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VOL 6 ISSUE 1
PANAJI GOA
july 2014
5 t h annive r sa r y spe c ial issue
Leaders
Beyond Business
Organisations
Real Estate
Industry
Passion Ventures
Ideas@Work
Lady Power
Goan Brands
Startups
Milestone Decisions
Young Guns
Goan Diaspora
Education
Partnership
Professionals
Retail
Business Books
Lifestyle
Media Voices
Services
Green Mantra
Managers
Restaurants
News Views Articles Interviews Profiles Focus Analysis Opinions Events Features
Contents
July 2014
16 Leaders 20 Organisations
Shrinivas Dempo > Manohar Parrikar > Wendell Rodricks > Narayan Bandekar > Dilip Salgaocar
Goa Chamber of Commerce and Industry > Goa State Industries Association > Goa Management Association > Travel & Tourism Association of Goa > CREDAI Goa
24 Industry 28
GKB Hitech Lenses > Dempo Ship Building > Lift Controls > Automobile Corporation of Goa Ltd. > Infiniti Modules
Ideas@Work
52 Lifestyle 56 Services 60 Managers 64 Beyond Business
Sosa’s > Paper Boat Collective > Casa Goa > Barefoot > People Tree
The Hello Group > Travco Holidays > Vinsan World > Ecoclean > Funky Heads
Ranju Alex > Aloo Gomes Pereira > Nitin Kunkolienkar > Satish Murthy > Seenu Kurien
Dattaraj Salgaocar > Manda Bandekar > Damodar Narcinva Naik > Peter Vaz > Rajkumar Kamat
3D Systems > Saturday Night Market > Dr. Kurade’s Mushrooms > Panjim Inn > Shout Out App
88 18 61 106 48
28
108
34 16
32 Goan Brands 36 Milestone Decisions Zantye’s Cashew Nuts > Tito’s > Cosme Matias Menezes > Pai Kane Group > Costa’s
Konkan Railway > Mining Ban in Goa > Coastal Regulation Zone Policy > Monsoon Fishing Ban > Goa Regional Plan 2021
40 Goan Diaspora 44 Partnerships 48 Retail
Francisco D’Souza > Tony Fernandes > Rajdeep Sardessai > Sylvester da Cunha > Suresh Kare
Anil Counto/Francisco Martins > Armacar Group > Astra Metal > Tulip Group > Edcon Real Estate Developers
Magsons > Caculo Mall > Bharne Fashion & Lifestyle > Lawrence & Mayo > Newton’s
04 Business Goa
JUNE 2014
68 Real Estate
Risara Properties > Milroc > Highland Constructions > Akar Realty > Anand Bose Constructions
72 Passion Ventures 76 Lady Power 80 Start-Ups 84 Young Guns
Carpe Diem > Janota Goa > Bookworm > Houses of Goa > Goa Chitra/Goa Chakra
Gauri Karkal > Maria Francisca Vaz > Neomi Barnetto > Dr. Radhika Nayak > Pratima Dhond
Bakers Street > Moonstruck > Mangal Advisory Services > Umang > Desserts n More
Chirag Naik > Arjun Chowgule > Deepak Bandekar > Prashant Shinde > Nisha Vaz
Contents 88
Education
92
Professionals
July 2014
COLUMNS
Goa Institute of Management > Sharada Mandir > Hamara School > Parvatibai Chowgule College > Kings School
114
Atmaram Nadkarni > Dean D’Cruz > Chef Urbano do Rego > Sandip Bhandare > Dr. Shekhar Salkar
96 Business Books
Nilesh Amonker talks about commitment being the secret to success
116 Stock Index 118 Good Company
P.S.Mantri talks about listing of securities and the processes involved
116
Trade and Finance in Portuguese India > My 40 years with SBI > Business Ethics: Principles and Practices > 364 days of Transformation > Goa: The tryst with trade
114 Serving Aces
118
20 120
122
Swatee Rane talks about important finance lessons that every entrepreneur needs to learn
120 Green Goa 122Marketing Guru
Tallulah D’Silva offers realistic solutions to the growing problem of sustainable tourism
Vivek Mendonsa spells out cost effective ways in which you can stay ahead on the marketing curve
124Love for Business 124
42
125 92
50 126
100 104
Media Voices The Navhind Times > Tarun Bharat > Herald > Prudent Media > Broadway Book Centre
Green Mantra Miguel Braganza > Green Essentials > Mr. Farmer > Chorao Farmers Club > Reira Eco Ventures
108 Restaurants
Martin’s Corner > Riorico > Cavala > Fisherman’s Wharf > Zeebop by the Sea
06 Business Goa
JUNE 2014
127
128
129
Swapnil Kamat doles out advice to help enterprises grow
125Letter from America
Jay Dehejia talks about US-India relations and the repercussions on the respective economies
126People Tree
Kishore Shah talks about the journey of hope and how entrepreneurs use it to build their success
127Legal Eagle
Raunaq Rao talks about the role of the State Financial Corporations and the process of recovery by them
128Reluctant Entrepreneur Blaise Costabir analyzes the cookie jar scenario and its repercussions on organizations
129Antarprerna
Nandini Vaidyanathan jots down various markers that indicate business success
08 Corpo Scan 12 Editorial 130 Goa Buzz 134 Newsmakers 134 BG Quiz
Thomas Cook India wins 2 awards
corpo scan
Thomas Cook India had a double whammy recently when they bagged two awards at the CNBC Awaaz Travel Awards 2014. The company was awarded the ‘Best Tour Operator – Outbound’ and ‘Best Company Providing Foreign Exchange’ awards. This is the second time in a row that the company has bagged the distinction of ‘Best Tour Operator – Outbound. The ceremony held at Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh aims at hounouring the best in class travel services and set benchmarks for the tourism industry.
Parrikar announces Goa Investment Policy 2014 Manohar Parrikar, Goa’s CM, recently announced the State Investment Policy 2014 which has been approved by the Cabinet. According to the details of the policy, the State expects to attract business investments worth Rs 25,000 crores and generate 50,000 jobs over the next five years. The Policy, which was formulated by a task force comprising industry stake holders and experts will replace the decade old Goa Industrial Policy, said the CM. Topmost on the Policy are
plans to promote tourism, information technology and health related industries, all nonpolluting and highly lucrative sectors. Among the areas that the policy focuses on are better quality of infrastructure and logistics to enable quality investment to be attracted easily. For this, the CM said that the State plans to provide roundthe-clock high quality power supply to industries and acquire more land to set up industries in various parts of Goa. He added that and Investment
Dim Sum festival at Goa Marriott It’s time to celebrate the joy of dim sums at the Goa Marriott, Miramar at their Dim Sums festival. From steamed buns to pan fried dumplings, from chicken and seafood to an assortment of vegetables, take your pick from sui mai, jiaozi, chaar siu bao or Shanghai steamed buns or even just the plain steamed mantou buns, you can enjoy these steaming hot small morsels of goodness, an ideal delight for the wet and cold monsoons outside. The specialties at this festival
include Guotie or pot stickers where you can opt for either a meat or a cabbage filling. For the Shaomai, you can opt for pork or prawn filling or both. These dim sums are usually topped off with crab roe and mushrooms. The Char siu baau meanwhile boasts a barbecued pork filling and customers can opt for either steamed or baked. The Shanghai steamed buns, filled with meat or sea food are famous for their flavour and rich broth inside. The festival in on at the Wan Hao till July 27th
Promotion Board will also be formed and the Government will soon issue an ordinance for the same. Headed by the CM
Pic: Andrew Pegado
High Fliers in Goa
FLYING HIGH: Tony Fernandes and Ratan Tata of Air Asia were recently in Goa. His first visit to Goa, the Malaysian aviation tycoon of Goan origin, spoke fondly of the State and the memories associated with it, courtesy his father. Tony also said that Air Asia India was looking to utilise space at Goa airport to develop a hub for his airline.
Grand Hyatt Goa hosts tea tasting session
A one of its kind, the Grand Hyatt at Bambolim recently hosted a tea tasting session. The evening included a master class by tea 08 Business Goa
JULY 2014
sommelier Snigdha Manchanda of Tea Trunk, a reputed tea company. Among the topics that she elaborated on were tea history and tea production, tea tasting and busting myths about tea. This was followed by a guided tea tasting including a food pairing session. Participants were treated to five tea flavours namely Rose Oolong tea, Ginger root black tea, Saffron Kahwa tea, Chilli chai and white tea. These were paired with three interesting high tea platters, a traditional
himself as its Chief Executive Officer and supported by a team which will include the Deputy Chief Minister himself as its Joint Chairperson, the Industries Minister, Tourism Minister and Information Technology Minister. This fully empowered statutory board will be non-executive and include nine members from the industry. This Board will provide and facilitate approvals from the Goa government and its agencies and will also assist in obtaining clearances from the Central Government, the CM elaborated
English Afternoon tea featuring scones, pastries and sandwiches, traditional India tea snacks including Vada Pav, Channa Jhor Garam and old tea time favourite, kanda bajiya and a cupcake high tea platter boasting of flavours like Amaretto, lemon meringue, raspberry and blueberry cheese. Tea Trunk, by certified tea sommelier Snigdha Manchanda specializes in creating gourmet, hand-blended teas. All teas available under this brand are 100 per cent natural, direct from source and free from any artificial flavours or colours
Food and hospitality expo in August The 2014 edition of the Goa Food and Hospitality Expo, will be held from August 22 to 24 at the Dr. Mukherjee Stadium, Bambolim. At the Expo, one will see a variety of exhibiting companies with leading edge products catering to hotels, restaurants, cafes, bakeries, fast food joints, specialty retail and manufacturing sectors - from established brands. Providing an ideal business platform for the food and hospitality community to identify opportunities, share experiences and build networks
Vodafone to promote M-Pesa
corpo scan
Having launched its M-Pesa service in Goa last October, Vodafone Telecommunication is now looking to actively promote this facility. The biggest benefit of M-Pesa is that customers can now actually ‘dial M for money’ and use M-Pesa as a platform for paying various bills including mobile, power and DTH services. That apart, the facility can also be also be used by customers for a host of monetary services including deposits, transfer of money to self as well as others, withdrawal and online shopping.
Salgaocars launch new hospitality college
Ananta Physiotherapy Centre inaugurated in Vasco
(L to R) Chandan Timblo Bandekar, Milind Naik, Deepa Bandekar, Krishna Salkar and Deepak Bandekar
The V M Salgaocar Group, one of Goa’s foremost business families has added another achievement to their illustrious list with the launch of the VM Salgaocar Institute of International Hospitality Education (VMSIIHE). Located in Raia, the Institute, launched in collaboration with the Dublin Institute of Technology, Ireland, provides a challenging three-year residential program that will help the students to develop a critical, analytical, and evaluative approach to hospitality management. The B Sc in International Hospitality Management degree will be awarded by both, the Goa University and the Dublin Institute of Technology. The VMSIIHE boasts world class standards, state-of-theart infrastructure, and a wide range of facilities in the campus
which is spread over a massive six acres. Students will have a perfect combination of academic learning, practical sessions and professional internships, designed to give one’s hospitality career a flying start. The highlights of this Institute include a WIFI enabled campus, unique curriculum with interactive teaching methodology and practical exposure, reputed teaching faculty with international experience, industry network and placement opportunities, air conditioned and hi-tech classrooms, training kitchen, quantity kitchen, demo kitchen, bakery, training restaurant and training bar, attached hotel for training, computer labs, library, multi-purpose hall and cafeteria, air conditioned hostels with attached bath, amphitheatre and a swimming pool
The Ananta Physiotherapy Centre in Vasco, set up by the Bandekar Charity Foundation in association with Rotary Club of Panaji Riviera, was recently inaugurated at the hands of Milind Naik, Minister for Power. Also present at the inaugural were Carlos Almeida, MLA of Vasco, Bhavana Bhosle, Mormugao Municipal Council Chairperson, Krishna Salkar, Mormugao Planning and Development Authority Chairman, Madhavi Bandekar Shetye, Rotary Club of Panaji Riviera Charitable Trust President, the Bandekars
including Narayan Bandekar, Deepak Bandekar, Deepa Bandekar, Chandan Bandekar, Nitin Bandekar. The Physiotherapy centre has been started to benefit the people of lower income group. A nominal fee of Rs. 50/- per session will be charged, so as to enable them to avail the facility. The Centre will be managed by Rotary Club of Panaji Riviera. Dr. Suja Chorgunni will be the practicing Physiotherapist. The Clinic will be open from 10. am to 1 pm & 4 pm to 7 pm from Monday to Saturday
Goa in 3rd place in WTTCII-HVS ranking
Special monsoon offer from Interiors & Exteriors Interiors & Exteriors, partnering with top global brands, is an emerging player in providing architectural products and services to the Goan Real Estate Industry. The management, headed by Ashok Pai, is a team of professionals and technical experts in the product range helping customers make the most effective choice as per their requirements. This young, dynamic and experienced player is an authorised franchisee of top Indian and global brands. The Company also undertakes turnkey solutions for range of applications like UPVC windows and doors, modular kitchens, roll-up fly screens, toughened 10 Business Goa
JULY 2014
glass applications and laminated and wooden floorings. With its commitment to quality in product and service, the Company has now introduced a special monsoon scheme. Customers who book a sleek modular kitchen from Interiors & Exteriors will get a chimney or a Hob/Cook top free
Goa, though famed as the mecca of Indian tourism, has slipped in the latest countrywide ranking survey conducted by the World Travel and Tourism Council (India Initiative) and Hospitality Valuation Services (HVS). The State secured just 102 points from a possible 150 on various tourism related parameters thus coming in third, a slip of one spot from its 2011 ranking of second place. Delhi with its 113 points topped the list and Maharashtra with its 104 points overtook Goa to secure the second spot. Though over 31.21 lakh tourists visited the State last year itself, Goa scored just eight points
from a possible 20 for tourists arrivals, thus indicating that the State needs to do more to attract tourists. The other poor scoring section was performance on aircraft movement where Goa bagged just two points from a possible 10. However, the State got full points for performance of State expenditure on tourism, presence of branded hotel rooms and GDP per capita from various parameters. However, its performance on effectiveness of marketing campaign earned it above average ratings as did its luxury tax on hotels, road and railway infrastructure and urbanization
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VOL 6 ISSUE 1
JULY 2014
PANAJI GOA
EDITORIAL
hb@businessgoa.net
5 TH A N N I V E R S A R Y S P E C I A L I S S U E
Leaders
Beyond Business
Organisations
Real Estate
Industry
Passion Ventures
Ideas@Work
Lady Power
Goan Brands
Startups
Milestone Decisions
Young Guns
Goan Diaspora
Education
Partnership
Professionals
Retail
Business Books
Lifestyle
Media Voices
Services
Green Mantra
Managers
Restaurants
A personal milestone
News Views Articles Interviews Profiles Focus Analysis Opinions Events Features
Every birthday or anniversary is a memorable
the magazine flying high – be that advertising
VOL 6 | ISSUE 1 | juLY 2014
affair. More than anything else, it is a testimony
revenue generation, marketing and branding or
to survival instinct. For a magazine, however,
just being a support to local entrepreneurs. What
especially one like ours, anniversaries have a
I have personally been able to achieve in the five
special ‘soft corner’. Our survival is testimony
year period is an instinct to keep this magazine
to the healthy state of business, industry,
thriving.
entrepreneurship in Goa; because if the Goan
business sector wasn’t thriving, we wouldn’t
being transformed into looking at business leaders
have the stories to write about. Yes, we are
in the State with a sense of awe, to today being
here because you, dear Goan businessmen and
able to critically evaluate their contribution to their
Editor & Publisher Harshvardhan Bhatkuly Co-Publisher & Group Head Urvija Bhatkuly Advisory Board Datta Damodar Naik Ralph de Sousa Rajiv D’Silva Swapnil Kamat
Over the years, I have personally gone through
businesswomen are here. Thank
own businesses and towards
you for welcoming us with open
Goa.
arms and allowing us more
I have gone from a solo
than just a peek into your lives
player to rely on a team of
Business & Admin Head Annalise Gouveia
and businesses, for permitting
absolute professionals – who, if
us to write about your success
they could have their say, would
Team Alisha Patel Ashok Kolvekar Govit Morajkar Mayur Santinezkar Pritesh Naik Sigmund D’Souza
stories and sharing in your
even pen this column for me!
achievements. Most of all, thank
Malcolm
you for supporting us as one of
maverick business writer talks
your own.
about his ‘ten thousand hours’
A 5th anniversary edition
theory where he says that a
comes with some trappings
professional can be considered
Contributors in this Issue Nilesh Amonker P S Mantri Swatee Rane Tallulah D’Silva Vivek Mendonsa Swapnil Kamat Jay Dehejia Kishore Shah Raunaq Rao Blaise Costabir Nandini Vaidyanathan
–
maturity,
skillful in his or her line of work,
consolidation and of course, an
if they have put in ten thousand
instant sense to be able to see
hours, albeit with thought and
through many a things within
by gaining insights. By that
the business spectrum. Call that
measure, I would consider
business perceptibility if you
myself ready to unleash on
must, but having spent most of
other zones of this business – a
my waking hours over the last
fact that I did not do with great
60 months thinking about the
results, hitherto.
various genres or aspects that
The greatest takeaway has
Editorial, Advertising & Administrative Office Business Goa 409, Citicentre, EDC Patto Plaza, Panaji, 403001 Goa India Tel.: 0832-6456555, 2437822
go into making this magazine
of course been, being able to
come alive, there is an instinct
see the rough and tumble in
which has formed in my system
the business arena upfront and
that tells me whether something
personal, over five years. From
that I witness is a story of
organizations
Group Editorial Head Rachel Fernandes
new
Email: businessgoa.media@gmail.com
Business Goa is a monthly magazine dedicated to trade, commerce and business features and news. Editor, Publisher & Printer: Harshvardhan Bhatkuly. Printed At: Printek Printers
12 Business Goa
JULY 2014
of
experience,
Gladwell,
to
the
corporate
interest from the magazine’s perspective. And the
houses, startups to failures, broken partnerships
instinct seamlessly gets a sense of its own when
to successful divestments, policy issues to
I am looking at one or the other organs that keep
downright bans – I can say, I was witness to
Unsolicited material may not be returned. The opinions expressed in Business Goa are not necessarily that of the publishers. 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.
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most of the business milestones over the last five years. Yes, it has been a journey that I can say has enriched my voice and vision. I have also had the pleasure to meet and interact with stalwarts of Goan industry and visiting experts in the entrepreneurial domain.
I would be failing in my duty if I do not
acknowledge the contribution of my friend and
Winners with organisers of NRB Group presents Business Goa Awards for Corporate Excellence 2014
quizzing partner with whom I launched this
in the park at all times, but the journey has been
magazine. Rajiv D’Silva wrote some of our best
fun, nothing short of a rollercoaster ride actually.
cover stories in the initial years. I have been
The ups have become reasons to celebrate and
blessed to have had support from all corners. It’s
the downs, reasons to ponder, re-strategize and
the universe – the Goan universe, which conspired
re-assimilate. It’s all been a learning experience.
to keep this magazine kicking and thriving. Our
We have learnt to never give up, to pursue, with
advertisers, writers, contributors, subscribers and
grit and determination, in the face of adversity and
readers have made this magazine their own. One
best of all, to treasure each and every relationship
honestly can’t ask for more, when it comes to
that we have formed over these last five years of
public adulation.
our existence.
Almost akin to a culmination of our editorial
anniversary issue, we decided to celebrate the
exploits to constantly highlight business in Goa, we successfully created a brand of business awards and this year, hosted the third edition of the much anticipated Business Goa Awards for Corporate Excellence – where 24 businessmen, businesswomen and businesses were awarded for their spectacular achievements. This fifth anniversary holds even more significance for Business Goa. It may have started off as a lofty idea and received with some anxious doubts, but here we are, strong as ever and gearing up to bring you one issue better than the last one. It’s definitely not been a walk July 2012
And hence, when it came to dedicating our
July 2011
It’s all been a learning experience. We have learnt to never give up, to pursue with grit and determination, in the face of adversity and best of all, to treasure each and every relationship that we have formed over these last five years of our existence July 2013
power of ‘5’. It took just a bit of brainstorming for team Business Goa to come to a consensus that the best way to do this was to highlight the ‘best of the best’ that Goan industry has to offer. As you leaf through the pages of this Collector’s Edition, you will read about the top five across 24 different categories of business and what has merited their stories to be featured. We hope you enjoy reading it just as much as we enjoyed compiling this edition.
I start off another year seeking your confidence
in Business Goa and your faith in our ability. It is you who has made us ‘The Voice of Business in Goa’
JULY 2014
Business Goa 13
Over 5 years of bringing out this magazine, we have been witness to some of the best practices in industry. Great courage and astute leadership, daredevilry and tough calls. There have been great highs for the industry and absolute lows, as well. Business goes through many life cycles. Some scale their actions few notches more than others. Some hit pay dirt, others rue about their failure. But in essence, every businessperson or entrepreneur takes the decision to strike it out on his or her own. Often it’s a lonely battle – against time, resources and competition. By no means are the following pages a Powerlist or ‘Top 5’. But undoubtedly these are the top movers and shakers in their respective space. We have gone ahead and created this collector’s issue on the strength of our ability to spot the best of business in Goa. Trust you will like what you read.
14 Business Goa
JULY 2014
Leaders
16
Organisations
20
Industry
24
Ideas@Work
28
Goan Brands
32
Milestone Decisions 36 Goan Diaspora
40
Partnership
44
Retail
48
Lifestyle
52
Services
56
Managers
60
Beyond Business
64
Real Estate
68
Passion Ventures
72
Lady Power
76
Startups
80
Young Guns
84
Education
88
Professionals
92
Business Books
96
Media Voices
100
Green Mantra
104
Restaurants
108
Leaders Shrinivas Dempo First Citizen Manohar Parrikar The hope Best known for: Having taken the Dempo Business House to even greater heights through sheer business acumen and foresightedness. The story: Shrinivas V Dempo is the Chairman of the Dempo Business House, one of the
August 2009
leading corporate groups of Goa. The Group’s major activities comprise the production and export of calcined petroleum coke, shipbuilding, media, manufacture of pig iron, baby foods, real estate development, sports promotion, travel business, renewable energy and mining. Shrinivas is also well known for his philanthropy. Shrinivas’ achievements, at a relatively young age, lie in striking a new path in the pursuit of the Dempo Group of business and expanding the businesses exponentially while also making creative, ethical and considered choices in corporate social responsibility. Joining the family business, initially as a management trainee in the early 90s, he was able to observe the workings of the Group’s enterprises first hand. As VicePresident of Corporate Affairs, Shrinivas had begun, in the mid 90s, to make a difference to the management style of the Group, aligning its approaches and practices to the trends of digitised, standardised and globalised ways. It was in 1999 that the young Dempo was called upon to take over the family business on the untimely death of his father, Vasudeva. When he took over, the Dempo Group was a conglomerate with a combined turnover of INR 2500 Million. To his credit, he converted daunting challenges into successful business opportunities. In recognition of his leadership position in Goan industry and society, the Embassy in India of the Republic of Italy made him the Honorary Vice Consul of Italy. He is also associated with various institutions, associations and chambers towards the twin causes of sustainable business and social responsibility 16 Business Goa
JULY 2014
April 2012
Best known for: Technocrat, statesman, politician, industrialist – call him what you may, Manohar Parrikar remains the quintessential engineer that his IIT Bombay education made him The story: Starting Goa Hydraulics along with brother Audhuth in Mapusa, the Parrikar brothers were having a good run with the business. And then higher calling of State affairs made Manohar Parrikar don another hat. Parrikar’s strength lies in getting to the heart of the matter. He can solve complicated intricacies of bureaucracy laced with legal mumbo jumbo in a few minutes. One of the reasons why his officers make sure that when they meet him to discuss policy matters, they are abreast with the right facts and figures. One can understand the grasp of this technology driven professional on financial matters when he stands up to present the State budgets. Sitting in the gallery or watching proceedings
live on TV, one is certain that he is not reading from a budget document, but explaining the financial plans in its broad outline. Even his worst critics grudgingly admire the way that he has handled the State economy in a financial tightrope due to the ban on mining. Despite the borrowings that the State has had to endure, a citizen lies confident in his belief that on matters of fiscal importance, they can be confident that the Chief Minister will deliver. This, despite the fact that he has kept several social benefit schemes unhindered even in the face of financial strains on the state exchequer. Parrikar’s strength also lies in making tender documents fool proof to the State’s advantage. He has often spoken about the fact that what IIT education has made him is an analyser of situations, a problem solver. What economic measures he takes during his tenure as the State’s Chief Minister, will largely be the blueprint of what Goa will look like in the years to come
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Wendell Rodricks Style, substance and realspeak Best known for: Minimalistic chic style which has made him a household name and consequently put Goa on the world’s fashion map. The story: Wendell Rodricks, is a well known name in the fashion industry not just in India but across the world. Since his foray into the world of fashion designing, Wendell, famed for his minimalist chic style, is a rage among clothes lovers. Not only has he dressed the who’s who in India but also a host of international celebrities. Wendell started out as a catering graduate but soon found himself pursuing his passion, fashion designing. He returned to India in 1988 after having trained at Los Angeles and Paris. In 1990, he established his own label and since then, the designer has never looked back. This multi talented genius, has seen it all and done it all, in
September 2009
the world of fashion. Apart from his designing career, he is also a fashion writer and lecturer. He was the first Indian designer to be invited to the world’s largest
garment fair IGEDO, Dusseldorf in 1995. Having shown his collection in various countries across the world, he has also been involved in designing
creative advertisements for such brands including Wellspun, Delsey, SWATCH, Bijoux, Breguet and Raymond Weil. He has designed the uniforms for a number of Goan institutions including the Goa State Traffic Police, the Four Seasons, the Goa Marriott Resort, the Vasco Sports Club and GTDC etc. This famous son of the soil lives in the quiet locales on Colvale. Consistently at the forefront of fashion, he is also involved in research, especially about the history of the Goan costume. He is the author of ‘Moda Goa’, a book elaborating on the history of Goan costumes and The Green Room, a personal memoir. He is also actively involved in training and mentoring young upcoming Indian designers and is passionate about preserving Goan culture
JULY 2014
Business Goa 17
Leaders Best known for: His astute leadership, progressive business thinking and focus on giving back to society through his personal philanthropic activities and the company’s CSR initiative. The story: The NRB Group is based in Vasco the industrial
March 2010
18 Business Goa
JULY 2014
port town of Goa. The flagship business of The NRB Group has been and remains the production and export of iron ore through owning mining leases in Goa. This ore is then exported primarily to the Chinese markets and they also cater to the domestic market. The NRB Group is guided, on their various missions and expansions, by the vision of the Group’s dynamic and sharply business minded Chairman and Managing Director Narayan R. Bandekar. Known popularly across the state simply as ‘Nanabab’, he has led the Group under his astute leadership and progressive policies, to a high level of expansion and more importantly, modernization. It is under his foresightedness that the Group has moved beyond just its mining legacy and is today famed as a multibrand business house with various businesses and business interests seamlessly integrated with one another. Another noteworthy achievement of his leadership is the NRB Group’s expansion into international markets, especially the pharmaceutical plant in Zambia which is currently in the commissioning phase. Apart from his focus on business, growth and profits, Narayan Bandekar is known through the length and breadth of Goa for his soft corner for philanthropy. Along with wife Mandatai, he is actively involved in the beautification of his home town, Vasco. The Group also contributes annually towards CSR activities for the welfare and socio-economic development of the communities around the mining area in particular and donations to institutes like schools, old age homes, health care, sports promotion, art and culture. As the President of Goa Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Nanabab is known to lead with his heart
Dilip Salgaocar receives the Lifetime Achievement Award at the hands of Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar. The Award was given on the 50th Anniversary of GSIA
Pic: Siddesh Mayenkar
Nana Bandekar Giver Gains
Dilip Salgaocar The visionary Best known for: Re-structuring and rehabilitating a ‘sick’ Geno Pharmaceuticals Limited into a highly successful company with an ever increasing market presence internationally. The story: Born in a pioneer industrialist family of Goa, Dilip Salgaocar completed his Bachelor of Chemical Engineering from the Department of Chemical Technology, Bombay University. Thereafter he joined the family business, wherein he took over as the Chief Executive of Curti Chemicals Ltd. With the rich experience of independently running a chemical company, in April 1980, he took over as the Managing Director of Geno Pharmaceuticals Ltd. With Salgaocar at the helm of affairs, Geno Pharmaceuticals completely overhauled its manufacturing facilities at the Thivim Industrial Estate to set up an ultra modern WHO and UK HRA compliant plant with an investment of close to Rs 40 Crores. The new plant meets both, the domestic market requirement of Geno Pharmaceuticals and Cleancare (a sister concern) and also helps the company export to European countries as well as African and South Asian countries. Apart from his professional
commitment, Salgaocar has held various leadership positions in different trade and related bodies. An ex-Vice President of the prestigious Goa Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) he is a currently a member of the Managing Committee. That apart, he has been a Past President of the Goa Small Industries Association (GSIA) and is the Founder President of the Goa Pharmaceuticals Manufacturers’ Association (GPMA). On the academic front, Salgaocar was appointed by the government as member of the advisory committee of the Goa College of Pharmacy and later, he was nominated by the Vice Chancellor of Goa University as member of the Advisory Committee of the Centre for Latin American Studies. Salgaocar is also actively involved with various social causes. He is a patron of the Indian Red Cross Society and an active Rotarian. Having joined the Rotary movement in 1976, he went on to serve as President of his Club and even went up to the post of District Governor in 20034. Salgaocar is the President of ‘Avishkar’, a society established for the promotion of Indian Classical Music and is also the President of the Geno Employees Co-operative Credit Society
Colours of Li fe
Now at the G o a Ma rrio tt R e so rt SavoirFaire
Organisations Goa Chamber of Commerce & Industry The voice Best known for: Playing a leading role in influencing government agencies to create a suitable environment for the working of the Goan industry and trade. The story: Goa Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) is Goa’s premier non-profit business, support-services and networking organization. The GCCI represent and liaises with SMEs, corporate organizations and Government bodies. Membership of the Chamber opens up a rich-resource of free essential business information, a busy and interesting events calendar, discounted conference facilities and much more. The offices are conveniently situated in the heart of Panaji, Goa’s capital city and also in the State’s largest industrial estate, Verna. Ever since its formation, the Chamber has handled various issues from export of salt, alteration of exchange rates, construction of the Panjim Jetty, promotion of a banking house,
shipping services, representation in the legislative assembly, banking facilities, enhancement of municipal fees, increase in customs tariff, to economic blockade by Government of India and many such issues affecting the interest of business community and consequently affecting the Goan economy. Over the last few years, the Chamber has played a leading role in influencing Government agencies to create a suitable environment for the working of the Goan industry and trade. It has been quick to find solutions for various problems faced by the business community and has been successful in delivering the goods. The Chamber today, is not an exclusive club of a few, but represents the aspirations and desires of the entire business community of the State. The Chamber encourages interactions with small business owners, traders and entrepreneurs in order to make an effort and understand the issues that are crucial to them
June 2011
Goa State Industries Association The umbrella of industry
Sanat Raiturcar, Shekhar Sardessai, Atul Pai Kane, Keshav Kamat, Parag Joshi, Atul Naik and Rajkumar Kamat of GSIA with the Business Goa Award 2014
Best known for: Being a ‘facilitator’ for member units to increase their satisfaction through the effective application of the system, including processes for continual improvement. The story: Goa State Industries 20 Business Goa
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Association (GSIA) is the apex body representing Small Scale Industries (SSI) units in Goa on various State and Central Government bodies. Established in 1965, this 50 year old organisation aims to strengthen Goa’s economic
base. Over the years, the Association has grown into a strong forum and has been able to assist small industries to manufacture standard products, sell in domestic markets and export abroad. It also provides members with growth and value enhancement opportunities. Apart from its representation on various boards including SSI Board, New Delhi, Western Regional Board, SIDBI, it also
represents on various prime bodies like Goa Industrial Development Corporation (GIDC) Board, Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB), Goa Handicrafts, Rural and Small Scale Industries Development Corporation Ltd. (GHRSSIDC). GSIA is constantly in dialogue with the Government on various policy matters concerning the industry. The body has been successful in obtaining subsidies for its members from time to time and in providing valuable information concerning the small scale industry sector to the Government and has been instrumental in formulating the Goa Industrial Policy, 2003. GSIA has also been forceful in implementing price preference for SSI units and entering into rate contract with the Government of Goa for various SSI manufactured items
Organisations Goa Management Association The strategic partner Best known for: Furthering management knowledge and developing and promoting management talent and professionals. The story: Goa Management Association (GMA) is a forum of management professionals in Goa, affiliated to the All India Management Association (AIMA). GMA is involved in furthering management knowledge and promoting and developing management talent and professionals in the region. GMA provides a forum for managers for interchange of knowledge, experience and ideas at various management development programmes, lectures and annual day functions. GMA was founded in 1975 as Goan entrepreneurs felt the need to set up a management association, which could
promote debate in the body of management knowledge and provide professional training to managers and promote scientific management. The credit for initiating the process of establishing GMA goes to the late Vasudeva V Dempo, Chairman of Dempo Group of Companies and Ashok V Chowgule, Director of Chowgule
Group of Companies. All the major contemporary enterprises of that time participated wholeheartedly in this venture and gave much-needed impetus to this initiative. For the past four decades, in this objective, GMA has been conducting programmes, events, training, seminars, etc. and liaises with local bodies, professionals and other similar forums. GMA has an aggregate membership of 212 members, which includes organisations and management professionals from different industry sectors, across the Goan industry landscape. It currently has 49 institutional and 163 individual members. Over the recent few years, GMA has actively engaged with the management education fraternity, including management students and teachers, at
both undergraduate and post graduate level in Goa, to partner and promote excellence in management thought in Goa. GMA has been conducting various Management Development & Training Programmes since its inception. Since January 2005, GMA has been also conducting Knowledge Lecture series. In order to promote and recognise managerial talent, GMA has constituted Management Awards, which are given in four categories; Manager of the Year, Young Manager of the Year, Best Management Student and Management Student Commendation Award. These awards are presented to winners at the Annual Day function. The current President of Goa Management Association is Ashok V Chowgule - Executive Director, Chowgule & Co. Pvt Ltd
Travel & Tourism Association of Goa Home of hospitality Best known for: Being a forum that represents and promotes the interests of its members with the Government and other bodies connected with tourism in Goa. The story: As the infrastructural facilities for promotion of tourism in Goa improved considerably and Goa was projected onto the world map of tourism, an urgent need was felt for the members of the travel, hotel and tourist trade to have a common platform by bridging various segments like airlines, hotels, travel agents, tour operators, tourist offices and surface transportation. About 15 individuals representing different organizations engaged in the tourism trade in Goa, met at the initiative of the then Director of Tourism, VAP Mahajan and decided to form a club known as the Goa Travel and Tourism Club which came into existence in 1977. It was inaugurated on July 4, 1977 at the hands of the then Chief Minister of Goa, Daman & Diu, Shashikala Kakodkar. Its founder president was the late 22 Business Goa
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Lenny Pinto. The Goa Travel & Tourism Club was operated initially from Hotel Mandovi, Panaji till an office premises was purchased in Panaji in 1990. They later shifted to more spacious premises at Dempo Towers at Patto. The Club was registered under the Societies Registration Act 1860 on March 21, 1990. In 1994, on March 17, the name of the organization was changed to Travel and Tourism Association of Goa (TTAG). Over the last 34 years, this Association has grown its fold to around 190 members having approximately 600 units in Goa. Today, it is the apex organization working hand in hand with the Government on all matters concerning tourism. TTAG caters to its members’ problems, trying to resolve them with the help of governmental agencies and other bodies. Moreover, it allows a platform where members can meet one another during their General Body Meetings which are held in different hotels every
Francis Braganza, President TTAG
quarter. Besides this, TTAG helps different companies to showcase their tourism-related products to members during the meetings, thus greatly benefitting its members. TTAG acts as a forum to represent and promote the interests of the members with the Government and other bodies connected with matters of tourism in Goa. It aims to
regulate the relationship between member’s interests and to seek to control activities of members, which are intended to the overall good of the industry. TTAG aims to take up the common causes of its members in a representative capacity. It maintains close contact with other apex organizations which will further the aims and objectives of this Association
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CREDAI Built on principles Best known for: Helping realty developers come together and work towards better practices, improved customer service and a stronger realty industry
EXPERIENCE GOA AT IT BEST
The story: The voice of India’s real estate industry, the Confederation of Real Estate Developers’ Associations of India (CREDAI) is the apex body for private real estate developers. It represents over 5,000 developers through 20 member associations across India. Its numerous initiatives and activities help real estate developers come together and work towards better practices, improved customer service and a stronger realty industry. With core values of excellence, integrity, credibility and innovation, CREDAIGOA is currently led by Desh Prabhudessai who has been working exceptionally hard in the
real estate sector in the State. Their first and foremost aim was to make CREDAI known to everybody. Their efforts paid off and today, everyone related to the housing industry is aware of CREDAI. Builders in Goa are coming forward to avail of CREDAI membership due to the security that it offers. CREDAI Goa has helped in addressing issues pertaining Manohar Parrikar inaugurates the new office of CREDAI Goa with Dr Desh Prabhudesai (extreme right)
to real estate and solving them at different forums including Government authorities. They have made various representations to the Government regarding finalization of VAT rates, improvement of infrastructure, quick finalization of all approvals and licenses, conversion sanad,
mutation etc. The organization also takes up issues that are causing concern to the industry like RP 2012, Mundkar Act, CRZ regulations, availability of material, one window clearance of projects, etc. CREDAI also has its own consumer redressal forum where they try and address issues related to builders and consumers.
