh Pai Ninad Laud Prabhakar Mundkur Sunil Dias Editorial, Advertising & Administrative Office

Business Goa

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

As we embark on a new year – keeping away the scars of the last one – one cannot but think of what Goa ought to be doing in a year that may well be defining, especially because the economy post covid seems to be limping back to normalcy.

But I have my fears here – quite simply because this is a year that will culminate into the State Assembly Elections in 2022.

And if I know Goa right, there will be protests and more protests – be it in the garb of saving Goa or as a war cry against the government. Some of the protests are justified and must be respected as the voice of people. However, we need to see the politics behind some and keep them away from playing with the economy.

To avoid such protests, it is also incumbent on the government to be discerning in its approach of policy making. Goa being a small State, and in my opinion, over-governed, the government cannot hide under the canopy of not getting a feel of the pulse if a project may attract public consternation or not. Public projects are about people and not about some minister’s ego or vested interest.

Backtracking on such initiatives are not just costly in terms on sunken funds, but also of wasted time.

People also must understand that the world today is a vastly different place than what it was perhaps a decade ago. Being in the comfortable cocoon of Goa, we are often insulated from the disruptive changes that the world has seen – especially in terms of the businesses that are calling the shots on the economic canvas. The old economy war horses have been retired by a young and restless bunch of tech invaders. Goa and Goans need to pay heed to the changes and not let this opportunity of a truly flat world pass us by. I am at loss of words when we wish to do away with the establishment of a premier educational institute like the IIT in Goa. Of course, big projects like this will mean collateral damage and demographic

Harshvardhan Bhatkuly

change. But then the benefits of housing an institution that stands for excellence will also be manifold – and not only from the economic sense of the term.

The perils of playing politics, by the incumbent as well as of the opposition, will do more harm than good for the State as I am yet to zoom into any visionary leader from the political class that is ruling the roost in Goa. Take for example the fact that it is now seven long years that Goa was to see the launch of app-based taxi service. The time frame that we have been wrangling with is akin to one revolution in the disruptive economy that we are living as global citizens. Three years ago, we did not have food delivery apps in the State.

Today, it seems unimaginable to live without seeking out the services of one.

We also are enjoying the ease of paying for most of our services online, or even buying grocery and fish through our mobile handsets. Technology is a great leveller and an agent of change. I wonder how long will we be at the ransom of taxi unions and the politicians who pander to their whims? In what civilised part of world do taxi drivers get thrashed for driving a government supported brand of service? Why do Goans seem to place a disproportionate sense of entitlement and of exclusion?

Talking to some of the movers and shakers of the Goan entrepreneurial ecosystem, one common lament that seems to resonate with many of them is about the fact that it is getting increasingly difficult to make businesses run in the State. Second is the issue of qualified Goans who do not wish to remain in the State to earn their bread.

We must buck this trend and put the laggard attitude behind us. ‘Susegado’ is no excuse to not be nimble footed and competitive.

Let us hope that this year is happy and prosperous for you. Keep working!

Printed, published and owned by Harshvardhan V. Bhatkuly and printed at Elegant Offset Printers, D2-31, Tivim Industrial Estate, Karaswada, Mapusa Goa 403526 and published at 409, Citicentre, EDC Patto Plaza, Panaji, Goa 403001. Editor: Harshvardhan V. Bhatkuly

06 | Business Goa industry Dossier | january 2021

16th - 24th January 2021 9 days of Filmy Extravaganza Over 224 Films: 60+ Countries

Festival Venue -ESG & Kala Academy

www.iffigoa.org

@iffigoa

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Corpo Scan

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India looking forward to host G20 Summit in 2023: Suresh Prabhu

Suresh Prabhu

Former Union minister of commerce and Industry Suresh Prabhu has informed that India is looking forward to host G20 summit in 2023.

Prabhu stated that India is looking forward to host the premier forum for international economic cooperation – G20 Summit in 2023 and it be the biggest event to happen in India.

Prabhu also said that a part of the G20 Summit

will also be held in Goa and added that he will be going to discuss the issue with the Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant. He stressed that Goa should be a logistic hub and that he will also be discussing plans with the Chief Minister.

“The logistics hub has a potential to generate more employment without damaging the environment,” he added.

The former union minister mentioned that he runs an NGO in Konkan where he has created self employment opportunities for over 10,000 women. “We will undertake a similar activity in Goa, purely a non-governmental and nonprofitable endeavour, which will create more jobs in the State. Goa being my second home, I will see to it that job opportunities are provided to women under the NGO,” he emphasised

IFFI 2021 Film Bazaar to be virtual event

The Film Bazaar, organised by the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC), will be held as a virtual event from January 16 to January 21, 2021 on the sidelines of the 51st International Film Festival of India. For the first time since its initiation in 2007, The Film Bazaar will be held online this year, owing to the ongoing pandemic. In the prestigious Work in Progress (WIP) lab of the Film Bazaar, the filmmakers are tutored by internationally-renowned producers, writers, editors and film festival heads to tweak their ongoing projects. This year, WIP lab includes films made in five Indian languages and four of these are debut features. The titles are ‘Aiz Maka Falea Tuka’ (Konkani)

by Sreejith Karanavar, Ghaath (Marathi) by Chhatrapal Ninawe, ‘Paka – The River of Blood’ (Malayalam) by Nithin Lukose, ‘Powai’ (Hindi) by Kuldip Patel and Sikaisal

(Tiwa) by Bobby Sarma Baruah.

The one-of-a-kind, a virtual 3D interface has been created to make the screenings, pitching sessions, and networking events as real as possible, with distinct virtual areas allotted for the same. This year’s edition of the NFDC Film Bazaar, is the 14th such event and will continue with its usual programmes. The Knowledge Series will feature panel discussions, webinars and master classes.

There will also be virtual stalls from various State tourism offices to provide production guidelines for shooting locations and from exhibitors for promotional purposes. This year, 195 films will be available in the Viewing Room Library of the Film Bazaar of which 129 are feature films and 66 are short films. The Film Bazaar is South Asia’s largest film market

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Demand for disclosure of MUCB defaulters Account holders and stakeholders of the Madgaum Urban Co-operative Bank Ltd met recently to adopt a six-point resolution for recovering the money that they have invested in the bank which has been put under restrictions by the Reserve Bank of India.

The stakeholders held a meeting in Margao and decided to demand a list of defaulters. If the list was not provided within the next ten days then they would ‘protest against the bank’s Board of Directors.

Documents carrying signatures of the shareholders and the resolution adopted would be sent to the Chief Minister, the Co-operation Minister, the RBI and the Registrar of Cooperative Societies.

The resolution stated that “It was resolved that the Board of Directors must, within 10 days, provide the list of defaulters along with all details as requested at the AGM of 26/12/2020” Further, the resolution stated that if the said list was not provided within the stipulated 10 days then the shareholders will ‘gherao’ the

directors at their residences, or will force them to resolve the crisis.

It was also resolved to seek a list of movable properties, immovable and collateral securities and liquidity of the bank, as on date, to file complaints against the BOD for ‘criminal liability’ as regards the bank.

The stakeholders have decided to ask the Bank to provide locker holders or their families with locker contents by adopting an easy and legal procedure. Meanwhile it was also decided to ask the Bank to go for job cuts.

Speaking at the meeting, Dionisio Sardinha, who has also filed a writ petition in the High Court on the matter, stated that they were informed at a previous meeting that the recovery of loans was not happening and have now asked the bank to provide a list of defaulters.

After agreeing, the board of directors cited a section of the law and said that they have not been allowed to do so. Sardinha blamed the Bank Directors for the mess in the Bank, urging the Chief Minister to help them recover their money

Commercial Tax Department initiates action against 77 defaulting firms Officials of the Commercial Tax Department have commenced action against 77 defaulting firms identified as tax defaulters.

Sources stated that Rs 120 crore is recoverable from these firms by way of tax, interest and penalty.

These recoveries were outstanding from the previous years under various acts such as VAT, CST, luxury tax, entertainment tax, entry tax, etc, in force prior to GST. As a first step of action, the bank accounts of the defaulting firms has been frozen and the banks have been directed to deposit the outstanding amount available

in the account to the State treasury, stated a senior source at the Commercial Tax Department.

It is learnt that the defaulting firms include a number of sole proprietorships, limited liability partnerships, partnership firms, private companies, etc and that further action would be taken against the tax defaulters The Commercial Tax Department recently extended the last date for businesses in the State to pay up past dues under the recovery of arrears of tax settlement scheme www.businessgoa.in

Corpo Scan

@business-goa

Goa Urban Co-op Bank modifies scheme for mining-affected borrowers

CM discusses ways to bring municipal areas under ‘Swayampurna Goa’

State extends Mopa deadline by 90 days

High Court grants 2-month extension for recovery of mining dues

The 56th annual general body meeting of the Goa Urban Cooperative Bank Ltd (GUCB) held recently gave a green signal to the resolution of the bank to adopt and modify its scheme with regards to onetime settlement for miningaffected borrowers of the Bank. The resolution was earlier passed unanimously during a special general body meeting of the Bank held earlier this year. The modifications in this scheme proposes to make the scheme applicable to those mining affected borrowers, who have availed both, working capital facility for mining

The State government has extended the date for Mopa International Airport to be operational by three months, in light of the Covid-19 pandemic. Instead of May 2022, the airport will now be ready by August 2022, while 20% of the work on the airport has been completed.

Suresh Shanbhogue, Director of Civil Aviation, stated that the Centre has issued a general office memorandum to give an extension to the project and based on the same they have given a 90 days extension. A senior government official said that as per the new deadline, the infrastructure at the airport will have to be completed by March that year and work on the airport’s runway, ATC tower, building, compound wall and other works would be taken up simultaneously.

Phase-I construction period began in September 2017 and the State government had appointed Engineers India Ltd to supervise the project’s progress.

The land acquisition process was initiated in 2008 and concession agreement executed in 2016. The airport was to be made operational within thirty-six months

activity along with term loan on or before September 30, 2012 and where term loan is eligible for the government of Goa subsidy.

This modified scheme/ settlement formula will not be applicable to those cases already closed/ settled as on March 8, 2020.

Further, the appointment of H D Ghantkar was cleared by the shareholders as the chief executive officer of the bank. The meeting was headed by the chairman of the bank Dr Anil Gaunekar, and held in the city by following all Corona pandemic related guidelines from September 2017.

However, legal disputes delayed the works, with the Supreme Court suspending its environmental clearance in April 2019 when 14% of the work had been completed.

The total project is estimated at around Rs. 3000 crore. Over 54000 trees have been felled at the project site, and the developer has been directed to plant 5,50,000 trees.

In January 2020, the Supreme Court gave the go ahead for the construction of the airport which is being developed by GMR, and also directed the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) to oversee the project in order to ensure that the environment of the area are not damaged.

The Centre had declared that the proposed Dhargalim to Varconda road, which will connect NH-66 to the new airport at Mopa, will be part of the national highway network. Land will be acquired for the new national highway.

With the notification out, the National Highways Authority of India will begin the process to acquire land and tender the contract to build the highway

10 | Business Goa industry Dossier | january 2021

Chief Minister Dr manpower in the Pramod Sawant private sector. held a meeting T h i s with officials initiative is of various a part of the departments and g o v e r n m e n t ’s discussed the efforts to extend strategy to spread ‘S w ay a mp u r n a the concept of Goa’ concept to ‘S w ay a mp u r n a urban/municipal Goa’ into the areas.

Dr Pramod Sawant municipal areas This survey will around the State. be jointly carried out by the The government is Directorate of Education, planning to carry out a Directorate of Higher survey to find the type of Education and Goa Institute manpower required in the of Public Administration State and mechanisms to and Rural Development provide employment to this (GIPARD)

The High Court of Bombay at Goa has granted an extension of two months to decide on the show-cause notices to mining companies for recovery of over Rs 3000 crore, stated Devidas Pangam, Advocate General of Goa. During the hearing, Pangam informed the Court that the show cause notices will be disposed off within two months from the date of their issue. “We accept

this statement as a statement made to this Court,” the High Court order stated.

A senior officer at the Department of Mines and Geology (DMG) said that the hearing is almost complete and recovery notices will be issued as soon as possible.

In August last year, the State government had informed the court that DMG will decide within four months on the show cause notices

Factory license fees likely to be reduced

The inspectorate of factories and boilers is likely to accede to the demands of Goan industrialists who want the hike in factory license renewal fees to be reduced to 10% instead of upto 35%.

Industry bodies met Deputy Chief Minister Chandrakant Kavlekar and the Inspector of Factories and Boilers to discuss various issues that have hassled businessmen and entrepreneurs alike. The meeting saw the government concurring to some of the demands put forth by the Goa State Industries Association.

“The proposed increase of 20-35% in renewal fees was reduced to 10%” GSIA president Damodar Kochkar

said.

Kochkar mentioned that a notification is expected in the coming days and medical examination of workers in factories will be done once before employment and there after every five years with the same rules being applicable for contract labourers.

Kavlekar has also agreed to keep on hold increase in statutory fees of competent person who can issue compliance certificates and structural stability reports.

Initial certificates provided by the structural engineer who has designed any factory building will be valid for five years as long as no changes are made by the businesses

cover Story

1000 Crore startup india seed fund India, which is in a technology race with China, has a mission for its startups and unicorns to emerge as global giants and lead in futuristic technologies, by building a startup ecosystem which functions on ‘of the youth, by the youth and for the youth’ mantra writes SYBIL RODRIGUES

“We will provide guarantees to help startups raise debt-capital.

We are trying to build a startup ecosystem which functions on the ‘of the youth, by the youth, for the youth’ mantra” Narendra Modi Prime minister of india

12 | Business Goa industry Dossier | january 2021

www.businessgoa.in

S

tartup India is a flagship initiative of the Government of India, intended to build a strong ecosystem for nurturing innovation and startups in the country that will drive sustainable economic growth and generate large-scale employment opportunities. The initiative aims to empower startups to grow through innovation and design. The initiative shifted the focus from major industries to startups and catalyzed the Indian startup ecosystem. This has helped Indian entrepreneurs build innovative solutions for Indian and global needs. Since the launch of the initiative, several programs have been undertaken to contribute to the Prime Minister’s vision of transforming India into a country of job creators instead of job seekers.

‘Startup India’ was launched on 16th January 2016 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, with an objective to build a strong ecosystem for nurturing innovation and startups in the country that will drive sustainable economic growth and generate large scale employment opportunities.

The Indian startup ecosystem today is counted amongst the world’s largest startup

ecosystems and is growing at an unprecedented rate, contributing to the innovation driven growth for the Indian economy. It has been 5 years since the launch of Startup India initiative, and this has played a pivotal role in spurring the spirit of entrepreneurship in every corner of the country.

PM Modi announces Rs 1000 startup fund to push growth of ventures Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a Rs 1000 crore startup seed fund at Prarambh: Startup India International Summit. This fund aims to help launch and grow new-age ventures with the initial capital for growth and operations.

Ajai Chowdhry

Founder, HCL

regulators, industry leaders, and academicians from India and across the world including BIMSTEC countries.

“To ensure that our startups don’t fall short of funds, our country has taken

“The Indian startup ecosystem has made big progress in the last five years and I hope this will usher in a new beginning, showcasing various aspects of the startup world” Piyush Goyal

Union Minister of Commerce and Industry

The two-day summit, marking the fifth anniversary of the Startup India initiative, brought together innovators, entrepreneurs, investors,

“The vision of Hon PM Narendra Modiji and the implementation by the Startup India team has led to India becoming the 3rd largest startup ecosystem in the world already. We are now home to 30 unicorns. 40% of startups come from Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities, leading to job creation across Bharat. Startups and this culture of innovation have a multiplier effect on the economy. The recent announcement of the `1000 crore seed fund will help new startups.

Hon Minister for Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyalji hosting the Global VC round-table late at night to make it convenient for global VCs shows the pragmatism. The future is bright for startups, the youth, and the nation Shrinivas Dempo

“Prarambh was an excellent summit. It provided a good view to the startups on all issues from the top practitioners. The summit attracted around 1.5 Lakh registrations.

The startup seed fund announced is a good start. However, it should be increased once this is utilised. The credit guarantee scheme is really welcome as startups have trouble getting credit as they don’t really have assets on the ground”

Chairman, Dempo Group of Companies

a lot of steps. In this series, I want to make another important announcement today at this event. To help startups get initial funding, the country will launch a Rs.1000 crore Startup India Seed Fund. This fund will help in setting up new startups and aid them in growth,” the Prime Minister said while speaking at the Prarambh Startup India International Summit in an online address.

“Going ahead, the government will provide guarantees to help startups raise debt-capital. We are trying to build a startup ecosystem which functions on the ‘of the youth, by the youth, for the youth’ mantra,” the Prime Minister elaborated.

During the address, Modi stated that the target for India’s startups over the next five years should

be to become global giants in their respective service areas. The PM also said that future technologies and entrepreneurs should come together in Asia, urging Asian countries to join hands, collaborate and take responsibility for leading this effort.

BIMSTEC Nations As many as 1,20,000 registrations took place on the first day of the summit, which was inaugurated

by Commerce & Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and hosted dignitaries and stakeholders from BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) member States. The Prime Minister also interacted with the founders of startups from BIMSTEC nations.

BIMSTEC is an international organisation of seven nations of South Asia and Southeast Asia, housing 1.5 billion people and having a combined GDP of $3.5 trillion. The BIMSTEC member states include Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Thailand.

“Our startups should lead in futuristic technologies. If all BIMSTEC countries push for this, a large population would benefit from this,” the Prime Minister added.

Modi said that there is a huge change in terms of how young ventures are perceived and these changes

january 2021 | Business Goa industry Dossier | 13

Cover Story

@businessgoamagazine

“Startups truly democratize entrepreneurship. Anybody can be an entrepreneur and startup capital and stair mentors are key parts of making this happen.

1000 crores announced

by PM Modi is a good start but the bigger opportunity is to get the people of India to also start looking at startup investment and angel investment as an asset class. Imagine if 10% of the stock market capitalization went into angel investment. We would have a tsunami of startups and that would be a good thing” Vijay Thomas CEO, Tangentia are a major strength of BIMSTEC countries. He said this is the century of the digital revolution, newage innovations and is also called the ‘Century of Asia’.

And therefore, it is the need of the hour that the future technology emerges from the labs of Asia and entrepreneurs from this region. For this, the countries of Asia will have to come forward and assume responsibility, who can work together and for each other and have a sense of co-operation. He said the responsibility falls to the BIMSTEC countries.

This is because centuriesold relationships, culture, civilization, and common heritage of relationships have kept these nations together.

The PM noted that BIMSTEC countries were collaborating for promotion of startups in line with their cooperation in other areas such as digital connectivity, space, agriculture, environment and defence. “The more our startups will be strengthened, the more our economies will prosper,” Modi affirmed.

These collaborations would support startups and be beneficial for the entire sector. Sharing the 5-year experience of how young ventures have evolved in the country, Modi said India today is one of the largest startup ecosystems in the world. The country has more than 41,000 startups working

on different missions. There are nearly 5,700 startups in the IT sector, 3,600 in the health sector, and 1,700 in the agriculture sector. He said these firms are changing the demographic character of business. In 2014, there were only 4 startups in the unicorn club in the country.

But today more than 30 ventures have crossed the $1 billion valuation mark. “You would be surprised to know that, 11 startups have joined the unicorn club in the year 2020, amid the difficult year of the coronavirus pandemic,” exclaimed the Prime Minister The country started the ‘AatmaNirbhar Bharat’ (selfreliant India) campaign at a difficult time during the pandemic, with small ventures playing a big role. “During the pandemic, when the worlds big companies were struggling for their survival, a new army of startups were coming up in India,” said Modi.

These firms played a big role in the country, from addressing needs ranging from providing sanitisers, PPE (personal protective equipment) kits to building the supply chain. They catered to the local needs such as delivering kitchen essentials and medicines to the customers, providing transportation to frontline workers, and preparing online study materials for students.

“These startups discovered opportunity in disaster and

14 | Business Goa industry Dossier | january 2021

also built confidence amid calamity.”

Today, the success stories of new ventures are not limited to big cities. Many of them come from small cities and towns such as Lucknow, Bhopal, Sonepat, Kochi, and Thiruvanthapuram.

He said about 80 per cent of the districts of India have joined the startup movement. Around 45 per cent of startups today come from tier-2 and tier-3 cities, acting as brand ambassadors for local products. There is also a huge awareness among people related to health and consuming healthy food. The Prime Minister said special growth is being given to the growth of the food and agriculture sectors in India.

The country has also created an ‘Agri Infra Fund’ of Rs 1 lakh crore to modernize the infrastructure related to agriculture. This has opened up new avenues for small companies. Today, these firms are collaborating with farmers. Startups are also playing their role in delivering food products from farm to table, with better quality.

Modi further added that whenever a new challenge comes in any field; startups come forward and say that they will solve those challenges.

India is also working with

this startup spirit. “Today, the country says that ‘we will do it’, “Be it digital payments, the solar energy sector, or AI (artificial intelligence) revolution,” the Prime Minister claimed with pride.

Modi said that the biggest USP of the startup world is its diversification capacity and that it is guided more by passion than pragmatism. He cited the example of BHIM UPI which has revolutionised the payment system and last December, 4 lakh crore transactions took place through UPI in the country.

Similarly India is leading in the solar and AI sector. The PM said that the startups are changing the demographic characteristics of businesses.

Citing data, he said that 44% recognized startups have women directors and number of women working in these startups is only growing.

“The global stage is available for our startups and when we begin with our neighbourhood, invite startups from other countries in South Asia to engage with startups in India, we are going beyond governmentto-government collaboration, and business-to-business or business-to-consumer engagement to a startup-tostartup collaboration,” said Piyush Goyal, Minister of

“As part of the Startup India programme, the government set up a fund of funds (FoF) with a corpus of INR 10,000 Cr, and the entire amount was planned to be disbursed

by March 31, 2025. Until now, more than 41K Indian startups have been recognised by the government and only 10% of the entire courpus is disbursed. Despite the slow disbursement and the pandemic-led disruption, 11 startups turned unicorns in 2020, with over 30 startups in India today valued at over $1 billion. Prarambh is an awesome initiative. I hope the Goa Government stands committed to the IT and Technology industry which makes up the major chunk of Goa’s startup ecosystem”

Mangirish Salelkar

President, Goa Technology Association

@businessgoa

“Terming the 21st century’s as ‘Asia’s Century’ wherein startups are going to play a special role in the digital era, the government is betting on the youth and startups to make a difference in the world by becoming global giants. Supporting startups with seed funding by committing 1000 crore is a giant step to achieve this” D S Prashant

CEO, Forum for Innovation Incubation Research & Entrepreneurship

Commerce and Industry.

The new seed fund for startups comes after the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology had last year initiated a similar fund to identify startups and provide them financial help.

In August, the Ministry had launched a fund to identify 300 startups which would be provided seed fund of up to Rs 25 lakh and other facilities as well. A budget of Rs 95.03 crore has been earmarked for the programme named ‘Chunauti’, to be utilized over a period of three years. The IT Ministry’s programme seeks to award startups in the fields of edu-tech, agri-

tech, supply chain, logistics, and transport management, as well as medical healthcare, diagnostics, preventive and psychological care, among other areas.

Apart from these seed funds, the Ministry has, over the last year, also conducted several other competitions to award startups working in several areas, such as video-conferencing, artificial intelligence, among others.

Last July, the Ministry of Information Technology had launched a challenge inviting Indian developers to come up with apps in a range of segments such as office productivity, social

Prarambh

the globe. In addition to deliberating on good practices from the best of ecosystems across the world, the sessions of the summit were designed to showcase the spread and depth of entrepreneurship based on innovation in India. The idea behind the whole summit is to attain attention of global capital for startups in India, mobilize domestic capital, provide

The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India organised ‘Prarambh’Startup India International Summit, in a virtual format.

‘Prarambh’ brought together top policy makers, industry, academia, investors, startups, and all stakeholders from across

networking, e-learning, and news, games, health and wellness, agri-tech, fin-tech and entertainment, and speech translation, among others. A different challenge launched in April last year, which sought a world class video-conference solution, which could be an alternative to global apps such as Zoom, saw Kerala-based Techgentsia Software Technologies win a prize money of Rs 1 crore.

Modi also said that small firms are getting an opportunity at par with large businesses in government tenders on the GeM (Government e-Marketplace) portal. Till now, nearly 8,000

startups have registered on the GeM portal and carried out business worth about Rs 2,300 crore. The Prime Minister emphasised that the total business generated through GeM portal is touching nearly Rs 80,000 crore. “In the future, the share of startups in this would increase.”

The Government’s announcement of the Startup India Seed Fund is certainly good news for the startup ecosystem. With India and the BIMSTEC nations working together as partners, it will undeniably help take the world out of the dark period of the pandemic into a golden new era

“The Start Up India initiative has accelerated many startups and built a strong ecosystem for innovation and entrepreneurship in our country. The 1000 crore startup funding and Prarambh initiative, the largest startup confluence, will definitely script new chapters in India’s efforts towards becoming Atmanirbhar” Rohir Naik

Founder & CEO, Coderix

opportunities for accessing international markets for local startups and evolve enabling policy provisions.

Objectives: • Encouraging and inspiring the youth for innovation and entrepreneurship • Exchange knowledge on best practices on nurturing startup ecosystems • Develop capacities of entrepreneurial ecosystem

• Mobilize global and domestic capital for investments into startups • Provide opportunities to startups for entering domestic (private and public) and international markets.

• Showcasing high-quality, high technology and frugal innovations from India • Enable ease of doing business for startups and investors

january 2021 | Business Goa industry Dossier | 15

focus goa / legislation

business-goa

Traders and Merchants Oppose Amendment of Municipal Ordinance

The Goa Municipalities (Amendment) Ordinance, 2020 has made traders and merchants to come up in arms in stiff opposition to the new law. The Goa Chamber of Commerce & Industry has written a detailed memorandum to the Chief Minister putting forth the grivences of the traders and merchants

T

By sybil rodrigues

he Goa Municipalities (Amendment) Ordinance, 2020, aims at streamlining and restricting the lease of a shop or store in municipal markets, between a merchant and the local municipality to ten years only.

The ordinance also makes sub-letting of shops, by existing lease holders, a non bailable offence with a sentence of three years along with a fine of Rs 2 lakh.

“No person shall sublet, or transfer or assign his right in, or part with possession of, the premises of the Council leased to him to any other person and no person shall accept such transfer, or assignment, or occupy any premises of the council in contravention of the provisions of section 88,” the new amendment states The All Goa Merchants Association has called for an immediate withdrawal of the ordinance stating that the ordinance would put traditional businessmen dealing with grocery, clothes, spices, dry and wet goods, out on the streets after ten years and bring about an air of uncertainty among families of existing shop lease holders.

The All Goa Merchants Association United Forum (AGMAUF), an umbrella organisation of traders in Goa, sought an appointment with Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant to discuss and sort out the issue.

Convenor of AGMAUF Ashish Shirodkar, along with joint convenors Rajendra Dhumaskar (North) and Vinod Shirodkar (South), stated that the traders’ demand that the ordinance should be scrapped, as it harms all the traders or merchants within the jurisdiction of the

municipalities.

Appealing to the Chief Minister to bring the legislation keeping in mind humanitarian values, they said that though a fivemember delegation had met Dr Sawant recently over the ordinance, the association that the delegation represented is an obsolete one and has no stature amongst the traders in the State. They said a fresh ordinance should include what is required for the benefit of the traders.

Leader of Opposition Digambar Kamat also criticised the BJP government in Goa for moving an ordinance when the winter session of the Goa legislative assembly was scheduled to be held during a later period.

“There was no need to issue an ordinance. The Assembly is the best place to discuss and deliberate such amendments. This amendment impacts all traders doing business in municipal areas. If this amendment was brought in the form of a bill, there could have been a detailed discussion.

The traders should have been taken into confidence,” Kamat said.

The Convenor and All Goa Merchants Association had met with the Goa Chamber of Commerce and Industries (GCCI) and discussed the difficulties posed to them by the said ordinance.

Manoj Caculo, President, GCCI, has written to the Chief Minister stating that the ordinance does not address the concerns and apprehensions of the existing shop holders.

“A prior consultation / discussion with the stakeholders would have helped in understanding the issues currently being

16 | Business Goa industry Dossier | january 2021

faced by the shop holders and would have resulted in a more humane and progressive legislation.

Ground realities, rent rates, etc are different at different municipalities. The current Ordinance, attempting to cover all municipalities at one go, does not take into account these different ground situations and hence does not adequately address all issues. For example, some of the members / lessees have been rehabilitated in various premises by way of rehabilitation schemes in the reconstructed premises.

Some of the lessees have built the premises with permission of the Municipality with the self finance by taking loans from banks; societies etc. thus all holders cannot be treated with the same yardstick,” says GCCI’s letter.

In his letter Caculo has placed a few concerns of the existing shop holders; (Excerpt from the letter to the Chief Minister) A. Termination of Leases after 10 years Restricting future leases or renewal of existing leases only for a further period of 10 years and auctioning thereafter is something that will hurt the traders and other holders who have been traditionally carrying on their business activity in the leased shops for generations after generation.

We suggest that unless grave irregularities are committed by the holder, all leases should be automatically renewed. In any case there is provision for increasing the rent by certain percentage every year.

B. Annual Increase in Rent of 10% Annual increase in rent of 10% is another thing that

is hurting the holders. The holders are small traders and businessmen and not big commercial undertakings.

Even in most commercial undertakings, there is no annual increase of 10% in rent. It was suggested that an annual increase of 5% in rent or 10% every two years.

C. Automatic Termination if Lease not renewed As per the proposed Ordinance if any lease is not renewed on expiry of period of lease of any premises of the Council, then such lease shall stand terminated and the Chief Officer shall take possession of the premises after giving thirty days notice to the lessee.

The holders are in business and for several bonafide reasons they may not have been able to renew the lease in time. In such cases, the concerned Chief Officer should give at least two month’s notice to the holder for renewal of the lease and if the lease is not renewed even after the expiry of these two months, then only may such lease stand terminated and the Chief Officer should take possession of the premises after giving thirty days notice to the lessee.

D. Failure to pay Rent As per the Ordinance, if the lessee fails to pay rent in respect of premises of the Council, for three consecutive months, the lease of such premises shall be deemed to be terminated on expiry of such period of three months and the Chief Officer shall immediately take possession of such premise. One must realise that most of the municipal premises are leased out for the purpose of carrying out some trade or business.

@businessgoa

Given that all businesses are of cyclical nature and suffer ups and downs from time to time, we suggest that at least 6 months time be given to the premises holder before any harsh action is initiated.

E. 88A. Prohibition of Unauthorized Transfer of Premises of the Council As per the Ordinance, sub-letting or transferring or assigning of right or parting with possession of the premises of the Council is totally prohibited. We understand that there are a few holders who have illegally transferred / sold the premises to third parties without informing the Municipal authorities. While the holders make some money from such illegal transfers, the municipalities don’t get any revenue. The instant provision aims at preventing such illegal transfers. We suggest that

the Municipalities should provide an opportunity to the holders to officially transfer the premises to third parties by taking proper authorization from the Municipal Authorities.

Transfer Fees as prescribed under Section 88D may be charged for such transfers.

This will generate revenues for the municipalities and the holder will be able to officially transfer the premises. Similar transfer facility is available to all Goa IDC plot and shed holders.

F. 88B and 88C - Penalty and Offences to be Cognizable and Non-Bailable Such harsh remedies are not available to private landlords under the State Rent Control Acts. Local Authorities and Government are kept out of the Rent Control because like private landlords they are not expected to raise rents

or eject tenants by strong arm tactics in the pursuit of higher revenues. Just because of being the part of Government, Municipalities cannot be given powers that are not available to normal citizens.