They also recently initiated the Youth Wing consisting of second generation CREDAI members. CREDAI Goa Chapter has been working towards the essentials including marketing, sales, customer service and has strived towards providing better practices and quality services thereby laying the base for a strong realty industry in Goa
Tel: 0832 2479356 Fax: 0832 2479868 aldeiasantarita@desouzahotels.com www.aldeiasantarita.com
Tel: 0832 2279739/2279740 Fax : 0832 2276684 horizon@desouzahotels.com www.horizon-goa.com
Tel : 0832 2276564/2279048 Fax : 0832 2276684 santiago@desouzahotels.com
Tel: 0832 2276565/2277983 www.transorientholidays.com
www.thedesouzagroup.com
Tel : 0832 2269409-14 Fax : 0832 2269415
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Business Goa 23
Industry GKB Hitech Lenses The eyes have it Best known for: Creating a well developed infrastructure in optical trade and bringing the world’s best technologies to India. The story: GKB Hitech Lenses Pvt. Ltd. has grown by leaps and bound under the dynamic vision and leadership of its Chairman and Managing Director Mahendra Kumar Gupta. GKB Hi-Tech (previously called Goa Optolab Pvt Ltd), a progressive company that has never been known to falter from its path of creating a well developed infrastructure in the optical trade, was started in 1986 as the first prescription ophthalmic (spectacle) lens manufacturing unit in the country. In just 22 years, their turnover has increased from a mere Rs.50 lakhs to over Rs.250 crores. An ISO 9001-2008 certified company, the company manufactures and export all varieties of lenses (ophthalmic lenses for spectacles)
to over 30 countries and also have full-fledged manufacturing and sales facilities at Dubai and South Africa. Apart from export production pan-India, the company manufactures and despatches on a daily average 15000 ‘made to order’ prescription lenses through its well-knit marketing and distribution network in the country. The service centres facilitate booking of regional orders. These orders are then diverted to the lab network for manufacturing by latest IT system. It has been an endeavour of GKB Hi-Tech to bring the world’s best technologies to India. The freeform technology that GKB deploys at its units is a revolutionary digital manufacturing process that uses computer-aided design and surfacing to create high-level, customized eyeglass lenses with the customer’s unique prescription
M K Gupta
Dempo Ship Building & Engineering The vessel hub
Best known for: Being one of the best equipped ship building facilities in Goa recognized for their state-of-the-art facilities.
The
story: Ship building and ship repair are one of the mainstays of the Dempo Group of Industries. In fact, these two are areas in which Dempo Ship Building and Engineering Pvt Ltd has proved to be an anchor 24 Business Goa
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of reliability and innovativeness along the Western coast of India. One of the leading ship building companies of Goa, with a yard each on the Rivers Mandovi and Zuari (the deeper draught of the latter allowing for larger vessel construction), their turnover for fiscal year 2009/2010 touched a healthy Rs 750 million. Certified to be conforming to ISO Standard 9001:2008
in respect of ship design, ship building and ship repair operations, quality is the key and excellence the norm, at this company. Among the services that they offer are ship building and ship repairs and conversion and modernization. Ship building and ship repair services are offered for inland, coastal and sea going vessels upto 4500 DWT,
passenger vessels, ferry crafts, pleasure launches and high performance vessels, dredgers, split hopper barges, survey launches, police and paramilitary boats, harbour utilities, tugs, pilot and petrol launches, bunker barges and crane barges. In conversion/modernization, they offer ‘jumboisation’, structural conversions, role conversions re-equipping, re-engineering and performance upgradation. The facilities on offer at the yard include a 120 mts by 20 mts slip way, two side launching bays, two dry docks having facilities for blasting, painting, steel renewals, stern gear, propulsion, deck machinery, piping, plumbing, repairs and overhaul and all types of mechanical and electrical jobs. The yard is also equipped with a 120 mts long outfitting quay, a well equipped mechanical, electrical and steel workshop, covered and open fabrication bay, a full-fledged CAD Center, a quality control department, a custom bonded warehouse and CNC cutting and CO2 welding machines
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Lift Controls Elevator pitch Best known for: Precision sheet metal fabrication at par with international manufacturing norms and catering to a range of multinational clients. The story: Lift Controls Pvt. Ltd. is a company that is promoted by a team of professional engineers. In existence since 2001, the company started operations in a small location with an area of 70 sq. mts. Such was their success that just three years later, in 2004 they went on to build an independent factory at Khandepar, this setup being at par with international manufacturing norms. The company is a private limited concern with shares held by Mahendra Khandeparkar, Satish Keni and Nitant Kholkar, all three of whom are electrical engineers who started their careers working as engineers in their field of speciality – electronics. Starting Lift Controls
Pvt Ltd was not just a challenge, but also a huge risk for the trio as it incurred a massive investment, that too without any entrepreneurship background to boast of. As a company, they manufacture controllers and wiring harness for Schindler India Pvt. Ltd. a multinational company with their parent office in Switzerland. They also design and supply automation controls by incorporating Allen Bradley PLCs and frequency drives. Employing the best of technology, they have set up a precision sheet metal fabrication unit having Amada Japanmade CNC machines where they manufacture sheet metal enclosures for control panels and precision components. Their biggest support is their workforce and they prefer to employ locals. Among their many clients, most are multinationals with a worldwide presence
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Business Goa 25
Industry Automobile Corporation of Goa Ltd. Bus ride Best known for: Facilitating rapid industrialization in Goa and being one of the most successful bus body building companies with ‘A’ grade certification. The story: Automobile Corporation of Goa Limited (ACGL) was established in 1980 as a joint venture between Economic Development Corporation of Goa and Tata Motors Limited. It was formed with a vision to facilitate rapid industrialization of the State, generate employment opportunities, enable the setting up of ancillary supplier base and be a change agent to improve the economic status of Goans. The company initially manufactured pressed sheet metal parts and sub-assemblies and supplied the same to Tata Motors. Keeping the company’s growth in mind, in 1983, the management diversified into bus body building business with
a technical collaboration from world-renowned Fuji Heavy Industries, Japan. The bus bodybuilding unit completed 25 years of its operations recently. ACGL is an ISO-TS-16949 certified company which is the highest level of standard for quality requirements. The Bus Body Division is accredited as `A’ grade manufacturer by the Central Institute of Road
Transport (CIRT), indicating excellent capabilities for design and manufacture of bus bodies to meet the highest level quality and safety standards. From about 54 bus bodybuilding companies in India, ACGL is the only one which has posted profits in the current year. In fact, ACGL is a consistent profit-making and dividendpaying bus bodybuilder for an
umpteen number of years. ACGL has two manufacturing divisions – sheet metal division and bus body division. From its modest beginning of making just 33 buses in the first year of operation in 1988, ACGL has graduated to making close to 5000 buses in the year 201011. It has a capacity of building 30000 buses per annum. ACGL has built buses on various platforms ranging from LCV, ICV and MCV of reputed chassis manufacturers such as Tata Motors, Ashok Leyland, Eicher and Swaraj Mazda. The company has been building buses for various application including sleeper coaches, mobile library, mobile blood banks, ambulances, luxury buses, transport corporations, fleet operators and various other domestic and overseas customers
Infiniti Modules Mastering ergonomics
January 2014
Best known for: Their wide range of school and institutional furniture designed focussing on ergonomics, sturdiness and cost effectiveness. The story: Infiniti was started in 1998 in a 300 sq.mtr rented shed in Corlim, with a small capital but plenty of determination. The company operates out of North Goa, with two production units spread over 1,50,000 sq. ft at 26 Business Goa
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the Pilerne Industrial Estate, a workforce of over 100 and a client base of 3,500 offices and schools countrywide. Infiniti started out in the office furniture segment offering contemporary modular tilebased partitioning systems and workstations for offices, riding on the dotcom revolution of the late 90s. The company started by executing office projects for software companies across the
country, often working shifts to maximise production in the then small facility. With early success, they soon moved to Pilerne, when they set up the first phase of their manufacturing unit, and gradually started upgrading their machinery and in-house facilities. Infiniti soon propelled themselves into a pioneering effort of a completely new product line, school furniture. Designed with ergonomics, sturdiness and
cost effectiveness in mind, Infiniti launched the initial offering of classroom furniture in 2003. Although a later divergence, today their wide range of school and institutional furniture has become their flagship line. Infiniti is now is a well-reputed brand synonymous with high quality school furniture across India. The company is known as a complete solution provider of well-engineered products with foremost design considerations of quality, durability, safety and ergonomics
Ideas@Work 3D Systems Life is three dimensional
The story: 3D Systems is a leading provider of 3D printing centric design-to-manufacturing solutions including 3D printers, print materials and cloud sourced on-demand custom parts for professionals and consumers alike in materials including plastics, metals, ceramics and edibles. The company also provides integrated 3D scan-based design, freeform modelling and inspection tools and an integrated 3D planning and printing digital thread for personalized surgery and patient specific medical devices. 3D Systems is the leader in complete 3D content-to-print solutions. From
the broadest selection of 3D printers and services to the latest platform of 3D authoring tools and scanners – now anyone can scan, design, modify, inspect and print amazing content in 3D. Its products and services replace and complement traditional methods and reduce the time and cost of designing new products by printing real parts directly from digital input. These solutions are used to rapidly design, create, communicate, prototype or produce functional parts and assemblies, empowering customers to manufacture the future. In India-Goa, under the leadership of Deelip Menezes, the company provides software development solutions, Customer Service (Hardware-3D Printers), 3D Designing and rendering. Their future plans include expanding the reseller network
Pic: Balraj Sahani
Best known for: Providing software development solutions, customer service (Hardware3D Printers), 3D Designing and rendering.
Deelip Menezes
Saturday Night Market The weekend destination
Best known for: Bringing together a kaleidoscope of unique cultural and culinary influences from across the globe, thus aptly reflecting Goa’s cosmopolitan 28 Business Goa
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nature. The story: The Saturday Night Market is a retro styled hippy and artisan market featuring a
variety of colours and scenes and is truly, a kaleidoscope of stalls having cultural influences from all across the globe, which is, in reality, its uniqueness.
Also known as Ingo’s (after Ingo Grill who started the market), the Saturday Nite Bazaar is the largest shopping and entertainment event, reflecting the cosmopolitan and distinctive culture of Goa. The Night Market attracts a huge number of local and foreign traders, mostly European. The range of products includes almost everything you can imagine, starting with the penny baubles and trinkets and going up to high-quality branded products and jewelry. The range of food offered in different restaurants here is almost inexhaustible. At The Night Market you can try amazingly tasty dishes from nearly all international cuisines starting from the local food and Tibetan momo all the way to the German pretzels. All this mixing of people, tastes, smells and colours happens with a backdrop of Goan trance music and lighting effects. The music is played in the restaurants and on the stage in the center of the market and often has international performers like Apache Indian doing theirs gigs
Ideas@Work Dr. Kurade’s Mushrooms Coming home to harvest Dr. Sangam Kurade
Best known for: Making the once prized mushrooms an everyday food. The story: A first generation agri business, Dr Kurade’s is a well known name across Goan markets and one that instantly
comes to mind when one thinks of mushrooms. Established in 1994, Dr Sangam Kurade, the brain behind this venture is passionately dedicated to the ensuring that only the freshest possible mushrooms reach Goan homes. It is this very sustained
Panjim Inn Old world charm Best known for: Being Goa’s first classified heritage hotel that beautifully amalgamates history, culture and art. The story: Nestled in the heart of Asia’s only Latin Quarter of Fontainhas, Panjim, Welcomheritage Panjim Inn prides itself on being Goa’s first classified Heritage hotel. It is one of the erstwhile big homes of Fontainhas. The Welcomheritage Panjim Inn Group comprises of Welcomheritage Panjim Inn, Welcomheritage Panjim Pousada and Welcomheritage Panjim Peoples, each distinct from the other and with their own unique style and character. Panjim Inn and Panjim Pousada are two stately Fontainhas residences while Panjim Peoples was once Goa’s first English School. The three Hotels in Goa offer 37 rooms, which are unique in character and a fine blend of old world elegance and modernity. The period furniture and antique interiors, together with exotic art and fine furnishing, take you back 30 Business Goa
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in time to an era of romance, charm and nostalgia. A fine stopping place for the discerning traveller, these Heritage Hotels offer a welcome respite and refuge from the busy world outside. WelcomHeritage Panjim Inn is a meeting place for art lovers as the Gallery Gitanjali on the ground floor of Panjim People’s, showcases a wide range of contemporary paintings by well known local and overseas artists. Original artwork belonging to the in-house Gallery Gitanjali is displayed over all the three premises. With its art filled ambience, period furniture and fine artifacts, the Panjim People’s is an exotic and stimulating conference option. The Verandah Restaurant, on the first floor of the WelcomHeritage Panjim Inn offers fine local and continental cuisines. From its strategic location a sip of the in-house farm Feni and bites of a scrumptious Goan meal, one can take in the sounds and smells of ethnic Goa alongside a scrumptious meal
commitment to continuous innovation that has resulted in strong brand loyalty and recognition from consumers. An engineer by training, Dr Sangam returned from the US, after completing his studies, and joined his father’s consultancy firm in New Delhi as a food technologist. Soon he was bitten by the entrepreneurial bug and he came back to Goa intending to get into an agro-based business. His interest in mushroom grew when he noticed that wild, naturally growing mushrooms were becoming increasingly rare. Though people laughed at his dream to grow fungi, Dr Sangam believed in his product and began operations at the four-acre family farm in Bhatpal,
Canacona and called his brand Dr Kurade’s Mushrooms. What started off with a 100 kg/day production has now grown into an operation that harvests over 1.5 tons of mushrooms per day and controls over 90 per cent of the cultivated mushrooms market in Goa as well as many cities across India. From the hugely popular button mushrooms to the gourmet favourites like Portobello and Crimini mushrooms, you will find all these under the Dr Kurade’s brand. Also under development currently are two other gourmet varieties, Oyster and Shitake mushrooms. The brand’s Canacona facility today boasts of a hi-tech farm with air conditioned rooms which ensure a controlled and conducive growing environment for the mushrooms. That apart, Dr Sangam also has his own seed laboratory
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www.businessgoa.net Milind Prabhu (L) and Glen Colaco
Shout Out App Crisis Call
Pic: Aslesh Kamat
Best known for: A home developed app focusing on women’s safety that lets friends, family or police find those in trouble and save them. The story: The rape and death of a young female student in Delhi on December 16, 2012 sparked a search for technological innovations that could be used by women to alert authorities of a threat to their safety. While Indian tech firms began working on and released several apps for women’s safety, Goan IT developers followed close on their heels and released an app of their own. Shout Out is an app developed in Goa by Genora Infotech, Verna that not only sends an emergency message to five chosen contacts with the push of a button, but even makes
a phone call to a pre-defined number, all at one go. The app was launched on March 8, International Women’s Day, the theme of which was, ‘Time for action to end violence against women’. Along with the voice call and text messages, the app also sends out GPS co-ordinates (latitude-longitude) of your location. The receiver will be given your location on the everhandy Google maps. Apart from the primary number, the app allows one to call a secondary number as well. The apps interface also allows one to contact emergency services such as police, ambulance and fire services, again at the push of a button. Shout-Out is available for download free of cost on the android platform. The idea is to let friends, family or police find those in trouble and save them
SavoirFaire
Life is beautiful. Come Find out.
art furniture home style
Cobra Vado, Calangute, Bardez Goa 403516 India Tel.: 0832-2281048 casagoa_india@hotmail.com www.casagoaindia.com
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Business Goa 31
GoanBrands Zantye’s Cashew Nuts Taste of Goa Best known for: Putting Goa on the map as a destination for top quality and value for money cashewnuts and being a hot favourite among locals and tourists alike.
Pic: Tejal Mahambre
The story: It was in 1905 that Narayan Ganesh Prabhu Zantye, a native of Bicholim, a small region in North Goa, had a vision, to be recognised as a leading processor and marketeer of cashewnuts in India. It was this very vision that witnessed not just the inception of Zantye’s Cashews Pvt. Ltd., but also the Group’s consistent growth and market leader position.
Suresh Zantye
Though the cashewnuts are sold commercially, the core business of cashew processing still remains Zantye’s traditional business. Currently managed by Suresh Zantye who joined the family business in 1960, the brand has been able to meet each and every requirement of their customers, especially the tourists who head back home armed with bags full of Zantye’s cashewnuts for both, their own consumption and to distribute among friends. This impeccable reputation and high demand is the result of the employment of the best technology and the brand’s commitment to quality. Since his association with the brand, Suresh has gone on to expand
the business beyond the State’s boundaries by establishing units in Karnataka and Maharashtra, too. With a continued focus on quality, Suresh propelled the Zantye Group into a globally acclaimed brand. Under his able leadership, the brand’s expansion plan also included the introduction of the organic variety of the cashewnuts, to cater to the growing health conscious market while also minimizing environmental damage. Today Zantye’s cashewnuts are famous world over for their unique ‘Goan’ taste and flavour. Their varieties of cashewnuts available from the brand include drum roasted natural cashewnuts, salted cashewnuts, dry salted cashewnuts, pepper cashewnuts, chaat cashewnuts, cheese cashewnuts, masala cashewnuts and cashew ladus
Tito’s The party starts here
December 2011
Best known for: Putting Goa firmly on the world’s party map with their host of popular nightspots. The story: Tito’s is synonymous with brand Goa when it comes to night life and happening events. It is currently one of Goa’s best equipped and designed discotheques catering to everyone, right from VVIPs, to 32 Business Goa
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celebrities and of course, scores of international and domestic tourists who flock to Goa all year round, many with the aim of experiencing ‘at least one happening night at Tito’s’. Established by Tito Henry De Souza and his wife Lucille in 1971, it was started with the vision of catering to Goa’s emerging tourism industry. The partying hotspot, located in Baga, had its
humble beginnings as an eatery and soon became the social and information nerve centre for tourists. Though originally named Rich Davy Restaurant, its patrons were, however, most comfortable calling it just Tito’s. 43 years since, and taken forward by brothers Ricardo and David D’Souza, Tito’s is perhaps the best example of branding in Goa today through it numerous
expansions. Apart from owning and managing other popular nightspots like Café Mambo, Café Del Mar, Cape Town Café, Red Square and Tito’s Courtyard – their fine dining restaurant, the brand has also added to the brand basket via other ventures including events, retail, hospitality, financial consultancy and real estate with plans for many more in the near future
GoanBrands Cosme Matias Menezes (CMM) The name you can trust Best known for: Building a brand from scratch to become one of the biggest and most reputed names in the sectors they have a presence in. The story: Cosme Matias Menezes (CMM) was established in 1910 by the late Cosme Matias Menezes. Their inaugural venture was a drugstore in Panaji. Such was their success that the business soon multiplied into numerous drugstores across Goa to become the biggest importers, after Shell, in pre-liberation Goa, for brands like Ciba, Sandoz, Eli Lilly, Johnson & Johnson, etc. In the 1960s, with the liberation of Goa and then its amalgamation into India, the group diversified from trading into manufacturing through joint ventures with leading multinational companies such as Beiersdorf AG, Germany, Shulton Inc., USA and Carter Wallace Inc., USA. In 1963, the foundation stone for the first manufacturing plant in Goa was laid. Over the next three decades, the Group grew and expanded to employ
several thousand people to manufacture and market numerous branded products such as Old Spice cosmetics and Hansaplast plasters. In the mid 1990s, the Group was divided among the third generation of the Menezes family. Among the various business verticals the CMM Group is involved in are medical devices, consumer plasters, logistics, distribution, retail and infrastructure business and operates through a number of wholly owned or joint venture companies. Some of their initiatives include Cosme Matias Menezes Pvt. Ltd. CMM Logistics Pvt. Ltd, Menezes Kamco Foods Pvt. Ltd and CMM Tradelinks Pvt. Ltd, CMM Arena, Oona, Merces Megastore, CMM Pharmacy. The Group also works closely with reputed multinationals such as Procter & Gamble, Nestle, Reckitt Benckiser and Altisource among others to provide services across multiple areas of interest. The brand derives strength on its easy acceptability and trust across Goa
Pai Kane Group Local pride Best known for: A venture that started off in a small home garage that has, over the few years since its inception, grown exponentially to become one of Goa’s most respected companies and a famous brand across India. The story: The Pai Kane Group that began operations and manufacturing from a small garage in ideator Atul Pai Kane’s backyard has gradually grown into one of the most respected companies with over two decades of operations in the manufacture of Gensets. The company was founded in 1989 with the sole aim of facilitating uninterrupted power supply. A technology driven organization, the company has embarked with missionary zeal to transform Gensets into ‘A’ Class white goods. Till 1995, the company’s products were called Powerkat and the company would
September 2011
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dabble in just about anything in the engineering and fabrication space. After working for a couple of years out of his garage, Atul’s dream of making it big took him a step further with the setting up of a manufacturing unit in Tuem which they eventually went on to expand to five factories. Over the years, the Group has spread its operations to nine offices across India, 75 plus service personnel across 35 locations in India and even operations abroad with an office in the UK. Some of their brand
partners include Perkins, MAN, Mitsubishi, Stamford and Mecc Alte. The Group believes in customer delight and striving hard to provide customers with a smooth, clean and dependable power supply. Apart from being true to their work, acting ethically and taking responsibility, the Pai Kane Group strives to achieve quicker reactions to market changes, faster product development and a deeper relationship with its customer by building a lean culture
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Costa’s Goa in every bite
Best known for: Establishing Goa’s first canning company and diversifying the business to become one of the best known brands from pre-packed Goan masalas and ready-to-eat-food. The story: Costa’s was founded by Bernardo Francisco da Costa, a multi-faceted personality, who was nothing less than a genius of his times. Bernardo was a member of the Portuguese India parliament, author of books on agriculture and founder of one of the first newspapers in Goa.