G. Section 2 (25a) Definition of Member of Family of Lessee The definition excludes married daughters, uncles etc. The amendment takes away the rights of the married daughter and all the heirs who are inheriting through uncles and this provision is legally untenable. The definition of family members should include any lineal ascendant or descendant of lessee or his spouse Municipalities are expected to facilitate the small traders who render valuable service to the public.

The small traders are already under threat due to the un-

checked proliferation of e-commerce. They have also suffered due to the lockdown forced by the Government for effective control of the Covid pandemic. Instead of harassing them further by bringing such a harsh legislation by way of an ordinance at this juncture, the Municipalities should have discussed their intent with the stakeholders and given them some time to react and suggest mutually beneficial options.

It is suggested that a select group of Municipal Officials under the Chairmanship of the Director of Municipal Administration or Urban Development Minister discuss the provisions of the proposed Ordinance with representatives of shop holders and make necessary changes so that we have a better legislation that serves interests of all www.businessgoa.in

january 2021 | Business Goa industry Dossier | 17

Starting Young

@businessgoamagazine

Aliston Dias

Stories from Behind the Lens

Aliston Dias reflects on his journey from starting out as a photographer to becoming a video content creator

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By sybil rodrigues

liston Dias is an ace when it comes to photography and filmmaking. He is a photographer, video content creator, a former lecturer at St Xavier’s College, whose work has been featured in an international calendar by Nikon Corporation.

Armed with a degree in Journalism from St Xaviers College, Aliston went on to pursue his International Studies at Goa University.

“I have never studied or undertaken any formal classes or courses when it comes to photography or filmmaking, it just happened or I could say it just came into my life.”

His father was into photography apart from many other interests and Aliston picked it up all because of a competition organised by the Directorate of Arts and Culture. “I won the second prize and given that it was an all Goa competition, it gave a huge boost to my morale. I finally decided I was good at photography and decided to pursue it.”

Over the years Aliston got better at his work. But he would also get rejected for a lot of shoots because he wasn’t providing video as a service. He elaborates on that aspect. “There was a time when people were looking for photography and video together, as the package could cost less and there were people who were offering this.

I was losing out on a lot of business as I wasn’t offering these services and then I decided to get into video as it was something exciting and there was a demand in the market for it.”

Aliston taught at St. Xavier College for four years; and while teaching, he came across a student of his who was admirable at his work. “It is very difficult in our field of work to find

“One of the biggest projects that we are currently handling is Hilton Goa Resort. We are creating almost all their content at the moment.

Another big project that we had in 2020 was Big Daddy, DFES (Directorate of Fire and Emergency Services)”

Aliston dias

someone who can match our wavelength, have the same work ethics, the same qualities and dedication. As he was into video and I was into photography, we decided to collaborate and start up with our production house, thus 25fps production was born.” 25fps because it stands for frame per second. It is one of the frame rates widely used for recording videos all over the world.

Currently Aliston manages the production house single handedly. 25fps production boasts about many big names in their portfolio. “One of the biggest projects that we are currently handling is Hilton Goa Resort.

We are creating almost all their content at the moment.

Another big project that we had in 2020 was Big Daddy, DFES (Directorate of Fire and Emergency Services). We have also done video content for Goa Marriott Resort and Spa and a few other national and international clients.”

Currently, the studio consists of Aliston, two video editors and a scriptwriter and they work with a lot of creative people on a freelance basis. “Whenever we have

18 | Business Goa industry Dossier | january 2021

a project we have a team of freelancers that work with us.

And we all work like a family.

It is not like one person has a certain job. We discuss our projects together and if one person is not able to finish something, there are people who will pitch in and help. We all do everything.”

As far as the response to their work is concerned, it has been quite amazing.

“In Goa, at least we started off with a bang and we were doing something that none of the other people were doing. We got into another genre of cinematic video creation which would be of 59 seconds. It is very difficult to get into this as one needs the right music to suit the theme, the style of edit is much faster, and lot of content is shown in a short time duration and get everything to fit properly into an enjoyable package. A lot of people do traditional style of videos and we do cinematic style of videos which give us an edge over others in the field.” Aliston explains the difference between the traditional style of video editing and the way he goes about doing things. “First of all, it is the length of the

video in the traditional style which would be around 3 to 5 minutes long. When we do an edit, we make sure that it is less than 59 seconds. If it is 59 seconds it’s easier to feature and market it on social media. In the past Instagram wouldn’t allow videos which were more than a minute to be featured on their platform.

At that point of time we were just getting into the rhythm of advertising and we were targeting videos that could be viewed in less than a minute.”

With regards to the challenges faced by him, Aliston feels that it is difficult to get people who think on similar lines when it comes to his kind of work and thus working together can sometimes become stressful.

Plus delayed payments on the part of clients especially those based outside the State who organise big projects in Goa, have been very demotivating. Covid played a major spoilsport when it came to getting new projects, too. Of late, there are a lot of new people in the market who have led to a drop in prices. “We always appreciate positive competition, as it helps us improve the quality of our work. It is only when it comes to price competition, that it becomes a little difficult.”

About his future plans, Aliston says that he would like to go pan-India. “We are looking at, atleast two more locations in India.”

Lastly, he concludes with a message for aspiring photographers and video content creators. “Things do get difficult, that doesn’t mean that you have to give up. Try to work around the problem or look at it from a different angle. My motto in 2020 had been to look for a silver lining. Try to look at the positive side – no matter how bad the situation is and grab at least one happy part of it”

goan brand

@businessgoa

Playing the Food and Hospitality Game

Gaurabh Quenim speaks on his different ventures and upcoming projects under his brand GNQ Hospitality

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franchise in Margao and Mumbai soon. The concept has gained a close place in the hearts of many, especially for the lip-smacking wraps.

It has picked up, just as the lockdown was lifted on restaurants and delivery apps were eased and has been doing extremely well.

By sybil rodrigues

aurabh Quenim has made a mark for himself in the hospitality industry at a very young age. He holds a degree in International Hospitality Management from Lavasa and has played an integral role in the pre-opening of several hotels and restaurants like Jakson Inns Phalton and W Goa. With his hands-on experience of handling operations of hotels, restaurants and catering units across India, Gaurabh made a name for himself through his company, GNQ Hospitality Consultants. The firm offers a complete range of hospitality management services, which has grown over time providing consultancy services to a variety of clientele within the industry.

Gaurabh has carved a niche for himself in Goa’s food scene with his first venture of a fine dine restaurant, The Awadh House followed by ‘Jhakaas’. He also runs a B2B enterprise called ‘Swaasth’ Agro.

Each of these ventures have their own USP and Gaurabh has plans of developing one of these into a franchise.

The Awadh House The idea behind The Awadh House was to have a restaurant with a cuisine that was different from the run of the mill places that Goa has in plenty. Awadh is a region in India, currently around Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh, which was ruled by the Nawabs, and the food consists of mainly mutton dishes, kebabs, lamb stews, all cooked in an explosion of spices. The desserts too feature names like Rose Halwa and Paan Barfi which sets this place apart. Along with delicious cuisine, you can sip on a variety of cocktails spiced with Indian flavours. In order

Gaurabh Quenim

to make his dream a reality, Gaurabh went to Lucknow, met chefs from the traditional Lucknowi families who have mastered the cuisine, visited the local places and put together a team to set up The Awadh House. The restaurant mainly focuses on Awadhi food and has a sprinkling of one or two Punjabi and Kashmiri dishes in their menu. Gaurabh managed to find a heritage house in the heart of Panjim which met his requirements for a restaurant and went on to convert it into a regal world in Goa. A novelty for Goans especially the response to this place has been stupendous, right up from its initiation till date save for the time it opened up after the lockdown. As their regular and loyal customers were in a fear to go out, they shifted their entire focus to delivering food to their doorstep and also planning lovely sit down dinners for them in privacy of their home Things have slowly picked up and the restaurant sees regulars as well as people looking to try out a new cuisine.

20 | Business Goa industry Dossier | january 2021

In his venture, Gaurabh had his family supporting him throughout, as also his friends. He also mentions that his competitors are always there to help him when it comes to requirements of any kind. Everyone is a friend and they coordinate together making it one large family to work with ‘Jhakaas’ With ‘Jhakaas’, Gaurabh wanted to create a more relaxed and laid back atmosphere when it came to the food which consists mainly of wraps, rolls, biryanis and various kinds of combos. It is a cloud kitchen and is present on food delivery apps like Swiggy and Zomato. A totally different concept from The Awadh House, Jhakaas caters to all segments of people right up from college going students to busy professionals to serve them a quick and delicious filling meal. As of now, present only in Panjim, Gaurabh plans to open a

‘Swaasth’ Agro Under this B2B concept, Gaurabh has aimed to provide the best of fresh produce and hotel supplies to the hospitality sector in Goa. They supply all kinds of vegetables, meats, fruits, fish, grocery and dairy products to commercial establishments, hotels, restaurants, catering businesses and domestic markets at attractive prices coupled with the highest hygiene, safety procedures, professional service and standardized procedures.

Right up from acquiring fresh produce to packing and delivering, is taken care of by ‘Swaasth’ Agro.

Everything is handled through an inventory and order management system and over emails and phone.

Orders once placed, regular updates by way of messages are sent to customers. Each item is sealed and labeled at their storage and processing area and later dispatched to their buyers. Most of the produce is not stocked but they have a fair idea about their regular customers and quantities required by them which makes it easier for them to cater to their needs.

Swaasth Agro procures their produce from States like Karnataka and Maharashtra.

They try to buy directly from the farmers, so as the need for middlemen is reduced and farmers can benefit. Their aim is to provide quality products to their customers at better rates. Gaurabh plans to get into retail with this venture by supplying to retail outlets first

@business-goa

and then opening up their own chain of retail outlets someday.

With regards to all his ventures Gaurabh had his fair share of roadblocks along the way. Covid was the major hurdle for all his businesses as his employees had to go back to their home towns, plus he didn’t know when they would come back either. The entire market changed with the pricing and sourcing material from outside the State proved to be arduous task with the SOPs in place, transportation issues and borders being closed. After the lifting of lockdown, things are getting back to normal, albeit slowly but his food ventures have seen a tremendous response especially in the months of December and January.

Gaurabh had his family supporting him throughout, as well as his friends. He also mentions that his

The Awadh House

competitors are always there to help him when it comes to requirements of any kind.

Everyone is a friend and they co-ordinate together making it one large family to work with.

Regarding his future plans, Gaurabh has a few upcoming ventures in the pipeline. There is The Capital CafĂŠ and Lounge which is an all day cafĂŠ with an exciting food and beverage menu, right in Panjim City.

Bread Tales, another cloud kitchen, planned on the lines of the American diner concept; with burgers,

sliders, subs, sandwiches and milkshakes on its menu, again delivering through portals like Swiggy and Zomato.

Another upcoming venture is Liquid Diet, which as the name suggests, will serve fresh juices, smoothies, milkshakes as well as hot and cold beverages on its menu.

The Street Food Company will feature all sorts of Goan and Indian street food at the beginning and then go on to add international fare as its offerings. Apart from food, Gaurabh has something totally different in mind with Bougainvillea, a lifestyle

boutique which will stock designer and traditional garments, home decor items, handmade products right up from incense sticks, soaps and jewelllery. Some of these products will be brought in from Lucknow, while the rest will focus on small artisans and local business people in Goa with no rentals to take care of. It is open to anyone who deals in handmade items keeping all the safety and hygiene standards in mind.

Plus he intends to showcase clothes from upcoming designers in Goa, thus making it a boutique which will have a mix of everything.

All these names will feature under the brand name of GNQ Hospitality and they have a lot to look forward to this year.

Gaurabh has a long way to go and his hard work, vision and dedication will ensure his continued success

january 2021 | Business Goa industry Dossier | 21

pharma

www.businessgoa.in

Wallace Pharma inaugurates a brand new Innovation Centre

The state-of-the-art innovation centre will have a special focus on patient-centric New Drug Delivery Systems

(L-R) Vinay Pinto, Cesar Menezes, Rashmi Menezes, Jyoti Sardesai, Dr. Pankaj Kumar and Dr. Mimi Menezes

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midst the economic gloom of the pandemic, Wallace Pharma provides greenshoots of hope and recovery by launching the Wallace Innovation Centre. Wallace Pharma, a Goa headquartered pharmaceutical group with operations in India and over 16 countries has established a new 10000 sq. ft. multi-crore research facility in Ponda Goa, focusing on product development for a wide range of liquid, solid and semisolid pharmaceutical dosage forms and other products.

The facility will have a special focus on patient-centric New Drug Delivery Systems (NDDS).

The Wallace Innovation Centre was inaugurated by Jyoti Sardesai, Director Goa DFDA, along with Cesar Menezes, Rashmi Menezes, Vinay Pinto, Dr Pankaj Kumar, RP Hegde and the Goa Wallace team.

In her speech, Jyoti Sardesai said “Goa has a sizeable number of Pharma of global standards but

only a handful of pharma and clinical development facilities. I am happy that this development centre is being promoted by none other than the Menezes family, who have been pioneers in Goa’s pharmaceutical sector”. The facility is housed in a historic Rashmi Menezes and Vinay Pinto

22 | Business Goa industry Dossier | january 2021

“We are excited at the specialised focus and enthusiasm that the Wallace Innovation Centre will bring to Goa and the Wallace Group”

Vinay Pinto

Executive Director, Wallace Pharma

building which once housed the first pharmaceutical formulation plant in the State of Goa. It has now been refurbished and refitted to operate as a modern GMP formulation development and analytical development facility.

The Wallace Innovation Centre will be headed by Dr. Pankaj Kumar along with his team of dedicated scientists. “We are excited at the specialised focus and enthusiasm that the Wallace Innovation Centre will bring to Goa and the Wallace group” said Vinay Pinto, ED, Wallace Pharma.

The laboratory has the latest GMP design and processes, with state-of-theart instrumentation, analytical and formulation development equipment. In keeping with the ambitions of Wallace to be a global niche marketer of innovative formulations, the facility has been designed to grow in capability, size, people and will service the company’s markets

interview

@businessgoamagazine

ernest dias

“SKAL Goa hopes to be a trusted voice in travel & tourism”

Sk. Ernest Dias has completed more than 30 years in the tourism industry in Goa. He began his career in Saudi Arabia working with ARAMCO and later for Menezes Air Travel, Goa. He has worked for SITA, Kuoni, and Travel Corporation India (TCI) from December 1991, where he joined as a Senior Executive and is presently the Chief Operating Officer. Dias is the Vice President and presently Managing Committee member of Travel & Tourism Association of Goa (TTAG). He is the President Skal Club of Goa from 2018 onwards and has been instrumental in Skal Goa winning the ‘Skal Club of the Year Award’. Business Goa interviews Ernest Dias where he speaks about Skal Goa and their plans ahead

and networking amongst members to bring potential business and tourism growth.

By sybil rodrigues

Tell us about SKAL Goa. What does the organisation aim to achieve?

Skal Club of Goa is a professional organization of tourism leaders promoting global tourism and friendship.

It is the only international group uniting all branches of the travel & tourism industry.

Our mission statement reads – ‘Through our leadership, professionalism and friendship, to achieve our vision which is a trusted voice in travel & tourism, maximize networking opportunities and support a responsible tourism industry.’

Tell us about your experience in the tourism sector over the years.

I have completed more than 30 years in the tourism industry in Goa. I started from the grassroots as an airport representative and grew up to be the COO of Travel Corporation of India.

I played an important role in the starting of the Thomson Charter flights to Goa in 1993.

The Aurinkomatkat Charter Flight was first handled by us. Subsequently, we were instrumental in bringing and handling charter flights from Estonia, Ukraine, Russia, Poland, Iran, Kazakhstan and the UK. Presently, we are the biggest charter operator in Goa. I have also introduced charters from Russia to Kerala for a couple of years.

What does SKAL stand for?

Sundheit Karlek Ålder Lyka (Travel organization, Good Health, Love / Friendship, Long Life, Happiness). It’s a toast for wellbeing.

Ernest Dias

What are the criteria for membership? Tell us about the various members of SKAL Goa? Membership of Skal is open to senior executives and managers directly involved in tourism management, sales and promotions in specified travel & tourism businesses including transportation (airlines, cruise lines, flight catering, travel & tourism operators, tourism organizations, Government and Non Government tourism councils and event organizers associated with travel and tourism ).

Skal Club of Goa consists of tourism professionals who are owners, senior management executives of various hotels in Goa including the 5-star rated ones. We also have members from the airlines, leading travel & tour operators, charter handlers and event

24 | Business Goa industry Dossier | january 2021

management companies associated with travel & tourism.

Who is part of the leadership team and what varied contribution do they bring to the organisation?

The Leadership Team consists of a Board of Directors headed by the President, 2 Vice Presidents, Secretary, Treasurer and 8 Executive Committee Members. They are all travel & tourism professionals from a crosssection of hotels and travel & tour operators. The leadership team also consists of past presidents of Travel & Tourism Association of Goa (TTAG) and members heading different tourism bodies in Goa. The contribution that they bring to the organization is their vast experience and hands-on interaction with Government Bodies

SKAL Goa’s recent achievement as ‘the best club in the world’ SKAL Goa was declared as the ‘Best Club of the Year 2020’ amongst 350+ Clubs in 87 countries across the world.

The voting for the awards was made up of 2 parts. Votes from amongst all the Clubs in the World – 60% and Votes from the Executive Committee and 40% from the Judges Panel.

The voting was done on the basis of a video presentation of the clubs highlighting their year-long activities namely events, seminars, talks, panel discussions, tourism presentations, interactions with tourism officials and the who’s who in the society and charities undertaken by the Club.

The Clubs receiving the maximum votes is named ‘Skal Club Of The Year’ and receives the Michael O’Flynn Perpetual Trophy as well as the free double registration for the 2021 Skal World Congress at Quebec, Canada. This achievement had been made possible due to the untiring efforts of the Executive Committee and the whole hearted involvement and participation of Club members.

What are the various programmes and initiatives that SKAL Goa has done over the last year?

Networking sessions with ministers, bureaucrats and the police for promotion of safe and healthy tourism.

Motivational talks by industry leaders, industry icons and

@businessgoa

Ajit Jack Sukhija, Prasad Kanoth, Charles Bonifacio, Vivek Kerkar, Shekar Diwadkar, Ernest Dias, Karl Costa, Glafy Castellinho, Reshma Alves, Guitry Velho, Menino Goes Proenca, Babu Quenim, Mario Sequeira and Ashraf Ali Nazari

travel & tourism operators.

Educational awareness sessions on food, hygiene and safety and prevention of sexual harassment of women at the workplace Awareness campaign for a clean, eco-friendly environment and conservation – Saying no to plastic, tree plantation drive, beach cleaning, use of treated water for gardening and wet garbage converted to manure for organic farming, segregation of wet and dry garbage etc.

The club has also made donations to the poor, needy, aged, orphans, martyrs etc in the form of cash of Rs 5 Lakhs; equipment like cupboards, racks; medicines and food worth around Rs 3 lakhs. All our members chipped in by the way of food, provisions, basic necessities, jobs and accommodations for the stranded and needy and PPEs and face shields for Covid warriors. We brought out a unique one and only of its kind coffee table book with family photos, birthdays, anniversaries and blood groups of all members and family serving as a ready reckoner for all members SKAL Goa distributed a beautiful three layer mask with the background beach and coconut trees of Goa and Skal International Goa (691) logo to Goa Skal family and important dignitaries.

What are the charity drives undertaken by SKAL Goa Two of our members donated

a sum of Rs. 100000/- each to the Don Bosco Orphanage School in Calangute. We also gave a sum of Rs. 100000/- to the Christian Art Museum.

We contributed a sum of Rs. 100000/- to the Martyrs Memorial Fund.

We financed the education of a girl child at Rosary School Miramar and also for a professional course of a child at Don Bosco Junior College. We also offered utility equipment to an Old Aged Home in Calangute, Mother Mary Haven for differently abled children. We provided linen, mattresses and curtains for Old Aged Homes and Shanti Avedna Ashram.

“Skal Club of Goa consists of tourism professionals who are owners, senior management executives of various hotels in Goa. We also have members from the airlines, leading travel & tour operators, charter handlers and event management companies associated with travel & tourism”

programmes for application of COVID SOPs, to emphasize for a safe and healthy environment, to increase the Young Skal Membership so as to build up a base of Young Skalleagues who will in time grow into active Skalleagues to take things forward in future. Support and help to needy and deserving cases. We wish to conduct motivational talks for our members at our regular meetings

You have a youth team called the Young Skal or Skalleagues. What is the aim of the youth team?

We have initiated our Young Skal Chapter which comprises of students from Institute of Hotel Management & Catering Technology, Porvorim. In all, we enrolled 23 Members from the first, second and third year who would in time be budding tourism professionals.

The aim of the youth team is to develop leadership skills through orientation, interaction and networking with senior Skalleague professionals in their path to pursue success in their chosen careers.

What are the various projects that you have envisaged in the near future?

We have planned programs to undertake training january 2021 | Business Goa industry Dossier | 25

BookShelf

www.businessgoa.in

sachin bajaj

Apostle of the Gentleman’s Game

Sachin Bajaj has been a cricket aficianado and administrator of the game for over 25 years. He has written, published, edited and presented various books on sports and spirituality You and cricket...

My background is cricket.

I have been on the Cricket Committee of India and am on its managerial board. I have been the Vice-President of the Bombay Badminton Association and in the past I have been a council member of the Maharashtra State Tennis Association. I have a cricket academy which is called the Global Cricket School of which I am the founder and I ran a cricket platform called ‘Last Man Stands’, I write books on cricket in my free time and I have currently presented a book on Jesus Christ.

How did you become acquainted with the game of cricket?

I used to play cricket at the Cricket Club of India. Raj Singh Dungarpur put me on the cricket committee at a young age. I was mentored by two people Raj Singh Dungarpur and I S Bindra.

I worked with Lalit Mody and Mody Entertainment Network and we set up an academy. I worked with Kings XI Punjab for the IPL. I have spent my life in the service of cricket.

What was the idea and inspiration behind the Global Cricket School?

It was a good opportunity as everyone would go from India to play cricket abroad. So I thought why not bring foreign players to play cricket in India? The first few students who came, one went on to captain England.

What has been the impact of the Global Cricket School?

In the last world cup in which 22 were playing, 14 have been from the Global Cricket School and had attended our camps somewhere in the world. It was either a pre-tour or a coaching camp. In the

Sachin Bajaj at the release of former cricketer Madhav Apte’s book As Luck Would Have It along with HDFC Chairman Deepak Parekh and former Indian cricket captain Sunil Gavaskar

Christianity. He has written a fantastic book which has just been released.

All our books are available on Amazon and in leading book stores.

Tell us about your position at the Cricket Club of India.

I am now on its managing board for the last 8 years and I have been on its cricket committee for 23 years.

Above: Books presented by Sachin Bajaj

Indian market, we work in an honorary capacity as we want to serve Indian cricket.

You have written a few books on sports.

In some I’m a writer, some I’m a presenter, some I’m a publisher and in some I am an editor.

Any upcoming books projects?

There’s book on Jesus Christ which has just been released. The book speaks about religious duality and it is written by a colonel in the Indian army.

Colonel S K Bose is a Hindu and a follower of Satya Sai Baba and has researched

26 | Business Goa industry Dossier | january 2021

or

What are your future plans with regards to cricket?

Like Jesus Christ had apostles, I’m one apostle for the game of cricket. I want to go and

Recently released book on Jesus Christ

spread the game of cricket in India and worldwide so that every kid plays cricket not necessarily to become a champion but to give him a way of life and education.

Cricket teaches a child the skills where he doesn’t have to be the greatest cricketer, but just to learn about life. I believe that cricket teaches you life like no other. My book on Christ is my first book on spirituality and something that I’m really looking forward to

Lady power

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priyanka row

Training the Mind By sybil rodrigues

P

riyanka Row is an alumnus of International Indian School, Saudi Arabia where she won a gold medal in the CBSE board. She completed her degree in Business Management from Jai Hind College, Mumbai and then went on to get herself a Masters Degree in Marketing and Strategy from Warwick Business School, United Kingdom.

Priyanka is also an internationally certified Image Consultant from the London Image Institute, a Licensed and Certified Practitioner of Neurolinguistic programming (NLP) from The Society of Neuro-Linguistic Programming – Dr. Richard Bandler and a Professional Mind Coach. Priyanka has led a nomadic lifestyle in what can be described as a multicultural journey having lived and studied in around ten cities and seven countries, in Asia Europe and the Middle East.

Along the way she discovered her first love to be a luxury hotelier and spent a little less than a decade with Marriott International in Corporate Sales based in Goa and Mumbai. Thereafter she joined the team that opened the first Ritz-Carlton in Bengaluru.

Priyanka turned an entrepreneur in 2015 when she opened Goa’s first and only image consultancy as an Internationally Certified Image Consultant. She is also the co-founder of Brunchbites Pvt. Ltd. – Goa’s first online meal box launched in 2018.

Today, Priyanka is a fullfledged Mind Coach in India. Priyanka speaks about taking up mind coaching as a career. “I did not discover Mind Coaching. It chose me.

Our childhood experiences can give us destructive and damaging beliefs that

Priyanka Row highlights her journey from a luxury hotelier to a mind coach

“The challenge lies when people think that they don’t need a mind coach.

Convincing clients that they need help is a constant effort in my line of coaching”

Priyanka Row

influence our adulthood.

Growing up with racism and bullying in Europe in the 90s as a brown-skinned girl caused deep-rooted beliefs and fears in me that I struggled with up to my late 20s.

Professionally and academically, I thought I am a success. Personally, the same me, struggled with her fears.

I decided in 2007 that I need to make myself self-sufficient, mentally and emotionally. I started studying the mind, the subconscious, releasing of fears, limiting beliefs and harmful emotions. I was my own subject of study, for a decade.”

As a certified Image Consultant, she soon discovered her client’s desires to upgrade their physical appearance and behaviour, always had an internal trigger of lack and less. She felt her job was very superficial and people needed more than image consultants. She started applying her own tools and techniques to help them shift their image within.

Over time, her years of self-study transformed into coaching with speed and effortless flow conspired by the Universe. Today, Priyanka is not just a Mind

28 | Business Goa industry Dossier | january 2021

Coach or a certified Belief Clearing Practitioner; But a ‘purposepreneur’, living her purpose. The pandemic helped her grow nationally, with 360 coaching hours in over twelve cities across three countries. Since April, Priyanka has conducted over 35 Master Classes on subconscious reprogramming for educational institutions and corporates such as ONGC, Cap Gemini, Tech Mahindra, Lenskart, Kotak Bank, Indian Medical Association.

Priyanka uses a 3layered approach to coach her clients. Beginning with training the conscious mind to drop over-thinking and mental noise, reject negative thoughts, condition positive thoughts and learn the hacks of a successful mindset, these being the first step.

The next step Priyanka says is ‘reprogramming the subconscious mind’ by dismantling the roots of childhood beliefs, creating new and empowering beliefs while clearing damaging beliefs. The last is the ‘release of energy’ where negative emotions, feelings, memories and experiences are let go.

Priyanka says, “Some of my clients have removed the fear of exams in 2-weeks,

anxiety in 3 weeks, fear of driving in 1 week, overthinking, low self worth, not being good enough at work in 4 weeks, abuse and trauma in 4-5weeks, fear of death in 45-days thus proving that my sessions have helped them tremendously.”

Apart from mind coaching, Priyanka is an active member of Rotary Club of Panaji Riviera and BNI Goa. Regarding the roadblocks faced along the way, Priyanka says, “Transition from inperson sessions to online sessions. Mastering the art of online coaching/master class and webinars and ensuring the effectiveness of tools, technqiues, and modes of delivery of content and ensuring the end outcomes do not get diluted. The challenge lies when people think that they don’t need a mind coach.

Convincing clients that they need help is a constant effort in my line of coaching.”

Priyanka gives credit for what she is to today, to her family and friends. “I am doing what I am doing today only due to family support. They have given me the freedom of choice and the space to focus on being a purposepreneur with minimal distractions and personal responsibilities. This allows me to flow with great speed, safe in the knowledge that I have a safety net that has my back. I am blessed.

My closest friendships have walked this path with me; from my corporate career, to being an entrepreneur to taking tough decisions to become a mind coach. They believed in me at times when I didn’t believe in myself.”

As far as her future plans go, Priyanka’s national website and national campaigns are being launched in the coming weeks in Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai and Pune as well as 3 upcoming coaching programs

professional dossier

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jonathan rodrigues

Mission Mediation: Collaborative Justice Makes Business Sense

Jonathan Rodrigues is a lawyer and mediator, currently leading the online mediation vertical at CAMP Mediation in Bangalore. He is the co-founder of The PACT and a visiting faculty at MNLU Mumbai. He studied Psychology and Law at Goa University, before pursuing his LL.M. in Mediation and Conflict Resolution at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, UK. What attracted you to mediation as an alternative means for dispute resolution?

As a student of psychology, I was attending Law College thinking there is more to disputes than what meets the eye. I couldn’t stop thinking about the ‘people’ linked to the ‘problem’ and what was probably going through their minds. Do people chase ‘retribution’ in the name of ‘justice’? Or are people seeking something more satisfying – peace, resolution, settlement, closure? Mediation is nothing but collaborative justice. A lawyer by education and a mediator by practice, I find it professionally thrilling and morally satisfying to steer disputing participants to a resolution via dialogue.

Whether it’s a sophisticated commercial dispute or a complex personal or community dispute, I have the confidence in guiding the ‘people’ concerned to find their own mutuallyacceptable solution to the ‘problem’.

How do you propose to create awareness about the practice of mediation in Goa? Goa has huge potential to lead the nation’s economic reboot in the post-pandemic era. It was ranked as a ‘front-runner’ in the SDG India Index 201920 showing its true potential to lead from the front and set trends that inspire the nation.

Goan business leaders can lead the way in helping diffuse the concept of collaborative justice in the society. Via CAMP Mediation, I am looking forward to collaborating with visionary business leaders in Goa in creating platforms for awareness, through

and economy. Every social movement should have a voice, but these voices would be better heard in a mediation setting, where representatives from either side can sit at the table and find constructive, amicable solutions that help the youth and the State government build a better Goa.

Jonathan Rodrigues

workshops, webinars, etc., and designing pre-litigation mediation mechanisms to settle disputes amicably, quickly and economically.

Similarly, there is immense scope in working with corporates and companies to create awareness about workplace conflict resolution, to encourage disputants to try mediation, before filing complaints with the ICC or Labour Courts. Keeping up with the national trend, Goan business firms could also explore the possibility of inserting a ‘mediation clause’ in their contracts, to give themselves a window of opportunity to resolve out-ofcourt before pursuing lengthy litigation battles. Nationally, we also work closely with legal teams of major companies in identifying what kind of cases are suitable for mediation and assist them in reaching out to

30 | Business Goa industry Dossier | january 2021

the other side, inviting both parties to give mediation a try.

What industries / sectors in Goa do you feel have the scope to explore mediation?

There is tremendous scope for mediation in the real-estate, construction, tourism and hospitality sectors in Goa, besides the MSME sector.

Introducing a window for mediation would allow these sectors to focus on innovation and business, instead of spending their resources on stressful and uncertain courtroom battles.

Goa slipped 5 places backwards to 24th last year on the Ease of Doing Business (EODB) rankings and that is not a positive reputation for a small State with so much potential.

Importantly, mediation can help achieve sustainable development, bridging the gap between environment

What are the statistics that make mediation more attractive, time / cost effective vis-a-vis traditional litigation?

I did a TEDx Talk in 2019 to reason out why mediation makes the best first-option to resolve disputes, before pursuing arbitration or litigation. It is a fact that the average lifespan of a mediation case is around 1525 hours, while the average lifespan of a civil court case is around 12-15 years.