In 1885, he established Fabrica de Conservas Costa & Co., the first canning company in Goa. The company’s prime occupation was packing fruits and spices which were then exported to Portugal. The brand was then taken over by Dr Ivo da Costa Azaredo who was born to Beatriz and Francisco Xavier da Costa Azaredo and completed his medical studies in Goa Medical College, Goa and later in Lisbon in Portugal. He specialized as a lung surgeon in Pulido Valente,
Lisbon, when he was called back home to take over the mantle of the family business in 1960. All he intended was to take a two-year break to put the business of Costa’s on track and then return to Portugal to continue his practice. However, fate decided otherwise and he never returned to Portugal. When Dr. Costa took over the reins, Costa’s had an uphill task and had to face a host of challenges. He revived the company and the manufacturing of canned fish and meat and later cold meats
became its focus. Most famous for their frozen foods, their range of products includes cocktail sausages, frankfurters, luncheon meat, croquettes, salami, ham, bacon, mince, etc. All the products are available in beef, chicken and pork variants. They also have a variety of canned meats including corned beef, pork luncheon meat, canned cocktail sausages, pork sorpatel and beef xacuti. Stepping away from the canned meats which they are most famous for, the brand also produces canned sardines, mackerel and tuna available in tomato sauce, oil and brine. They also specialize in canned curries including, xacuti, sorpatel, Margao curry etc. The Costa Group is also famous for their wines including Sacramental wine and Port wine branded as Vinicola
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MilestoneDecisions Konkan Railway Tunnel Vision
Best known for: Directly connecting the two important port cities of Mumbai and Mangalore by the railway network. The story: The Konkan Railway line runs along the Konkan coast from Maharashtra to Karnataka, through Goa for a total distance of 738 kms. The foundation stone for the project was laid at Roha on September 15, 1990. Among the toughest challenges in the implementation of the project was the route’s mountainous terrain containing many rivers. The other major challenge was land acquisition
as 43000 landowners had to be negotiated with, many of whom gave it up voluntarily recognizing the project’s importance. Serious concerns were also raised about the environmental and economic impact of the line, especially on Goa. However, amid all the controversies and problems, work continued to progress. Nine hydraulic tunnelling machines were imported from Sweden to bore through the hard rock of the Sahayadris. The biggest challenge, however, came from the nine tunnels that had to be bored through soft soil, a painstakingly slow
manual process as excavation was almost impossible due to the clayey soil saturated with water. Several times tunnels collapsed immediately after they had been dug and work had to be redone The first passenger train on the Konkan Railway route was run between Mangalore and Udupi on 20 March 1993. The service was extended by 51 kilometres from Veer to Khed in March 1995 and by a further 265 kilometres to Sawantwadi in December 1996. Services on the southern end were extended by 32 kilometres from Udupi to Kundapura in January 1995,
and by a further 275 kilometres till Pernem in August 1997. However, services between Mumbai and Mangalore remained on hold due to the problematic Pernem tunnel, which faced repeated cave-ins and flooding. The tunnel was finally completed in January 1998. Trains carrying passengers started running along the full route between Mumbai and Mangalore from May 1998. The route is a single-line, non-electrified track. The fastest train on the route is the Trivandrum Rajdhani Express
Mining Ban in Goa Injunction on the economy Best known for: The seven decade old business, the core of India’s low-grade Iron Ore exports was stopped by the Apex Court. The story: Mining accounts for nearly a fourth of Goa’s GDP and about 70,000 people are directly dependent on it and thousands more indirectly. However, in the last few years, mining in Goa, shot into the limelight, mostly for all the wrong reasons. Trouble began when, due to its high profitability, low grade ore became a goldmine. While most players in the sector were having a dream run, those affected slowly began raising their voices. While some protested the rampant pollution caused due to incessant mining and ore dust flying off the trucks, some protested the rash and negligent truck drivers who would speed on the narrow village roads thus endangering lives. Then in September 2012, the 36 Business Goa
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May 2010
Supreme Court of India made a monumental decision imposing a blanket ban on all mining activities in the State after an official inquiry alleged that many were illegal and lacked environmental permissions to operate. The judicial commission, headed by Justice MB Shah alleged a Rs 35,000 crore mining scam involving top mining companies, politicians and bureaucrats. All
mining and related activities drew to a grinding halt. Thousands of stakeholders had invested heavily into the business. Some in form on infrastructure; others in logistics. Local banks looked at a huge list of NPAs, while the stakeholders threw their hands up in despair. The ban had an adverse impact on almost the entire economy of the State. It was only on April 21 2014
that the Supreme Court lifted the 18-month old mining ban, which was accompanied by an important rider – an interim annual cap of 20 million tones on the ore extracted. The State Government is currently working on a comprehensive mining policy that hopes to plug all loopholes that got the business attention, albeit for reasons that Goa would want to forget
MilestoneDecisions Coastal Regulation Zone Policy Leave the shores alone Best known for: Attempting to save Goa’s precious coastline which was at threat from indiscriminate development activities to cater to the lucrative coastal tourism sector. The story: The sudden boom in tourism in the 90s might have been hugely beneficial to the economy of the State, but the flipside was the indiscriminate development, especially on the coastline. From shacks to guesthouses to hotels, the coastline was a goldmine. In fact, the closer one could get to the sea, the more profitable the venture would be. The repercussions of this soon began to be seen. Construction on the coastline was not a problem restricted exclusively to Goa, but rampant in most Indian states along the coastline. Thus, in February 1991, the Ministry of Environment and Forests
(MoEF), as per the Environment Protection Act, 1986 issued a notification regulating activities in the coastal area. Coastal land up to 500m from the High Tide Line (HTL) and a stretch of 100m along banks of creeks, estuaries, backwater and rivers, subject to tidal fluctuations, was declared as the Coastal Regulation Zone. In 1998, the Central Government constituted an authority called the Goa State Coastal Zone Management Authority to protect and improve the quality of the coastal environment and prevent, abate and control environmental pollution in the coastal areas. All ‘constructions/developments’ (including houses, hotels and resorts) within 500 mts. of the High Tide Line (HTL) along the sea coast and within 100 mts. (or the width of the water body, whichever less) of the HTL on the banks of rivers/ creeks/ backwaters required
prior clearance under the CRZ Notification of 1991. The new Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) rules of the Ministry of Environment and Forests that was notified on January 7, 2011, has freed up more space for development which had been
severely curtailed under the CRZ Rules formulated 20 years ago, by allowing development beyond 100 metres. But they give local coastal communities a say in how development should take place
Monsoon Fishing Ban No fishy business
Best known for: Ensuring that fish is allowed to breed, thus ensuring that this all important meal element does not vanish off Goan food plates. The story: While Goan cuisine has gained worldwide popularity, what is perhaps the most ‘in demand’ is the various fish 38 Business Goa
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preparations the State is famous for, be it the masala fried prawns or rava fried fish fillets, crabs, prawn curry and the likes. However, with fishing moving from the traditional ‘rampon’ and canoe fishing to mechanized trawlers that go deep onto the high waters, soon a visible reduction was noticed in both,
the quantity and the quality of the catch. Overfishing became a visible issue and one that needed to be tackled both, deftly and urgently. In 1985, a momentous decision taken by the Goa government when, executing a recommendation of the Goa, Daman and Diu Marine Regulation Act of 1981, they implemented an interim monsoon fishing ban from June 1 to August 31, a period of 90 days. This move, however, was met with stiff resistance from the fishing lobby, and has undergone numerous variations in duration over the years. However, it was found that trawler owners from other States would fish in Goan waters thus
defeating the entire purpose of the ban. On the other hand, Goan fishermen were being denied of lucrative catch of fish such as the solar prawns. The Supreme Court directive implanting a blanket monsoon fishing ban solved this problem. Another bone of contention was that while the ban was applicable to mechanized fishing boats and trawlers, canoe operators continued their fishing operations. Currently, mechanized fishing is banned from June 1 to July 31. Buoyed by the increase in catch this year as a direct result of the strict implementation of this ban last year, the government is now mulling its extension by a further 10 days. Boat owners, however, are sceptical and insist that there ought to be a uniform ban on fishing across the Western coast as any attempt to extend the ban only in Goa would only encourage fishing vessels from other States to venture into Goan territorial waters for fishing, thus causing them great losses
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Goa Regional Plan 2021 Landlocked Best known for: The controversy about development versus greed that erupted when the RP2021 was put up for public scrutiny. The story: It was a plan touted to put Goa firmly on the road to development. Some of the topmost names in planning, architecture and draftsmanship including Padma Vibhushan architect Charles Correa, Bryan Soares, Rahul Deshpande and Dean D’Cruz were brought on board and a State Level Committee (SLC) constituted, under the aegis of then Chief Minister, Digambar Kamat, to formulate the much awaited Goa Regional Plan 2021. However, when the draft of the proposed Goa Regional Plan 2021 was put up for public scrutiny and deliberation at panchayat levels, a massive hue
and cry erupted over the gross negligence that surfaced. In a number of cases, settlement zones had been demarcated in low-lying paddy fields, or water bodies shown as settlement area. Among the most vocal opposition was how the architects had worked to protect the interests of the builders, a claim that they flatly refuted. The members of the SLC elaborated on how they had drawn up an inclusive blueprint which put the focus on the hinterland aiming to develop it and thus, create a variety of job opportunities to stem both, intra state migration rates as well the rising rate of young professionals heading out of Goa for employment. A rail route, a NH4 by pass, growth hubs, hinterland tourism and entertainment avenues including theme parks, water parks and a golf course,
January 2012
micro industrial zones, etc aimed at promoting thriving village based economies all featured prominently in the plan. Many of these proposals, however, failed to find favour with most Goans who cried hoarse about how Goa was “being sold to the highest bidder”. While the SLC spoke about their plans to boost economic activity by
creating adequate infrastructure, connectivity and communication lines, many called the plan truncated and atomistic, focusing only on certain areas while ignoring the rest. That apart, the haphazard manner and the absolute hurry in which the plan was notified to the public further aggravated the already delicate situation
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GoanDiaspora Francisco D’Souza Young and restless Best known for: Being among the youngest CEOs in the software services sector. The story: He was all of 38 when Francisco D’Souza took over the reins of the world famous software services company, Cognizant in January 2007, thus becoming one of the youngest CEOs in the sector. D’Souza, who goes by Frank, was part of the team that founded the NASDAQ-100 company in 1994, D’Souza’s educational qualifications include a Bachelors of Business Administration from the University of East Asia, Macau and a Masters of Business Administration degree from the Carnegie Mellon University, USA. On the work front, he has over 20 years of experience in the information technology industry in both, operational and advisory roles. Having joined Cognizant at just its nascent stages, his most notable achievement is his quick
rise to the top. With his rich working experience, it was just a matter of time before D’Souza headed the company. On January 1, 2007, he was appointed President and CEO and a member of the Board of Directors where he oversees operations and business development, working closely with the clients using offshore resources to execute large software development and maintenance projects D’Souza has numerous honours to his credit. In 2005, he won the Economic Times Entrepreneur Award and in 2009, he was named among ‘America’s Best CEOs’ by Institutional Investor magazine. In 2013, STEM connector named him among the ‘100 CEO Leaders in STEM’ and in the same year, D’Souza was recognized as the Best CEO in the Multinational Company category by Forbes India magazine as part of its 2013 Leadership Awards
Tony Fernandes The sky is not the limit Best known for: Believing in his mantra that ‘Now everyone can fly’ and successfully pursuing his dream of successfully running a no-frills, budget airline. The story: Anthony Francis Fernandes better known as Tony, is a Malaysian-British entrepreneur who introduced Malaysia to ‘no frills’ budget air travel with his Air Asia and its tagline ‘Now everyone can fly’. Born in Kuala Lumpur to a Goan father and Portuguese mother, Tony was educated in Kuala Lumpur and then, the London School of Economics, UK. He had a brief working stint with Virgin Atlantic as an auditor. Subsequently, he became the financial controller for Virgin
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Records in London. He returned to Malaysia to become the youngest MD of Warner Music (Malaysia) and went on to become the South East Asian regional vice-president for Warner Music Group. When Time Warner Inc announced its merger with America Online Inc, Tony quit to pursue his dream of starting a budget, no-frills airline. His first application for a license was rejected by the Malaysian government. Not one to give up so easily, Tony
pursued. It was through Datuk Pahamin A Rejab, the former secretary-general of the Malaysian Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry that Tony met then Prime Minister, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad in October 2001. Mahathir advised Tony to buy an existing airline. Tony mortgaged his home and used his personal savings to acquire AirAsia, the heavily indebted subsidiary of the Malaysian government then comprising of two Boeing 737300 jet aircrafts and debts of US$11 million, for just one Ringgit. He went on to transform it into an industry player and a year after his takeover, AirAsia broke even clearing all debts. Its initial public offering in November 2004 was oversubscribed by 130 per cent. Tony was also instrumental
in lobbying the PM in mid-2003, to propose the idea of open skies agreements with neighbouring Thailand, Indonesia, and Singapore. As a result, these nations have granted landing rights to AirAsia and other discount carriers. Apart from the airline, Tony has diversified into hospitality, F1 racing, football and is also involved in the reality TV series, The Apprentice Asia. He recently started AirAsia India, the Indian subsidiary of the budget carrier in a 49:30:21 joint venture between AirAsia, Tata Sons and Telestra Tradeplace. As of February 2014, Forbes Asia valued Tony’s net worth at $650 million, ranking him at number 28 on the Forbes list of Malaysia’s richest
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Rajdeep Sardessai Questioning India Best known for: Being one of India’s most prolific television journalists and news presenter The story: Rajdeep Sardessai, son of famed Indian cricketer Dilip Sardessai is among the foremost names that comes to mind when one thinks of Indian news. The prolific and award winning journalist has carved a niche for himself in the world of Indian journalism, especially electronic journalism, with his fearless style of reportage. Sardessai’s journalistic career started off with the Times of India where he worked for six years. In 1994 he took the leap from print to electronic media when he joined NDTV as political editor. He soon rose among the ranks to Managing Editor of both, NDTV 24x7 and NDTV India. His show, The Big Fight was one of the top rated news debates. In 2005, he quit NDTV to start his own company, Global
Broadcast News, in collaboration with American Giant CNN and Raghav Bahl’s TV18. Together they launched CNN-IBN with Sardessai as Editor-inChief. After a nine year long association, Sardessai recently resigned as Editor-in-Chief of CNN on July 5, after Reliance bought over Network 18. Sardessai has to his credit, a host awards for journalistic excellence including the prestigious Padma Shri for journalism in 2008. He won the International Broadcasters Award for coverage of the 2002 Gujarat riots and in 2007, was presented the Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Award. On two occasions, his shows, The Big Fight bagged the best talk show and India at 9, the best news show at the Asian Television Award. In 2013, he was also was the proud winner of the the ENBA Award for best Editor-in-Chief
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GoanDiaspora Sylvester da Cunha Utterly creative Best known for: Conceptualising the ‘Amul girl’ who even after half a century of her existence continues to rule billboards across India. The story: When it comes to the history of advertising in India, few brand icons have withstood the test of time. One among this illustrious list is the affable Amul Girl, a handdrawn cartoon of a young Indian girl, dressed in a polka dotted frock with blue hair and a half pony tied up, who made her debut appearance on billboards in 1966 and has continued to rule both, the billboards and hearts of Indians ever since. Along with the Amul girl, her creator Sylvester da Cunha and illustrator Eustace Fernandes, both sons of the Goan soil, have also gone
down in the pages of history. In fact, the ‘Amul girl’ advertising campaigns have often been described as one the best Indian advertising concepts owing to their timely sense of humour and satire. The Amul girl’s story dates back to 1966 when Amul decided to entrust their advertising account to a Mumbai b a s e d advertising agency called Advertising and Sales Promotion (ASP). For the ad campaign, Dr Verghese Kurien, the then Chairman of the Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation Ltd
(GCMMF) suggested a mischievous little girl as a mascot. There were two simple requirements – she had to be easy to draw and memorable as most of the advertising would be outdoor media which required hand painting in those days and the hoardings had to be changed frequently. Sylvester da Cunha, then the Managing Director of the agency and Eustace Fernandez, Art Director executed the brief to perfection, deciding to create something that would grab the attention of every housewife in the country. And when she finally hit the billboards, the Amul girl, with her pun induced simple yet witty, catchy and memorable lines became an instant hit. Remarkably, over the years, the
Suresh Kare Pharma King Best known for: For taking Indoco Rememdies from ‘sick’ status to being a fast growing and profitable organization with a strong international presence. The story: Suresh Kare, the Executive Chairman of Indoco Remedies Ltd, has been at the helm of the company’s affairs for 49 years and is responsible for its transformation from a small sick unit in 1963, to a global, fast growing, profitable organization. Kare has a technical background and is recognized for his leadership and vision. He is a multi-faceted personality whose love for arts, sports and social service complements his strong business acumen. Under his stewardship, Indoco has achieved innumerable milestones. Kare’s four decades of pharmaceutical experience is the key to the company’s fastpaced growth. Indoco Remedies is engaged in the manufacturing and marketing of Formulations (Finished Dosage Forms)
and Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) in India. Indoco has a strong international presence in the Regulated and Emerging markets. Indoco has built a visible presence across all its markets in Europe, USA, Asia, Africa, Latin America, etc. A number of its products have emerged as brand leaders. Indoco has also made significant investments to build capabilities in API manufacturing and R&D services to enhance its visibility. As of today, the company operates in over 35 countries globally for formulations and APIs. With approval of its finished dosage facilities by the US FDA, Darmstadt Germany, TGA Australia, MCC South Africa and UK MHRA, Indoco has emerged as the most suitable partner and provider of Contract Research and Manufacturing Services (CRAMS) to its customers globally. Kare is also the immediate Past-president of the Indian Drug Manufacturers’ Association November 2009
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quality of the advertisements has remained impeccable and just as loved and awaited as her initial years. An advertising doyen who stood for the highest standards in the business, Sylvester’s ad agncy da Cunha Associates has worked on many memorable ad campaigns for clients as diverse as Cidade de Goa, McDowell’s and others
Partnership Anil Counto / Francisco Martins The craft of business Best known for: Being one of the best curio destinations in Goa housing an impressive array of unique souvenirs depicting Goa. The story: A spark that was ignited when friends, Francisco Anil Counto
August 2010
Martins and Anil Counto were on a holiday in Portugal, has today become a flame for creating a niche for souvenirs in Goa. Four years ago, during their trip to Portugal, Anil and Francisco got a chance to visit numerous ceramic factories and workshops that were engrossed in the manufacturing of local centric curious including decor items, magnets, etc. This was the trip that inspired the duo to plan and begin working towards the setting up of a similar unique venture in Goa. Despite the few difficulties that they encountered in the beginning, such was their determination and persistence that they the duo were soon able to get the ball rolling and inaugurated their first Marcou Artifacts (the name being a combination of both their surnames) store, located in the quiet by-lanes of Fontainhas, Panjim, amid much fanfare on April 24, 2012. Being long time friends and having a common desire has
aided this partnership blossom into this highly successful business venture. Today, it is Aakash, Gaurav, Ernleigh and Jurgen, the gen next of the Counto and the Martins families who are also actively involved in this venture as a part of the core team and also deal with various aspects of the functioning of the store and factory. The common idea that Francisco and Anil share is that Marcou Artifacts is only going to grow bigger with each year. There are also plans to have a big village concept where everything, right from designing to selling the final product will take place. Their current production facility is located in Corlim, where all the products, home decor items, magnets, lifestyle items, mugs, plates, etc are designed, crafted and manufactured. They also
Francisco Martins
believe that souvenirs will have a good market and will be a boon for tourism in Goa. Currently Marcou Artifacts has two stores in Panjim and one in Margao
Armacar Group Brothers in arms
Anil, Eishwar, Anand, Joe, Prakash and Vincent Pereira
Best known for: Using the power of ‘We’ to take forward a dream and convert it into a success story with such confidence and business acumen that it has become a business growth story to reckon with. The story: A small hardware store, ‘Loja LA Armacar’, next to the Panjim head post office with hardly any stock to sell was the only business that the Pereira brothers inherited from their father Luis Anotonia Pereira. 44 Business Goa
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However, an insatiable thirst to do something more was always the forte of elder brothers Joe, Prakash and Vincent and thus was conceptualized the idea of starting a sports shop for which the initial investment was provided by their uncle Gerson Gomes. This is how the famous Champs came into being. From thereon, there was no looking back for the brothers who, through sheer hardwork and business acumen, have grown their business empire.
The six ‘Armacar’ (traders of fire arms) brothers – Joe, Prakash, Vincent, Ishwar, Anil and Anand, are all equal partners in all their business ventures which include sports, fitness, designer hardware stores, resorts, restaurants, et al. The word ‘We’ is always in the forefront and remains their strength. Though independent views and ideas and differences of opinion on business decisions exist, it is this very difference, the brothers opine, that culminates
in right decisions being taken. Today, the Armacar group is behind a range of highly successful business ventures. While Luis & Co deals with designer hardware, commercial lights and lifestyle kitchen concepts, Champs is famous for sports goods and fitness equipment. The construction arm of the company boasts of Alor Holiday Resort, Alor Grande Holiday Resort, The Upper House restaurant and Delfinos supermarket
Partnership Astra Metal Resolve of steel Best known for: Staying true to their core strength of sheet metal and exploring each and every vertical within the space. The story: Astra Metal Systems Pvt Ltd was founded on April 1, 1997. An ISO 9001-2008 certified company it is made up of a group of companies primarily into precision sheet metal component manufacturing and assembly. Rututek Enterprises looks into precision sheet metal components and assemblies, Protek Enterprises also takes care of precision sheet metal components and assemblies, Unitek is a fabrication and conventional sheet metal processing unit while Gelo Cool Pvt Ltd is the ice cream storage unit manufacturing plant. Aerocoach Automotive focuses on automobile body building and the Djasaka Tools outfit specializes in machine shop and tool rooms. Driven by values like integrity,
quality and customer satisfaction, Astra Metals employs state of the art infrastructure to maintain world class standards and retain customer satisfaction. Their wide range of products include a variety of precisely cut metal parts manufactured for different purposes as well as finished products like ATM machines, storage units etc. The company has acquired reputation for its first class finish as well as durability. Strategically located in Verna, Astra metals has left no stone unturned to exploit their philosophy of being “committed to business excellence through integrity”, in all their endeavours, to earn a name for themselves in a short span of time. Besides the Verna factory, they also have two other manufacturing facilities, one at the Bethora Industrial Estate and the other, at Sancoale Industrial Estate
(L to R) Pradeep D’Costa, Charlton Colaco, Praveen Pai and Satish Shinde
Tulip Group Diagnosing success Best known for: Creating better testing systems for better diagnostics and continuously innovating and setting trends invitro diagnostic reagents and kits Deepak Tripathi
N Sriram
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The story: The Tulip Group of companies is a leading Indian group of diagnostic companies, involved in the manufacture and marketing of in-vitro diagnostic reagents and kits, nationally and internationally. The individual group companies Tulip Diagnostics (P) Ltd, Microxpress, Orchid Biomedical Systems, Qualpro Diagnostics, Zephyr Biomedicals, Coral Clinical Systems, BioShields and Tulip Marketing (P) Ltd. specialize in research, development and design of specific systems and platforms within the assigned technological areas. Currently, the diagnostic segments that are covered are Immunohaematology, Immunology (Fertility, Rheumatology, Infectious Diseases), Immunoturbidimetry,
Haemostasis, Haematology, Clinical Microbiology, Dehydrated Culture Media, Parasitology, Virology, Cardiac Markers, Cancer Markers, Clinical Biochemistry, Instrumentation and High Technology Disinfectants. The vision of the group is to provide better testing systems and products for better diagnostics and preventive health. They also ensure that all their products are of the highest quality with numerous value additions. The group employs the cream of the industry and have over the years, put in place the most effective and efficient sales and operating systems. Among their core values, the group strongly believes in customer focus, discipline, involvement, knowledge, initiative, respect, care and accountability. The group also believes in creating “Better testing systems for better diagnostics” and sets trends by innovating continuously
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Edcon Real Estate Developers Building together (L) Edwin Menezes and Cedric Vaz
Best known for: Together building a brand which has gained the reputation of being one of the most trusted names in the real estate business. The story: It was in 1995 when two young engineers with an entrepreneurial streak, Edwin Menezes and Cedric Vaz decided to team up in business and went on to start a partnership firm Edcon Real Estate Developers. The firm started doing business mainly by taking up contract works of construction of buildings. They successfully completed a factory project for Himform in Kundaim Industrial Estate in the 1995. In 1996-97 they constructed the entire higher secondary wing of Don Bosco High School in Panjim within a record period of time. Besides these projects, they successfully completed several projects in Candolim, Calangute, Bambolim, Porvorim and Altinho-Panjim. From then on, Edcon Real Estate Developers has witnessed unprecedented growth and success in the various ventures that they have undertaken. With an impeccable track record and a list of premium
commercial and residential projects, mainly in Central Panjim, prime areas of Campal, Dona Paula, Porvorim and Mapusa city, Edcon has over the years built a reputation for quality construction. The firm has consolidated on their culture which is to stand out for quality, aesthetically designed projects and timely completion. Some of Edcon’s constructions include contemporary lifestyle apartments in nature clad environments, well laid out open spaces, extensive car parking area, a host of amenities including a club house, a well equipped gymnasium along with a steam room and building housekeeping by a professional firm. Among their noted and well appreciated projects are Edcon Enclave at Bambolim, Edcon Minum Residency on 18th June Road in Panjim, Edcon Tamba Building on Dr AB Road in Panjim, Edcon Centre in Mapusa, Edcon Enclave Phase II and Edcon Villas in Porvorim and Edcon Paradise in Dona Paula. Their upcoming projects include Edcon Rio Grande at Campal, Edcon Mindspace and Edcon Incrocio in Panjim and Edcon Solitaire in Mapusa
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Retail Magsons The superstore Best known for: Pioneering the supermarket revolution in Goa and enhancing the grocery shopping experience. The story: The brainchild of Kirit and Andrea Maganlal, Magsons pioneered the supermarkets trend in Goa in 1990 with its first store at Miramar. The effective store area was 800 sq ft and the project housed, apart from the supermarket, a hotel, restaurant and bar, bank ATM, pizzeria, icecream parlour and a florist. In 2007, Magsons entered into a strategic tie-up with Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd to run their consumer ‘In & Out’ Store at the Oasis Petrol Pump in Panaji. In 2009, their Caranzalem store saw the group’s entry into residential areas. In 2010, they extended their tie-up with BPCL to open another store in Vasco at Roy’s Auto Boutique. In 2011, this retail Group diversified into property management running a convenience store within a
bounded residential colony. In 2011, Magsons undertook their most ambitious project, of setting up a speciality store at the Caculo Mall. Apart from their ready-to-eat meals section housing fresh fish, poultry and meats, this store also introduced a premium wine and liquor section and a tie-up with the prestigious international chocolate chain ‘The Cocoa Trees’. Continuing with their expansion, in 2012, Magsons set up shop at the HPCL outlet at Verna. More recently they launched their 10th store in Porvorim and will soon see further additions in Zuarinagar and Margao. Magsons will also introduce a B2B model for the trading community in food and related goods with the introduction of their e-tailing (e-commerce retailing) vertical. By 2016, Magsons plans to introduce four new stores spanning not less than 15000 sq ft and catering to speciality food – raw, cooked and packaged
April 2013
Caculo Mall Goa’s shopping bag
Best known for: Introducing the mall culture in Goa along with a superlative shopping arena. The story: In 2011, when it was announced that Goa was going to have its first mall, this news was received with much enthusiasm. This very enthusiasm has ensured that Caculo Mall is today, the hub of shopping and leisure in North Goa. Located in the capital city 48 Business Goa
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at St Inez, the Mall, spread over a wide area of 82,000 sq. ft, offers everything that a mall has to offer, boasting a range of amenities including completely air conditioned interiors, escalators, a capsule lift, adequate car parking, valet services and a full load back-up generator. Housed in the mall are some of India’s leading clothing, lifestyle and entertainment brands including Blackberry’s,
Westside, AND, Global Desi, Magsons Hymart, KFC, Archies, Broadway Book Centre and also a fully functional gaming zone and food court. The man behind the entire masterpiece, Manoj Caculo of the Caculo Group, took the initiative as a risk and with the aim of giving Goa a real international shopping and enjoyment experience. Since its inceptions, the Mall has also hosted a variety
February 2011
of events from ‘Mr Goa’ pageant to special season based events. Presently Manoj Caculo is the Chairman and MD of the Group ably assisted by younger brother, Suraj. The Caculo Group, established in 1910, were the pioneers of infrastructure development with the construction of jetties, roads, bridges and major government buildings. The company also has interest in automobile retail
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Bharne Fashion & Lifestyle Style destination
Sanjay Bharne
Best known for: Being a market leader in the fashion and lifestyle segment and constantly striving to keep Goans fashion forward. The story: The Bharne family is considered as one of the pioneers of the ‘readymade’
clothing trend in Goa. In fact, their century old store, which started off in 1904 selling fabrics, located in the heart of Panjim city, is a landmark. And with the new generation getting into the business, it was only a matter of time before Bharne headed down
the expansion and diversification path. It was this very sentiment of change and innovation that motivated young Samrudh and Siddhant Bharne to take their father Sanjay’s dream, and that of their forefathers a step further by launching Bharne Fashion and Lifestyle at the Caculo Mall in Panjim and then at the Fortune Square in Morod, Mapusa. This lifestyle store are a one-stop fashion destination catering not just to the fashion and brand conscious, but also to the ‘value for money’ shopper. With their wide range of offerings including in-house, high-street and branded clothing and accessories, Bharne Fashion and Lifestyle stores promise something for every fashion shopper who walks through their doors. From clothing – men’s, women’s and kids wear, to accessories including shoes,
wallets, bags, belts, sunglasses, etc, one will find all this and much more. With their range of premium and in-house brands of “everything that makes for a fashionable lifestyle”, the Bharne stores aims to cater to the young shoppers aged between 18 and 40. The brands that they stock include premium international names including Louis Phillipe, Van Heusen, PC Polo, UC Benetton, Killer, Levis’, Park Avenue, Raymond, Reid & Taylor. Bharne Fashion and Lifestyle also has their own inhouse brand offering fashion wear of unparalleled quality, affordable pricing and in-vogue styles. Their prices start at just Rs 399 for a t-shirt and go up to Rs 7000 for a suit. It’s little wonder then that both their stores have quickly gained repute as fashion hubs and are always a bee hive of activity
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Retail Lawrence & Mayo The business of vision Best known for: Being leading opticians with a legacy of over a century of high standard eye care solutions, eye testing and fashionable eyewear trends. The story: Lawrence & Mayo has been India’s leading opticians since 1877, providing customers with the highest standard in precision eye care solutions delivered through the latest technology in eye care testing. Since its inception, the brand has strived to provide high quality products coupled with the latest fashionable trends in eye-wear. Over the past 135 years, the company has developed a stellar reputation for relentless service. ‘To be good corporate citizens by scaling the heights of excellence, in providing value for money to customers, with thrust on service and faith in people’, is the corporate philosophy and the corner stone of the brand. Initiated back to 1877 with the inauguration of its first showroom in Calcutta (Kolkata),
even in its nascent years Lawrence & Mayo gained a reputation as one of nation’s finest opticians. In 1938, the brand was incorporated under the I n d i a n Companies Act (1913) as a Private Limited Company under the leadership of I C Mendonsa. After Independence, Lawrence & Mayo re-oriented its mission to support the needs of a developing India. In 1975, they introduced contact lenses and even setup wholly-owned manufacturing units in the major metropolitan cities to ensure steady and regular supply of contact lenses for customers.
Computer eye-testing, too, was first brought to India and effectively implemented by them. Given the company’s image, perception, reliability and reputation, they became the first choice for many internationally recognized brands such as Ray Ban to launch in India. Today, Lawrence & Mayo has a network of over 90 showrooms
across 32 major cities and towns in India. Over the past 135 years, product styles have changed, designs have improved, new techniques have been adopted, discarded and modified, yet the only constant that remains is Lawrence & Mayo’s unwavering commitment and dedication to its customers
Newton’s No beach bumming here
The story: In the late 1990s, when shopping, especially in the villages was restricted to the local bazaar, Newton Azavedo had a dream, to give the village of Candolim, modern shopping options which would also largely cater to the growing number of foreign tourists. Spurred on, he started the Newton’s supermarket. Such was his conviction of his dream that Newton’s has grown by leaps and bounds since its inception. Today, Newton’s is a massive supermarket situated in the heart of Candolim stocking a wide range of products – edible and lifestyle, both domestic and imported. From daily groceries to a range of imported and local cheese, wines and liquor, health and organic food products, 50 Business Goa
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Pic: Siddesh Mayenkar
Best known for: Introducing the much visited coastal belt of Candolim-Calangute to the supermarket trend and modernizing the shopping experience.
toiletries, cosmetics, instant foods, sauces and syrups, condiments and breakfast foods, pickles, pastas and noodles, tea and coffee, household utilities, stationery, frozen food, imported foods, snack foods along with cakes, chocolates and pastries, you can take your pick from the
range available there. Newton’s has, since its opening, given both, locals as well as tourists a onestop destination for essentials and specialty food items all under one roof. Looking back at how his dream turned into a reality, Newton states that one of the biggest challenges that he faced
was support from the locals to start shopping at a supermarket as opposed to the local market. His efforts to educate the customer on hygienic shopping and availability of everything under one roof have paid off and today Newton’s is a flourishing supermarket
Lifestyle Sosa’s The high street Best known for: Being one of the oldest and hippest fashion stores in Goa which houses a host of high-end Indian designers.
Pic: Balraj Sahani
Myra Silveira
The story: Passing by Panjim’s Ourem Creek, it’s hard to miss out this fashion store nestled snugly, its attractive display window flashing some or the other latest fashion trend. Sosa’s may have shot to fame thanks to the Bollywood flick ‘Dil Chata Hai’, but is well known as one of the oldest fashion stores in the State. Just like wine ages beautifully over time, Sosa’s, too, since it came into existence, has evolved to become a top choice for fashionistas who are on the lookout for something haute and trendy, in with the times and funky enough to top the stylish list. Yes, Sosa’s has indeed become the ‘it’ shopping destination when it comes to fashion shopping. A chic boutique, Sosa’s
is famous for housing a wide range of local labels as well as the creations of some of India up-scale designers. Fun colours, trendy designs, easy silhouettes, all made in fabrics like cotton and silk as well as a wide range of resort wear, is what this store is best known for.
Best of all, they offer fashionable choices and options in both, women’s wear as well as men’s wear. Not just restricted to garments, Sosa’s caters to the fashionable lifestyle requirements, too, with their range of bags and accessories to pick from.
Always eager to encourage fresh design talent, owner Myra Silveira makes sure that the store offers patrons an endless choice of value-for-money and highly stylized garments to choose from, from the growing number of upcoming designers, too
Best known for: Conceptualising a lifestyle store dedicated to crafted handmade limited edition products. The story: Set in a beautiful old style Portuguese house in Sangolda, Paper Boat Collective is a concept lifestyle shop. Eclectic, delectable, small-scale with a stylish range of products designed and crafted by lesserknown talented designers would best describe Paper Boat Collective. The product line is curated by NID graduate and the brand’s creative director Bhagyashree Patwardhan who along with partner Thomas Louis co-founded the Paper Boat Collective. The store was set up with a simple philosophy, to showcase things that the owners like, are proud of and make them happy. In fact, the innovative brand name, too, is a nostalgic take of a simple and clean childhood activity, that of making paperboats.