We are comparing ‘hours’ with ‘years’, so I rest my case. Consequent to the vast difference in timelines, parties end up spending 1/10th of what they would shell out on court proceedings, if it were pursued up to the Supreme Court. Additionally, there are psychological, mental and emotional strains on personal, professional and business relationships. Agreed, not every case can be mediated or should be mediated; and similarly, not every case needs to be litigated. Therefore, I invite the business community in Goa to try mediation today and witness for themselves, if it makes financial, social and professional sense for their business.

Today, we don’t need to travel to Bangalore, Delhi or Bombay to find the best mediation services; the entire process from the convening

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to the settlement agreement is made accessible on a safe, secure CAMP-CREK online platform.

Mediation is the future of dispute resolution in India, and this has been recently recognised by legislative amendments and even a proposed model mediation law, which is on its way to parliament.

Any case studies or experiences in your realm of work that you wish to share with our readers?

This case is from the last decade, where a former employer pressed IP infringement suit against past employees. For a new startup, the dreams came crushing without any real ascertainment of IP infringement. But, with the help of a trained mediator and experts at CAMP Mediation, parties saw value in moving forward. As a part

of the settlement package, exemployees carved out their IP with which they could restart their venture; monetary compensation was agreed for former employer. Dreams were fuelled and recharged, a win-win for all – all cases filed were withdrawn.

In another interesting case from 2020, sustained payment defaults by purchaser in a supply contract, resulted in a winding up petition. In the safety of a mediation process, the mediator helped parties build trust and understand temporary cash constraints and specific supply issues.

Facilitated by the trained mediator from CAMP Mediation, parties were able to appreciate the value in continuing their business relationship and at the same time find a creative way to settle past claims. In this instance as well, all filed cases were withdrawn

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Peter Vaz

Real Estate Mogul, Sports aficionado, and Goa’s self-made Businessman

A man of great character whose passion and vision in the field of real estate, football and zest for life, has remained unparalleled

G

oa was plunged into a pall of gloom last month when news broke out that Peter Vaz had succumbed to Covid-19. His battle with the virus lasted a month in three different hospitals and he passed away in Bengaluru.

His death at the age of 53 sent shockwaves through Goa, and condolences poured in from all corners – politicians, friends and the business community. He leaves behind his wife, Natalie and children Diogo Nathan, Danira and Nyra.

Early Life, Education & Work Life Peter studied at Don Bosco High School in Panjim and would often cycle to school from his home in Caranzalem. Later, he opted for a diploma in Engineering at Government Polytechnic, Altinho. Soon after, Peter landed himself a job at the PWD at Vasco as a junior engineer. He was just 22 then and had big aspirations for himself. Given that it was a government department where things moved too slowly for the young Peter, he decided to quit his job after just eight months.

Starting Models At 22, when most people are setting out on their career path and achieving life goals, Peter chose to go off the beaten path. Peter’s first foray into business was in 1989, with Edgar Afonso, founding ‘Models Real Estate Developers’, a partnership firm, and in 1991 ‘Models Construction Pvt. Ltd.’, a company; engaged in housing and commercial developments.

Today, Models has grown to become a leading real estate and construction brand in Goa.

Peter Vaz

Peter’s sole inspiration was to create landmark projects and deliver quality homes to Goans at affordable prices inviting customers to live their lifestyle at Models.

The brand Models is a true synonym of quality delivered with meticulous planning, emphasis on design and aesthetics, and quality of construction with a fine eye for detail. Some of the flagship projects are a landmark reflecting the time elements of modern Goan architecture.

Models Meridien, Models Millenium, Models Status, Models Marine Vistas, Models Legacy, and Campal Trade Center are some of his projects.

Besides civil construction, Peter spearheaded the Group’s diversification drive, successfully venturing into hospitality (hotels, homestays and destination weddings venues), tourism (river cruises) and sports.

His hospitality ventures are Le Meridien, Calangute, Bay 15, Lazy Lagoon, a Lemon Tree Resort, and The Fern Residency Miramar. Coral Queen, Coral Queen II and

32 | Business Goa industry Dossier | january 2021

Jamboree are the Cruises that he introduced. The homestays business include Ashore, Casa Feliz, along with serviced apartments and luxury villas.

Passion for Football Peter being a football enthusiast took pride in his brainchild ‘Sporting Clube de Goa’ also known as Flaming Oranje, a premier football club in India which he had passionately nurtured singlehandedly since its inception since 1999. Sporting Clube de Goa boasts of numerous honours won including Runners-Up in 2004-05 I-League Premier Division; Federation Cup Runners-Up 2005, 2006, 2013 and 2014; and Champions of the GFA Under-18 League.

Started with the purpose of grassroots development of local talent and to encourage football among Goa’s youth, Flaming Oranje has been instrumental in supporting, nurturing, guiding and development of the youth and many of the club’s players including the legend Bibiano Fernandes, Felix D’souza, Brandon Fernandes, Adil

Khan and Rowlin Borges, have gone on to represent the country in the national team.

The Club made a bold move by recruiting talented international players to create a formidable team like Adebayo Adewusi, Clifford Chikuwuma, Bella Razaq, Kalu Ogba, Gonzalo Neila, Arturro Garcia, Angel Berlanga, Luciano Sabrosa, and the Nigerian player MacPherlin Dudu Omagbemi, who later went on to play in the UEFA champions league.

A force to reckon with in the arena, Sporting Clube de Goa competed in the I-League for more than a decade before withdrawing from the league due to the uncertainty over the Indian football road-map.

On 16th August 2013, Sporting Clube de Goa launched their own academy commemorating the 198th anniversary of the founding of Don Bosco. The Academy is built in lines of the senior team philosophy and accommodates children between the ages of 6 to 12.

The Academy’s ethos is to uplift, inspire, nurture and offer the youth an opportunity to excel through sustained coaching with experienced footballers and enable them to transition into becoming professional sportsmen.

With a focus on spotting talent at a young age and guiding them with training, the Academy encourages children from Don Bosco High School, neighbourhoods around Panjim, and Goa. The Academy has also been factoring in technical, tactical, physical and psychological aspects in the curriculum to ensure holistic development that are essential to succeed and thrive on the field.

Philanthropic Acts

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Dr Julius T Nayak

Remembering Dr Julius T Nayak: A Rara Avis A touching tribute by a friend for a legal luminary who left before the world could celebrate him

N

By Ninad Laud

ever stop learning because life never stops teaching, goes the adage.

Dr. Julius T. Nayak embodied this principle to the fullest. His days at the V. M. Salgaocar College of Law were illuminating for the College as a whole. He drew new boundaries for the College and legal education in Goa, with his own explorations.

It is not surprising that in a short span of just three years at the College he was instrumental in the qualification and participation of the College at two international moot court competitions, the Stetson International Environmental Law Moot at Florida and the Willem C. Vis Arbitration Moot at Vienna. He was also the inspiration behind a faculty member securing the prestigious Vanderbilt Scholarship to pursue an LLM in the USA. After graduating from Goa, he worked for a couple of years at a Mumbai law firm, Paras Kuhad & Associates, where he made many a friend and garnered much admiration. He then secured a scholarship for an LLM in International Economic and Business Laws at Kyushu University in Japan, where

Dr Julius T Nayak

he left a mark as always, with repeated requests to don an academic role at the University. However, not done with learning yet, he then pursued another LLM in Energy Laws at the Centre for Energy, Petroleum and Mineral Law and Policy, UK at the University of Dundee in Scotland as a Chevening Rio Tinto Scholar, and then went on to obtain a PhD in Law & Policy, with a doctoral thesis on addressing gaps in transnational governance frameworks for natural resources. While inundated

with the rigours of his curriculum, he still found the time, to pursue other avenues for personal and professional growth – he was a certified mediator from the Humboldt University, Berlin.

Humility was another hallmark of his personality and he almost never used or had himself referred to with the appellation of Doctor, though it would have been rather appropriate for someone with his unparalleled appetite for knowledge and scholarship.

He returned to India to pursue a career in public

policy consultancy under the banner of Equilibria (Law, Governance & CSR). While pursuing the same, he found himself drawn into advising on a dispute involving a family estate in Goa which involved the intricacies of the Portuguese law, as still applied in Goa. This engaged him in untested areas of this law.

As always, he gave his heart and soul to this litigation, dedicating almost the entirety of the last five years of his life to it. He could truly be called a rare expert in the Portuguese law as applicable to Goa. No wonder, he was nominated to be part of a Committee to look into the assessment of these laws by the Government of Goa only a few months back. Just as his thirst for learning never waned, his desire to impart learning never ceased. He enriched just about everyone that crossed his path. To me, he was a friend, guide and someone that helped broaden my professional horizons.

His almost unreal benevolence, generosity and overarching aim of uplifting and empowering one and all that he met, not only made him a rara avis but would make one say that this world did not deserve him!

The writer practices law at the Supreme Court of India

Peter was well known for his philanthropy work, always ready to help a worthy cause in a big way and has been associated with various projects benefiting the society at large. He had sponsored the construction of Goa’s first D. Ed College named Sri Ram Vidya Mandir at Colvale in the memory of his late father, Diogo Vaz. He had also built the ‘club house’ at Don Bosco High School and a fullfledged primary school for the underprivileged in Odxel; to name a few.

Role as Boss and Businessman Peter was described by his employees and peers as the most successful firstgeneration self-made Goan businessman with a heart of gold. He was a perfectionist, sharp minded and a strongwilled person who never used computers or a laptop but trusted his own ability to get everything right. He believed in creating his own roads and dared to take the roads less travelled. He also believed that change is the only

constant and one needs to evolve and adapt to changing times making him a pioneer in the industry.

He had a very good rapport with his team at Models and partner brands. The core team has worked with Peter Vaz for over 15 years while some professionals have been with Models for over 25 years.

Under his leadership, Models has created groundbreaking and value-driven projects, nurtured local talent in design and architecture and created employment opportunity for

over 500 individuals.

Strong Personality Peter was known for being strong willed and taking calculated risks. His sharp memory, being gifted at math along with great industry foresight and love for a challenging project made him a formidable name in the world of business. He was never the one to follow the conventional route but always took the road less travelled and lived life on his own terms

january 2021 | Business Goa industry Dossier | 33

event

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Icg toastmasters Expressions released

T

oastmasters is a non-profit organisation that aims to help people develop their public speaking skills and leadership qualities.

International Centre Goa (ICG) Toastmasters Club is one of the best performing clubs in Goa with about 33 members. A creative mindset needs a platform to showcase its talent. Writing is a better way to express thoughts and share ideas to a larger audience. With this in mind, ICG Toastmasters Club launched its newsletter - ‘ICG Toastmasters Expressions’ at the dawn of this year!

On 7th January 2021, the Club had its first meeting of the year. The launch was a part of this meeting. It was hosted by Club Secretary, TM Vishvaja Faldesai. The Chief Guest for this event was Harshvardhan Bhatkuly, Editor, Business Goa. The newsletter was launched through a virtual platform.

Expressions, reflected the unity of ICG Toastmasters family. The core newsletter committee consisted of TM Vishvaja Faldesai (Editor), TM Sharmila Umesh (Sub Editor), TM Neeru Khera, TM Sertorio Noronha,

TM Tanya Redkar and TM Gurmit Kher. The newsletter was an amalgamation of the President’s address, messages from the Club leaders, Club report for the past six months, member and Club achievements, articles and poems from the members and articles promoting the entrepreneurs of the Club.

The highlight of Expressions was the cover story - Beating the Pandemic, Toastmaster’s style. Members shared their personal learning experiences during the pandemic and their key takeaways. It was inspiring

to see that even during the lockdown period and with the ongoing anxiety caused by Covid-19 pandemic, the zest of the Club members has not diminished.

Toastmasters around the globe had attended the Club meetings during the past six months. Expressions also showcased their feedback about the Club. The launch meeting had about 30 participants.

Chief Guest, Harshvardhan Bhatkuly, congratulated the Club on the newsletter. He mentioned that he was thrilled to launch a newsletter of Toastmaters and appreciated the overall design, flow of ideas and the special emphasis given to the entrepreneurship in the newsletter. Bhatkuly also mentioned that he also saw great potential in the Club members to be future leaders.

The Club President TM Neeru Khera, thanked the Chief Guest for his presence.

She emphasised on the quote “Clubs are owned by each and every member” and hoped to have more newsletters in future with the support of her club members

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New biz

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Rahasya: Craft vodka that captures the Bhat unveils Rahasya, craft vodka that combines age old essence of India Varna Indian heritage with the modern way of life E ver wondered what India in a bottle would taste like? Enter Rahasya (pronounced Ra-hus-ya).

Blisswater Industries Private Limited has introduced Rahasya – craft vodka inspired by the mysticism, heritage, and folklore of India. Rahasya marries India’s heritage with its new, self-confident future. Currently available exclusively in Goa where it is produced, the vodka will soon be available in other parts of India as well. Rahasya is the brainchild of Varna Bhat, a first-generation entrepreneur who comes from a creative industry background of branding, events and experiential marketing.

Rahasya’s journey started with the desire of creating a product that is premium and distinctly Indian. “The intention was to create a product from India for the world with pride in India’s rich and glorious civilizational brilliance.” says Varna.

Globally, the subcontinent’s vast treasury of flavours has been compressed into a narrow band of masala. But India has much more to offer. There isn’t any spirit that could say that it imbibes Indianness in its very essence. From Kashmir to Kerala, Rahasya instills a hint of nostalgia in anyone who has grown up in India or spent a considerable time here.

Crisp notes with a refreshing after taste, this vodka is made from high quality Indian grain and is best enjoyed plain and simple on ice.

‘Rahasya’ is a Sanskrit word that means mystery, or secret. What makes Rahasya unique is its flavour profile, which takes inspiration from various elements that are inherent to the Indian way of life.

Rahasya is designed to take us back to our roots and yet push us to new; where culture and Indian roots combine to create an immersive experience; to a land of possibilities and the land of mystique. What is in Rahasya? Well, that will remain a Rahasya for as long as you wish to journey it!

“The new Indian consumer takes pride in what is Indian, not just in terms of being manufactured in India but something that speaks of India in its identity. Rahasya is for the self-confident Indian generation that believes in the premiumness of a homegrown product,” commented Varna Bhat, on the launch of Rahasya.

She further added, “Rahasya has been

launched keeping in mind the growing popularity of white spirits in India.

Conceived with the objective to create a product that represents India and with a lot of careful research on India’s ancient traditions, we created this unique blend.”

The company’s vision is to take the taste of India to the world. The product is targeted at the new age consumer who is inspirational and well-travelled, yet strongly rooted to the ethos of India.

Rahasya Vodka is available exclusively in Goa, and will soon be available in other parts of India The vodka is produced in Goa and is priced at Rs. 850 for a 750ml bottle in the Goa market.

By the end of 2021, Rahasya aims to be available across Karnataka, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra and other States in the country. Blisswater also plans to make the vodka available overseas as early as mid2021.

Varna Bhat: A Creative Entrepreneur Varna Bhat is founder & CEO of Blisswater Industries Private Limited.

Blisswater was established with a vision of creating innovative products with traditional Indian sensibilities in the alcohol sector where products having foreign origins are generally considered premium.

Varna grew up preparing to be an IAS officer. She was always a batch topper and excelled at academics. However, life had other plans. When she turned 18, her dad told her to start fending for herself. Thus, began her foundation in entrepreneurship.

Varna’s thirst for exploration and innovation was more than just academic in nature. After nearly ending up in the Civil Services she realized that bureaucracy as a career was not for her

Varna Bhat

and she found her calling in the world of marketing, creativity, innovation and branding.

Her first entrepreneurial venture was RapidStall, a forerunner in the ecofriendly branding space. RapidStall makes eco-friendly branding display solutions that replaced the landfill generating flex and vinyl prints with a modular and recyclable fabric and aluminium solution.

With manufacturing in Bangalore and sales offices in New Delhi and Mumbai as well as manufacturing and sales in Dubai for the Middle East region, RapidStall has made a positive mark in the market.

Varna also co-founded and provided initial seed for Tessarakt Experiential Pvt Ltd, a new-age experiential marketing, events and creative production house headquartered in Bangalore.