Most of the brand names that they stock are from design backgrounds versus the mainstream fashion or lifestyle segment. The thought that ties everything together at PBC – ceramic utility pots and a playful collection of ceramic vases and décor items inspired by the underwater world by Monkey Business and Banana Pottery, furniture from Bent, rugs from Mohabbat, clothes from Paruthi, children’s patchwork quilts, birds and aeroplane chimes, stuffed toys and cushions by SotoMoto, illustrated diaries, magnets, bookmarks, coasters and bags by Doodle Factory, bags, mobiles, toys, etc – is that it is all handcrafted, made in small quantities and has an Indian expression but is not traditional. The collection is contemporary, detailed and of a high quality. Apart from the concept items that they stock, the store is also a hub of activity where various
craft and related workshops are held, be it workshops for adults and kids, thus making PBC more a place to come relax, browse, see, feel, touch, express, amble or just sail around amidst a lovely and peaceful setting Bhagyashree
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Pic: Siddesh Mayenkar
Paper Boat Collective Living her dream
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Casa Goa A forgotten era Cezar Pinto
Best known for: Showcasing the splendour of Goa through their wide range of antique and contemporary Goan furniture and designer houseware. The story: Proud Goan Cezar Pinto opened the charming Casa Goa in October 1999 with the goal of ‘‘showcasing Goa’s splendour and present style and to create
awareness that Goa has more to offer than simply beaches and parties.’’ Casa Goa has now gained fame as a treasure trove of Goan designs and boasts of a sophisticated clientele. Among those who have shopped here are Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, as well as the numerous Bollywood stars with holiday homes in Goa. The store, located
in the heart of Calangute, in a heritage house has the genuine warmth of a Goan home. Casa Goa is a one-stopshop for antique furniture and contemporary home furnishings. Here, you will find a range of unique pieces; from restored original wood wardrobes to an array of beautifully crafted chairs and a collection of inventive and contemporary designer housewares. Interestingly, each room in the house has a different theme. The concept behind the collection at Casa Goa is that each piece has been made in Goa or India by local designers or carpenters. Each item is an original and one of a kind. You can take your pick from silver cutlery and doilies to brass cutout design bookends, stamped and vein square bowl, napkin holders, hammered metal candle
stick holders, silver yoga position bottle stoppers and openers and lips and moustache shaped stainless steel paperweights among others. Casa Goa specializes in IndoPortuguese antique furniture in rosewood and teak wood, which have been restored by Goan carpenters at the private workshop. There is a variety of coffee tables, trunks, crockery cabinets, upholstered and wood sofas, wicker garden chairs, carved frame large mirrors, a dining room table, a large wooden bench and many other unique and restored furniture. The shop also stocks a pretty selection of clay milk jugs and chai mugs. On the walls one will find art from local artists displayed. In fact, twice or thrice a year, Casa Goa showcases the talent of local Goan artists
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Lifestyle Barefoot Treasure trove of style Best known for: Being a lifestyle store with a difference where one can take their pick from clothes to home décor to jewellery and shoes. The story: Nestled cozily on Panjim’s famous 31st January Road, and in close vicinity to the city’s Latin quarters, Fontainhas, Barefoot is an intriguing lifestyle store that features a range of lifestyle items including trendy handcrafted and natural housewares, home furnishings, men’s and women’s clothing, jewellery. Interestingly, the items stocked in this quaint store, spread over two floors, are sourced from different parts of the country and sold here at a very reasonable price, thus making it a hot favourite, especially among tourists looking out for those unique souvenirs and take aways from their holiday. A fascinating display window and an intricately moulded sign board are just a precursor that will tempt you to
step in and see for yourself what this calm and peaceful store is all about. As you walk in, the first thing that you will notice is the tastefully done up interiors. On the shelves, you can take your pick from the range of colection from some of India’s most notable designers including Ritu Kumar, Ranji Kelkar and Savio
Jon. If its fashion shopping that’s on your mind, don’t miss out of the range of footwear bags and handmade silver jewellery ranging from earrings, cocktail rings, bangles and chains. Doing their bit for the environment’s cause, the store actively promotes products made from natural fibre, be it designer
wear or home décor items. In the home décor section, one will find an interesting range of handmade pottery, glassware, wooden mirrors and panels, home linen, silverware, cushion covers, mats, lampshades, pots, tea cups, candles and table mats among other things that make life beautiful
many drop outs from places like NID, IIT, schools and colleges have found shade and warmth. They have created stuff with drivers who turn embroiderers, salesmen who turn furniture designers and photographers, economics graduates turned natural dyers, artisans who have become millionaires, artists turned workers and runaway street children who have gone on
to become entrepreneurs. It’s almost like an ashram without a guru, where each individual has the opportunity to explore, learn, goes away but remains forever connected, akin to being in the middle of a network that has no borders. People Tree is not about writing down theories, but about experiencing freedom, finding one’s talents and expression
Best known for: A space that celebrates collective creativity and an idea that believes that everyone has that spark to colour life and world in their own strokes. The story: It was an idea that took shape when they first begun putting art on T-shirts. What can be more informal than a casual T? What has more mystery and hype than art? From this concept, started the process of making a movement out of informal creativity. An informal movement, in its casualness, People Tree breaks the hierarchy of designer, artist, artisan, rasik (meaning the taster / the appreciator / the relisher). They only believe in fellow travellers. A Delhi-based design studio-cum-store which started in 1991, People Tree is committed to the promotion of hand skills, self-expression and quality workmanship. It combines a sense of social purpose and 54 Business Goa
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ecological responsibility with the spirit of collective creativity. It is a place where art and ideas collide and merge, creating an exciting fusion of modern and traditional ideas and skills from all over the Indian subcontinent. The store is a caravan of disparate individuals, who are from the field of activism, music, art, design, writing, photography, craftsmanship and entrepreneurship. Located in the quite locales of Assagao, the People Tree is passionate about communicating, with humour, fun and intensity. They have never believed in the separation of the aesthetic, function, soul and fun. People Tree has been an ongoing party for most people involved in it. It’s about trying to create a space where they can produce without uniformity, create without deadlines, talk philosophy, politics, ideology, without drying up hearts. People Tree is a tree where
Pic: Siddesh Mayenkar
People Tree The other India
Services
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The Hello Group Information is power Best known for: Being Goa’s first and widely popular 24-hour information helpline service. The story: Embracing the entrepreneurial path, Hello Information Services was launched on October 2, 1998 by a bunch of ‘dare dreamers’ who boasted of one ‘bright’ idea, virtually no money to speak of, but abundance of confidence. What started off as a project during their PGDM days as students of the prestigious Goa Institute of Management, was soon to be their first business – Goa’s first 24-hour information helpline Hello 212121 (later 2412121). A professionally managed organization, The Hello Group currently comprises of Hello Information Services Pvt. Ltd and Hello Publications Pvt. Ltd. Hello Information delivers services in the areas of call centers and BPOs for various corporates, Government institutions and telecom majors
Jerry Mathew
including Goa Electricity Department, BSNL, Reliance Communication Ltd, Election Commission’s Office, Shandong Weichai Huafeng Power, Tata Telecom and Bharti Airtel. Hello Publications offers a bouquet of media products including Goa Yellow Pages, Hello Travel Talk, What’s On Goa – an entertainment fortnightly and Goenkar, a socio, economic, business and lifestyle magazine. At the helm of affairs of The Hello Group is Jerry Mathew, its Managing Director and Chief Editor. Believing in leadership by example, and always having adopted a “hands on approach” to business, he currently handles the expansion of the company in the BPO sector. The Hello Group is headed by a young and able team of top management, comprising of top notch management professionals and competency heads who have grown with the company over its 15 years history
Travco Holidays Travel Guru Best known for: Being a complete solutions provider for travellers and their requirements and for starting Travco Academy, the only IATA recognized training institute in Goa. Bruno Gomindes
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The story: Sensing the need for a one-stop travel service provider, in 1993, Bruno Gomindes decided to do something to plug this vital gap. And thus, in 1995, was born Travco Holidays, a complete solutions provider for travellers and their requirements. Located in the heart of Margao, Travco Holidays brought much needed relief to the people of Margao and surrounding areas. One of their major service areas is outbound holidays to almost any part of the world. Ticketing services, too, have contributed to their fame as they are IATA (International Air Travel Association) agents and can issue tickets for any airlines across the world. They also offer foreign exchange services and are a
Reserve Bank of India licensee. Travco Holidays are also a Thomas Cook franchisee for the entire State of Goa and sell Thomas Cook holidays to major destinations like the United States, Europe, Canada, Australia, New Zealand etc. Besides, they also assist in passport work for both, Indian and Portuguese passports. Travco Holidays has always believed in providing professional and world class services to customers and to live upto these standards, they started the Travco Academy in 2003, to address the shortage of trained professionals. Since its start, Travco Academy has been producing students that are both, IATA qualified and well versed with the norms and regulations of the travel and tourism industry. Travco Academy is the only IATA recognized training institute in Goa with almost half the staff at the Goa International Airport being students that have been trained there
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Best known for: Being a powerhouse of integrated business ventures with a reputation for professional service and timely delivery. The story: Vinsan World, the brainchild of entrepreneur Sanjay Shetye, embarked on its journey way back in the 90s. The brand, which encompasses seven businesses in three verticals – advertising, events and a communication agency employs over 120 people. Under the Vinsan World brand are Vinsan Graphics, Vinsan Production, Vinsan Travel, Vinsan Packaging, The Wisdom Tree Pvt Ltd (Events and Entertainment), Plant Goa, The Entertainment Co, the restaurant Anantashram and Capricorn Engineering. Based in Goa, Vinsan World boasts of a pan-India market presence with offices in Goa, Mumbai and Delhi and
associations with 14 other states including Chennai, Ahmedabad, Guwahati, Amritsar and Indore among others. In its 20 plus years of existence, the brand has evolved into a powerhouse in the creative brand solutions space with a range of integrated services including advertising, event management, brand strategy, public relations, digital marketing, media buying, film production, travel and sponsorship marketing and have created a formidable reputation for themselves. Some of their clients include Goa Tourism, Waman Hari Pethe Jewellers, Visa, Audi and Honda. The events they are known for organizing include the Goa Marathi Film Festival and Grape Escapade. Vinsan is also associated with the Goa International Travel Mart, Goa River Marathon, Goa Carnival, Food and Cultural Festival 2013 and the Indian Pharma Association Convention 2013
Pic: Balraj Sahani
Vinsan World Many worlds. One man.
Sanjay Shetye
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Business Goa 57
Services Ecoclean Clean sweep Best known for: Being Goa’s first facility management company, providing clients an array of customized housekeeping and maintenance services. The story: The year was 1999. Goa was already on the world tourism map. The tourism industry was booming and as a result, tourism related services, like hotels, travel agencies, event management companies, etc, too, were multiplying. As they say, cometh the hour, cometh the man. The ability to identify a niche market is what truly defines a successful entrepreneur and Roy Vas, an engineer by profession had an intuition that what Goa urgently needed was a ‘facility management’ service or a professional housekeeping service. This was what inspired him to conceptualise and form
Ecoclean, Goa’s first facility management company providing clients an array of customized housekeeping and maintenance services. When Roy ventured to set up Ecoclean, the concept of professional housekeeping services was new. There were no guidebooks or precedents. At the most, you will find a book about housekeeping, but Ecoclean goes way beyond mere housekeeping. The luxurious Taj Exotica in Benaulim was the company’s first client. They also remained his sole client for four entire years providing Roy with a perfect training ground. Then, in 2003 he decided that the company needed to expand. Today, Ecoclean offers its expert services to numerous venues like Goa Institute of Management, Goa Medical College, Goa Legislative Assembly and a number of top hotels amongst others
Roy Vas
Funky Heads Events unlimited
Pervez Shaikh
Best known for: Being one of the top rated and highly in demand home grown event management companies that holds its own in the cut-throat world of event mangement The story: Goa has always been a popular destination, as much for holidaying as for 58 Business Goa
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hosting world class events in breadth taking natural settings. Recognising the upward trend in the event industry, Parvez Shaikh, along with Suresh Babu, Marwyn Sanches, Kevin Gomes and Sumit Bhobe came together in 1995 to start an event management company that would provide turnkey services
to take care of every single need a client could have whilst organizing an event. They called their venture ‘Funky Heads’. Funky Heads started operations from a small office in St Inez but has magnanimously grown, not only in terms of its clients, but also in scales of operations. It now has its very own production house to boast of and a sales team and design
team, as well as a strong team of experienced event coordinators. Their work portfolio includes corporate events like conferences, trade shows, promotions as well as theme parties and weddings. They also boast of being the sole retainer for all MTV, Channel V and Star Network shows and even ventured into being a manpower agency for many Bollywood and Hollywood productions. Funky Heads has grown in leaps and bounds with each event they have handled and is today among the biggest names in the event industry in India. They have also become the preferred event agency for some of the biggest names in the corporate world including ICICI Lombard, GAIL India, ACC Cement etc. Parvez credits the company’s success to his team of dedicated and professional employees and adds that their forte in making Funky Heads into Goa’s numero uno and highly in demand event management agency
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A building has integrity, just like a person Ayn Rand, The Fountainhead Our Corporate Office, CD FOUNTAINHEAD reflects our ethos and philosophy of living in an environment that celebrates integrity.
New Millennium Bakers Manufacturing Franchisee of
SavoirFaire
Promoters of
Rich Bake Bakers Promoters of
KASHINATH DAMODAR NAIK CNF Agents of
H O R T I C U LT U R E F O O D P R O C E S S I N G H O U S I N G LO G I S T I C R E TA I L CD Fountainhead, Opp. CD Countryside, Fatorda. Tel.: 0832-2742082 / 83. Cell.: 9822386271 / 9225822063. Email: kdnaik@cdhomes.com
Managers Ranju Alex Be my Guest Best known for: Her attention to detail and knack of making critical judgments which have led to a refreshing transformation in the services and facilities at the Goa Marriott Resort and Spa. The story: Ranju Alex, General Manager of the Goa Marriott Resort and Spa, is most notably the first lady to lead the team in the 14-year long tenure of the property. Ranju joined Marriott International in the 2010 after being the officiating GM at the Oberoi Grand Hotel, Kolkata. She moved to Goa after completing a successful tenure with the first Marriott property in Pune, as the GM of Courtyard by Marriott, Pune Hinjewadi. In her current role, Ranju is responsible for overseeing all aspects of operational and strategic management of the Goa Marriott Resort & Spa. Her
intrinsic traits of paying attention to detail and making critical judgments have undoubtedly led to a refreshing transformation in the services and facilities for the property. In almost all areas of the hotel, be it the products, people or processes, the drastic transformation in tangible scores of relevant parameters has managed to make the property a shining star for all that the Marriott brand embodies. Ranju brings with her close to two decades of experience in hotel management and operations. She leads by example, by personally interacting with guests in a warm, hospitable and affectionate manner. Ranju has admitted that despite her outstanding qualifications and training, this approach and conduct is something that truly comes from her heart. She attributes a large part of this to being a woman, and strongly
Aloo Gomes Pereira Travel bug Best known for: His liberal style of management which has ensured his long stint and success story in his line of business. The story: Aloo Gomes Pereira began his career back in 1979 working in sales and marketing for various hotel brands. It was his expertise in marketing that spurred him to move back to Goa less than a decade later and in 1987 he started a TCI branch in Goa. After working zealously for 25 years, Aloo set up the Goa branch of Trail Blazers India in 2010. Since then, he has been working as COO, mentor and guide to his team. As a company,
December 2010
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Trail Blazers India provides services to charter flights in any part of India as well as tours. Working in the hospitality industry requires team efforts and as COO, Aloo prefers to take a liberal stand with his team. His unique style of management allows his team the freedom to express themselves and moreover, add their own creative and personal touches to their job profiles. As a manager, Aloo believes in putting his entire trust in his team and allows them to work as liberal professionals. Despite his success as a manager, Aloo admits that there have been times when he has fallen, but that has not stopped him from getting back up, even more determined. Ask him the secret to his success story and Aloo shrugs nonchalantly attributing it to two values he holds dear, honesty and diligence. According to him, when one works honestly and diligently, there is no force in the world that can put the person down or be a hurdle on their path to success
believes that if there’s anything challenging to be achieved, there is a special strength that only a woman can bring to the table. Ranju is passionate about women’s empowerment and believes that women are just as capable as men, or even more, in all spheres of life and commerce. She is passionately involved with WEConnect International, forum which has been formed for the upliftment of women entrepreneurs. A wholehearted advocate and supporter of this organization, which seeks to promote and expand the scope of women at the fore of commerce and industry today, she regularly attends the monthly calls and contributes her views and opinions on the women workforce scenario today, as well as feedback and suggestions on ways to lead and organize the development potential of this sector
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Nitin Kunkolienkar Mr. Possible Best known for: His extensive knowledge and work experience in the fields of commerce and administration in the corporate sector The story: A Commerce graduate from Bombay University and a Diploma in Foreign Trade, Nitin Kunkolienkar’s rise up the corporate ladder is both, phenomenal and inspiring. With over 15 years of experience in the field of commerce and administration, Kunkolienkar has, on various occasions, held various responsible posts including Vice President of Smartlink Network Systems Ltd (formerly D-Link India Ltd), one of India’s top IT companies. That apart, he also serves as
director on the boards of Govind Poy Oxygen Ltd, Mercury Link Systems Ltd and Dyna Link Electronics Ltd. Among his notable past positions include that as President of GCCI from 2001 to 2009. He has the pride of being the youngest and longest serving President of any Chamber of Commerce in the country. Under his leadership, GCCI won the ‘Best Chamber in the Country 2006’ award. From 2005 to 2012, Kunkolienkar served as Vice Chairman of the Economic Development Corporation Ltd, Goa and from 2008 to 2011, as a member of the National Council of The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM). Kunkolienkar was the founder President of the Verna Industries Association from 1996 to 2001 and from 2001 to 2009, he served as Director of the Goa Industrial Development
Corporation. He was also the Chairman of the Western Region of MAIT (Manufacturer’s Association for Information Technology) Kunkolienkar also serves on the boards of various educational institutions including the Goa Institute of Management and the Sharada Mandir High School. He is aslo member of the advisory board of the Institute of Management Training and Research and the Institute of Shipbuilding Techonology. Kunkolienker has various accolades to his credit including the National Business Leadership award by Economic Growth Society of India in 2013. In 2002 he was nominated for ‘Ten Outstanding Young Individuals’ by Indian Junior Chamber. He serves as the Vice President of Vidya Vikas Mandal, Margao and has been recently nominated as Vice President of MAIT
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Managers Satish Murthy Time keeper
Pic: Aliston Dias
Best known for: Steering Titan TimeProducts Limited at Verna into a world-class manufacturing unit for electronics assembly The story: Satish Murthy has been successfully steering Titan TimeProducts Limited (TTPL) into the next phase of growth, witnessed through worldclass capability building, and organizational development. He has been actively pursuing de-risking strategies for the company through developing businesses beyond its regular product range of electronic assemblies for watches. Satish and his well-knit team work relentlessly towards creating a world-class manufacturing infrastructure for electronics assembly at TTPL. Their efforts over the last five years have helped the company to acquire contracts in three different verticals — automotive
sensors, electrical switchgear and industrial controls. Satish recalls a highly enriching experience when his team successfully challenged the international award for lean manufacturing (TPM) during 2007-08. The recent OHSAS accreditation of the company signifies the continuously evolving approaches in terms of health and safety of employees at work. Prior to taking up this Goa assignment, Satish served in the areas of manufacturing planning, project management, business development and supply-chain management, all at TTPL’s parent company in Bangalore. On the academic front. too, Satish has graduated in engineering from the University of Mysore and is an alumnus of BITS Pilani on their MS Program. He also boasts of an MBA in operations management
Best known for: Wide experience in sales, strategy, branding and operations and for successfully increasing Times of India’s presence in Goa. The story: Seenu Kurien the business head of media sales at Bennett, Coleman and Co. Ltd. which publishes the widely read The Times of India, has been part of the heritage brand since 2010. Then based in Delhi, she worked in various capacities before she was deputed to handle the Goa region in March 2013. Here she is responsible for all revenue generation primarily in the form of advertising space sales, activations (events, exhibitions, festivals, conferences) client specific events and smart sell to all publications in the BCCL bouquet and across media vehicles – primarily print, but radio, TV and online sales are also under her radar at The Times Group. An alumna of the prestigious Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, Seenu boasts of almost a decade of experience 62 Business Goa
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in sales, strategy, branding and operations. In Goa, she heads a team of 15 people that includes sales, billing and recovery, scheduling, administration, human resources and art and edit. She has been instrumental in launching various new products in the region including sleek newspaper, fragrant newspaper, bilingual supplement, Times Property, Times Classified Next, Times Wellness, etc. She has also introduced various lifestyle events in the region under the banner of Times of India. Seenu was among those involved in setting up the vertical that handles the famous ‘Teach India’ campaign. Apart from handling the finance and budget of the division, she also handled other aspects of the campaign including volunteers, logistics, corporate partners, evaluating and steering the project, establishing standard operating procedures, developing and implementing strategy and building a team, including hiring and training
Pic: Balraj Sahani
Seenu Kurien With the Times
BeyondBusiness Dattaraj Salgaocar Art in his heart Best known for: Initiating Sunaparanta Goa Centre for the Arts, a place dedicated to preserving and promoting the artistic legacies of Goa. The story: Sunaparanta-Goa Centre for the Arts is a nonprofit arts education initiative of Dattaraj V. Salgaocar. It aims to preserve the artistic and legacies of Goa, to encourage, sponsor and promote innovative work in the visual arts, to serve as a bridge between the Goan art community and the national and international art communities and, most importantly, to provide resource support to art students and others interested in art. Sunaparanta is conveniently located in the picturesque Altinho hills of Panjim where residents and visitors to Goa can benefit from a year-long schedule of arts activities and exhibitions. The centre houses several exhibition galleries, a large multifunctional space for workshops
Sunaparanta Goa Centre for the Arts
and lectures, studios, two residency rooms for visiting scholars, artists and faculty, an open-air amphitheatre, an outdoor courtyard that houses the Café Bodega and a gallery for emerging artists. An art resource library is being set up for art students.
Sunaparanta intends to continue to be a strong advocate for the arts in Goa. It will provide working and exhibition space, assistance with exchange and grant funding initiatives, infrastructural and creative support for special co-operative projects and networking with state, national
and international organizations. Over the years, Salgaocar’s support for the arts and literary pursuits has been exemplary. He also publishes the only Konkani daily newspaper ‘Sunaparanta’ and has been known for his patronage to the cause of the language
Manda Bandekar Taking social responsibility to heart Best known for: Personally looking after NRB Group’s various CSR activities, thus ensuring they give back to society as passionately as they conduct business. The story: The NRB Group, one of Goa’s foremost business groups with interests in various verticals, is the pride of Vasco. Seamlessly managing their operations in mining, hospitality and other partnerships, the Group has successfully built a brand famed as much for their varied business interests as they are for giving back to society via their CSR initiative. In fact, giving back, especially to the community around them, is a philosophy that the Group 64 Business Goa
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takes very seriously. NRB Group’s CSR activities are largely managed by Mandatai Bandekar, the joint MD of the Group who ensures that the Group never fails in its commitment towards the betterment of society. Among their varied CSR activities, the ones closest to her heart are the construction and running of the Bharatiya Vidha Bhavan’s Narayan Bandekar School at Upasnagar, Vasco and the construction of the community hall ‘Mahilashram’ at Assagao, Bardez, Goa. The Group has also undertaken various measures for the beautification of the city of Vasco, construction of Shree Mahalsa Narayani Devalaya Mandir in Verna as well as offered financial assistance to the Goa Institute of Management. They are also generous donors and benefactors of institutions including churches, schools, temples, old age homes and clubs.
The NRB Group also undertakes CSR activities in the villages where its mines operate namely Sirigao, Assanora and Sircaim. Besides providing employment to the villagers, they have also donated several water tanks, developed infrastructure, provided buses etc. The Group also gives sponsorships to worthy students every year and also provide medical services and assistance during village zatras. They have also undertaken de-silting of fields and providing compensation to farmers who are unable to plough their fields. The Group also provides computer and gym instructors for the upliftment and betterment of the villagers as well as construction of community halls and stages for social gatherings. The CSR arm of the Group regularly conducts free eye camps and distributes eye glasses. The Group even provides medicines to various needy villagers
BeyondBusiness Best known for: Championing a host of causes ranging from academic to socio-cultural initiatives. The story: Coming from an affluent business family, philanthropy is a habit that was passed down to Damodar Narcinva Naik, popularly known as Mohandas Naik by his father, the late Narcinva Damodar Naik. Consequently, the eminent industrialist and liberal philanthropist is a champion of several causes who prefers to maintain a low profile about his prolific work. Naik’s service to society includes both, religious and social causes. From destitute women to rehabilitation of slum children to instituting education scholarships for deserving candidates and assistance schemes for the weaker and needy sections of society, are just some of the long
standing causes Naik has been associated with. He is associated with the causes of destitute women and children who are through Matruchhaya at Ponda. He also heads the Seva Samithi’s Adarsh Vanita Vidyalaya High School founded in 1933 by his late father and which is well known for the work it does to rehabilitate and bring into the mainstream slum children. In fact, slum children constitute 90% of the school’s student body. A patron of academics, he has also instituted numerous educational
Pic: Dr Shodhan Kamat
Damodar Narcinva Naik The elder statesman
scholarships and schemes that provide assistance to the weaker and needy sections of the society. Naik has also been associated
with the Agnel Ashram which runs educational institutions. On the spiritual front, he is the Founder Chairman of the Margao Centre of the Chinmaya Mission, where ancient epics and scriptures are narrated to the common man. He is also the Founder Chairman of the Mathagramasth Saraswat Samaj. Apart from these, a number of other religious institutions have benefited from Naik’s immense generosity and patronage. He was the Vice President of the Shree Partagali Mutt Committtee and chairman of its construction committee when they undertook the renovation and expansion of the Mutt headquarters at Partagali. His love for practical and traditional architecture is reflected in the fine blend of Chalukyan and Goan styles incorporated in the Mutt edifice by noted architect Sarto Almeida
Peter Vaz Playing ball with his passion
Best known for: Encouraging the passion for football among youngsters and even setting up his own team which has won numerous laurels. The story: Though Peter Vaz is the owner of a reputed construction company, his passion for football has led him to become the owner of one of India’s top football clubs, Sporting Clube de Goa. Among their major achievements are, ONGC Super Cup Winners 2005, Goa Governor’s Cup winners 2006, Hutch Goa Professional League Winners 2007, Goa 66 Business Goa
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Governor’s Cup winners 2008, GFA U-18 League winners 2010, I-League U-19 winners 2010, GFA Kingfisher Super Cup winners 2011, GFA Taca Goa U-20 winners 2012, GFA Kingfisher Super Cup winners 2013, GFA Airtel Goa Pro League winners 2014, GFA Knock out Cup winners 2014, GFA All Goa U-14 winners 2014. The Club has also been runners up in the NFL (I-League) 2005, Durand Cup 2006 and the Federation Cup in 2006, 2007and 2014. In 1999, Club President, Peter Vaz entered the Limca Book of
Records when he became the youngest owner of a professional Indian football club at the age of 31. In 2011, the Sporting Clube de Goa mascot “Zumba the lion” was born, as the clubs badge also features a lion. That same year, they also became the first I-League club to launch an Official anthem composed by popular Goan band Sky High and were titled “Flaming Oranje”. In 2012, the Club built a clubhouse, fitted with changing rooms, canteen, medical room, coaches room and conference facilities at the training ground.
In 2013, Sporting Clube de Goa launched the SCG Academy with year round training and also includes the expertise of foreign Coaches from Spain. In future, their goal is to continue to reach out to their local loyal supporters by differentiating the club from their competitors through various innovation and best practice, while at the same time introducing strategies to connect with the numerous Goans spread across the world. Peter Vaz is busy straddling his businesses in the real estate and hospitality sector, but is happy living his passion, on field, every day
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Rajkumar Kamat A helping hand to entrepreneurs
Best known for: For conceptualising the GEMS Trust to encourage and nurture the spirit of entrepreneurship and entrepreneurs in Goa. The story: It is a known fact that
entrepreneurs are the backbone of any burgeoning economy. However, entrepreneurship is a risky proposition, especially for those lacking the adequate mentoring and financial backing. Aiming to plug this gap, Rajkumar Kamat recently launched the Goa Entrepreneurs Mentoring Services (GEMS) Trust in a bid to excite, encourage and nurture entrepreneurship and entrepreneurs in Goa. The idea behind the Trust is to synergize the efforts of all stakeholders including industry associations, education institutions, financial and training institutions and others by filling in the gaps wherever necessary. At the core of GEMS’ philosophy is their concept of self-employment. This is based on the ‘have the cake and eat it, too’ line of thinking wherein a person can work on their own terms and in their own fields of
interest, without having to endure the distressing struggle of a job hunt. GEMS Goa believes that youth today should consider self-employment or entrepreneurship in their areas of passion as their ‘career by choice’ rather than wait for or struggle to get jobs. Best of all, doing this will not just provide immense entrepreneurial satisfaction but also create wealth for the nation as well as for the individual. With enough and more scope for niche players in every field or segment, GEMS Goa believes that the only hurdle that stands between capable youth of the present generation and entrepreneurship is the opening up of mindsets and the right guidance provided by seasoned and helpful entrepreneurs who have themselves seen it and done it
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RealEstate Risara Properties Adding style to buildings Best known for: Being one of the fastest growing young real estate companies with a proven track record for top-class quality The story: Since its inception, Risara Properties, previously known as the Prudential Group, has always aimed at providing quality and affordable housing projects to their customers. It is this very attitude that has earned them great success and made them one of the fastest growing real estate brands in Goa. Interestingly, despite the global recession of 2008, the assets of the Group increased at an average of 17 per cent annually; a strong testimony to the Group’s vision of growth and exemplary service. Led by the young and dynamic Gaurang Suctancar, Risara Properties is a product differentiator in the market having introduced a host of amenities and features in their projects, including access control technology, biometric entries,
video-door phones and 24-hours CCTV surveillance. Though the Group largely revolves around implementing cutting edge modern practices, it remains engraved with the rich cultural heritage of the State. It also aims at providing a complete and holistic living environment. Among the Group’s highly successful projects include, Le Valencia in Dona Paula, Prudential Palms in Porvorim, Prudential Paradise in Mapusa, Prudential Panache in Margao and Prudential Pristine in Colva. Designed heeding both, aesthetics and convenience, Risara projects offer the best returns on investment. In fact, their Prudential Pristine was nominated for the prestigious CNBC Real Estate Awards. Looking ahead, Risara Properties is already building plans in continuing to serve and deliver value to customers. Among their awaited projects is Risara Luxuria in Taleigao November 2012
Milroc Niche player
Best known for: Consistently delivering timely, high quality and value for money projects with the aim of building homes, not just houses. The
story:
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experience of over two decades in the field of real estate, The Milroc Development Company was established in 1989. Since then, this company has kept up to its client’s expectations with their uncompromising quality,
expertise, reliability, speed, unparalleled services and value for money projects. “Milroc is one of the few companies which is reputed in India as well as abroad. Recognising that what we do affect not only the surroundings and the ecology, but also has an impact on the spirit of the user and the wider world, Milroc aims not just to build better homes, but better futures for generations to come”, says K K Sekhar, the Managing Director of the realty firm. Their list of completed projects is a rather extensive one, which includes duplex
bungalows, Milroc Heights, Milroc Ribandar Retreat, Whispering Heights, Milroc Clement Residency, Milroc Woods and Milroc Temple Towers among many others. Currently the company has two main projects in various stages of completion – Milroc Vista Do Mar in Reis Magos and Milroc Kadamba in Bainguinim, Old Goa. Apart from all this, some of the main reasons why one should consider investing in a Milroc project are simply because of their stability, choice of project location, commitment for customer satisfaction, high sensitivity to land and infrastructure, over 20 years of experience, name recognition, clean and marketable property titles, high standards of quality and design and most importantly it is value for money. Investing in Milroc guarantees a lifetime of comfort, happiness and security
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Highland Constructions Think big Best known for: Over two decades of quality and award winning constructions aimed at fulfilling every Goan’s dream of having his own house. The story: Devadas Y Naik started off his real estate business with buying a piece of land and then selling it off for seven-anda-half times its original cost, just 18 months later. In 1991, he took up his first project consisting of 108 apartments. Devadas himself designed his company logo incorporating two pillars held together by an upward growth curve to form an ‘H’. The two pillars represented Devadas and his wife Shaila, co-directors in the business. A major player in the realty space for last 23 years, Highland Constructions Pvt. Ltd. has always strived to provide quality constructions. Their customer orientation was rewarded when
August 2011
their Highland Holiday Homes was adjudged the best in its category by CRISIL and CREDAI and was given the CNBC National award for the ‘Best Holiday Homes 2010’ in India. The Group also has to its credit Highland Resorts which, with its 448
apartments and seven swimming pools, is Asia’s biggest resort. Their latest offering ‘The Highland Villas’ is conveniently located at Porvorim. A residential enclave, it aims at fulfilling every Goan’s dream of having his house on his own independent
plot of land. A gated community, it offers a world class living environment with features like swimming pool, club house, landscaped gardens and classy streetscape along with 24/7 security and most importantly property management services
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RealEstate Akar Realty Growth is life Best known for: Over three decades of building success stories. The story: Akar Realty is one of the leading real estate developers in Goa, now spreading to Mumbai and other parts of Western India. Formerly known as Akar Creations, it was established in 1981 as the real estate arm of the Borkar Group, a diversified business conglomerate that has been occupying a place of pride in the Goan economy since 1910. Over the last 32 years, they have consistently been transforming the skyline of Goa, with landmark residential and commercial projects in prime locations. The company has a number of firsts to its credit, like Pancharatna, South Goa’s first commercial complex; Nandanvan, the first row house project in Margao and Ram Nagari, the first and only affordable housing project by any private developer in Goa.
The company’s founder and Managing Director, Avinash Borkar, has been its major guiding force right from the conception of brand Akar. A qualified civil engineer with a 32-year-strong field exposure in mainstream construction, his potential to complete projects efficiently, in
time and without cost overruns is widely appreciated. Akar Realty has developed 29 major projects in Goa, with around 3500 satisfied customers, and many more projects are on the drawing board. In Mumbai, they launched their first project Akar Pinnacle with great success
and are raring to go with three more projects scheduled to be launched this year and six others are in the pipeline. This is one company to look out for in the upcoming future with its strong fundamentals of business and people centric values that are an integral part of their legacy
Anand Bose Constructions Quality is the key
Best known for: High quality constructions with a healthy dose of modernity and exclusivity. The story: Based at Vasco da 70 Business Goa
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Gama, Anand Bose Constructions is led by its Chairman and Managing Director, Anand Chandra Bose. The company has been in the real estate field
for the last 15 years and has developed and given Vasco city some greatly appreciated projects. Unlike other real estate companies, their objective is not be developers of huge volume, but rather, create value and focus on quality. Clients credit them with introducing a higher level of quality construction and lifestyles into Vasco city through their projects. In this pursuit of quality, they engage locally and nationally reputed architects whose vast experience translates into acclaimed projects. Another salient commitment of Anand Bose is that they engage separate landscape architects to ensure that all their projects are lush and verdant, giving you a calm and peaceful environment. As a result of their focus on quality and fewer projects, there is a greater demand for a home in their projects which in turn leads to a better appreciation and resale value. No project is too big or small for them, which
is why their projects range from the ‘Anand Residency’ with 180 apartments and also ‘Anand Kunj’ with just five apartments, both built with the same uncompromising quality. To put it simply, Anand Bose Constructions can be summed up in three words quality, modernity and exclusivity. Prime among their ongoing projects is Aqua Bay. Featuring modern and stylish 3000 sq.tf. 4 bedroom villas, the project is perfect for those who long to live by the sea. Aqua Bay has everything that you would ever want or need, right from the designer ambience, soothing landscape, a well equipped clubhouse and gymnasium and a truly breathtaking infinity pool. The project also features a dedicated 24-hour concierge service and help desk ensuring that residents do not have to struggle with any service desired, be it food, travel, entertainment or maintenance of their villas
PassionVentures Daegal Godinho
Carpe Diem By the lover of the arts Best known for: Converting his ancestral home into a centre for learning and arts, thus providing people an opportunity to explore their talents. The story: Daegal Godinho’s love for the arts began as a youngster when he was introduced to theatre which, he says, helped him discover two things – a chance to step out of reality into a fictional world where he could explore and experience the life of another person or character. Having spent a couple of years in the Middle East in IT, Daegal was thirsting to get back into the arts and facilitating his dream of providing others with a space to perform. Thus emerged Carpe Diem, a centre for learning and the arts. Housed
in his 260 year old ancestral house in Majorda, it combines an indoor art gallery with a performing space outdoors, and halls and corridors conducive to conducting workshops and holding discussions. Launched in November 2012, Carpe Diem, which in Latin reads “Seize the Day!” has provided an opportunity for both, first timers and professionals to attend or organize events as varied as drawing and cooking, to yoga and etiquette classes and theatre. Sensing the vast untapped potential still existing in the South, Carpe Diem hopes to give youth more options to explore their passions and experience a more holistic lifestyle as opposed to the rat-like race of today. Since its opening, Carpe Diem has organized a number of events –regular yoga and dance classes, nutritional seminars, workshops on candle making, ceramics, book reading, art and craft camps, a drum and rhythm workshop, cup cake decorating,
photography, film screenings, music appreciation, theatre workshops and more Art exhibitions featuring both, local upcoming artists and nationally recognized artists are a regular feature. Among the highlights of the last few months have been the highly successful exhibition ‘Rural Harmony’ by Mohan Naik, a month long summer art camp by Rajendra Usapkar, ceramic workshops by Nandini Datta and Ramdas Gadekar as well as art and craft classes by David Fernandes. They even have to their credit an exhibition by well known artist Gautam Benegal. The gallery now aims to organize enough international quality exhibitions to gain sufficient international recognition and help build Goa as an art destination for tourists. Through the activities and workshops at Carpe Diem, Daegal hopes to make artists more financially successful in their endeavours and passions
Best known for: Following his passion, footwear designing, and gaining international repute for his unique designs. The story: Despite coming from a family of doctors, Edwin Pinto always knew his heart lay in creativity. After enrolling himself at a tailoring institute in Mumbai, he returned to Goa in 1977 and began stitching gents, ladies, kids wear and uniforms. He even experimented with bridal wear and evening gowns. Post marriage, he worked together with his wife Angela for some time. However, the restless soul in Pinto wanted to try something new. He experimented with shoe making and his experiment paid off when, in 1981, he got an unexpected order to make 600 pairs. Grabbing this opportunity, he sought help from a wellknown shoemaker from Mapusa, Pascol Goes. Edwins’s work also caught 72 Business Goa
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the attention of ace fashion designer Wendell Rodricks who asked Edwin to create shoes that would match his designs. This show gained Edwin nation-wide recognition and publicity. It also boosted his confidence in his skill and something told him that ‘he was on the right path’. In 2000, Edwin ventured full time into shoe designing and went on to launch Janota Goa. Janota Goa is a unique fashion label that originates from the Portuguese influence in India. It offers a wide range of uniquely designed footwear, garments and accessories. The brand is famous for its non-conventional footwear designs inspired by the beauty of nature and a hint of fairy tale. The products are handcrafted with love from the finest materials available across the country. Apart from fashion shows in Goa and outside the State, Janota Goa retails in stores in the United Kingdom, France, Spain, Austria and Russia
Edwin Pinto
Pic: Siddesh Mayenkar
Janota Goa There is no biz like shoe biz
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Bookworm Changing lives, one book at a time Best known for: Their mission of instilling the love for books, reading and storytelling among children. The story: Initiated in September 2005, Sujata Noronha and Elaine Mendonsa had one important vision for Bookworm, to create a rich and accessible collection of children’s books. Calling their venture with a name that expresses the key quotient of the quintessential book lover, it was their infectious enthusiasm and passion for the task on hand that soon brought them and their amazing work into focus. Since 2005, Bookworm has, over the years, evolved into a venture that encompass several streams of thought including that of imparting food for the soul, broadening horizons of opportunities for children who have few or no one who read
with them and more importantly, to create a tool which empowers and recognizes the need to comprehend the written word. The management at Bookworm strongly believes that reading is a language in its own and that it holds the key to multiple realities. Once they engage therein, it empowers them to think beyond the boxes that their socio-cultural milieu may place them in. Bookworm seeks to achieve this through several avenues. Among their major programmes are the Library in Schools programme and the Mobile Outreach Programme. The Libraries in Schools program (LiS) provides grade appropriate reading resources to children who are first generation school goers and uses the story telling method to develop thinking and literacy skills. The Mobile
Sujata Noronha
Outreach Programme (MOP) takes reading, storytelling and other literacy related activities into community areas. It aims to cater to children who are mostly first generation learners hailing from families who have limited economic resources. Developing resources to aid
learning is another key area for Bookworm. This is a dynamic process in response to the needs which arise from their continued interaction with all interested parties – the children, their parents, educators and their aspirations. In 2014, Bookworm registered as a charitable trust
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PassionVentures Houses of Goa For the sake of posterity
Gerard da Cunha
Best known for: Encapsulating for posterity the phenomenal outcome of the amalgamation of Eastern and Western architectural styles. The story: The museum Houses of Goa celebrated 10 years in February of 2014. It was set up to explain the fascinating story of the Goan house. The Museum showcases the houses which were the prime expression of the
Goan identity. The Museum is built as a traffic island and is in the shape of a triangle and resembles a ship. It has four levels with three galleries and has about 4000 paying visitors each year, a third of who are tourists. It has a small gift shop and a cafe and
conducts workshops for students on a regular basis. It is part of a larger complex, which includes two schools and an amphitheatre and a soon to be built new Museum on Indian Architecture. The project is self sustaining and earns it keep from ticket money and sales at the shop and cafe.
The founder and curator is Gerard da Cunha who is an architect and publisher. He also runs the Mario Gallery next door. An authority on the subject, Gerard has brought out a number of publications and has a number of restoration projects to his credit
Goa Chitra / Goa Chakra The story of Goa, told with love
Best known for: Founding Goa Chitra housing an amazing collection of artefacts depicting the cultural history of the State and Goa Chakra dedicated to chariots/wheels from across India. The story: When one talks of museums in Goa, Goa Chitra, and the more recent Goa Chakra, are among the first names that one will hear. Both these amazing art and history destinations have 74 Business Goa
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Victor Hugo Gomes
been conceptualised and initiated by Victor Hugo Gomes. An artist and restorer by profession, Victor has always had a fascination for the various rituals and traditions that were an integral part of his younger days. On being offered a Lalit Kala Academy (Goa) scholarship, Victor, then based in Lucknow, chose to study ‘Experimental transitions in the world of art’. This subject covered the use of different materials and processes in art over time. He furthered his restorations techniques on joining a course in restoration and conservation of art conducted by the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH). Victor returned to Goa in 1991 to become the curator of the Museum of Christian Art that was being set up at the Seminary of Rachol. During his tenure ther, he became aware that artefacts of artistic and historical value were being neglected in and around Goa. Traditional implements
were being thrown out or left to decay in many old Goan houses. This focused an enthusiasm for collecting items of cultural heritage value, premised on the concern that the loss of hundreds of years of accumulated wisdom in agrarian practices, the rich tradition of implements, tools, arts, crafts and the heritage of our ancestors would be irrevocable. And thus came into being Goa Chitra. Today, Goa Chitra has gained great attention and was even listed in TIME magazines ‘must-see’ places. It has also been selected as a major centre for cultural studies by national and international universities, for study abroad programs. More recently, he opened Goa Chakra, a transportation museum, which celebrates the wheel as the symbol of India’s rich culture. A first of its kind in India, Goa Chakra, aims to preserve and showcase ancient modes of transportation and to document the rich heritage of the wheel
LadyPower Gauri Karkal Bake my trip Best known for: Being the face and the driving force of Pastry Cottage, one of the most successful pastry chains in Goa with a loyal and growing customer base to boast of The story: The face of the highly successful Pastry Cottage chain, Gauri Karkal is constantly thinking up new ways to take the brand to greater heights. Ever since its inception in 1994, Pastry Cottage has been synonymous with providing quality products at affordable prices. Among their first products were a range of strawberry and butter cream pastries and patties. These products are still an integral part of their menu even today which has expanded to comprise of an extensive variety of snacks, savories, ready-to-eat meals and of course, various pastries. Under Gauri’s leadership, Pastry Cottage has grown from a single store on Atmaram Borkar Road in Panjim to four stores
across Panjim. A new, state-ofthe-art manufacturing facility in Pilerne is also a part of the success story that is currently being written by the brand. With the new manufacturing facility, Gauri and husband Suhan are all set to reach out to a wider area and cater to a larger number of customers. A strong believer in quality
over quantity, Pastry Cottage has till date not branched beyond Panjim, as Gauri believes in providing the freshest products to customers in the shortest time span. Such is Gauri’s commitment towards giving her customers quality fare, that she has in fact, seen most of her customers grow up just like they have witnessed her spectacular success and growth story. From
Maria Francisca Vaz Karma Connection Best known for: Creating a brand that has stayed true to the authentic Goan flavours while also creating employment opportunities for local women. The story: It was a simple, yet fierce, passion for preserving authentic Goan food that drove Maria Francisca Vaz to start Karma Foods. Launched in August 1987, the brand began as a small food processing unit located at Aquem in Margao. Kickstarting operations with an initial investment of just Rs 25000, their main aim was to preserve the true and authentic flavours of Goa and lend a helping hand to the Goan working woman by easing the cooking process. Karma’s first manufactured product was the dry prawn balchao. When introduced in the market, people instantly loved it and thus began their journey towards success. Today, the brand produces a variety of products in three ranges ‘Ready to Eat’, ‘Pastes’ and ‘Powders’. Their instant pastes 76 Business Goa
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are loved by working women who have to juggle both, careers and their homes successfully. Such is the popularity of Karma Foods that the products are sold not only at retail outlets, but also at supermarkets all over Goa and even exported to Europe, the US and Australia. Very little has changed in the manufacturing process over the years. The manufacturing unit is labour oriented and employs a number of women from the locality. They use organically grown spices and natural ingredients to ensure a true Goan flavour for each product. Traditional Goan and Portuguese techniques are followed and modern packaging technology utilized. Maria believes in constant rediscovery and research. This is what spurred her to launch Karma Foods’ pickle range which includes tendlim, brinjal, chilly garlic and lime. Maria’s mission is to ensure that Goan flavours live for generations to come
August 2013
creating their birthday cakes, to their wedding cakes, Gauri has done it all and they have responded with unwavering loyalty to the brand. Looking ahead, Gauri believes that there is scope for deeper market penetration and would like to explore newer avenues including bulk production of some of their hot hits
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Neomi Barnetto Redefining your look Best known for: Creating a salon chain well known for quality service, reasonable prices and excellent customer care. The story: Right from an early age, Neomi Barnetto had a strong passion for style and glamour, especially hair. It was this very passion that egged her on to join the highly competitive beauty industry when she was still in her teens. Neomi first ventured into the beauty field at a five star property in Mumbai, gaining first-hand experience before moving to Dubai. There she worked with whole hearted enthusiasm and sheer dedication for three years acquiring all the possible knowledge, right from techniques to staff and client management. The ultimate dream of every beautician or hair expert is to set up their own salon and with such
varied international experience to show, it was only befitting that Neomi returned to Goa and make her mark here. Along with husband Mario, she launched Neomi’s Hair and Beauty Salon in June 1997. A first of its kind, Neomi’s paid attention to classy interiors as well as a pleasant and comfortable ambience. These factors, combined with the attention given to superior quality service soon made Neomi’s a leader in the salon industry in Goa. Today, Neomi’s boasts of over 10,000 sq ft. of salon space, manned by over 100 employees and caters to a footfall of over 1,25,000 customers a year. Neomi’s retains the market leadership position with their salons spread out at various locations including Miramar, Colva, Calangute and Ponda
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LadyPower Dr. Radhika Nayak Academic Councillor Best known for: Managing both roles, as principal of SS Dempo College and Mayor of the Ponda Municipal Council with a practiced ease and graceful elegance
The story: A strong believer in the development and well being of society, Dr. Radhika Nayak, manages her roles as Principal of DCT’s S S Dempo College of Commerce & Economics and the Chairmanship of the Ponda Municipal Council with ease. Dr. Nayak holds multiple degrees including an M.A in Economics, L.L.B and a Ph.D in Economics. She also holds a Post Graduate Diploma in Business Administration. To her credit, she has published papers on ‘Gain via Goodwill: a Case study of how Dempo Brand Ambassadors are changing the future of sports in India’ (jointly authored WITH Dr Christo Fernandes, GIM and published in International
Journal Qualitative Research in Services), ‘The dynamics of Sectoral Development and the Rural-Urban Divide in Goa’ (jointly authored with Dr P K Sudarsan and published in Rural Development and Social Change, edited by R R Prasad and G Rajnikanth, NIRD, Ministry Of Rural Development, Hyderabad), ‘Regional Disparity in Service Sector Development in Goa’ (jointly authored with Dr P K Sudarsan and published in Journal of Social and Economic Change, Institute for Social and Economic Change, Nagarbhavi, Bangalore). Apart from academics, Dr Nayak actively participates in public administration. At present, she is an elected Councillor of Ponda Municipal Council and serves as Chairperson of Ponda Municipal Council. She is also a member of the VIII Academic Council, Goa University the Forum of Principals and
Management Representatives, Goa, the Unfair Means Enquiry Committee, Goa University, the BOS, Women’s studies, Goa University. She is also an invited member on the BOS in Commerce (undergraduate) as well as a member on the
Board of Technical Education, Government of Goa. Dr Nayak also takes keen interest in issues pertaining to working towards the empowerment of women, training youth in personality development and civil and local governance
Pratima Dhond The organiser Best known for: Her longstanding association with the Women’s Co-operative Bank and her role in initiating various beneficial schemes for women The story: It was in 1992 that Pratima Dhond took over as Director of the Women’s Co-operative Bank from her mother-in-law Shanta Manohar Dhond. The following year, she was elected as Chairperson and continues to chair the organization till date. Started in 1972 under the Goa Co-operative Act, the Women’s Co-operative Bank was started by Libia Lobo Sardesai to provide women a platform for financial independence. In order to encourage women to avail of the facilities of the Bank, the founding members went to rural Goa to educate women the importance of savings and motivated them to open accounts in the bank by paying Rs. 50. They began operations with 481 members and today, under Pratima’s 78 Business Goa
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watchful eye, have grown to over 17,000 members. Covered under DICGC Act, the deposits in the bank are insured, as any other public or private sector bank. The bank has jurisdiction all over Goa and women residing in any part of Goa can be members. Giving financial independence to thousands of women and offering monetary help to hundreds of men, the bank has completed four decades. Making women aware of their social and legal rights is another task the bank is engaged in and one closest to Pratima’s heart. Reaffirming her role as Chairperson and the progress made under her tenure, Pratima was awarded the Best Chairperson Award by the Goa State Co-operative Union Ltd in 2011. Having been past chairperson of the women’s wing of GCCI, she is now associated with the Chamber in the capacity of a member of the current managing committee and is the Hon Treasurer of GCCI
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Startups Bakers Street The upstart
Pic: Aliston Dias
Best known for: Starting his own business when just a teenager, taking risks and making a sweet success of it.
Gilroy D’Souza
The story: At a time when most teenagers are still trying to figure out what profession to pursue, Gilroy D’souza had his mind set on opening his own bakery. Having completed his vocational training in bakery and confectionary from St. Xavier’s Higher Secondary School and a food production and patisserie course at IHM, Gilroy took up a gruelling nine months training at the Goa Marriott Resort and Spa. Having gotten used to working for over 12 hours, it was this hands-on work experience here that motivated the then 19-year-old to do something on his own. Gilroy set up Baker’s Street, in Porvorim in May 2011. Located in his house itself, when he started out, the youngster did it all on his own – running around from one government
office to the other for getting his loan sanctioned, setting up the bakery as well as the dining area and right down to doing all the baking. Slowly the word spread and the customer base began increasing. Today, Baker’s Street offers customers sweets and savouries of every kind, from doughnuts, to sandwiches, rolls, wraps, burgers and puffs, pastries, cookies, sandwiches and coffee in every variety – cappucino, latte, expresso, Americano, besides the famous Italian coffee brand ‘Lavazza’. Despite initial hiccups including loan repayments, and finding the right staff, Gilroy persisted with determination. Today, he is the proud owner of a bakery with a loyal customer base extending up to Margao and Vasco, too. And though expansion is not on his immediate priority list, he is not averse to the idea of spreading the slice of sweet happiness to other cities and locales around Goa
Moonstruck Soul enterprise Best known for: Forgoing a lucrative journalism career to pursue her heart’s desire and creating a niche for herself in the lifestyle and handmade jewellery market. The story: Cassandra D’Roza’s journey from journalist to entrepreneur is one of risks, creativity and most of all, having the gumption to pursue her passion despite all odds. Blessed with a genetic disposition towards and natural love for creativity and hearing and writing stories about business
personalities fulfilling their passions, inspired Cassandra to the point where she quit her successful run as a journalist with two reputed publications to set up her own craft business, ‘Moonstruck’ in April 2013. Under her brand name, Cassandra hand crafts customized dreamcatchers, keychains, jewellery, accessories and bookmarks. Despite the initial scepticism from various fronts
about making craft a livelihood venture, as it was something that is yet unpopular and not the norm of the day in Goa, Cassandra stood her ground and is today basking in the success of her decision. As her works began getting better over time, the number of orders that she received b e g a n
increasing and her family, too, began to recognize that this was something that she was good at. Since then, Cassandra has had nothing less than 100 per cent support from everyone, friends and family, and is constantly pushed to do better. Still on her success streak, Cassandra was a part of a recent handicraft exhibition which gave her the opportunity to show people what she truly believes in and display her products to not only handicraft enthusiasts, but to all those who appreciate genuine creativity and talent. She also had a very successful run at the Saturday Night Market. Looking forward, Cassandra admits that she does have a long way to go and is constantly researching and looking up new designs and techniques
Cassandra D’Roza
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Mangal Advisory Services Finding adventure in venture support Best known for: Being a one-stop destination for any management requirements with a focus on the small and medium enterprises The story: Mangal Advisory Services (MAS), a business advisory firm focused on small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and start ups, was formed in August 2010. The firm is named as a tribute to Mangal, mother of Ashutosh Kharangate, the Managing Partner of the firm. Ashutosh boasts of prior experience at Price Waterhouse Coopers (PWC), a top consulting firm. His core expertise there was due diligence in mergers and acquisitions transactions. Ashutosh, however, always harboured wish of working on his own and thus was born MAS aimed at imparting all his that he has learned in PWC to Goan SMEs. MAS’ services are categorized as mergers and
acquisitions, services for start ups and SMEs. For mergers and acquisitions, MAS looks at all aspects including searching for a prospective partner for expansion/sale, valuations, business plan/project report preparation, due diligence and assistance in agreement finalization. It helps clients pay the right money, at the right time and at the right terms and conditions. Some of their clients include Astra Metal Systems, Vintage Hospitals, Fyregard Enterprises, Pyro Electric and Funtacy Ice Creams. For start ups MAS provides project feasibility support including conducting primary market research to understand the viability of the project. Moreover, they assist in drawing up a financial model to understand each element of revenue and costs. They also take care of all registration and incorporation formalities.
Small and medium enterprises, however, remain their focus. The areas of work here include accounts outsourcing, keeping track of all of the client’s statutory obligations of the month, developing and maintaining a management information systems to help with understanding performance and enabling quick decision making. MAS also conducts profitability analyses (PA) aimed at improving profitability. They also possess the expertise to provide inventory controller services. MAS has made massive contributions to the hospitality industry including The Crown, Goan Heritage, Sun Village, Sandalwood etc. Their recent work includes conducting the Profitability Analysis of all Monginis stores in Goa
Ashutosh Kharangate
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Startups Umang Looking beyond boundaries Best Known for: Redefining ‘Software Outsourcing’ ensuring that it’s not just restricted to handling outsourced software development of our client, but managing relationship. The story: : Co-founded by Mangirish Salelkar, Umang Software Technologies is an offshore software development company providing IT outsourcing services and solutions to clients worldwide. Located in Margao, Umang is registered under the Software Technology Parks of India (STPI) and has received a 100 per cent Export Oriented Unit (EOU) status. Their main areas of expertise lie in Software Product Development, Custom Application Development and Maintenance, Web Application Development, Website Design and Development, Mobile Application Development, Desktop Application Development, Application ReEngineering, Version Migration, Cloud
Mangirish Salelkar receiving an Award
Computing, Software Support and Maintenance, System Integration, Software Testing, Performance Engineering, IT Staffing, Software Development and Design Consulting Services. At Umang, they treat every outsourcing contract as a relationship and put in extra efforts to nurture it to provide their clients something which they haven’t asked, something that makes them happy and not
just satisfied. As a company they have set coding, testing and documentation standards which they comply by. However they are flexible to accommodate any new standards and protocols as followed by their clients. Umang also maintains a 100 per cent transparent workflow policy whereby right from the project requirement understanding and analysis to the delivery and
deployment, they make sure that the progress card of your project is right in front of you. Having been in the software development business for the last few years now, Umang ensures that they follow the best practices in software development. That apart, they provide services to clients located in different parts of the world, across different time zones, different cultural and linguistic backgrounds. Unlike many other Indian companies, especially in the IT sector, which are employer oriented, Umang, being an employee oriented company comes as a breath of fresh air. The USP of the company is that they give utmost importance to employee satisfaction by focussing on their career growth and work-life balance. For the team at Umang, innovation is the very means of their existence. Creativity with simplicity in complexity is what defines the innovation to them
Desserts n More Eat healthy Best known for: A delectable range of reasonably priced desserts, savouries, pastries, breads, etc The story: Desserts n More was conceptualized by Pallavi Salgaocar and Anjali Walavkar in April 2012 aiming to offer a variety of desserts, pastries, cookies, savouries and breads at reasonable rates. In January 2014, the partnership ended amicably and ‘Desserts n More’ was taken over by ‘Dainty Delights’ the bakery division of Geno Pharmaceuticals. It built its own state of the art unit to make bakery produce under hygienic conditions using modern techniques. Since then, the business has grown from strength to strength and expanded from a counter at Caculo Mall to another one at St. Inez and the factory outlet at the Tivim Industrial Estate.
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The brand is well known for its signature sweet offerings like tarts, cheesecakes, cupcakes, exotic cakes, mousses, brownies, éclairs, puddings etc. It has also forayed into the business of designer cakes where it conceptualizes and makes customized cakes using marzipan. Desserts n More also supplies vegetarian and nonvegetarian savouries including puffs, wraps, sandwiches, rolls and buns to a host of small and big outlets besides its own shops. It also retails about 15 varieties of cookies including kharis, nachni and shrewberry cookies. This was the first brand in Goa, to introduce the concept of wheat cakes for its health conscious clientele. It’s wheat cupcakes and wheat carrot cakes continue to be bestsellers. Recently DnM introduced whole wheat bread, made
entirely of wheat flour, unlike the adulterated variety of the so called wheat loaves available in the market. Desserts n More comprise of a creative team of dedicated bakers and support staff working under the guidance and direction of Pallavi Salgaocar; Director in Charge of Dainty Delights Bakery Operations. The firm is constantly
innovating and reinventing itself to meet the changing needs of its customers. It claims to have never added preservatives to any of its products to increase shelf life and offers fresh and tasty foods. The brand plans to expand beyond its current area of operations and explore newer markets
YoungGuns Chirag Naik Gunning for growth November 2013
Best known for: Taking forward his family’s business legacy alongside his own entrepreneurial ambitions The story: Being born into a business family may have laid the foundation for Chirag Naik’s ascent up the success ladder, but this success can rightly be attributed to Chirag’s determination, skill, foresightedness and endurance. As an entrepreneur, Chirag has gained fame across Goa for redefining the family business
model and for successful diversification. His claims to fame include the exponential growth of the Monginis brand in Goa and his brainchild, Canapé. The family business has two primary verticals. Commonwealth Developers Pvt. Ltd. is a highly reputed construction and real estate development company. New Millennium Bakers is the manufacturing franchisee for the Monginis brand in Goa. Sensing a perfect growth opportunity and attempting to
brace himself for it armed with technical know-how, Chirag enrolled at the Kansas University in USA for a diploma in Baking Technology. On his arrival back in India, Chirag went on to incorporate a new company ‘Rich Bake Bakers’ aimed at starting the lifestyle food, snack and leisure brand in the State, a need which Chirag identified as the need of the hour from all his travels abroad. Thus was born Canapé. From a solitary unit at Fatorda that set up shop in 2008, the brand has leapfrogged into a highly successful and muchvisited multiple location brand with presence is both, Margao and Panaji. Chirag’s forte lies in brand building and operations management. It is his youthful hunger to propel growth that continuously motivates the young businessman to look for new frontiers and diversification opportunities
Arjun Chowgule Lifting his business to a new high Best known for: Pioneering the concept of truck mounted cranes, thus revolutionising the way heavy lifting business. The story: The Chowgule Group, which was established in the year 1916, is today an industrial conglomerate with operations in mining, iron ore pelletization, transportation, ship building, ship repairs, shipping, port infrastructure, shipping agencies, industrial gases, industrial explosives, construction chemicals, automobile dealerships, trading and education. The Chowgule Group also houses its material handling division which is a pioneer in providing complete customer oriented solutions for material transportation and handling. During the initial years of the company, they would trade imported cranes from Japan within the Indian markets. As the value of the Yen began to appreciate, the Group under the 84 Business Goa
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leadership of Arjun Chowgule no longer found it profitable to import cranes. They then made the transition from traders to manufacturers of cranes under the brand name 360o in 2010. Among the various products manufactured, Chowgule Material Handling sell and service, truck mounted cranes, tractor cranes, Handyman pickup loaders and Baclift tail-lifts. Under Arjun’s able leadership, the company is today a pioneer of the concept of truck mounted cranes which aimed to revolutionize the way heavy lifting takes place in India. To ensure world class products, meticulous care is taken at every stage of manufacturing right from sourcing the sheet metal for the cranes. Being a Goan company, Chowgule Material Handling try to source as much of their raw material from Goa itself. So much is the popularity of the Handyman crane, that it is being exported to Thailand, Russia,
South Africa and Myanmar. The company is also trying to expand their operations to the Middle East. Having successfully built a world class product, the Chowgule Material Handling
unit is now looking to expand their operations. At present they manufacture ten to fifteen cranes a month. Soon, they hope to manufacture forty units per month
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Deepak Bandekar Diversified dreams Best known for: Successfully taking forward his family’s business legacy and diversifying to keep with the changing times and for introducing Goa to Heli tourism. The story: Deepak Bandekar comes from a four-generation old well known Goan business family. Having graduated in Civil Engineering from MIT Pune in 2001 and armed with sufficient technical education, he was ready to join his family business which was then into mining, exports and shipping. However, in order to take on the responsibilities of his predecessor’s legacies, he felt the need to gain knowledge in the business world, too. Consequently, he went on to pursue his Masters in International Business and Economics at The University of Reading, UK.