Between the two companies, they handle clients such as the Aditya Birla Fashion brands, Titan, Tata Steel, Himalaya, Siemens and several others.

Varna prides herself as an entrepreneur whose core values are innovation and category defining products and solutions and most importantly building a growth focused team. Varna is also a mentor and consultant advisor to several start-ups and high growth focused SME businesses.

Varna resides in Bangalore but is Goan at heart. She is a Rhodes Scholarship Finalist and mother to twin girls january 2021 | Business Goa industry Dossier | 35

biz bytes

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Chowgule Group splits into two following a family settlement The 104-year-old Goa based business conglomerate, Chowgule Group, has split into two after a ‘civil’ family settlement.

Padma V Chowgule, Chairperson and Managing Director of flagship company, Chowgule & Co, will acquire the mining, pellets, salt, shipbuilding and educational institutions of the Group, which has 14 business units.

Padma is the youngest of founder Vishwasrao Chowgule’s five children.

Meanwhile Padma’s brother Vijay will have control over the Group’s businesses that include the ship repair yard at Lavgan in Maharashtra, Angre Port in Maharashtra, automobile dealerships, constructions chemicals, port agency,

warehousing, logistics, Kolhapur Oxygen, healthcare, explosives and ammunition.

In the financial year 2020, the Group had a turnover of around 2500 crore, which has been divided equally between the two groups.

A split had been imminent ever since Padma took over as CMD from Vijay a few years ago. Padma has introduced new management strategies to rebuild the group with professional managers

to make the group futurefocussed with aggressive growth targets.

The split also coincided with the new generation of the family looking to lead the company with a track record of turning around businesses and achieving consistent growth and profitability in recent years.

The younger generations includes Arjun Chowgule, Ashok Chowgule’s son, Eshaan Lazarus, Padma’s son and Aditya Chowgule, son of Yashwantrao Chowgule, Vishwarao Chowgule’s brother.

The younger generation will continue to support Padma, while Vijay is backed

by Ramesh Chowgule, who is the son of Laxmanrao Chowgule, Vishwasrao’s

brother.

The restructuring of the company into two groups allows a diversified vision and approach, bringing focus to growth and expansion.

The spokesperson for Padma Chowgule’s group said, “All the businesses will focus on future readiness, striking a balance between expansions in existing businesses and developing new lines of business. The cornerstone of this vision will be the existing experienced talent base, along with infusion of new skills.

As the Chowgule Group continues on its journey to secure a leadership position in the industry, across all the areas that it operates in, it will continue to unlock value for all its stakeholders, as it has done in the past”

Taj Fort Aguada Resort & Spa, Goa ranks #1 as ‘Favourite Leisure Hotel in India’ Condé Nast Traveller Readers’ Travel Awards 2020 Manager – Taj Hotel & Convention Centre, Goa said, “We are humbled and honoured to receive this prestigious recognition.

This award is a testimony to the hard work and dedication of Anmol Ahluwalia, General Manager – Taj, North Goa who has been instrumental in repositioning the iconic Taj Fort Aguada Resort & Spa, Goa at #1 as the ‘Favourite Leisure Hotel’ in

The iconic Taj Fort Aguada & Spa, Goa ranks #1 as the ‘Favourite Leisure Hotel in India’ by Condé Nast Traveller Readers’ Travel Awards 2020. The world’s largest travel platform recently revealed the winners of its 10th edition of Readers’ Travel Awards in an online series of videos on social media. This coveted award program celebrates travellers’ favourite destinations, hotels, restaurants, spas and airlines around the world.

Speaking about the announcement, Vincent

Vincent Ramos

Anmol Ahluwalia

Ramos, Area Director – IHCL, Goa and General

the country with outstanding quality of service, remarkable

36 | Business Goa industry Dossier | january 2021

hospitality and phenomenal experiences.”

The Readers’ Travel Awards celebrates the best of the best in travel, as voted for by people who love to travel: the readers of Condé Nast Traveller. It is the longest-running and most prestigious recognition of excellence in the travel industry showcasing the very best travel experiences in the world.

Anmol Ahluwalia, General Manager – Taj, North Goa said, “It is indeed a proud moment for us. Taj Fort Aguada Resort & Spa, Goa was the first luxury hotel in Goa and it continues to establish new benchmarks of excellence in the hospitality industry. We are thankful to our patrons for this prestigious recognition as it motivates us to reinforce their love and support.”

In addition, Taj Exotica Resort & Spa, Goa is recognized in the category of ‘Favourite Spa’ in an Indian Hotel

@businessgoamagazine

Umang Software is now in Silicon Valley The new BMW 3 Series Gran Limousine launched in India Since 2009, Umang Software from the beach to the valley Technologies Pvt Ltd as a 100% EOU software company has always focused on IT services exports.

Headquartered in Goa, Umang has now registered and set up its first overseas office in San Jose, California.

The office is located in Silicon Valley Business Center in the heart of the world’s IT capital and right next to the San Jose International Airport with easy access to major highways.

Mangirish Salelkar, founder-CEO of Umang says, “It’s a dream come true! Our step to enter Silicon Valley will definitely inspire many technopreneurs to aim big.

We aim to hire a sales team in the coming month. We hope 2021 will help us cover up for the slowdown we had last year.”

Definitely, this journey

has not been easy for Umang Software Technologies.

With great enthusiasm, the CTO, Poonam Narvekar says, “Till date, we have been focusing on application development, maintenance and re-engineering for our esteemed clients in various domains like healthcare, fintech, marine research, construction, hospitality and many more. We will have to be more agile and accept diversification in emerging technologies like data science and artificial intelligence”.

Team Umang has accepted the fact that ‘change is the only constant’.

The team is very excited about their first overseas office and is looking forward to supporting big and small businesses to navigate the challenging times

BMW India has launched the new BMW 3 Series Gran Limousine.

The car is available in both petrol and diesel variants at all BMW India dealerships.

The long wheelbase ‘Gran Limousine’ is a new addition to the BMW 3 Series family.

The new BMW 3 Series Gran Limousine takes on the position of the longest, most spacious and comfortable car in its segment and sets a new benchmark in the class. It offers sportiness, comfort and innovations exclusively for

the Indian market.

Vikram Pawah, President, BMW Group India said, “The 3 Series is the soul of the BMW brand and has won over millions of customers around the world.”

The long list of indulgence features such as Panorama Glass Sunroof, Comfort Seats in front, bespoke ‘Vernasca’ leather upholstery, luxurious rear seat, Parking Assist with Reverse Assist, Ambient Lighting, BMW Live Cockpit Professional and Wireless Charging adds to its appeal

january 2021 | Business Goa industry Dossier | 37

Beyond classroom / dr. pradeep salgaonkar

Mindshare to Marketshare: Building Strong Brands

The writer explains the importance of mindshare in order for a brand to be successful; and ways of increasing mindshare

A

discussion among two marketing intellectuals on ‘Mindshare or market share: what is more important’ ends up in mindshare having an upper edge over the market share. The discussion started in an informal chat over a cup of tea when these two friends, working as marketing professionals for two different companies, happened to meet one day. While one of them emphasized the point that first increasing market share is important, the other gentleman, managed to convince the first that indeed it is the mindshare that leads to creating action in the market and thus increase in the market share.

Businesses measure their progress and growth in terms of percentage of market share gained. However, many forget or overlook the fact that what leads to market share growth is ultimately the mindshare. As Linda Wolf, former chairman and CEO of Leo Burnett Worldwide, rightly states “Before you can have a share of market, you must have a share of mind.”

Understanding ‘mindshare’ or ‘share of mind’ Simply put, mindshare is the degree of consumers’ awareness and liking of a business or a brand compared to other competitors in the market. Going further, mindshare is that portion of the customer’s ‘buying mind’ or ‘decision making mind’ or ‘recall mind’ that a brand owns, or that a brand has managed to create over a period of time. In other words, mindshare is the customer’s involvement with a brand, that is, the involvement in terms of their heads, hearts, trust, and loyalty to a brand. It is the consumers’ perception of a particular brand or business compared to their competitors, as measured by the amount of talk or mentions generated by the public or the media.

For example, when someone says to “Google it” they are referring to searching for a certain term or statistic, or location on Google and this means that Google has a very high mindshare. Some of the most extreme examples of very high mindshare are the brands that are so universal that their names become synonymous with products – Band Aid, Colgate, Xerox etc.

Mindshare is important because it drives purchase intentions and thus increase in sales, leading to increased

“Before you can have a share of market, you must have a share of mind” Linda Wolf

Former Chairman and CEO of Leo Burnett Worldwide

market share for businesses. Higher the mindshare among customers for a brand, higher is the market share. One of the research studies by AC Nielsen on car purchasing behaviour, found that high mindshare and top-of-mind awareness of a particular brand among consumers, drives about 90% of purchasing intent of that brand. Mindshare is thus important to drive market share.

Creating strong mindshare Creating a strong mindshare is a part of the Positioning Strategy. The objective should be to ensure that when people think of a certain product or service, for a specific solution, in the category of a particular brand, then, that particular brand must come to their mind first. It is aimed at establishing a brand as the ‘first brand to think of ’ when consumers need what solutions the brand offers.

Everything that businesses do in terms of advertising, marketing efforts and branding exercises, is a means to gain the mindshare of consumers. Making consumers remember the brand through continuous communication, reinforcing the recall and reuse, makes inroads into achieving higher mindshare of consumers.

Here are some ways how mindshare can be increased; i) Differentiator: Have a distinct differentiator in product, brand name and the value proposition that the brand promises to consumers. And, communicate this differentiator forcefully through marketing communications. Let consumers know clearly what the brand offers and what it is known for through a smart positioning strategy. Position the product to easily permeate in the minds of consumers by letting them know the

unique job that the product will do to solve consumers’ problems. ii) Touch the heart: Increase heart share to get mindshare by getting subtly close to the hearts of consumers. Try and connect emotionally with consumers foster a deeper emotional bonding with consumers. Consciously practice consumer engagement exercises, every moment, and generate deeper engagement with consumers. iii) Continuous recall and reinforcement: ‘Jo Dikhta hai, vohi bikta hai, aur, Jo bikta hai, vohi tikta hai’ (what is seen, is sold, and what is sold, lasts). For brands to remain in consumers’ minds, one will have to continuously tell the consumers that ‘they are there’. They need to generate recall and reinforce positive feelings through repetitive engaging marketing communication that harps upon value proposition to consumers. Brands need to stay close to consumers’ hearts and get deeper in minds every day ensuring that they reach a status of being likeable, usable and shareable. iv) Making the brand ‘habitual’: A brand should become a habit. Like ‘Google’ in search engines is a strong habit among people. In present day times, for any information the first thing that comes to mind is ‘Google the query’. It is a strong habit created through convenience, ease, and value added services that fulfil every user’s needs. Delivering higher value constantly, individual customisation, convenience, storytelling on digital platform etc. are some of the actions to be taken to build brand habits. v) Focus on basics – Ensuring that the core deliverables are in place is of utmost importance for any brand. Maintain quality of product, deliver promised level of service, ensure availability of product always, and guarantee excellent customer service. To be successful, a brand should try and meet at least two of these basic characteristics – a brand should provide a faster, better and cheaper solution. If all these are achievable in a single brand, then that could create a market leader brand easily, with very high mindshare and market share. vi) Brand purpose: It is imperative that a brand should meet the purpose for which it is being marketed. The brand should provide the promised solution and

The writer is a Founder Director, Saldots Academy; corporate trainer and facilitator; former chairman of Goa Management Association. Email: pradeepsalgaonkar@gmail.com 38 | Business Goa industry Dossier | january 2021

Uncomplicate Business / sunil dias

The value of dissent in your business

The writer explains the need for dissent in an organisation, the need to disagree and how to manage disagreements

I

t’s great having a workplace where everyone agrees with one another.

Where taking decisions is a breeze since everyone seems so much in tune with one another. Where you can be sure that employees will sagely nod their heads during key meetings. For sure, it makes for a more cordial environment.

Yet, there’s a dark side to this agreeable atmosphere. It could lead to lack of innovation and business stagnation.

In his 1974 article, Professor Jerry Harvey recalls a trip with his wife to his in-law’s house in Coleman, Texas.

“It is a hot afternoon, and the family is comfortably sitting on the porch playing dominos. The father-in-law suggests a 50mile road trip to Abilene town for dinner.

The wife says that it sounds like a great idea.The son-in-law thinks it’s a bad idea to travel 50 miles in a un-airconditioned car in the heat and dust. But he agrees since everyone seems to want to go. The drive is hot, dusty and long. And the food is bad. Four hours later, the exhausted foursome are back home. And they then realize that nobody wanted to go on the trip. The father-in-law suggested it since he thought everyone else was getting bored. The wife went along to keep her husband happy. The mother-in-law said she came since everyone else seemed enthusiastic about the trip. The group had taken a trip which none of them wanted. They each would have preferred to sit comfortably. Yet, they did not admit to it when they still had time to enjoy the afternoon.”

Prof. Harvey called this the Abilene paradox. A situation where people take actions in dissonance with what they really want to do. These actions often defeat the goal that they are trying to achieve. In our professional and personal lives, we often encounter the Abilene

paradox. Individually, everyone seems to know the obvious and the right thing to do. Collectively, actions and decisions are very different from what each individual thinks. That leads to dysfunction.

The Abilene paradox is different from ‘groupthink’. In groupthink, everyone thinks that the right decision has been taken. So, while the decision may be bad for the organization, at least it doesn’t have a direct impact on employee morale. In the Abilene paradox, every individual is aware of the sub-optimal action. When they know what’s wrong with a decision, but for some reason they can’t or won’t speak up. That can crush employee morale. It’s enough to puncture the enthusiasm of your best employee.

Besides, the sub-optimal decision is bad for your business.

Considering the impact, preventing the Abilene paradox should be top priority. And it seems easy enough to assume that people will speak their mind.

Yet, we are often afraid of speaking up. It’s easier, safer and faster to agree with what everyone else seems to be saying. How do you prevent the Abilene paradox playing out in your organization?

Encourage a ‘dissent culture’ If you’re in a leadership role of any kind, you need to actively encourage dissent. It can feel great to have subordinates agree with everything that you say. Yet, very little dissent is often a sign of employees being afraid of speaking their mind. Or not caring enough to share their views.

Both hurt your business. A dissenting culture means that you shouldn’t allow people to just nod their heads at your ideas. For instance, get them to justify why they agree with a certain decision.

And you will be surprised how often people don’t have a justification. Other

than they feel the need to agree with you!

A leader should do a few things to ensure the dissenting culture doesn’t morph into conflict or lack of respect.

There should be agreement about the need to disagree. It is best that everyone understands upfront how to manage disagreements. Ground rules help. For instance, an obvious one is not to allow shouting. Or to make it a rule that everyone asks for permission before disagreeing. Asking for permission, though a formality, demonstrates respect.

Speak your mind As a professional, it is important to speak your mind. Disagree with something?

Does that something have a direct or indirect impact on the business? It is your duty to say so. Sure, there may be organizations where your candour isn’t appreciated.

But organizations which discourage dissent aren’t the best places to work.

Besides, speaking your mind can be therapeutic. You don’t need to endlessly weigh every thought in your mind before you air them. That said, it is important to differentiate between the stuff important to a business. And the stuff that’s not.

For the stuff that’s not important, it’s sometimes best to agree if the other side has strong views. And save your energies to explain your views on the stuff that matters.

Closing thoughts It is said that, with hindsight, we regret the things that we didn’t do more than the things that we did. And that starts with speaking your mind, and allowing others in your organization to speak theirs; because if you don’t, it is unlikely that you or your business will get to where you want it to be

The author runs iv-advisors, a consulting firm helping businesses become bigger and better. Email:sunildias@iv-advisors.com

perform the job for which the consumers are buying it. That’s the lower level purpose which the brand should meet.

However, in addition to this, consumers today are also concerned about the higher order purpose that a brand fulfils.

This includes the broader purpose of environmental and societal sustainability.

Consumers across the world are getting more and more conscious about these issues and expect every business and

brand to behave sensibly towards these goals. Consumers value those brands which value the higher order purpose of environmental and societal well-being.

Those brands which care for the local people and their needs are getting better mindshare among consumers.

Thus it is prudent for brands to have a higher brand purpose and sustain it for higher mindshare. For any business or brand to gain and hold a higher market

share, it must first work towards gaining a higher mindshare through various marketing and customer management tactics and strategies.

If a brand fails to win the hearts and minds of people, then it will never be in a position to gain higher market share. A strong mindshare leads to a higher market share. Thus, to increase profitability and market share, focus on gaining mindshare of consumers january 2021 | Business Goa industry Dossier | 39

corporate citizen / Daniel Albuquerque

International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and its system of ADR

The columnist has already given us a foretaste of international arbitration towards the end of 2020. In the coming installments in the New Year, he concentrates on international trade disputes in general and the various institutions dedicated to arbitration and dispute resolution. Here below is the role of International Chamber of Commerce (ICC)

The International Court of Arbitration The International Court of Arbitration of the International Chamber of Commerce is the independent arbitration body of the ICC. The statutes of the Court are set forth in Appendix I. Article 1: ICC International Court of Arbitration The function of the International Court of Arbitration of the International Chamber of Commerce (the ‘Court’) is to ensure the application of the Rules of Arbitration of the International Chamber of Commerce, and it has all the necessary powers for that purpose.

Article 1: Function, Appendix I, the Statutes of the Court Arbitration Case Petitioners: Gujarat State Petroleum Corporation Ltd, Gujarat; Alkor Petro Ltd, Andhra Pradesh; Western Drilling Contractors Private Ltd, Uttar Pradesh.

All are registered companies of India as per law. They filed a petition to confirm arbitral award.

Respondents: Yemeni Ministry of Oil and Minerals, Republic of Yemen, a foreign state not entitled to sovereign immunity under 28 U.S.C. Sect. 1605 as shown as follows.

Jurisdiction: This is an action to enforce an arbitral award rendered in France, a signatory to the New York Convention, in the United States. Jurisdiction is therefore appropriate. Ref 9 U.S.C. Sect, 203 (“An action or proceeding falling under the Convention shall be deemed to arise under the laws and treaties of the United States. The district courts of the United States shall have original jurisdiction over such an action or proceeding, regardless of amount in controversy.”)

Facts of the Case: The above parties entered into the business of petroleum and hydrocarbon exploration and their production through an awarded bid in Yemen in 2006. The business expanded by another three similar Production Sharing Agreements (PSAs) under International Chamber of Commerce (Paris) (‘ICC’).

Specifically, Article 23 of the PSAs where it is stated that in case of any dispute, submission of the same will be under this article in accordance with the Rules of Conciliation and Arbitration of the

“Great progress was made when arbitration treaties were concluded in which contracting powers pledge in advance to submit all conflicts to an arbitration court, treaties which not only specify the composition of the court but also its procedure” Ludwig Quidde International Chamber of Commerce and application may be made to a court that has jurisdiction for the judicial acceptance of the award.

The Dispute: It was about the PSAs being terminated by the respondent, who utilized a Force Majeure clause according to which respondents were not entitled to draw upon letters of credit issued to ensure that the petitioners satisfied their obligations under the PSAs. The Arbitral Award: The Court of Arbitration first established its jurisdiction which was earlier challenged by the respondent. After due deliberation on the PSAs it upheld the petitioners’ claim. It also granted the relief as well as settled the legal costs.

The columnist is a writer with Oxford University Press and a published author. Email: albuquerque.daniel@gmail.com 40 | Business Goa industry Dossier | january 2021

International Chamber of Commerce During the WWI industry, trade and commerce had collapsed. Immediately after the war, the ICC was founded in 1919 in Paris as the need of the hour to re-establish business and business community. In the beginning it had a moniker, Merchants of Peace. Quite aptly the motto expressed: We make business work for everyone, everyday everywhere. A hundred years of history has set this institution up as one of the most important organizations in the world. Its network of local ICCs is spread over 120 countries, more than 45 million member companies, and numerous state organizations etc., thousands of experts, programs and is affiliated to scores of world organizations such as United Nations and its various developmental programs, it has its prime place at WTO, G-20, various economic fora, inter-governmental and inter-regional economic blocks across the globe, for instance, Davos Economic Forum, OECD organization, etc. Ajaypal Singh is its current chairman; John Denton is its General Secretary.

The Court of Arbitration The case discussed at the outset amply demonstrates the simple but effective system of Arbitration and Dispute Resolution (ADR) among the member companies. The Arbitration Court was inducted into the ICC in 1923, a few years later than the mother organization.

The term Court must not be understood as a system of adjudication established by a sovereign state power where guilty is punished and the innocent reap the benefits justice.

The ICC is a voluntary organization that facilitates its members to settle their disputes peacefully. The parties to the dispute would have agreed when they contracted agreements of trade and commerce to the necessary preconditions of jurisdiction; further, they would have determined the nature of the arbitrator, place, and language. Indeed, above all to follow the rules of ICC. We would have an opportunity to discuss the rules at a later date.

In the past, the ADR verdicts were not published to maintain confidentiality

invest right / Mahesh pai

Are you choosing the right financial products?

The writer explains the importance of financial planning and different ways of investing one’s money

O

ne reason why Indians survived the lockdown was their habit of saving as much as they can. People with a low income also manage to save some part of their earnings and invest the same in one way or the other; this made them tide over a difficult period. The most important thing that one should do in life is financial planning. Like the saying goes, “Do not put all your eggs in one basket”, in the same way one should not invest their money in one place only. Following are different instruments available for investment can be helpful for investing one’s money.

1. Money which one may require at any point of time should be invested in either fixed deposits or liquid mutual funds. Plus one should keep some funds in a Savings Bank Account which may fetch you a return between 3 to 7% p.a.

2. Money that one wants to invest for 1 to 5 years can be invested in Bank Fixed Deposits, Bond Funds, SIPs, Balanced Funds (Preferably for 3 years or more), etc. This may fetch returns between 5 to 10%.

3. For money which one wants to invest for more than 5 years, Equity Oriented Mutual Funds can be the best options subject to the risk appetite of the person.

In this type of instrument, there is always a risk of erosion of capital also.

4. National Saving Certificates for 5 years can fetch an interest of 6.8%, Kisan Vikas Patra for 10 years and 4 months can fetch returns 6.90% of p.a. RBI’s Floating Rate Bonds is also good option which fetches returns of 0.35% over and above Interest rate of NSC prevailing at that point of time.

5. For an investment period of more than

People with a low income also manage to save some part of their earnings and invest the same in one way or the other.

This made them tide over a difficult period. The most important thing one should do in life is financial planning

10 years, Life Insurance Policies are also very good instruments for investments.

It gives both, the benefits of Insurance as well as returns. People who want to secure their family can go for Term Plan in which there are no returns on investment. The other type of policies, the conventional policies, in which the insurance companies invest 80 to 90% of the money in Government Securities, Bonds and Company Debentures with fixed rate of interest and balance 10 to 20% is only invested in equities. These types of policies are most common in the Indian market as the money is safe and they give reasonable tax-free returns between 5% to 7% as well as insurance coverage. The third type of policy which is gaining popularity nowadays is

Unit Linked Insurance Plans. This is a combination of Mutual Fund and Term Insurance. It delivers returns comparable with Mutual funds which is also tax free.

6. Another popular way of investing in India is gold. This is the most preferred type of investment for women. They enjoy wearing gold and feel this is a safe investment as it can be liquidated or mortgaged, as well.

7. Properties are one more way of investing which is quite popular. It is costly as well as risky as it depends upon a highly volatile market and has proved beneficial for people who have large appetite for investing Above are some types of investments which a person should know and invest according to his or her requirement

The writer is an investment consultant and business coach. Email: mahesh@maheshpai.in

and privacy of the parties.

There is no hard and fast rule to publish them. It depends how the parties to the contract have drafted their dispute redressal clauses in the documents. The ADRs are preferable for various reasons.

The dispute resolution is pre-determined mutually while drawing the business contract. It foresees risks.

The parties to a contract trust themselves to solve problems of the future.

Further, the ADRs determine the procedures for achieving results. Above all, arbitration makes all contracting parties equal. Finally, arbitration method avoids astronomical legal costs.

Principle of Arbitration Ludwig Quidde (1858-1941), was a German politician who lived through the most troubling four eras in German history: Bismarck, the Hohenzollern Empire,

the Weimar Republic and the Nazi dictatorship.

However, he was a convinced pacifist and worked and suffered for peace. Arbitration is the strongest tool that he advocated to establish peace.

He wrote: “Great progress was made when arbitration treaties were concluded in which contracting powers pledge in advance to submit all conflicts to an arbitration court, treaties which not only

specify the composition of the court but also its procedure.”

The basic essence of arbitration is encapsulated in these wise words and this is used in the resolution of all sorts of disputes – political, war and conflicts and trade and commerce. In 1927, he was most deservedly honored with the Nobel Peace Prize

your one-stop online read for the best of business in goa www.businessgoa.in

january 2021 | Business Goa industry Dossier | 41

Ad-Venture / prabhakar Mundkur

The Gig Economy was ahead of the novel Coronavirus

The writer speaks about the gig culture in India, its pros and cons and how it has picked up in a post Covid world

I

f you are seeing the average high-flying corporate executive sweating it out on the new way of working at home, you know who is having a quiet laugh. The inconspicuous gigger!

Neglected now for more than a decade, for the gigger working from home has always been the ideal way to work, irrespective of COVID-19. It was the new normal when he decided to join the Gig Economy. Thus far, the gigger has always been looked down upon by corporates as someone who doesn’t have a steady job. You hear the corporate executive saying ‘I don’t know what he does, he is always at home’.

There has always been a certain indignity surrounding him.

So, when the gigger hears the travails of corporate executives getting stressed out

by Zoom calls and meetings, and not being able to multitask their home duties with the work, they are finding it quite astonishing and backward. Because this is what they have always done.

What is the big fuss about?

The gigger has come to us from every profession.

Finance, advertising, marketing, engineering, IT and others. Many or most of them had respectable corporate jobs once upon a

time and decided to give up the corporate rat race and operate from home. There have been many names given to them; freelancer, SOHO (small office, home office), gigger etc.

If you think the Gig Economy is an overseas phenomenon, think again.

Over the last few decades, the Indian economy itself has changed. Once upon a time a large manufacturing and agriculture-led economy, the service sector grew by leaps and bounds, and today accounts for 53.66% of India’s GDP. It also accounts for the largest number of jobs in the economy. The industrial sector is now in the second spot followed by agriculture.

This is the route that was taken by the developed economies, as well.

Enter a new demographic group called the millennials – the focus for every marketer today. By one calculation India has the largest millennials in

the world which account for about 400 million. These are people born between 1980 and 2000. And millennials are at least partly responsible for having contributed to the gig economy. A gig economy is defined as ‘a labour market characterized by the prevalence of short-term contracts or freelance work as opposed to permanent jobs’.

(Oxford Dictionary).

An unconventional work approach from the millennials, combined with the digital invasion and hectic schedules in the private sector might well have been responsible for creating the gig economy. According to one PayPal report, one in every four freelancers in the world is from India. “India is today the largest freelancer market in the world and poised for growth,” says Narsi Subramanian, Director Growth, PayPal India And if you have been using the word ‘gig’ more than often

than you did before and have wondered where the word came from, a gig is slang for a live musical performance.

Musicians referred to their contracts as gigs.

In the US alone, more than a third of US workers are in the gig economy accounting for 57 million workers. What has produced this change on a global basis?

The rise of new-age industries like Uber, Ola, Amazon, Flipkart and other tech businesses have more and more workers that are doing part-time work, or side hustles as they are popularly called and joining the gig economy. Most of the time these are jobs that you do between full-time jobs or if you have just been laid off, or thoroughly bored with your current 9 to 5 job. When I was younger they were called freelance jobs. Or if you took up some part-time assignment while doing a fulltime job, we often referred to it as ‘moonlighting’.

The big problem is that these jobs are not easy to count.

Often, one is not sure if this constitutes a living wage, but it does seem like many people are making more money than their previous ‘9 to 5s’. Independent workers who are counted in the gig economy often have better

The author is a veteran advertising person, and now a prolific commentator and writer. He spent 17 of his 42 years in advertising with the J Walter Thompson; working with them across 3 continents. He has also worked with Havas and Hakuhodo. He has recently started a videocast called ‘Turning Point’. Email: prabsy@gmail.com 42 | Business Goa industry Dossier | january 2021

@businessgoa

satisfaction levels than the 9 to 5ers. That is largely because they don’t work within the strict confines of an office with its codes and disciplines.

They are ones who frequent a Starbucks for example and do business over a cup of coffee and laptops in hand. And the rest of the time they might be working from home with their babies or pets by their side.

How do they get paid?

They are all using digital payment systems. PayPal, Google Pay, PayTM, BHIM and other payment apps have made it easy for the ‘giggers’ to accept instant payments for the work they do instead of waiting for pay cheque which gets deposited into your bank account at the end of the month. One millennial I know who gave up a media job to become a qualified baker, says she accepts any

digital payments – GooglePay, PayTM, PhonePe, BHIM besides traditional bank payments through NEFT and IMPS or even cash.

The problem is that current employment data which is largely based on household and enterprise surveys, is often not the best way to estimate jobs in the new economy. The government also uses other data like the Provident Fund data to compile the number of jobs. But with provident fund no longer being compulsory, many millennials are opting out of it because they believe that short term gain is more important than long term savings. They would rather see the money in their own hands every month. In addition,

companies are recruiting more and more people as consultants rather than as full-time employees. For them, the benefit is that there is no long-term liabilities like provident fund, medical and other employee benefits and superannuation.

The other evasive sector, of course, is the informal sector.

Estimates vary but according to one estimate, 85% of the jobs in the economy come from the informal sector. This is not unusual and common for Asian economies. Rafael Diez de Medina, Director of ILO’s Department of Statistics says, “The high incidence of informality in all its forms has multiple adverse consequences for workers, enterprises and societies

and is, in particular, a major challenge for the realisation of decent work for all and sustainable and inclusive development.” And no doubt, the the novel Coronavirus has badly impacted the informal sector. With the government making a move to gather more data also from other organisations like Ola, Uber and professional bodies, the employment data should look more robust. That hopefully should help to nail down the number of gigs in the new gig economy and help to come out with a better estimate of employment rates.

And now here comes the final threat. With the novel Coronavirus around, a lot of the people who previously might not have been counted in the Gig Economy might need to be added. That is if you want to include all the people working from home as a result of COVID-19!

january 2021 | Business Goa industry Dossier | 43

bon Appétit

business-goa

Tropica

Tropica’lly Yours

Prawn Rissois

L

By SYBIL RODRIGUES

ocated in Pulvaddo, Benaulim, Tropica is a contemporary yet easy going Goan restaurant, bar and bistro with live music on select days of the week. The idea of Tropica first struck Chirag Naik, one of the founders of the restaurant. “On my travels and visits to South East Asia and Europe, I was enchanted by the look and feel of their restaurants. I was keen to start a restaurant that reflected the taverns of European towns. I wanted the bar to look full and serve a variety of cocktails,” says Chirag, who is a well-known entrepreneur in the business of real estate and food processing. He personally drew up the vision for Tropica.

Indian and continental cuisine having their own distinct place. Malai Broccoli, Kasoori Paneer Tikka, Stuffed Crabs, Prawn Rissois, Hunan Prawns, Gyros and Mutton Chapli Kabab are some of the names that feature in this section.

The Prawn Rissois had a prawn ragout made with nutmeg and creamy cheese encased in choux pastry and served alongside a peri-peri dip. Big pieces of prawns in a creamy cheese mixture and the crunch of the casing made it a delight to nibble on. The Stuffed Crabs were crab meat poached in butter and topped with cheese. The texture was melt in the mouth and had the right amount of seasoning.