On joining the family business, Deepak set out on a business expansion drive, diversifying the Group’s interests into tourism and hospitality, aviation, real estate and construction. By acquiring hotel properties in Goa, he was involved in expanding the Group’s interests further into hospitality. He presently owns and runs Hotel Calangute Towers, a smart young hotel in the heart of Calangute, and Hotel Varca Le Palms Beach Resort, a leisure beach hotel in laid back serene Varca. He was the first Goan entrepreneur to introduce the unique concept of Heli tourism to Goa, a tourism related activity involving helicopter rides and charters, by being one of the first Goans to own a helicopter and operate it in the tourism sector in Goa, catering to charter
tourists, corporate and political movements, as well as for film and media shooting. With growing business, corporate social responsibility is just as important to Deepak. In fact, the family set up a charitable trust in the name of his late father and grandparents, which today is deeply involved in a variety of charitable causes including social and non governments bodies in Goa and across India, too, including building of temples, schools, colleges, healthcare centres and community centres across Goa for the needy sections of society. An ardent lover of nature, music, art, cars and travel, Deepak’s vision for his personal, social and professional life, which includes his dream ventures in hospitality, fine dining restaurants, clubs and lounges, as well as events and
entertainment, have already been initiated by him, while some are in the pipeline for the future
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YoungGuns Prashant Shinde Packing a punch Best known for: Solving major infrastructural issues plaguing Verna Industrial Estate since taking over as President and mentoring the entrepreneurial skill in youngsters. The story: At the helm of affairs of the Verna Industrial Estate Association since 2013 is the young and dynamic Prashant Shinde. Owner of Shinde Packaging Pvt. Ltd. this youngster has grown to be a force to reckon with. Ever since he was elected as President of the Association, Shinde has solved most of the major problems plaguing the industrial estate. Among his major achievements lie in the solving of the Estate’s water problems by negotiating with the Government to provide them with a reservoir. The electricity woes have also been cleared. Under Shinde’s leadership, The Verna Industrial Estate Association has become the first industrial estate association to set up their own office. The
With winners of Kaun Banega Udyogpati
Association is also involved in numerous CSR activities and actively gives back to the community and the village of Verna. Among Shinde’s other notable achievements is the
Nisha Vaz Living many ideas
‘Kaun Banega Udyogpati’, a competition for students aiming to be entrepreneurs. Coming from a small village in Assolna and being a first generation entrepreneur, Shinde wanted to offer the younger generation
the right support to pitch their entrepreneurial ideas. Kaun Banega Udyogpati allowed students to pitch their business ideas to a team of experts who then turned the winning idea into reality. The winner was awarded a cash prize of Rs. 1 lakh as well as incubation space and mentoring. The first edition, held in December 2013 received an overwhelming response of over 300 entries. Shinde is already working on the next edition of ‘Kaun Banega Udyogpati’ and has plans to make this an annual event
Stone Water Eco Resort
Best known for: Braving all odds and the gender bias to successfully nurture her entrepreneurial bug from a very young age. The story: Having grown up surrounded by her business minded parents, Nisha Karla Vaz was naturally bitten by the entrepreneurial bug from an early age. Seeing them turn their passions into a reality was all the motivation and inspiration the youngster needed when she herself decided to take the bold step of venturing into the world of business when she went on to set up the Stone Water Eco Resort. Located in Bogmalo, away from the hustle and bustle of the city of Vasco, with a gorgeous view of the Arabian Sea, Stone Water Eco Resort brings together peace, tranquillity and comfort all in a neatly wrapped package. Managed by Nisha, since its inception, the Resort has already become hot property, playing 86 Business Goa
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host to a large number of events including weddings, concerts and much more. Drawing from her own travel experiences, Nisha has been able to build up her resort to be a place that is stuck in time and space conundrum. The Stone
Water Eco Resort is truly a space of sorts where every bit of silence speaks a thousand words, where your senses spring to life even when you’re wrapped in solitude. Though she has had her fair share of struggles with setting up the Stone Water Eco
Resort, Nisha says they fade into insignificance in comparison with her achievements. Nisha adds that she has conceptualized and Stone Water Eco Resort in a way so as to ensure that there are only experiences, memories and little joys to last a lifetime
Education Goa Institute of Management B School. A+ reputation. Best known for: Being one of the top rated business schools in India The story: Fr Romualdo D’Sousa, the then Director of XIM, Bhubaneshwar, together with a team of professionals and industrialists established the Goa Institute of Management (GIM) in 1993, with the aim of spreading the wealth of management knowledge. Over the years, GIM has earned the enviable reputation of being one of the finest Management Schools in the country. GIM’s strength is its diversity, its ethnic, academic and social diversity. The environment at GIM ensures a high quality of learning. The rigorous admissions process is transparent and based solely on merit. The library, which is the heart of any institution, gets the maximum priority. Goa, with its natural beauty, in no small measure adds to this wonderful learning experience. The new campus at Sanquelim in Sattari Taluka is
October 2009
located on a sprawling 50 acres plot surrounded by the idyllic foothills of the Western Ghats. Situated approximately 25 kms from the State’s capital city of Panjim, away from the hustle and bustle, the campus is the perfect place for students to learn and be nurtured into corporate leaders of the future. The campus offers stunning views of the mist covered hills, vibrant green valleys and dense forested areas all around. GIM has some of the finest
visiting and consulting faculty imparting quality education. The curriculum is regularly evaluated and upgraded. A visiting faculty ensures that relevant industry case studies are brought into the classroom, discussed and deliberated on. Collaborative research enables the faculty to keep pace with the changes in management education. Industry interaction is encouraged through management development programmes, the Executive MBA
program and consultancy. The Board of Governors consists of eminent academicians, industry professionals and government officials who guide the Institute through regular board meetings. The Government of Goa also lends support to this Institute in various ways. Goa Institute of Management is committed to the process of globalization by maintaining appropriate international linkages and exchange programs
Sharada Mandir Gurukul Best known for: Raising the standard of education in Goa through its commitment to academic excellence and the holistic development of students. The story: Founded in 1966, Sharada Mandir School was conceptualised and established to fulfil the long felt need for quality education in Panaji, right from the elementary level to the higher secondary level. It was the first school in Goa affiliated to The Council for the Indian School Certificate Examination. The Sharada Mandir Trust resolved to expand its educational vistas and to make its activity broad-based and relevant to the changing times. The institution is made up of five separate sections: Elementary, Junior, Middle, Secondary and Higher Secondary – integrally inter-linked in a common commitment to academic excellence and the holistic 88 Business Goa
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development of its students and offering the curriculum of the Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (ICSE). Since 1966, the School has grown to its present strength of around 2250 students and 165 faculty members. A low student-faculty ratio ensures small classes, encourages a close relationship and invites interaction between the teacher and the taught. The overall infrastructure at Sharada Mandir is large enough to provide the required resources and facilities and yet small enough to have a personalized approach to the primary needs of a child. Their team of dedicated staff constantly ensure close interaction and individual attention and care, since their most important goal is to keep the students at the centre of all that they do. They believe that Sharada Mandir embodies the value of things that endure
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Education Hamara School Education to the less privileged Best known for: Giving street children an opportunity to aim for a better future through the medium of education. The story: Despite a flourishing business supplying fish, Mangala Wagle always felt a burning desire to serve humanity. She decided to help the street urchins of the Panjim market. Through her
Mangala Wagle
visits, she discovered plenty of talent and skill in them that could be channelized and nurtured to achieve great things in society. To bring out a change in their behaviour, she decided to take the plunge into social service. She soon befriended the children and they began gathering in numbers and through activities and classes, education began prevailing. Soon her works were recognized and after numerous meetings with the Government, they were granted permission to use the old GMC building and thus conceptualized the Hamara School project. With the decision to host the International Film Festival of India in Goa, the Hamara School was shifted to its present day campus in St. Inez from where all the activities and schooling continued with added zest. Putting all her energy and
passion into building the school, Mangala managed to garner volunteers from all walks of life, and through their help, took the school to the next level. Professional teachers from various schools in and around Panjim volunteered to lend a hand in teaching the children different languages including English, Mathematics and Science, something that raised the standard of the school to acceptable levels in the eyes of other schools who consequently accepted Hamara’s students with open arms once there were tested on their academic abilities. “I want children to grow up with happy memories, with an education, with values, with a change in attitude to live, have greater self respect and to be able to achieve their highest potential that they are very much capable of,” says Mangala
Parvatibai Chowgule College The learning ground Best known for: Being Goa’s oldest educational institution which has kept up with the changing demands of time, both academically as well as for infrastructure upgrading. The story: An Institute that is an epitome of quality education, Smt. Parvatibai Chowgule College of Arts and Science was founded in 1962, by the visionary Vishwasrao Chowgule. It is the oldest institution providing instruction in Arts and Science streams up to the degree and post graduate level in the State of Goa. The College’s sprawling campus comprises of state-ofthe-art infrastructural facilities including a multimedia-equipped auditorium and classrooms, Wi-Fi enabled campus, virtual infrastructure for teachinglearning, computer zones, laboratories and a well stocked computerized library. Chowgule College believes in imparting all-round development to its students and hence, there is a constant emphasis on sports related activities and 90 Business Goa
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extracurricular facilities. The campus boasts of an artificial turf laid on the football ground, oneof-its-kind in the whole of south Asia, a well equipped sports and physiotherapy center, fullyfledged audio and video studio all with high-tech equipment, student support services, and a well-designed student-friendly cafeteria. The College offers 20 under graduate programmes and six post graduate courses in the streams of Arts and Science. Additionally, the College also offers an extensive honours programme. Chowgule College has some of the best faculty members, majority of who are involved in active research oriented studies. The College is marching towards global leadership in imparting relevant education of high standards in a disciplined and conducive environment. The past few years has seen faculty from various universities including University of Sussex, the Sophia University and Waseda University in Japan, and University of Nipissing,
Canada conduct lectures and courses for both, students as well as the faculty, enabling them to better understand the global education system. The College is home to the country’s first Writing Centre, where students can seek guidance in creative and academic writing skills. The Writing Centre helps students improve their writing and language skills and also offers Business English Certificate Course exams that are conducted
by the British Council of India on behalf of Cambridge University. The college has an active languages centre. The Center for Portuguese Language and Culture in collaboration with Instituto Camoes, Portugal helps students enhance their knowledge on Portuguese language and culture. In addition to Spanish the college will also introduce the Russian language course in collaboration with Moscow University
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The King’s School & ChildCare School Leading tomorrow
Best known for: Being at the cutting edge of education, techniques and reforms and aiming to groom students confident enough to become leaders of tomorrow. The story: The King’s School is Goa’s first full-fledged CBSE (New Delhi) affiliated English medium co-educational Senior Secondary School. Located in Sao Jose de Areal, Salcette, the school provides excellent education right from nursery to senior secondary level. King’s School boasts of a
sprawling campus with several sports grounds including a fullsized, well maintained, natural turf football field. Chairman Melvin Pereira and Director Ligia Pereira, with an eye for detail, bring in personal touches aiming for quality at every level and have incorporated academics with sports, art, music and dance. Their goal is to provide students with a holistic education that will make learning fun and enriching, and hold them in good stead in the years to come. King’s School is the first in Goa to implement LeapStart and
GAIT for its students. LeapStart, India’s Premier Physical Education & Sports program is a specialized and unique program aimed at providing school students with a holistic physical and sports education. GAIT, India’s first dance basededucation program, nurtures creativity and inter-disciplinary excellence through dance. The school is known for always being at the cutting edge of education, techniques and reforms. They aim to equip students with skills that will groom them to become leaders
of tomorrow. Owned, managed and run by the Margao Christian Education Trust, King’s School aims at running the academic institution based on their reverence for the mission of education and providing a fine blend of modern educational techniques alongside time tested ideas and ideals. While being run on the values and principles of the Christian faith, the school is truly diverse. Students are encouraged to grow in mutual respect for each other irrespective of religion, class, caste or race
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Professionals Atmaram NS Nadkarni Leader of the Bar Best known for: Being Goa’s Advocate General and the knowledge, confidence and depth that he brings to his practice. The story: AAtmaram N S Nadkarni is a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Bombay. He has also done his LLB as well as LLM through the Bombay University and specializes in Constitutional Law and Criminal Law. An exceptional student, he has been a recipient of the GN Joshi Gold Seal Award for securing the highest marks in Constitutional Law. Atmaram NS Nadkarni enrolled at the Bar in 1986 as Advocate at the Bombay High Court and was also enrolled on its original side at the Bombay High Court. He lectured at KC Law
College, Bombay from 19871990, after which he came back to Goa to continue his practice. He was subsequently appointed as Advocate General for the State of Goa, a constitutional post he occupied from November 1999 to February 2005. Having regard for his proficiency at the Bar and his excellent knowledge of law, the Bombay High Court, the Chief Justice and the other Judges designated him as Senior Advocate of the Bombay High Court. He is presently stationed in Goa and has been appearing for matters in the High Court, Supreme Court as well as for International Arbitrations. He was once again appointed as Advocate General for the State from the month of March, 2012
ranked in the list of the best 100 hotels in the world. Also to his credit is the Cathedral at Karwar. A passionate green crusader and strong believer in protecting the environment, Dean ensures that environment friendly norms are strictly followed in each and every project that the firm undertakes. In fact, one of the
hallmarks of his works is the abundant usage of environment friendly building material, especially wood. Dean strongly believes that architects can make a difference to the environment. He also feels that architects need to be visionaries to be able to guide people into building more and more green buildings
Dean D’Cruz Driven by nature
Best known for: Being one of the pioneers of the ‘green/ecofriendly’ constructions practices. The story: As a child, Dean D’Cruz enjoyed drawing and creation. Back then, however, architecture was fairly unknown, and his career choice, that of pursuing architecture, was considered a far cry from the usual norms. After graduating from the Sir JJ College of Architecture in 1983, Dean worked in Mumbai. Not entirely excited by the work that he was doing there, he relocated to Goa where he worked for Gerard da Cunha for a year. From there the two 92 Business Goa
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Church at Karwar
formed a partnership which lasted seven years. Post his stint with da Cunha, Dean took off on his own with the launch of his firm, Mozaic. Since then, he has gone on to conceptualise numerous homes, boutique hotels and institutional works. Among his most famous projects is the Nilaya Hermitage, which is
Professionals Chef Urbano do Rego Taking Goa to the World Best known for: Putting Goan cuisine on the world culinary map and being a true ambassador of Goan food wherever he goes. The story: Chef Urbano do Rego has been associated with the Taj Group of Hotels for nearly 30 years and has had a long illustrious career to his credit. He began his career with Taj Hotels, Resorts and Palaces in 1970 and along the way, has had the privilege of cooking for numerous celebrities and international dignitaries including Presidents, Royalty and corporate leaders. Chef Rego, as he is popularly known, joined the Taj Mahal Hotel in Mumbai in 1970 and worked under the renowned Chef Miguel Arcanjo Mascarenhas aka ‘Mascy’, Chef Jagat Varma, Chef Aurora and Chef Arwin. From there, he moved to the Fort Aguada Beach Resort in Goa, which was also the first Taj Leisure Hotel.
He played an instrumental role in commissioning the kitchen and restaurant. During this time, he gained a complete insight of Goan-Portuguese cuisine. Following his stint in Goa, he moved to Oman where he served at the Al-Gabra Guest House catering to the Royal families and their dignitaries. He also looked after the guest house of foreign ministers at Florida Orlando for Soyetine. In 1985, he moved back to Goa and has since then, worked as Executive Chef at Fort Aguada Beach Resort. He was also one of the main Chefs who served heads of Commonwealth Nations during their meet in Goa. Over the course of his illustrious career, Chef Rego has served the likes of George Bush, Henry Kissinger, Gerald Ford and others. He has also been featured in publications like Upper Crust India, High Life, the in-flight magazine of British Airways and Times of India
Sandip Bhandare The numbers man Best known for: 30 years of dedicated practice as a Chartered Accountant and for speaking his mind on fiscal matters. The story: Sandip Bhandare is a rank holder of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India. He has been practicing as a Chartered Accountant since 1984 with his firm, S P Bhandare and Associates. Apart from his flourishing practice, Bhandare is the Senior Vice President of Goa Chambers of Commerce & Industry (GCCI), one of the oldest chambers in India and also heads the Taxation Committee of GCCI. He was the Chairman of Goa Branch of Institute of Chartered Accountants of India in 2006. A prolific writer on his area of expertise – finance, Bhandare has authorized numerous books on the topic including a book on Goa Vat Act 2005 and coauthored the book on Guide to Audit under Goa Vat Act 2005 published by the Institute of 94 Business Goa
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Chartered Accountants of India. Also to his credit is a ready reckoner for Goa Value Added Tax. Bhandare was the Chairman of the Task Force on GST formed to study the impact of GST on Goa. He is also a Director of EDC Limited. Bhandare has lectured at Dempo College of Commerce & Economics and is presently a member of Internal Quality Assurance Cell (IQAC) formed by the College. He is also a member of Goa Management Association. On the social front, Bhandare is actively associated with the International Lions Organisation and has received several awards for his roles in various capacities including Region Chairman. He has also given lectures and talks to Chartered Accountants, Chambers of Commerce and industry bodies, Lions Club, Rotary Club and at various colleges across Goa. He has also been a panel member for discussion on taxation issues for Doordarshan and All India Radio
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Dr. Shekhar Salkar Combating cancer
The story: With over 25 years of experience in his field of expertise, Dr Shekhar Salkar is perhaps one of the top-most and highly celebrated Oncologists in Goa. Currently associated with Manipal Hospital Goa, as a consultant since 1999 and from 2013 as a full time consultant and Head of Department of Surgical Oncology, Dr Salkar has recently been promoted to ‘Chief of Clinical Services’. His professional achievements apart, Dr Salkar
also made news for taking on the Bollywood might, including the likes of Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan and Ajay Devgn for smoking in films. Dr Salkar’s relationship with cancer began at a very tender age when his mother was detected with colon cancer. In fact, he was appearing for his standard 12 exam when his mother was being operated. And though she passed away just six months later, it cemented in his young mind the decision to take on the dreaded disease. At the start of his medical career, Dr Salkar had the choice to opt for paediatrics. However, a chance break in 1984 at the prestigious Tata
Memorial Cancer Research Centre in Mumbai changed his life and thus began his tryst with cancer and Oncology, one he terms as ‘personal’ and the one that he has made his life’s mission. Dr Salkar’s other passion is cricket. In fact, in his younger days, he was known for scoring a century against the Mohamad Azharuddin captained Hyderabad side in the CK Naidu Under 22 trophy. Today, despite his busy professional schedule which includes both, consulting and surgery, this passionate cancer crusader manages to dedicate a considerable amount of time and energy to his social mission
Pic: Aliston Dias
Best known for: Being the top-most oncologist in the state and his dedication towards spreading the word about the menace of smoking
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BusinessBooks Business in Goa in the 18th and 19th Century Best known for: Unravelling the existence of a thriving native operated country trade from Portuguese India in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
Trade and Finance in Portuguese India Writer : Dr. Celsa Pinto Publisher : Concept Publishing
thriving native operated country trade, in the splendid and ‘the trifling’ that emanated from Portuguese India in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. It is interesting to note how this This study unravels the trade not only took advantage The story: Trade and Finance existence of a thriving of the vulnerability displayed in Portuguese India, written native operated and the animated efforts by Dr Celsa Pinto, marks a country trade, in the undertaken by the Estado sharp departure from the splendid and ‘the da India and the metropolis, predominant Eurocentric trifling’ that emanated but also learned to function emphasis in Indo Portuguese from Portuguese through ‘crevices’ under the studies, on the 16th century India in the late growing British hegemony. Portuguese trade in the 18th and early 19th The author of this centuries. It not only Carreira da India. publication, Dr Celsa Pinto Such an approach unjustly took advantage of the was born in Karachi, dismisses the subsequent vulnerability displayed Pakistan, where she did most centuries as periods of no and the animated of her schooling, preparing commercial consequence efforts undertaken by for the Senior Cambridge to the Estado da India and the Estado da India She was and the metropolis, but Examination. Portugal and relegates them awarded the M.A. degree also learned to function (First Class) by the University to an unimportant level and through ‘crevices’ significance of the privately under the growing of Bombay (1975) and the operated intra Asian trade. British hegemony Ph. D. degree by the Goa However, the evidence University (1992). gathered and the arguments made in this She was the proud recipient of the literary piece challenges such prevailing Calouste Gulbenkian foundation Scholarship stereo types. Based on a wide range on that enabled her to conduct archival research archival sources in India, Portugal and in Europe in 1991. She has published research England, Dr Pinto’s study, as elaborated papers to her credit and has participated in in the book, unravels the existence of a historical conferences and seminars
Chronicles of a quintessential banker Best known for: Chronicling his years at the its global competitiveness, culminating in the State Bank of India (SBI), one successful $350 millions GDR of India’s oldest and largest Kakodkar details the issue during his tenure as the restructuring and the Chairman of SBI. nationalized banks. modernization of the In his book, Kakodkar bank to ensure its The story: Former State offers readers some rare global competitiveness, also Bank of India (SBI) Chairman insights into various dramatic culminating in the P G Kakodkar released his incidents in the history of the successful $350 autobiography “My 40 years millions GDR issue State Bank of India such as with SBI” in 2006. The book, the Nagarwala incident, the when he was which was formally released Chairman. He also pressure on the bank during the by another former Chairman offers rare insights emergency, the challenges that of the country’s largest public into various dramatic it faced in implementing the 20 sector bank, D N Ghosh, point economic programme and incidents in the offers rare insights into the history of SBI such the Harshad Mehta financial annals of the history of the scam, which shook people’s as the Nagarwala 200-year-old and best know incident, the pressure faith in both, the Stock Exchange on the bank during and the Banking Industry. public bank in the country. the emergency, The book also chronicles The book also dramatizes the challenges of the performance of the the period when SBI, despite the implementing the bank during the period stiff opposition it faced from its 20 point economic unions, undauntingly undertook of emergency and the programme and the the task of computerization of numerous challenges it faced in the wake of the largest Harshad Mehta scam the bank, thus keeping with the financial scam by Harshad Mehta, which changing trends of time. Of special interest to had jolted the people’s faith in the banking Goans is a chapter on SBI’s role in maintaining industry as a whole. Kakodkar also elaborates financial stability after Goa was liberated and on the restructuring and the modernization Banco Nacional Ultramarino was taken over that the bank undertook in order to ensure by the Indian government 82 Business Goa 96
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My 40 years with SBI Writer : P G Kakodkar Publisher : Goan Observer Pvt Ltd
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The historical journey of Goan business Best known for: Elaborating on the eventful and exciting journey of Goan trade and commerce through the ages.
Goa: Its Tryst with Trade Writer : Dr. Pratima P. Kamat Publisher : Goa Chamber of Commerce & Industry
The story: In this book, Professor Pratima Kamat, Head of Department of History, Goa University, whose field of her research specialization is ‘Indo-Portugese History and Maritime Studies’, traces back the State’s trade history and the various factors influencing it. Situated mid-way along the west coast of India, Goa was famous, since time immemorial, as an entry point of renown in the Indian Ocean. Its ancient port capitals of Chandrapur, Gopakapattana and Ella had serviced the Indian Ocean trade and enjoyed commercial relations with ancient Egyptians, Phoenicians, Greeks, Jews and the Arabs. Goa, in the first century of the Portugese rule was famous for the lucrative commerce centred on its ‘golden’ port. Later, with the decline of the port of Goa, Goa Dourada soon became a dependency of British India, with an import-based and remittance-funded economy. Since liberation,
Goa which had languished in a condition of economic stagnancy under the colonial regime, has taken impressive strides in the field of commerce and industry. The journey of Goan trade and commerce through the ages has been an eventful and exciting one offering new vistas of documentation and academic interpretation for the scholar who seeks to delve into its multi-faceted past. The principal objective of this book is to reconstruct the commercial history of Goa through an analysis of the archival, epigraphical, numismatic, sculptural and oral evidences. The narrative of the commercial history of Goa has been undertaken in three Sections and nine chapters that discuss the commercial geography of Goa; trace the historical evolution of the commercial ‘City of Goa’ from the riverine port capital of Chandrapur to the Portugese ‘Pearl of the East’, through Gopakapattana and Ella; highlight the historical linkages between commerce and faith; and present a critique of colonial commerce with a special focus on the indigenous inputs and developments in the 20th century
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BusinessBooks Leading business with a clear conscience Best known for: Offering a fresh insight on various approaches to business ethics from both, Western and Eastern perspectives.
Business Ethics Writer : Daniel Albuquerque Publisher : Oxford
The story: The issue of development of moral leadership for managers and organizations has acquired centre stage in the social discussion and intellectual discourse. This has led to search for a new model of human beings and organizations beyond the economic dimension. For the development of a ‘good society’ and ‘good corporations’, there is a need for moving beyond greed. Dr. Daniel Albuquerque in his path breaking and thought inspiring book, ‘Business Ethics: Principles and Practices’ has shown us this path. The Author uses the principle of consciousness of Sri Aurobindo to make managers aware of the moral challenges of business in the contemporary world. He then offers a programme of ethical standards to meet the challenge that is spearheaded by the principle of ‘Duty’ as expounded by the Indian scriptural guide Bhagvad Gita and adds six further principles. Thus the manager has a breastplate of seven principles to meet his challenges – Duty, Utility, Means and Ends, Justice, Prudence, Conscience and
Stewardship. The Author clearly lays out a taxonomy of decision making from individual, team, corporation and the social levels which offers the manager/board of directors a decision making tool in most difficult times of one’s responsibility. The Author also offers the challenges of the contemporary geo-political world to human moral existence. He believes that businesses can work for peace and prosperity of the people of the world. Environmental protection and sustainability are survival issues for mankind. Arms race, the biggest business in the world and poverty the worst of human moral degradations are dealt with great sensitivity and poignancy. The values of democracy, peace and non-discrimination of genders are issues which will never be solved but the Author has put them in a compelling moral perspective. This book is an original contribution in the field of business ethics. Its uniqueness lies in fresh insights from both Western and Eastern perspectives on ethics. The Author has taken ‘Omega circle’ approach to study of business ethics. This approach has roots in ‘syadvad’ (multiple perspectives) philosophy, wherein reality is viewed in many different ways to arrive at integrative and balanced view
Adding value to your business. Day after day. Best known for: Focusing on the business ‘transformation’ process by bridging the divide between where businesses are and where they seek to be
364 Days of Transformation Writer : Kishore M Shah Publisher : Broadway Book House 98 Business Goa
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The story: Transformation is the buzzword today in what Joseph Schumpeter calls the ‘creative destruction of internal systems’. This, in fact, is what can bridge the divide between where businesses are versus where they actually seek to be. ‘364 Days of Transformation’ could not have come at a more opportune time when businesses and individuals are grappling with definitions and methods to achieve transformation. Kishore with his long history of bringing about change and development through a variety of innovative approaches sheds unique light on the subject. The book talks about the need to focus on transformation, not as a once-in-a-year feel-good exercise of annual planning, but as an aspect of everyday life in organizations. This is what can bridge the divide between where businesses are and where they seek to be. Shah, in this book, attempts to present organizations and individuals, with tools and techniques to enable everyday transformation.
Most of organizations engage into grand goal setting programs, plan every year but yet, most falter in tapping spontaneity, opportunity, energy of the balance 364 days, both within and outside the organization. 364 Days of Transformation attempts to decode the ‘Black Box’ which attempts to explain why and how a good intended goal gets diluted, deviated, deformed in its execution and all great transformation ideas translate into mere mediocre transactions and finally, burn out. Though all organizations and individuals desire ‘success’, they often lack emotive process for effective and efficient translation. Best of all, the book helps to build a firm foundation and focuses on emotive process improvements by applying simple concepts from nature and integrates the fundamental elements within us and outside us to provide energy to create, maintain and destroy facilitating evolution. At the end of each chapter, the author offers practical and time tested reflections, suggestions, experiments, action points, supplementary readings, anecdotes which can be practiced on day to day basis to strengthen the ‘364 days transformation process’
MediaVoices The Navhind Times Pioneer Best known for: Remaining one of the highly read newspapers in the State even in the face of stiff competition. The story: Keeping with the demands of the times, today The Navhind Times sports a fresh and new mast head, is packed with a ton of news and information, local, national and international, everything that one needs to kick start the day into action. Despite the many publications – newspapers and magazines alike – that have suddenly mushroomed across the State, it is this constant and timely innovation and improvisation that has ensured The Navhind Times’ position as one of the highly read papers in Goa. The first English newspaper of Goa, The Navhind Times was first published in 1963 soon after liberation from Portuguese Rule. After 500 years of strict censorship under Portuguese rule, The Navhind Times offered a medium of expression to the
people of Goa. Today, it still remains one of Goa’s most popular and trusted newspapers. Apart from writers of national repute, it features the most respected writers of Goa such as Nandkumar Kamat, Tomazinho Cardozo and Victor Rangel Ribeiro. The publication company also caters to the needs of the Marathi speaking population with their publication ‘Navaprabha’ which was launched in 1970. Among the various Marathi papers that exist in Goa, this is reputed to have the best editorial page and its Sunday magazine ‘Prabhawal’ carries articles and features from the best Goan writers. Many of these writings have been compiled and published as books. Over the years, The Navhind Times has built a reputation for unbiased coverage and editorials and thus, enjoys the status of being a highly credible newspaper with rich coverage of news – Goan, national and international
Tarun Bharat Thinking local Best known for: Holding their ground in the competitive world of Marathi print journalism and making an impact with their own style of news reporting. The story: Established by late Baburao Thakur, a freedom fighter, educationist and social activist, Tarun Bharat has been instrumental in covering the Goa liberation struggle by playing an active part in it. A Belgaum-based paper, when they launched, there were no other Marathi newspapers that covered the whole of Goa. Ever since Tarun Bharat entered the market, they decided to be an extremely localised offering reporting on even the smallest incidents happening in the State. Of the total population of 15 lakh, Goa has an Indian language reading population of about 9.75 lakh, of which 65 per cent reads Marathi newspapers. Tarun Bharat was the second Marathi paper to launch in Goa. Alongside the main edition, the Goa edition of Tarun Bharat also prints four: Gharkul – a realty supplement on Mondays, Khazana – 100 Business Goa
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a general knowledge based booklet on Wednesdays; Champion – focussing on children till class 9 on Saturdays; Akshar Yatra – focussing on current topics of interest on Sundays. As per Audit Bureau of Circulation (ABC) figures, the newspaper boast of a circulation figure of 42,000 in Goa. Till 2002, the Goa edition was published from Belgaum. It was in that momentous year that the group set up its printing location in Goa, which now caters to two editions – Goa and Sindhudurg. The milieu and responsive reader base has found true representation in Tarun Bharat, enabling it to reign over not only circulation figures, but also the heart of every Goan. It helps to be politically neutral; for you become the true torchbearer of the populace in every aspect. Tarun Bharat has seen Goa grow into today’s modern State by not witnessing the change from the periphery, but by being a part of the process for all these 25 years. And that is what makes this journey so special and significant for the newspaper
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Herald The challenger Best known for: Being the voice of Goa, right since 1900 and evolving with the times into one of the most diversified home grown media houses The story: In a time when media houses are supported directly or indirectly by the corporate sector, one publication stands apart from the trend. Herald, one of Goa’s oldest and its leading English daily has broken away from the belief that a publication cannot stand on its own in today’s competitive world. The publication goes by their policy of giving accurate news reports, in-depth reportage on current issues and intelligent investigations, thus ensuring that the paper keeps up to its standard. Their readership encompasses the entire spectrum of Goans, from the common man to the top level diplomats and businessmen and the political class. Herald
always claims to have a wide readership, with a circulation of about 64,000 and readership of 1,46,000 (figures validated by reputed industry bodies such as ABC and IRS). The proprietor of Herald, Raul Fernandes, has always believed in breaking away from the norms, be it in diverse news coverage or the introduction of new technology. Though an unusual move, it thus came to no surprise when Raul announced the launch of the brand’s Marathi and Konkani newspapers. Launched in 2012, the Dainik Herald, in a short span of time, has soon gained tremendous readership across the State, with its circulation rising up to 12,000. While Dainik Herald satisfies the Marathi reader everyday with unbiased reportage, Konkani lovers get their fill every week with ‘AmchoAvaz’. True to its name, this recently launched
October 2013
‘people’s paper’ has filled a void that was created with the lack of a Roman script Konkani newspaper. Giving its readers a variety of content in the form of news, analysis and features, ‘AmchoAvaz’ reverberates Herald’s ideals and principles
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MediaVoices Broadway Books Cover to cover Best known for: Being a onestop shop for all literary needs and ardently promoting Goan literary talent through their publishing house.
Khalil Ahmed
April 2010
The story: For years now, Broadway has been the one-stop shop for most of Goa’s literary needs, thus gaining the trust of its patrons. Started by Khalil Ahmed, the bookstore gained as much fame for its wide range of books that they stocked on almost every topic – educational, fiction, spiritual, etc. As the store gained for the ever helpful staff who go out of their way to help you located the book one may by looking out for. Sensing the strength of his brand and the impact that he was able to make on society, especially the growing base of book lovers, Khalil decided to expand his business. He stepped out of his cozy book corner and ventured into publishing home grown books, thus giving
Goan writers the much needed encouragement and opportunity to express themselves. One initiative that worked wonders to enhance the popularity of the store was that Broadway Book Centre was the only store that offered books at a discounted price, a move that was greatly appreciated and applauded by book lovers across the state. Today Broadway Book Centre has changed the way Goa looks at its own books. Broadway is considered almost synonymous to home grown literary works and has even given authors a suitable platform for book launches, book club meetings and discussions. The book store has started a franchise now with outlets in Candolim and Caculo Mall, Panjim. Besides, a store in Margao. Khalil Ahmed has shown immense dedication and continues to inspire the reading habit
efficient news medium. In May 2009, Prudent moved into its present office premises at St. Inez, with dedicated work places for each section and a fully-equipped studio and post– production facilities. The studio has since seen debates, talk shows, daily news anchoring and so on. The video editing section has recently upgraded its editing software and the graphics aims to deliver smart layouts. The features section conceptualises and produces fresh contemporary programs including special features to commemorate special days and events. The Production Control Room (PCR) is well-equipped with a scheduler, live telecast system, title and graphics system and a telephone instrument specially to cater to live phoneins. The news section has an impressive network of its own reporters in each taluka, equipped with the best field cameras. Both, the English and Konkani desks bring out regular
supply of news brought in by the reporters and video journalists. The entire machinery of Prudent is efficiently oiled and maintained by its admin and accounts section. While primarily being an audiovisual medium, Prudent with its ‘Breaking News’ and continuous news updates has also become a ‘reading’ channel for many. Their steady bouquet of various features has a dedicated and growing viewer base. Over a period of time, they have telecast features catering to a wide audience. In their desire to showcase all that is relevant and all that is Goan, Prudent has gained considerable acceptance primarily due to its intense and impartial news coverage. They are increasingly becoming the primary source of information across Goa with widest reach as well as variety in content. The recent tie-up with Digital Goa sms service is a step in the direction to gain the ‘instant news’ space
Prudent Media 24x7 in Goa
Best known for: Capitalising on the media boom and creating a highly popular home grown broadcast media brand. The story: Prudent Media, incorporated on June 29, 2006, started as one of the youngest of the local channels from Goa 102 Business Goa
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with its simple DVD content of news bulletins of 30 mins each in English, Marathi and Konkani. Its first DVD was telecast on the cable networks in Goa on October 2, 2006. The channel received tremendous encouragement from the viewers and continued its march towards creating an
GreenMantra Miguel Braganza Greenthumb Best known for: His undying passion for plants and enthusiasm for sharing his knowledge about agriculture. The story: Miguel Arcanjo Braganza is a well known name in the area of agriculture, thanks to the tireless efforts that he puts into spreading his knowledge and know-how, gained from years of hands on experience. Miguel credits his father, Jose Miguel Braganca (popularly known as Profesore Miguel) as his biggest influence and from whom he learnt, as a youngster about caring for plants including layering and grafting. It was this very childhood passion that spurred Miguel to complete his B.Sc (Agri) and M. Sc.(Agri) in Horticulture at the University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore after which he began his career as an Assistant Agriculture Officer at the Directorate of Agriculture, Goa.
Miguel was among those instrumental in organising a “Mango Show” in May 1987. In 1992, he initiated the Festival of Plants and Flowers for the St. Francis Xavier School, Siolim which has gone on to become an annual event. The Botanical Society of Goa, of which Miguel is a prominent and active member, has been hosting two events, the Plant Utsav since 1998 and the Konkan Fruit Fest, since 2003. Currently Miguel is an organic agricultural and horticultural consultant and is involved with the organic farm and learning centre at Mahamaya Nursery and Agricultural Farm at Sal, Bicholim. He is also involved in conceptualizing and facilitating the setting up of Goa Salesian Society’s Don Bosco College of Agriculture at Sulcorna for a BSc (Agriculture) degree programme. He has also conceptualized and edited several agriculture and plant related books
Green Essentials Community Greening Best known for: Helping breed a group of passionate ecoconscious gardeners and for passionately taking the concept of organic farming across Goa The story: Green Essentials attempts to provide healthier and environmentally friendly alternatives to daily products that are used in every home. The idea originated as a result of owners, Yogita and Karan’s personal adventures (and frustrations) while searching for green products that met their own needs. Green Essentials aims at providing access to products that are truly environmentally friendly, and hopefully inspire people to adopt more sustainable lifestyle practices. Since its inception, however, the store has moved beyond just the products that they sell. It has evolved into a garden-cumeco-store promoting the cause of organic kitchen gardening. Both Yogita and Karan believe that kitchen gardening is an
Yogita Mehra
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important way to influence our health directly and that of our precious environment indirectly (the water, soil, plants and more). Green Essentials stocks natural detergents, household cleaning material, undertakes pest management, home composting, solar lighting, organic manure, etc. The store also provides easy alternatives to synthetic fertilizers and poisonbased pest repellents. Yogita and Karan, along with their group of passionate eco-conscious gardeners, also conduct workshops on organic farming across Goa. They are involved with initiatives organized by the International Centre Goa (ICG) and the Botanical Society of Goa to promote organic kitchen gardening. In fact, they maintain ICG’s Community Nursery, the products of which (bamboo spinach, cauliflower, cucumbers, palak, mixed salad greens, among others) are sold on certain Saturdays at the organic veggie stall at the ICG
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Mr. Farmer In the company of plants
Rozendo Mendonsa
Best known for: Introducing Goa to the concept of landscaping and thus, changing the Goan attitude towards landscaped gardening. The story: Mr. Farmer (India) Pvt. Ltd. is an agricultural company encompassing a large number of activities including landscaping, irrigation and a garden centre that sells plants and garden equipments. Started by Rozendo Mendonsa way back in the 70s, when landscaping was a concept unheard of in Goa, his perseverance and passion led him to scale high and change the Goan attitude towards gardening. Mendonsa specialized in Horticulture in Bangalore during which he was inspired by the nurseries there and sought to reproduce the same back home. From his humble beginnings in his home backyard, to the present day location along NH 17
at Guirim, Mendonsa has come a long way in realising his dream, that of having a garden centre able to cater to every gardening requirement. Open throughout the year, Mr Farmer’s enthusiastic team is ever willing to serve customers all through the day with an array of plants, equipment, irrigation systems and information. Their team is on their feet in this sprawling area of almost two acres, which houses a vast variety of plants, catering to the needs of home gardens, public parks, business houses and hotels. The garden center, which is the largest in Goa is well stocked to cater to the needs of gardening tools and implement of all sectors, be it a home garden for which they have organics, light weight tools and mowers, or for larger areas for which they import brush cutters, lawn mowers and ride-ons, too
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God be with you
How often do you look towards the Almighty to guide your decisions? How often do you say a silent prayer before you put pen to paper? Get yourself a specially crafted pen from our ‘Divine Collection’ with exquisite religious icons etched to perfection. For all those moments, when you want your God to be with you!
Also available at all Lawrence & Mayo Stores Panaji: MG Road. Tel.: 2311165 / 73 Margao: Abade Faria Road. Tel.: 2706015 / 16 Mapusa: Tali Wada. Tel.: 2262567 / 68 Ponda: Shantinagar Road. Tel.: 3267729 Vasco: Opp. Karma Empress, Mundvel, Vaddem. Tel.: 2501877 / 1878 JULY 2014
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GreenMantra Chorao Farmers Club Joint stock farming Best known for: Reviving the island’s rich agricultural and horticultural heritage and becoming one of the most successful farmer’s clubs in Goa. The story: The Chorao Island Farmers Club, brainchild of teacher and farming enthusiast Premanand Mahambre, is a collective initiative that aims at reviving traditional agricultural practices in Chorao. Noting the dwindling interest in farming and it’s struggle to survive in these ‘modern’ times, Mahambre spearheaded the movement by taking to farming himself planting 400 coconut trees, 50 mango trees and 50 chickoo trees on his land. In the hilly parts of his land, he planted cashew saplings. That apart, he dug three electrically operated wells and installed a drip irrigation facility. He soon began sharing the secrets of his success with fellow locals and encouraged them to take up farming, too.
June 2012
Premanand Mahambre
Established in February 2008 with 23 members, the Chorao Island Farmer’s Club was created under NABARD’s Farmer’s Club program. They undertake various activities to help members improve practices through knowledge building, marketing, and better tools and infrastructure. The Club is supported by various agencies including The Energy and Resources Institute’s Western Regional Center (TERIWRC), Japan’s The Toyota Foundation and The Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR), Green Essentials. Today, the Club has a growing clientele for their Korgut rice (red kernel rice), Aamche Chorao Mancurad Mangoes, the newly introduced Organic Chorao cashewnuts as well as seasonal organic vegetables. They are also the only farmer’s club to have their own office premise and manage their affairs in a professional manner
Reira Eco Venture Modern farming techniques
Darryl Pereira
June 2014
Best known for: Constantly striving to revive the interest in agriculture which has unfortunately been downgraded to ‘poor man’s’ occupation. The story: Agriculture, one of the mainstays of the Goan economy, has unfortunately, in recent times, been relegated to a ‘poor man’s profession’. Understanding the need to relook at agriculture and give it a positive spin is Reira Eco Ventures (REV). The enterprise is involved in different activities, all sharing synergy with each 106 Business Goa
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other. These ventures are namely Aquaculture, Agriculture, Renewable Energy, Water Harvesting, Waste Management and Aquaponics. Everything that the Reira Group does is centred around integrated systems for a sustainable living. Conceptualised by green entrepreneur Darryl Pereira, REV looks towards the modernization of various agricultural practices. Over the years, they have conducted research and set up pilot projects in agriculture, water harvesting and waste management. REV
has carried out soil testing, water stress, nutrient deficiency and related feasibility studies. Darryl constantly strives to integrate the technical knowledge the group possesses and newly acquired agricultural knowledge, with the help of ICAR, Agriculture Department and private farmers, to introduce innovative ideas to energize the agro-sector. Their activities include conducting field trials, introducing vermicomposted manure into the soil to raise the carbon content and adding a concoction of organic micro-nutrients to rectify nutrient
deficiencies. Among their latest innovations is the Reira Aquaponics Garden in Saligao. Aquaponics is a form of agriculture that makes optimum use of water and nutrients and allows one to grow on the smallest land holding without the use of chemicals and pesticides, by utilizing the least amount of water and nutrients. Reira Eco Ventures hope to draw the younger generation into the agri-business by glamourizing agriculture and showing that it is a viable and profitable business
RestoBuzz Martin’s Corner Goan by nature
Pic: Aslesh Kamat
Best known for: Offering a wide array of traditional Goan dishes, especially seafood preparations and being a hot favourite for the same among the likes of Amitabh Bachchan and Sachin Tendulkar. The story: Martin’s Corner boasts of humble beginnings dating back to 1989 when Martin Pereira, post his retirement, went on to start a corner shop. Boys from the locality would come, play carrom, have a soft drink and tuck into some tasty preparations of traditional favourites like sorpatel, sausage bread and pork chilly fry prepared by Martin’s wife, Carafina. Slowly the word got around and before long, the corner store was extended into a small eatout with four tables. Since these humble beginning, however, Martin’s Corner has come a long way as an award winning restaurant and a known haunt of numerous
celebrities thus gaining a ‘must visit’ reputation. Martin’s Corner now has the capacity to cater to 300 covers. While traditional Goan dishes and seafood preparations remain their mainstay, the restaurant also boasts a multicuisine, a la carte menu which includes Goan, Indian, Tandoori, Continental, Chinese cuisine and an impressive bar menu thus catering to the discerning tastebuds of all visitors. Martin’s Corner has created its mark catering to people from across the globe and has various awards to its credit including the Life Time Achievement Award at the International cuisine conference held at Hotel Fidalgo on September 2007 and the Times Food Award in the Best Goan (traditional) category in 2012 and the Foodie Award for Best Coastal Food Restaurant in the same year
Riorico at The Mandovi Going back in time Best known for: Creating an unforgettable dining experience with a blend of ethnic Goan flavours, age old recipes and warm, homely service. The story: Enter RioRico restaurant at Hotel Mandovi, one of Panjim’s oldest institutions, and two things will immediately strike you – the spectacular view of the Mandovi river and the ideal restaurant ambience including the antique wooden flooring and of course, the tempting smell of a range of Goan delicacies wafting in the air. RioRico is the perfect blend of history, both of Goa and its cuisine, thus making it the ideal culinary brand ambassador. In fact, right since its inception, the restaurant has been a hot favourite with locals, tourists and celebrities alike. A true celebration of Goa’s rich heritage and the cultural and culinary influence of the Portuguese, some of the highly popular offering from RioRico include their rice/ prawn curry, chicken cafreal, seafood caldeirada, kismur fish 108 Business Goa
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mornay and pork vindaloo. The restaurant is also equipped with a fully functional bar with range of innovative cocktails and mocktails to enhance one’s meal experience. It is this very magic of ethnic Goan flavours,
age old recipes and their warm and homely service that ensures that patrons who dine there leave not just a full stomach, but also a perfect dining experience. Open from 7.30 am, the restaurant caters to breakfast
requirements of guests right up to 10 am. Lunch is on offer from 12.30 pm to 3 pm and dinner, from 7 pm to 11 pm. RioRico is charming, old world and a gastronomic pleasure, to say the least
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Cavala The essence of Goa Best known for: A perfect blend of good music and scrumptious food, thus ensuring a value for money dining experience. The story: If it’s Friday night, it’s got to be at Cavala. Although the action here is not limited to just the weekend. Cavala is a hot favourite all through the week, all year around. What perhaps sets Cavala apart from many other popular destinations is the ability of owner Marius Monteiro to offer diners and patrons a perfect blend of lip smacking Goan and Continental delicacies, a wide selection of drinks and exhilarating live music, all this in an ambience that is relaxing and rejuvenating. A sneak peek into Cavala’s history reveals that it was among one of the first restaurants on the now highly populated CalanguteBaga stretch. Its good food and soothing ambience soon ensured that Cavala became a meeting place for travellers. It was here that they
got a chance to share their good times, stories, adventures and laughs, all over chilled beer or a house peg and of course, tasty bites. People visit Cavala for a combined experience of drinks, good food, a friendly chat, a pretty face and a smile. This is exactly what this place is about. In fact, that is the very reason why the Cavala restaurant doesn’t have any doors. Some of their menu items include cold coffees and coolers, salads, Soups, Chicken Kiev, Peri Peri and Liver Pate, Smoked Fish, Trincomalee Prawns, Lamb Lasagne, Moussaka and Baked Potatoes among a wide variety. Not be restricted to just dining, you can, in fact, enjoy their awesome hospitality at their Cavala Resort, Banana Republic Bar and the Zayo Residency, snuggled cozily in Anjuna. This is a hospitality offering that stays down to earth Goan in its fare and appeal, yet meets the global citizen with equal ease
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RestoBuzz Fisherman’s Wharf Romantic ambience Best known for: Its lip-smacking fare, especially a wide variety of seafood preparations and offering guests an authentic and wholesome Goan dining experience. The story: Sitting by the river bank watching the reflection of the stars, sipping on cocktails, lip smacking platters of seafood may sound like a dream from everyday chaos. Nestled in the serene village of Cavelossim, Fisherman’s Wharf offers just that. Xavier and Sonali Furtado started Fisherman’s Wharf to give tourist who frequent Cavelossim an experience beyond starred hotels. A unique concept at Fisherman’s Wharf is that they keep an ice filled fish tub at the entrance where all the seafood is kept on display and customers can pick what they want to eat from this catch.
The menu is spread over continental, Hawaiian, Mexican and foods from the Far East. No matter what dish you order, Fisherman’s Wharf offers the best authentic and wholesome Goan food. Be it prawns, pomfrets or any other fish fried in Reachado masala, sausage pulao, mutton vindalho or chicken xacuti – all create and supplement the greater Goan fine dining experience. Fisherman’s Wharf gained such popularity that the owners went on to open up another outlet in April 2012. Taking the action a notch higher, the brand set up shop in the bustling cosmopolitan of Bangalore on the Sarlur Road. There is another restaurant opening in the Garden City soon. Famed for its lip-smacking fare, especially the wide variety in seafood preparations, it boasts of a loyal fan following across the state and among tourists as well
Zeebop by the sea The classy Goan shack Best known for: Romantic seaside settings, peaceful ambience and best of all, their lipsmacking seafood preparations The story: Zeebop by the sea is an exclusive beach front restaurant set in Utorda, Goa between the Kenilworth Hotel and the Park Hyatt. The restaurant has a romantic ambience nestled cozily amidst coconut trees, silver sand and away from the hustle and bustle of normal life. Tranquillity and relaxation comes naturally as does good service and the best of atmospheres to be found in Goa. Started in 1992, Zeebop has carved a niche for itself. Today it world famous for its seafood delicacies, peaceful ambience and the restaurant’s capabilities to cater to anyone and everyone. Owned by Sergio Dias, a veteran in the hospitality business, his experience gained over the years, has helped him turn Zeebop by the Sea to a regular haunt for several Bollywood biggies including Priyanka Chopra and Arbaaz and Malaika 110 Business Goa
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Arora Khan. More recently they gained fame for hostng Anil Dhawan’s daughter’s wedding. Set on one of the longest and the cleanest beaches in Goa, Zeebop by the sea is world-renowned for sea food featuring “the freshest catch of the day every day”.
The quality of the food and taste is second to none and guests return time after time, year after year, to enjoy the food. Featured in some of the top publications, even locals like to frequent the place. Zeebop has a separate area for events as well and can
take bookings for parties up to 200 guests with DJs and music of your choice, and a pre-arranged buffet. There are clean and well maintained toilet facilities and ample parking for cars and bikes. It is a Goan traditional romantic experience you will not forget
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SERVING ACES
Commit to Commit
The Author talks about commitment being the secret to success
Nilesh Amonker The Writer is a natural entrepreneur. An alumnus of the prestigious Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies, he traverses diverse businesses like info-tech and real estate.
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ince Lombardi famously said, “Most people fail not because of lack of desire, but because of lack of commitment”. So what is commitment? Simply put, commitment means staying loyal to what you said you were going to do long after the mood you said it in has left you. History is replete with stories of how ordinary people like you and I have gone on to excel in their chosen fields and broken records, once considered to be mere fantasy or outcomes of a fecund imagination. It wasn’t talent that separated these men from the boys, nor was it extraordinary ability to start with. It was their commitment and the courage of their conviction to pursue with certainty what was once considered undoable. Take for instance the case of Dick Fosbury. Fosbury was an average student at the Oregon State University and was not considered to be particularly good, either in academics or at any sport. He had failed to make it to the football team and tall as he stood, even at 6’4” he was unable to make it to the basketball team. Faced with the
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Simply put, commitment means staying loyal to what you said you were going to do long after the mood you said it in has left you prospects of not making a mark at anything, he decided to focus on the high jump. Of course, his height expectedly would work to his advantage. Those days, two techniques dominated the high jump scene – one was called the Scissors jump, where the athlete threw first one leg and then the other over the bar before landing on his feet, and the other, the Western Roll, which saw the athlete jump over the bar face down and land on his feet. Fosbury and his coach worked hard at both techniques, but met with very little success. He was however convinced that this was where his future lay and he was committed to his cause. He felt that he had to do something different to clear more height and one day, in a rather desperate attempt, he hurled himself at the bar and tried lifting his hips, which caused his shoulders to go back, and he landed on his back on the other side of the bar. Lo and behold! He had succeeded in clearing his previous best jump by well over six inches! High jump is a sport where improvements are normally measured in fractions of inches and here was an improvement of over six inches in just one day, literally a quantum leap in performance and one which,
Richard Fosbury
therefore, merited serious evaluation. Over the next two years, Fosbury worked on his jump and honed it to perfection. In the 1968 Olympics, he went on to win the gold medal for the highest jump recorded in history until then. Was it easy for Fosbury? Was his innovation immediately embraced? Far from it. When he initially started with his weird looking flip, he was the only athlete in the world doing the jump in that fashion. He was laughed at and ridiculed and the so called experts in the field expressed serious safety concerns and called it a mere shortcut to mediocrity. To add insult to injury, they even called his flip jump a flop jump – the Fosbury Flop as it came to be known. However, he was convinced, right from that day when he made the first Fosbury Flop, that it was the way forward. Single-mindedly, Fosbury stayed committed to his jump and ignored the naysayers. While the experts laughed at his apparently bizarre technique, he broke away from convention, stayed committed to his jump and broke all records. When Fosbury won the Gold at the Olympics in 1968, he was the only athlete in the world to adopt this technique. Today, every single high jumper worth reckoning, across the world, uses the Fosbury Flop.
Indeed a flop that became a huge success. Another story that comes to mind is the one about the “Four minute mile”. For decades together, the world record for running a mile stood at a little over four minutes and one second. The experts had concluded that that this was the limit of human capacity and that it was not only physically impossible, but potentially dangerous as well for people to run faster than that. And so the record stood at four minutes and one second for well over nine long years. However, a young student by the name of Roger Banister at Oxford University had other ideas. Keen to make a mark for himself, Banister had been performing reasonably well in the heat races at the University level. One day he came across a news item that one of the competing athletes, who Banister had beaten on the track in previous races, had actually bettered the world record for running a mile in one of the practice races; he had clocked just over four minutes for a mile. Something came alive in Banister’s mind. He thought to himself that if a competing athlete who he had out-performed in previous races could do a mile in a little over four minutes, surely Banister could better that time. He committed himself to this
When you become certain of something, when you firmly commit to that idea, when every part of your makeup believes it because you focus on it every single day, when every cell in your body is aligned to that thought, something magical happens. And your entire being is alert and moved magically to make the idea manifest itself into reality – that’s of course if you really want it! thought and geared himself for the gruelling training sessions ahead. He trained for days and weeks with single minded determination. And again, while the so called experts held their stance on the four minute barrier, it didn’t deter Banister; he stood committed to his goal. Then, on May 6, 1954, Banister ran the mile at the Iffley Road Track at Oxford University in three minutes and fifty Nine seconds. He had done it! He had achieved what the experts had always considered and maintained as ‘undoable’. That Roger Banister broke the 4-minute barrier and went on to etch his name in the history books with this feat is evident. But there was one more fallout of this event, and a far more important one. The experts had been proven wrong; what was previously considered as undoable was now proven to be achievable. An entire belief
system had been destroyed. Mindsets of athletes across the world changed and new commitments were made. Within a year of Banister’s breaking of the record, over a dozen athletes went on to break the 4 minute barrier. Imagine that, a record that had stood for well over nine years was suddenly being broken routinely. So, what is the relevance of all this to common folks like us? It’s highly unlikely that I would attempt a high jump, leave alone set a record. It is even more unlikely that I would ever attempt to run a mile in under four minutes. But that’s not the point. The point is this: it took a sense of extreme certainty for Fosbury and Bannister to do what was considered undoable. It was their unwavering commitment that enabled them to mould their thought and create that certainty in themselves without seeing any proof that it could be done. Once
Roger Banister
Remember this – you are never given a wish without also being given the power to make it come true; it may call for commitment and hard work though they met with success, the rest of the world saw what was possible and other athletes began to not only commit themselves to these previously unheard of records, but even routinely beating them. That truly is the whole point – when you become certain of something, when you firmly commit to that idea, when every
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part of your makeup believes it because you focus on it every single day, when every cell in your body is aligned to that thought, something magical happens. Your entire being is alert and moved magically to make the idea manifest itself into reality – that’s of course if you really want it! Paulo Coelho summed it up well in his best-selling book, ‘The Alchemist’. “And when you really want something, the entire universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.” The same thought was expressed by Goethe hundreds of years ago when he said, “At the moment of commitment the entire universe conspires to assist you.” Remember this – you are never given a wish without also being given the power to make it come true; it may call for commitment and hard work though. So go on, go forth. The universe is waiting!
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Stock index
Listing of Securities The Writer talks about listing of securities and the processes involved
P.S.Mantri The Writer is a Company Secretary and has vast experience in compliance of Stock Exchange requirements
The listing of securities may be by any public limited company or government or quasi-government organization and also includes financial institutions, corporations, municipalities etc.
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he Listing of Securities means admission of securities by an issuer Company to trading privilege on recognized Stock Exchanges by executing a formal agreement. The very objective of admission to dealing on the exchange is to provide marketability and liquidity to securities issued by the Company (issuer) and also, to provide an organized platform which monitors mechanism of effective administration of trading. Therefore, the listing of securities is nothing but admission of securities for dealing on a recognised stock exchange. The listing of securities may be by any public limited company or government or quasigovernment organization and also includes financial institutions, corporations, municipalities etc.
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Therefore, we can list out the main objectives of the listing as under: • To provide marketability and liquidity to securities. • To protect the interest of investors by transparent way of full disclosures. • To mobilize funds for economic development. Keeping in mind the above objectives of the listing, we can list out benefits of listing of securities on a recognized stock exchange as: 1. The stock exchanges provide a trading platform which exists across all corners of the country and investors from any place can avail trading facilities and such stock exchange provides latest communication technology to give access for trading on every location. 2. The voluminous trading activities on the stock exchange ensures the cost of trading to investors because of the automated trading system and also provides transparency and consistency in trades which improves investors’ confidence in the market. 3. The recent trading system provides equal platform for all levels of trade and post-trade information at any given point of time. The five best buy and sell orders are displayed on the trading system as well total number of securities offered for sale and intended-to-buy are also displayed, which definitely helps the intended investor to understand the depth of the market. In addition to the trading facility, the investors can access all corporate announcements, actions and results which are instantly available on the trading system. 4. The listing of securities on a recognised stock exchange definitely adds value to a company. It can spread the word about the brand awareness of company’s product and company’s corporate culture.