The Gyros come with an option of

(L to R) Rahul Prabhudessai, Chirag Naik, Jagganath (Baba) Naik and Vishwesh Caro

His other partners – Rahul Prabhudessai, Vishwesh Caro and Jagganath (Baba) Naik echoed Chirag’s idea and they set out to start a restaurant and tavern that would be the pride of Goa. True to its name, Tropica has a tropical theme with a much laid back and relaxed seating. While the main area has low set tables and chairs, the bar area is the main attraction. With high chairs and tables which give one a top-of-the-world feeling, it’s the best place to sip one’s drink and enjoy their delicious seafood.

The bar menu is pretty extensive with gin being their forte. Their gin and tonic specialties are Lord of the Gins, Lychee Lite, Berry Buzz, The Sage, to name a few.

The Lord of the Gins is a concoction of gin, cucumber cordial, cranberry juice, citrus and Svami cucumber tonic, while The Sage is a mix of gin, sweet lime and spare mint cordial, sage leaves, citrus and Svami cucumber tonic. Both light coloured cocktails, served in huge, balloon glasses, they had a sweet, fruity flavour and wasn’t too overpowering.

The food menu at Tropica has a wide variety of appetisers with Goan, 44 | Business Goa industry Dossier | january 2021

chicken and beef and is served with pita, olive and pickled cucumber yogurt. One can choose to eat the meat plain and then take a bite of the pita or spread the yogurt on the pita topped with meat and feast on it. Either way, the flavours manage to hit all the right notes and is a perfect accompaniment to the bar menu.

The main course has vegetarian and non-vegetarian fare which is divided into ‘Tropica Favourites’ and lists names like Pesto Tortellini, Smoked Chicken Quesadilla, while the Pasta Staples has dishes consisting of Pasta Al Pomodoro and Pasta Alfredo. They have a traditional and modern combo with fancy Continental and Asian fare like Asian Yellow Curry Khao-Suey, Tenderloin Beef Steak, Seared Red Snapper and ‘Poulet Sauté Champignon’. The Goan and Indian section have your everyday names with a more refined twist with the Goan Fish

Cu r r y, ‘ C a l d e e n’, Prawn Balchão, ‘Chicken Xacuti’ to name a few.

Thai Red Curry or Green, Hakka Noodles, Cantonese Fried Rice, Kashmiri Rogan josh are some of the dishes that pay a tribute to the Indian and Asian cuisine.

The vegetarian section has Mix Vegetable Caldeen, Baby Corn and Mushroom in Black Pepper Sauce, Vegetarian Goan Pulao, Mushrooms and Cashewnut ‘Xacuti’, which again reflects the variety of cuisines.

The ‘Prawn Balchão’ is a Portuguese delight of shrimp swimming in a blend of vinegar, sugar, whole regional spices, onion, tomatoes and peri-peri sauce. The shrimps were large and juicy and the preparation was tangy with just the right hint of spice and went beautifully with the steamed Basmati rice. The portion was extremely generous and was more than enough for two. The Tenderloin Beef Steak consists of a 6 oz. fillet of beef served alongside confit tomatoes, sautéed field truffle mushroom and ‘onion au jus’; one has a choice of medium rare and well done. The meat was melt in the mouth with the accompaniments making it a palate pleaser.

Tropica has a delightful desserts menu which boasts of a choice of ice creams alongside fancy names like ‘Milk Burek’, Santorini Orange Pie, Chocolate Lava Cake and Aunty Li’s ‘Serradura’.

Too full with the mains to sample more desserts, the Chocolate Lava Cake was the dessert of choice. A layer cake topped with ganache, roasted almond flakes and served alongside with vanilla ice cream.

The cake was rich and dense while the ice cream cut through the heaviness of it.

With a focus to promote local creations, Tropica as a brand aims to please, with their cuisines, both Goan and a combination of diverse cultural influences through their ambience and well curated drinks menu

Stuffed Crabs Gyros

Pics: Fernando Fernandes

With a well stocked bar and diverse cuisine, Tropica aims to delight both local and international guests

bon Appétit

@businessgoamagazine

Sayuli Pai Raikar

Legally Gourmet

Sayuli Pai Raikar juggles her myriad roles as a lawyer, a home cook and a new mom. An aspiring cook-book author, she highlights her journey from eating delicious meals cooked by her mother to becoming a food blogger Sayuli Pai Raikar

Gai Pad Krapow

S

By sybil rodrigues

ayuli describes herself as a legal practitioner, home cook, new mom and a cookbook nerd. Born to doctor parents, Sayuli chose to go off the beaten track though she was fairly good at studies and sports. She was the National champion twice, in her category in Diving at the National Age Group Championship and has represented India at the Annual Asian Age Group Event in Hong Kong where she won a bronze medal.

She is the first lawyer in her family and the legal field has always fascinated her. “Legal practice is not monotonous at all and it’s not a regular 9-5 job. Every day is different and every case is a different story.”

Sayuli elaborates on her entry into the world of food blogging. “I fell in love with cooking with my very first attempt. My mother was a brilliant cook and although

she was a full time doctor, she still managed to find time to cook us 3 amazing and different meals a day.

She loved cooking and I am glad I’ve inherited that trait from her.” She began cooking when she was in college and would miss her mother’s food.

When she joined Instagram in 2013, she found it fun to share pictures of everything she cooked. “It was the only creative thing I was into since

46 | Business Goa industry Dossier | january 2021

I had just started working independently. After a couple of years, and after receiving several requests, I started posting down the recipes and an insta-blog was born.

What started out as a hobby became a passion. A few years and a better phone later, I became enamoured with food photography. It’s like telling a story and even the simplest dish or meal can be a fairy tale.”

Sayuli was drawn to the culinary world as she enjoyed every opportunity she got to cook and care for her family and friends. “It’s a way of expressing my love for them.

My time in the kitchen is like therapy or meditation.

Especially after a long day at work, it relaxes me. I prefer being by myself in the kitchen chopping and sautéing instead

Kolambi Bhaat Maharashtrian Spiced Prawns & Rice

of sitting on the couch for the same amount of time.” She believes that delicious and nutritious food need not be something that is complicated and takes hours to cook, and prefers to keep it simple.

Sayuli loves cooking South East Asian fare. “It’s bright, colourful, flavourful and pays a visit to each of the 6 tastes. It is as complex as it is simple. I prefer making my own curry pastes with fresh locally available ingredients.

I also enjoy cooking our very own Goan delicacies. I like creating new dishes with different ingredients.” Sayuli is also a cookbook nerd and makes it a point to buy a recipe book every month as it’s exciting for her to chance upon new recipes, something which one can’t experience when one tries to look them

Saoji Chicken

@businessgoa

up online. “To cook, you need to have a great palette and the desire to do so in your heart.

My dishes that get requested the most are ‘Gai Pad Krapow’ and Chicken Cafreal.

Despite her busy schedule, she finds the time to juggle between her various avatars.

“For several years, I have been cooking before and after work.

Sundays are for prepping and planning the weekday meals ahead. Now I’m also a mom, and that is a full time job especially considering hiring help during the ongoing pandemic isn’t an option.”

She chose to take a temporary sabbatical from her legal practice which wasn’t difficult since the courts weren’t fully functioning for the past several months; but she’s hoping to get back to her legal work at least on a part time basis after her baby is a year old. “Till then, I can always work from home. I watched

Chicken Cafreal

my mom juggle between work, family, home etc and I think with a little effort it’s not impossible. She’s my inspiration in more ways than one.”

Sayuli is currently working on a cookbook but it’s a slow process of trying and testing each recipe several times for perfection. “I also wanted to

“I fell in love with cooking with my very first attempt.

My mother was a brilliant cook and although she was a full time doctor, she still managed to find time to cook us 3 amazing and different meals a day. She loved cooking and I am glad I’ve inherited that trait from her” start a dine-in with a tablesharing concept on weekends, wherein the diners get to experience local ingredients and several courses with wine pairings or maybe even themed meals at my home.

I’m hoping to get the wheels moving on that as soon as the situation on the pandemic improves,” she adds.

Her husband is her biggest supporter and understands the passion she has for food.

Along with him, her family and friends are her biggest cheerleaders and are always there any time she wants to try new menus, dishes or flavour pairings with them.

Sayuli concludes with advice to aspiring professionals, bloggers and mompreneurs. “I realised only in my 4th year of law school that I really enjoy being in the kitchen. It was only after getting married that I actually started increasing my repertoire, capabilities and know-how in the field. It was while I was pregnant last year that I came up with the concept and idea of starting my own place. It is never too late to find a new dream, follow it and make it come true and you will always find time for things you like” www.businessgoa.in

january 2021 | Business Goa industry Dossier | 47

GoaBuzz

business-goa

Jayesh Raikar is Chairman of CII Yi. Vaikunth Dempo is Co-Chair

The Annual Session of the CII-Young Indians (Yi) was held on 26 December 2020. The theme for the session was ‘Enabling Inclusive Growth through Social Engagement’. The keynote speaker was Shekhar Sardessai, Past Chairman, CII Goa State Council and CMD, Kineco Kaman Composites India Pvt Ltd in his address highlighted about the journey of Kineco, being one amongst India’s leading companies in the composites industry, offering a wide range of products and processing technologies. Along the journey of 25 years Sardessai vouches that he and his team had the right intent, right intensity and integrity, which were never compromised right from the beginning, and the execution of the intent was done with utmost integrity. Shrinivas V Dempo, Past Chairman, CII Western Region in his special address complimented the Young Indians Goa members for making many changes in society during a rather difficult year and showing tremendous resilience and driving the organization ahead during adversities. His message to the Young Indians was that one can listen to many people but make decisions on one’s own. He opined that taking care of people and sincerely believing in team work is all that matters. There was a change of guard at CII Young Indians (Yi) - Goa Chapter, wherein Jayesh Raikar, Director, Goldy Finepacks Pvt. Ltd. was appointed as the Chair of Young Indians, Goa Chapter and Vaikunth S. Dempo, Director, Dempo Marketing Company Private Limited and Founder Vaikunth S. Dempo Ventures, was nominated as the Co-Chair of Young Indians, Goa Chapter for the year 2021

Shrinivas Dempo

Ryan Costa

Atul Jadhav

Tanvi Sawant

Avanish Dwivedi Rajesh Salgaonkar

Anup Prabhu Verlekar Tulasidas Pai

Shekhar Sardessai Dr Priyanka Raikar Sanjana Dempo

Atreya Sawant Dr Pratiksha Khalap

Nitin Dessai

Anirudh Dempo

Vaikunth Dempo

Rohit Zantye

Sairaj Dhond

Dr Sajal Dhond

Sheetal Pai Kane

Sunil Pai Kane

Earl Britto

Rupesh Gauns

Devki Telekar

Laxmi Kunkolienkar

Shweta Dessai

Prachiti Nagvekar Siddhant Nagvekar Omkar Sambari Anurag Walavalkar Lalit Saraswat Jayesh Raikar

Kapil Borkar

Glenda Britto

Anup Sardessai

48 | Business Goa industry Dossier | january 2021

Neha Zantye

Vishwanath

Shaibaz

NewsMakers Vijay Thomas elected President of IndoCanada Chamber of Commerce

At the meeting of the new board of directors of the Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce (ICCC), Vijay Thomas was elected the 32nd President of the 43-year-old institution serving the business community.

As per the stipulation of the Chamber’s bylaws, the election was supervised by the Nominations Committee and the Returning Officer. The independent Nomination Committee comprises Hari Panday, Past President of the Chamber, and Vinod Munshi, a veteran member of the Chamber. Ashwani Tangri, a well-known community leader, was the Returning Officer. “The new board will aim to bring back the halcyon era of the Chamber by focusing on enhancing membership and bring back sponsors who have left us,” Vijay said, and added, “We have always been a members-oriented organization, and our board is committed to good governance, accountability and fiduciary responsibility. The new Board will soon be inviting members, especially women members, to take leadership positions in the Chamber

Prashant Devidas bags National Florence Nightingale Award

Prashant Devidas from Canacona Community Health Centre (CHC) is among the 30 nurses from around India, selected for the prestigious National Florence Nightingale Award 2020. President Ramnath Kovind will present the award to Devidas through a virtual ceremony. In a communique addressed to the Principal Secretary (Health), Porvorim, the Indian Nursing Council (INC), a statutory body under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, informed the nomination of Prashant Devidas for the National Florence Nightingale Award 2020. Devidas, hailing from Canacona, is a working as a male staff nurse at the CHC for the last 23 years.

He is recognized for his various nursing roles in health care in Canacona and for his active participation in different health care and social programmes. Devidas is presently the President of The All Goa Government Employees Association

Ethel Da Costa releases new book on Malaysian Cuisine

Goan media entrepreneur, lifestyle influencer-journalist and founder of Think Geek Media, Ethel Da Costa released her new book globally on January 1, 2021, on her explorations of cuisine in Malaysia. The book named The Stiletto Foodie – A Blog Binge in Malaysia, was written in the middle of lockdown and a global pandemic in Malaysia. Showcasing 12 Culinary Ambassadors of Malaysia which includes chefs and restaurateurs, the book seeks to inspire global foodies, travellers, passionate adventurers and seekers of self through the culinary finesse and entrepreneurial vision. “I hope the book inspires and influences readers’ the world over to be more, to do more, to feel and flow with the river of life and love.

Wherever it may take you,” says Ethel candidly 50 | Business Goa industry Dossier | january 2021

www.businessgoa.in

Shakti Sinha releases book on A B Vajpayee

Shakti Sinha released his latest book on Atal Bihari Vajpayee to marke the former PM’s 96th birth anniversary.

The book titled Vajpayee: The Years that Changed India, gives an insider account on how the late former prime minister thought and worked. In his book, Sinha helps us understand Vajpayee as a decision-maker in the context of the political challenges that he faced, and focuses on some of his key initiatives in the strategic and economic fields during his first term as prime Minister. Incidentally, the author has a fairly long association with Goa where he served in various capacities between 1985 and 1992. Sinha is currently the honorary director of the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Policy Research and International Studies, MS University, Vadodara and a distinguished fellow at the India Foundation. He was earlier the director of the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library (NMML)

Sandra Fernandes wins Award for contribution to student development at GTEA conference

Sandra Fernandes has won the prestigious award for contribution to student development in recognition for continued excellence in teaching.

The event was organised by GTEA (Global Teaching Excellence Awards & Conference 2020) held in Delhi in association with Kites Kraft Productions. The conference had some eminent speakers like Prof. Dr. H. K. Sardana (Chief Scientist, CSIO) to name a few. Sandra has also been a panelist on many educational seminars. Sandra is an entrepreneur and an educationist, running a hospitality business Menino Group of Hotels. She also lectures at Sharada Mandir Higher Secondary in Economics & Business Studies; and has also taught in Management Colleges in Pune and Goa

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1. Which cosmetics, skincare and perfume company that specialises in Ayurvedic preparations for its products was founded in 2000 by Mira Kulkarni?

2. Under what brand name does Marico market its coconut oil?

3. Which brand of toothpaste was launched by Balsara Hygiene in 1987?

4. Which mobile marketing and advertising company was founded in 2007 under the name mKhoj by Naveen Tewari, Mohit Saxena, Amit Gupta and Abhay Singhal?

5. Which bookstore opened on October 15, 1992 in Mumbai and in 2005 became a wholly owned subsidiary of Shopper’s Stop Ltd? 6. Which business house owns Croma, a retail chain for consumer electronics and durables?

7. In 1931, Mahatma Gandhi accepted to be a honorary member of this Mumbai based trade organisation 8. Which luxury hotel chain was founded in 1986 by C P Krishnan Nair and is owned by Brookfield Asset Management?

9. Identify this business leader Answers to BG Quiz 138: 1. Harley Davidson 2. Russia 3. Tokyo 4. Rupert Murdoch 5. DHL 6. Satya Nadella 7. Gurcharan Das 8.

BPL 9. Adar Poonawala Email your answers to businessgoa.media@gmail.com First all correct entry will get 1 year’s subscription to Business Goa

Registered with Registrar of Newspapers of India under RNI No.: GOAENG/2015/59955 Date of Publication: 10th day of every month. Posted on or before 30th day of the month. POSTAL LICENSE No.: G-2/RNP/Monthly/Goa-19/2021-23