5. The stock exchange gives opportunity to the company to enter a wide range and mounting investor base which gives equal opportunities for local individual and corporate as well as international institutional investor. 6. The stock exchange provides access to collection of retail and institutional investor to a capital market. Registration and listing on the exchange allows corporate to raise required capital which indirectly supports growth stories and expansion. 7. Above all, the raising of capital from the market gives opportunities to corporates to raise required capital at the lowest and cheaper cost as compared to other modes of raising finance. 8. The listing of securities facilitates corporates to invent acceptable price for their shares. 9. Through the platform of recognized stock exchange, all corporate information regarding any development like financial results, announcements of bonus, book closure, record date, mergers, acquisitions, takeovers are made available across the country to all investors at the same time, thereby minimizing the scope for misuse of information on the price. 10. Corporates can have access to wide spread of shareholder base across countries as well as institutional investors. How to get securities listed on recognized stock exchanges by any company? • The listing of securities on a recognised stock exchange is strictly governed by the provisions of Securities Contract Act and Rules, the Companies Act, 2013, the regulations of concerned stock exchanges as well as listing agreements with the concerned stock exchanges and various circulars and guidelines issued from time to time by Securities and Exchange
Board of India (SEBI). Therefore, if the Company intends to have its securities listed, it has to comply with the listing requirements prescribed by the exchange broadly given as under: Minimum listing requirements for a new company The following eligibility criteria for listing securities on the recognized stock exchange is through Initial Public Offer (IPOs) and Follow on Public Offer (FPOs) The Companies are generally classified as large cap and small cap. • For the large cap company, the company is with a minimum issue size of `10 Crores and market capitalization of not less than `25 Crores. • A small cap company is one which is not a large cap company. • In respect of large cap companies, the minimum post issue paid-up capital of the applicant company shall be `3 crores and the minimum issue size shall be `10 crores and the minimum market capitalization of the Company shall be `25 crores. • In respect of small cap companies: 1) Minimum post issue paid-up capital shall be `3 crores. 2) Minimum issue size shall be `3 crores. 3) The minimum market capitalization of the Company shall be `5 crores. 4) The minimum income/ topline of the Company should be `3 crores in each of the preceding three years; and 5) The minimum number of public shareholders up to the issue shall be 1000.. Apart from the above criteria, there are following requirements applicable for all the companies: 1) As regards paid up capital and market capitalization, the issuer shall be required to include
The Companies making offer to public or any right issue to existing shareholders are required to deposit 1% of the issue amount before the issue opens, which is refundable by the exchange to the concerned company after satisfactory completion of all the conditions of listing.
in the disclaimer clause forming part of the offer documents and in the event of market capitalization requirements of the exchange not being met, the securities of the company would not be listed on the exchange. 2) The applicant company or its promoter and groups/associate companies should not be in default in compliances of the listing requirement. 3) Both the above criteria shall be under SEBI (Disclosure and Investor Protection Guidelines, 2000). Minimum Listing requirement for a corporate listed on other (Regional) Stock Exchanges: Governing Board of exchanges amended the listing norms for companies listed on other Stock exchanges and seeking listing on Bombay Stock Exchange Ltd. as follows: 1) The Company should have issued and paid-up capital of `3
crores and minimum net worth of `20 crores. The Company should have profit making track record for last three years. 2) The Company should have dividend payment track record for last three consecutive years. 3) The minimum market capitalization of the listed capital should be two times that of the paid-up capital. 4) The Company should sign an agreement with CDSL / NSDL for demat trading. 5) The listed company should have at least two years listing record with any regional stock exchange OTHER • The Company delisted by the exchange earlier and seeking relisting are required to make a fresh Public Offer and comply with prevailing exchange guidelines and SEBI requirements regarding the Initial
Public Offer. • The Companies desiring to list their securities on the exchange offered through public issue are required to obtain prior permission to use the name of the exchange in their offer documents before filing the same with concerned Registrar of Companies. • The Companies seeking to list its securities on the exchange are required to submit letter of application to the concerned stock exchange to have its securities listed before filing the offer documents with Registrar of Companies. • The Company is required to complete the allotment of securities offered to public within 30 days from the date of closure of the subscription list and approach the concerned stock exchange for approval of basis of allotment. • The issuer Companies are
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required to complete formalities for trading at stock exchanges, where the securities are supposed to be listed within seven working days of finalization of basis of allotment. • The Companies making an offer to public or any right issue to existing shareholders are required to deposit 1 per cent of the issue amount before the issue opens, which is refundable by the exchange to the concerned company after satisfactory completion of all the conditions of listing. • The Companies listed on the exchange are required to pay annual listing fees before 30th April of every financial year • The Companies listed on the stock exchange are required to comply with various conditions laid down in the listing agreement and identified by the concerned exchange and SEBI from time to time
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good company
Nine Finance Lessons for new start ups The Author talks about important finance lessons that every entrepreneur needs to learn
Swatee Rane The Columnist is a Practising Chartered Accountant and Member of Institute of Company Secretaries of India. caswateerane@yahoo.co.in
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init is just out of his Engineering College, and is keen on jumping onto the entrepreneurship bandwagon. He wants to start an e-commerce business venture and so he approaches his friend and talks about his business plans. His friend, who is a finance expert, asks him whether he has mastered the skill sets required to run his venture successfully. Vinit tells him that he has graduated in software engineering and has also completed a post graduation diploma in e-marketing. His friend than asks him a very pertinent question, “Are you financially literate”? Vinit wonders loudly what that means. His friend explains to him, that every entrepreneur who wishes to embark on an entrepreneurial journey needs to learn these nine basic finance lessons… Lesson One: What is your financial risk appetite? Firstly, a budding entrepreneur needs to know all about his and his family’s tolerance for financial risk. There is a high risk content in any new business
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venture. Fluctuating economic trends, changing consumer tastes, supply chain disruptions and many other factors can make business success a lessthan-guaranteed proposition. Always remember that during the start-up phase and beyond, the owner is the last one to be paid. Although business owners reap the profits, if the venture is successful, there is also a high element of risk of loss. Hence, evaluating one’s financial risk appetite goes a long way in ensuring that you can sustain the initial gestation period. Lesson Two: How much funds are needed? The second lesson would be to understand how much money would be required to start the proposed business. You need to budget for capital expenditure, plant and machinery, furniture and fixtures, stock, etc. Check out your projections regarding revenue and costs and find out how much funds need to be pumped in, before the venture starts generating revenue. Also, never be over optimistic in projecting your business profits and never underestimate your costs. Lesson Three: What type of business organization suits you? You may start a sole proprietary concern, or enter into partnership with your friends or colleagues, or form a Limited Liability Partnership (LLP) firm, or maybe get registered into a company under the Companies Act. Apart from the legal clearances, you should check the minimum capital requirements and the registration charges that your business organization would entail. Lesson Four: How much business credit can be organized? The funds needed to start your
A budding Entrepreneur needs to know all about his and his family’s tolerance for financial risk. There is a high risk content in any new business venture. Fluctuating economic trends, changing consumer tastes, supply chain disruptions and many other factors can make business success a less-than-guaranteed proposition business, may be obtained from your own personal savings or procured from family and friends. You also have an option to obtain loans from banks, or financial institutions to fill in the gap. The wise use of business credit will help a company stabilize, grow and prosper. Also, do not forget that your credit history is very integral when it comes to determining how much loan can be procured for your business venture. Personal credits histories are one of the major tools lenders use to evaluate the business risk that their institutions incur in making a start-up business loan. How you have managed your personal finances offers
an important indicator to the lenders, regarding the prospects of your business and moreover, the risks involved in lending. Even a compelling business plan might not be able to overcome an owner’s poor or marginal credit history. After a business has been in operation for a while, availability of a business loan is more likely to be based on the business profits and growth. Lesson Five: Are you good at cash flow management? Cash is the lifeblood of any business entity. It keeps the business alive and ticking. A business may be profitable, but may fail if you cannot manage your cash flow efficiently. Cash flow depends on the timing of accounts payables and receivables, inventory turnover, fixed expense commitments etc. Without a solid foundational knowledge of such areas, and the effects they have on cash flows and the cash float, a business owner will fail in his entity’s cash flow management. Lesson Six: How well can you manage your business costs? The funds you may need for your business venture would depend much on how well you control your operational costs. Understand the financial
Although entrepreneurs are not necessarily accountants, they need to know how to record and track business income and expenses. It is in the business interests that up-to-date accounting records are maintained and the financial health of the business is periodically gauged by the owners
implications of different ways of conducting your business. Your business profits and the revenue that your business generates will depend on how well you manage and control your raw material costs, wages, salaries, administration and sales marketing costs. Avoidable expenses need to be reviewed and discouraged and productive use of resources need to be encouraged. Lesson Seven: Do you know how to record and track your income and expenses? Although entrepreneurs are not necessarily accountants, they need to know how to record and track business income and expenses. It is in the business interests that upto-date accounting records are maintained and the financial health of the business is
Cash is the lifeblood of any business entity. It keeps the business alive and ticking. A business may be profitable, but may fail if you cannot manage your cash flow efficiently periodically gauged by the owners. Having, at least, a basic computer-based financial system and keeping up with regular data input is a must for any business owner and helps him in being control of his venture. Lesson Eight: Can you read, understand and correctly interpret your financial statements: Can you read, interpret and use your business financial statements correctly? The financial statements viz. the profit
and loss account, the balance sheet and the cash flow statement constitute the ‘Report Card’ of any business entity. Each one tells a different part of the story about a company’s financial condition. Together, they can be used to spot weaknesses and strengths. Ratios derived from financial statements provide clues to where an owner needs to implement corrective actions before a situation goes out of hand. Hence, periodically studying and analyzing these statements helps the business owner to be in charge of his entity and direct it towards success and growth. Lesson Nine: Last but not the least, do you know your tax liability? Do you know your tax liability? Learn how a business structure
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affects your future tax liability: There are different tax advantages associated with different business models and understanding the model that best suits you and your entity is in your own interests. There are various tax legislations which are to be complied with – direct tax and indirect tax, various exemptions, benefits which can be availed. Getting appropriate professional advice will not only help you to be tax compliant, but more importantly, tax efficient. Vinit’s friend told him, that although these nine lessons are very basic and not at all comprehensive, yet, learning them would definitely help Vinit to start a business venture, which generates revenues and profits, one which is not only successful, but also has bright prospects ahead
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Business Goa 119
GREEN GOA
A green plan for Goa’s economic prosperity and environment sustainability The Writer offers realistic solutions to the growing problem of sustainable tourism
Tallulah D’Silva The Columnist is an Architect and is passionate about green issues, heritage and quizzing. tallulahdsilva@gmail.com
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oa is currently at a cusp where the challenges of urbanization, tourism, business, sanitation, water supply, waste management, traffic congestion, connectivity and population are at its peak and addressing these with the right long term vision will be key to its sustainable development. But can development supersede or occur at the cost of environmental degradation? For business to do well and development to take place with the least impact to environment, it is important to first acknowledge what we have and the role it plays to then be able to conserve these characteristic assets. What are Goa’s ecological assets then and resulting economic drivers? Take tourism, the backbone of Goa’s economy. Why are tourists coming to Goa? The first tourists who set foot in the 1970s made Goa their refuge for its pristine beauty and ‘susegad’ village life. Since then, the number of visitors has spiralled and current figures estimate 3.5 million tourists annually. This is a staggering number if one compares it to Goa’s population of 1.5 million. A large percentage of these tourists favour the coastal belt and around 85 per cent prefer to stay at the small
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Tourists exploring spice plantations
and medium guesthouses and hotels mostly run by local Goans. Over the last 30 years, tourism has flourished and raked in good revenue to Goa’s economy, with all stakeholders benefitting from the cash pie. But the stark lacuna has been felt at key points where basic supplementary services and amenities should have been provided for by the government and its relative departments. Changing rooms on the beach, wash room facilities, information centres, garbage management systems and waste water management systems have long been absent and no steps taken to remedy this basic infrastructure requirement. No tourist will be keen to come to Goa if there is garbage strewn all around, sewage seeping into the water bodies, etc. It is not too late and now that the current government has taken steps to assert a vision for a green tourism plan and promote its cultural traditions and hinterland tourism, it is time to strengthen the vision by first recognizing Goa’s ecological assets and take measures to strengthen and protect these and only then integrate new infrastructure to improve business. What are assets that drive tourism in Goa and how can we strengthen these? 1. Goa’s greenery is replete with agrarian fields, beach vegetation, urban tree cover and protected forests. This is one of our greatest
assets and one that can drive eco tourism for generations. Who is sustaining these? Farmers, forest communities and the State Forest Department. Who benefits from these? All the stake holders in the tourism business, least of all – the farmers and forest communities. How do we conserve this asset? Simple, promote agri-tourism by bringing the farmers into the fold of eco-tourism. Promote organic farming and products. Orchards, coconut groves and paddy fields are our future food security unless you want to consume pesticide doused apples and other food from China, New Zealand and other parts of the globe. Promote homestays around forest areas. Allow forest communities to run homestays, another sound model of eco tourism. Let the communities get direct benefits from this model of promoting hinterland tourism. Develop the Wildlife Sanctuaries such that these have a 3kms buffer zone where eco-tourism can be allowed, keeping the core area completely undisturbed and therefore, allow for biodiversity to flourish. Development must be non-intrusive in these eco sensitive areas. All roads cutting across Wildlife Sanctuaries and protected forests must have underpasses to allow for wildlife to evolve undisturbed, reduce road kill and thus, enrich the gene pool. All activities must be high on experience and low on built infrastructure. White water rafting in Goa by the Tourism Department is a very good
model and similar activities like nature trails, camping with tented accommodation facilities, bird watching, etc are good ecotourism models to replicate. Another idea to promote non intrusive activities is to promote camps for researchers and scientists and citizen science projects where comprehensive documentation of Goa’s flora and fauna can be promoted. 2. Goa’s unique water ways and man-made khazaans. Goa is water rich due to the fact that it receives a high amount of rainfall. Yet, it faces water scarcity in many areas, particularly during the summer. Its forests are the sources of fresh water and its main life lines, the Mandovi and the Zuari, originate in the upper reaches of the forests along the Western Ghats. This fresh clean water is perennial. We also tap fresh clean water in wells that comes from natural aquifers as Goa is rich with lateritic soil and rocky topography. Preserve all of these in villages, hinterlands, even towns and cities and we can ensure water security for generations. Goa’s coast, meanwhile is unique with creeks and the back waters that are managed by sluice gates that monitor the tidal currents. These are our natural infrastructure systems and security against the imminent rise in sea levels due to climate change in the future. All the khazaans and fields beyond are catchment areas for fresh water, man-made rain water harvesting system as rain water runs down the surrounding hills and flows down to these low lying fields where it percolates and replenishes the ground water table. The salt pans along the back waters are our manufacturers of natural salt. Rich in iodine, minerals and locally harvested this is a guaranteed remedy for common colds, sore throats, etc – ask grandma! These also support rich bird life and micro organisms. Millions of tourists
Goa’s greenery is replete with agrarian fields, beach vegetation, urban tree cover and protected forests. This is one of our greatest assets and one that can drive eco tourism for generations. Who is sustaining these? Farmers, forest communities and the State Forest Department. Who benefits from these? All the stake holders in the tourism business, least of all – the farmers and forest communities visit Goa to sight birds, both endemic and migratory ones that thrive in these habitats. When the sea water rises, the creeks will allow the water to flow into its backwaters via the sluice gates and beyond the wetlands and some into fields where the bunds have been breached. If these existing natural systems are conserved and protected from rampant construction and development, these will act as safety mechanisms and will limit the impacts of sea level rise. Restoration of bunds that have breached will help to conserve all our agrarian lands and ensure food security for the city and State. 3. Goa has its unique heritage with forts and causeways. Forts all along the coast act as effective buffers against the fury of the sea and the causeways allow for easy accessibility. These need to be conserved at all costs and
impacts of new developments properly understood. Goa is yet to implement a heritage masterplan for tourism. 4. Goa’s coastline with unique beach vegetation and elements like sand dunes, ipomoea runners, casuarinas is one of its most important assets and one that sparked tourism, but has now got so ravaged with indiscriminate flattening of its sand dunes, absence of vegetation, rampant construction, waste water and garbage pollution that the day is not far when no tourist will want to step out on its sandy shore. Strict regulation and monitoring by the local bodies, basic infrastructure and supplementary services will be key to its survival. It is now time for the government to wake up and prepare a vision and master plan for coastal tourism and implement it without further delay provided it follows a transparent, inclusive and
participatory process. Approach: 1. Conserve all the above mentioned eco-system assets. If we don’t protect these natural assets and the interests of the local community, we will lose business. 2. Let new infrastructure be non-intrusive. Sensitively plan new roads, bridges and connections. Are these necessary in the first place. Why place another bridge when there are already two or even one? Who will benefit? How will it impact mudflats, fishing and other traditional occupations? Again the focus needs to shift from the current one where mobility and congestion can be solved not by widening roads or building new ones or adding flyovers but improving the public transport system itself. Introduce new swanky buses, better facilities for
the public. Let people accrue the benefits. 3. Community comes first. Local people are priority. Local communities are the primary stakeholders, let them be involved in the decision making process. 4. Basic amenities are a must. Every tourist hub must be facilitated with proper bins, wash rooms, information kiosks, etc. 5. Garbage and waste water management systems must be made mandatory. Completely clean Goa of garbage and grey water/sewage and have in place decentralized micro systems that use low energy, natural methods of recycling to reuse waste and garbage as a resource. 6. Adopt a policy with these as long term goals. Or else every time the government changes, a new plan is floated and all efforts seem mere attempts at green washing tourism in Goa
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Business Goa 121
marketing guru
Nothing frugal about the effects of frugal marketing induce more fuel to my brand.
The Writer spells out cost effective ways in which you can stay ahead on the marketing curve
Vivek Mendonsa The Writer is the Marketing Director of Lawrence & Mayo and is passionate about branding and marketing vivekm@lawrenceandmayo.co.in
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o Money, no honey is what we have been doctored to believe, and thus the marketing world too has have weaved a truth based on this myth. Want to market yourself? Want to make a brand? Want to reach out to customers? Well, for that, honey, you need a lot of money. They say, first set a budget that is huge enough to finance a ‘big fat Indian wedding’, then call a consultant who is the inevitable frill, and only then can marketing, branding and dialogue with consumers happen. Yes! That is how marketing has been happening, that is how it has been defined. But the era that we are dwelling in experiences a recession overcast. And in climatic conditions so tough, budgets only ooze out like sand from midst of fingers. Even
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though times get harder and the economy slows, marketing remains necessary to bring in revenues. So what do we do? The good news is that there are many cost efficient ways to approach marketing when times are tough and budgets are shrinking. And these ways delve under a strategy called ‘Frugal Marketing’. In simple terms, Frugal Marketing, can be defined as the approach where small but effective ways of marketing and connecting to consumers are chosen. They don’t cost a fortune, but work the way you want. Here are a few questions to get the frugal marketing juices going: 1. When was the last time you engaged your customer/ community to find out what they really want in these changing times? 2. Are there people in your network who might be able to piggyback services with you? Remember, it isn’t always about the amount of money spent; it’s about knowing who you want to talk with and then, being creative with your marketing techniques.
Here are some tips and tricks on Frugal Marketing: Speak at an industry event Every industry puts on paid or free events and training seminars each year and wants experts to speak. Although public speaking isn’t for everyone, it’s a great way for you to be a known expert in your industry. The attendees want to learn from experts. Although you may believe you may not have knowledge to give, you’ll be surprised that most people won’t know what you know about your business and industry and will value your knowledge. The best way to start is to attend an event and see what the speakers say and how they weave their company information into their presentations. To get onto the list of speakers, you should contact the event organisers. Once you are on the speaking circuit you’ll be invited to many other seminars as the expert in your industry. At Lawrence & Mayo, I have adopted this strategy really well. I have been at many forums, seminars, and associations where I get to share knowledge, learn in return and at the end,
Leaflets and Flyers If you know exactly who your target customers are, why not prepare a simple flyer on your computer and hand deliver them to homes and businesses in your local area? This is one of the most effective methods of advertising your services. If you don’t want to deliver the leaflets yourself, the post office will undertake this for you via their postmen and women for a small charge. When you develop the message on your flyer, ensure you are solving a problem your customer has with the benefits that you offer from your products and services. Once you have a flyer, why not ask others their opinion before you print and distribute them. Many of the large business forums will help you as well as friends and family. It’s also best to follow up with your prospects. Some people need two or more messages before they contact you. You’ll also get vital feedback for your services if you contact your potential customers directly. Business Card Distribution Everyone who runs a business should have a business card. A business card should not only have your basic details on it, but also a sales message. These days you can print cheaply on both sides of the card so make sure you use the space to your advantage. Give out your business card to everyone you know and meet as you’ll never know when someone needs your service. For those who have one of your business cards to hand rather than saying “I know someone who offers that service but can’t remember their details”, they can hand over your business card. Become an Expert In becoming a
speaker,
Every business has new products or services, does something new or has something exciting to share with the rest of the business world or within their industry. Prepare a press release yourself. If you are unsure of the style, just have a look at some of the press release sites to get an idea of the structure
becoming an expert will open up more opportunities such as magazine, newspaper, radio and even perhaps TV interviews. The internet is also a massive medium. You may be reading this article on another website as we have syndicated some of our work. If you write articles others will pick them up, post them on their websites and link them back to your site because the content of your article is from an expert author. That’s the power of becoming an expert. Send out Press Releases Every business has new products or services, does something new or has something exciting to share with the rest of the business world or within their industry. Prepare a press release yourself. If you are unsure of the style, just have a look at some of the press release sites to get an idea of the structure. Journalists
and editors of magazines and newspapers are always on the lookout for newsworthy and interesting stories, so you’ll always have an excellent chance of being featured. Once you have your press release ready, decide where you would like it published and e-mail it to the editor. Follow up your e-mail with a telephone call to ensure that they have your release and if they will publish it. You may need to coordinate with them hard, as they receive so much information each day. So, make sure your story and release stands out from the rest. Some other interesting Frugal Initiatives we have taken at Lawrence and Mayo include, Spot the Spectacles: We take up a leading business newspaper every day and spot company CEOs, bank executives, leaders, visionaries, experts wearing
spectacles in the pictures that the paper has printed. We make a list of these people, then my team works on finding their email ids and we send them an email congratulating them for their achievement, mentioned in the paper and then introduce our propositions. A tactic, which is relevant, cost free and one that reaches your consumer with a sweet surprise. Network for Networth: We ensure attending events, sharing business cards, creating contacts, being part of leading associations and thus harness the power of word of mouth. • Cross promotions • Exclusive offerings • Get B School Students to do your research and work for you! So let’s break through from the stereotype of ‘No Money No Marketing’ and let’s get frugal!
When you advertise with Business Goa, you ensure that your pitch is read, heard and viewed favourably by the who’s who of business in Goa 50
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5 TH A N N I V E R S ARY
VOL 6 ISSUE 1
PANAJI GOA
JULY 2014
SPECIAL ISSU E
Leaders Organisations
Beyond Business
Industry
Real Estate
Ideas@Work
Passion Ventures
Goan Brands
Lady Power
Milestone Decisions
Startups
Goan Diaspora
Young Guns
Partnership
Education
Retail
Professionals
Lifestyle
Business Books
Services
Media Voices
Managers
Green Mantra Restaurants
News Views Articles Interviews Profiles Focus Analysis Opinions Events Features
Call Annalise Gouveia on 2425514, 6456555 or email businessgoa.media@gmail.com
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Business Goa 123
LOVE FOR BUSINESS
Advice with more than a ‘pinch of salt’ The Author doles out advice to help enterprises grow
Swapnil Kamat The Columnist is a corporate trainer and manages his own consultancy, workbetterindia.com. A serial entrepreneur at a young age, he is crazy about business and cricket www.swapnil@workbetterindia.com
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usiness Goa and Work Better Training started around the same time, five years ago. It gives me immense joy to see your magazine create a space of its own in the Goan media landscape. You were warned by pundits that your magazine would not last beyond the first year. But here we are, celebrating five years of its successful existence. So, big congratulations to you and your team. Most business plans don’t turn into actual ventures. Of the ones that do, most die within their first year of existence. Therefore an entrepreneur whose venture breaches the five years mark profitably must take great pride, as we are a minority. While striking a celebratory note, it’s also important to be introspective. The fact that the magazine has gone past this mark does not mean it’s here to stay. The biggest giants with huge cash corpuses have
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collapsed over the years like a pack of cards. But that’s what we are attracted to as entrepreneurs, the risk involved in business – that anything is possible. So celebrate, yet be circumspect of the time ahead. I want to use the rest of the column to dole out advice. Not just for Business Goa, but for any venture at a similar juncture. Advice that applies to you, as much as it does to me. All the things I’m going to share are obvious. But like Dale Carneige said, “The obvious is what people need to be reminded of”. 1. Concentrate on building a beautiful product. In your case, a beautiful magazine. A magazine that you can put your hand to your heart and say this is the best we could have done this month. My fundamental belief is that a great product outlasts everything. On the other hand, it’s impossible to build a lasting business with a mediocre product. As we grow and time goes by, there is a natural tendency to get complacent about our basic product offering. My suggestion, constantly think about reinventing. Don’t wait for competition to come before you start pulling up your socks. Do it with a sense of urgency. 2. Talk to your customers. Actually question them. Ask your customers, ‘How can I really make this magazine better?’ ‘What are we doing wrong?’ You will get some great suggestions. Ask the customers that really care. Probe beyond the answers that are essentially niceties. If they say you are doing all things right, they are either lying or they don’t know enough. Your harshest critics are always your best teachers. 3. Hire people smarter and more driven than you. In my experience, this is the toughest part of entrepreneurship. It’s
While striking a celebratory note, it’s also important to be introspective. The fact that the magazine has gone past this mark does not mean its here to stay. The biggest giants with huge cash corpuses have collapsed over the years like a pack of cards. But as entrepreneurs, we are attracted to the risk involved in business. So celebrate, yet be circumspect of the time ahead. much easier to find a customer than it is to find team members. We cannot grow a business unless more heads and hands are involved. Irrespective of the scale you may attain, hiring is a boutique activity. There is some science to it, but also a lot of art. If you get it right 50 per cent of the times, you are doing well. The thing with hiring is that it’s impossible to tell whether the person is right in terms of attitude and way of working when you interview them. So follow what Steve Jobs said – hire slow, fire quick.
4. Be an approachable leader. Your team will have a lot of good ideas. The more approachable you are, the more likely they are to share them with you. Being approachable also helps them tell you about their screwups instead of spending time on covering them up. They will make mistakes like we did and still do. How you react to them will define your relationship with your team. 5. Grow or perish. Either you are growing or de-growing. Either you are moving upwards or downhill. In India, being ‘stable’ is given undue importance. But stability is what ruins. Growing, or at least attempting to grow, is what teaches and tends to take our companies ahead. And finally, as Baz Luhrmann rightly suggested, take all this advice with a pinch of salt. I am no Narayanamurthy. I’m just another entrepreneur trying to build a venture, just like you are. If you follow my advice and succeed at growing this magazine to even greater heights, we will have a great story. If you don’t, there will be another, albeit slightly sadder one. But there will be a story nevertheless. And that’s the beauty of entrepreneurship – the story of the journey. So, let’s make ours a story worth telling. Best of luck Business Goa
LETTER FROM AMERICA
Over the years India’s political alignment shifted from ‘non-aligned’, to support of the Soviet Union, and since the early nineties to a ‘slight’ tilt towards the United States. This move towards the USA came about because of the 1990 financial crisis in India, and the break-up of the Soviet Union.
US – India Relations: JFK to Obama The Writer talks about US-India relations and the repercussions on the respective economies
Jay Dehejia The Writer used to be a senior corporate executive, now a social entrepreneur. He spends most of his time between Goa and New York jay@dehejia.net
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t was in late May when President Obama extended an invitation to Narendra Modi to visit Washington after the UN General Assembly meetings in New York this coming September. Prime Minister Modi has graciously accepted the invitation. The details of the venue, and whether Modi will be asked to address the joint session of Congress, as well as the subjects that may be discussed, will be agreed upon in private discussions during the next few months. These important one-on-one meetings, and ceremonial public functions will, I am sure, set the stage for future political, trade and investment, and cultural exchanges between the two countries. Relations between the US and India have gone from being adversarial during the NixonIndira Gandhi era to euphoric when George W. Bush and Manmohan Singh signed the nuclear deal. Going back to the days of Jawaharlal Nehru and President Kennedy, the chemistry between those two leaders went
from ‘mutual admiration’ when Kennedy mentioned Nehru by name at his inauguration address to ‘disgust’ when Nehru disagreed with Kennedy on the Vietnam war. Recent documents reveal that Nehru asked his Private Secretary MJ Desai to convey his opinion to the US Government: “Tell them not to go into Vietnam. They will be bogged down and they will never be able to get out.” Over the years, India’s political alignment shifted from ‘non-aligned’, to support of the Soviet Union, and since the early 90s to a ‘slight’ tilt towards the USA. This move towards the USA came about because of the 1990 financial crisis in India, and the break-up of the Soviet Union. Under the leadership of P V Narasimha Rao, and excellent execution by the then Finance Minister, Manmohan Singh, India’s economic growth moved swiftly away from the traditional ‘Hindu’ rate of growth of 3 per cent to a high of 10 per cent per year. Investment from the US and Europe grew fast, and trade with the West expanded. Political relations between the two countries improved as both countries benefited on the economic front. The more India opened its markets, the more the US clamoured India to assist US industry by buying more goods. Since India has aspirations for a permanent seat at the United Nations Security Council, the US government continued to dangle that carrot. Relations between US and India continued to seesaw till early 2001. After the Twin Tower attacks of September 11, 2001, President Bush collaborated closely with the Indian government, positioning India as its ‘indispensable partner’ in Asia and as a counterweight to China. Since 2004, Washington and New Delhi have pursued a ‘strategic partnership’ that was based on shared values and generally convergent geopolitical interests. Numerous
economic, security, and global initiatives, including plans for civilian nuclear cooperation, were signed in October 2008. During the tenure of the Bush administration, relations between India and the US blossomed, primarily over common concerns regarding growing Islamic extremism, energy security, and climate change. President Obama inherited a major financial crisis as he took office in 2009. His administration’s focus shifted in order to bring stability in the financial markets. By then, China had become the largest lender to the US, and Secretary of State Hilary Clinton’s first trip overseas was to China. India was kept on the ‘back-burner’. Analysts noted that India was not even mentioned once in the Obama administration’s official foreign policy agenda. Relations between the US and India reached a new low when the US started to negotiate with the ‘moderate’ elements of the Taliban in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Around that time India reacted by discussing alternatives with Iran and Russia to attempt to defeat the Taliban. In order to reverse the negative trend, the first official State dinner of Barack Obama’s administration was held in honour of Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who visited the US in November 2009. Obama stated “We want to build a future in which India is indispensable.” At the 34th session of US-India Business relations meeting, Secretary Clinton said “As part of that strategy, we [India and US] should expand our broader security relationship and increase cooperation on counter terrorism and intelligence sharing.” When Obama addressed the joint session of Parliament in New Delhi in late 2010, he announced the removal of export control restrictions on several Indian companies, and concluded trade deals worth $10 billion. As the
relationship was limping back to an uneasy calm, the Indian Deputy Consul General was arrested in New York leading to retaliation in New Delhi. In addition, the Congress-led coalition government could not enact laws that were ‘friendly’ to investors. FDI slowed down and US financial institutions started moving monies out of India. The US continues to be bogged down with problems in West Asia. The latest eruption of fighting in Iraq comes on top of the ongoing civil war in Syria. The long-lasting disagreement between Israel and Palestine seems to take a lot of Secretary Kerry’s time, and the unsettled nature of events in Egypt keeps the US administration on its toes. The Republican majority in Congress does not allow Obama to get new initiatives approved; the gridlock in Washington does not bode well for any constructive foreign policy initiatives. Following the Gujarat riots in 2002, US enforced a defacto visa ban on Modi from 2005 until his election victory. President Obama’s phone call to Modi on his election victory appears to have come after pressure from the US business community. Acceptance of this invitation shows the pragmatic approach taken by the Prime Minister. As Professor Panagariya writes in the June 10th issue of ‘Foreign Affairs’, “As the euphoria associated with Modi’s extraordinary election [win] gives way to the duties of the office, the new PM must turn to the hard work of delivering the economic promises he made during the campaign.” This economic agenda most likely includes cooperation with the US, not only on sustainable foreign investment, but also on the role India and US can jointly play in South Asia after the US military withdrawal from Afghanistan. Will this be a start of a new era of cooperation between the two countries? JULY 2014
Business Goa 125
PEOPLE TREE
Audacity of HOPE
The Author talks about the journey of hope and how entrepreneurs use it to build their success
The author alongwith Venkatesh Prabhudessai (Aryan Institute), Edwin Pinto (Janota Goa) and Harshvardhan Bhatkuly (Business Goa)
Kishore Shah The Writer is a organisational development and talent analytics consultant. He is also the founder sponsor of Goa CSR awards shahkishorem@gmail.com
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t is indeed a destined coincidence. This article was drafted for July issue and little did I know it would coincide with Business Goa’s 5th anniversary which translates into 60 back to back issues, a commendable feat and achievement. Recently, Business Goa was awarded the ‘364 days of Transformation Award’ at the GCCI during my book release and we all had an opportunity to experience the growth and evolution of Business Goa through a power point presentation and a brief by Harshvardhan Bhatkuly. It seemed like a journey of hope. A journey of hope is displacement from ‘Thoughts to ‘Action’, the former is past and the later is present and anyone who can transcend from one to another, and keep moving with purpose, is on the journey of ‘Hope’. The beauty of this journey, and those who embark upon this path, is that they attract and inspire many more and that is what Business Goa has done for the last five years. The fabric of life is ‘pain’ and everybody in this world
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constantly strives to free oneself from it. Pain could be about ignorance, suffering, loss, etc which the ‘thought’ part is. But very few initiate a movement or expression for this thought which is nothing but ‘action’. Let me elaborate with an example: Goa’s image is conveniently and largely distorted and maligned. The metaphors associated with Goa are often derogatory and we all feel hurt about this, which is the ‘thought’ aspect. In this chaos of ‘thoughts’, one magazine, Business Goa, stands up to strongly feature the amazing industrial, business prowess of Goans, applauding their achievements, this is the ‘Action’ part. Thus making Business Goa a perfect case study titled ‘A journey of HOPE’ To understand this, let us dwell on the concept further. Action is always preceded with ‘Desire’ and there are two streams of Desire, the first is ‘Death oriented’ (destruction) and the second is ‘Life oriented’ the life oriented always aims at joy, beauty and serenity. Action has two orientations – action for ‘Self’ and action for the ‘World’ Action for self means personal autonomy, individuality, personal judgment, center for decision making. Action for world includes politics, power, understanding laws of nature and blending it to meet human needs In one’s journey of life it is important to select and strike a balance between action orientation and its desire source. Let us analyze how the permutation and combinations of
the desire and action orientations create various tracks. Track 1 When one’s ‘desire is death oriented’ and action is aimed at self and world, all it will lead to is dictatorship leading to world wars and terrorism. There‘s enough evidences in history. Track 2 When one’s’ desire is death oriented’ and action is aimed only at self and not world it will lead to depression, pain, self doubt manifesting into self destruction. Track 3 When one’s ‘desire is death oriented and action is aimed at world and not self, you will perennially get into the ‘blame game’, perceive the entire world as your enemy and get into a vicious circle of large scale destruction what is typically called ‘wicked happiness’. Track 4 When your desire is ‘Life oriented’ and your actions are aimed only at the world and not at self, then you are too close to becoming a reincarnation of ‘Raja Harishchandra’ i.e. in pursuit of larger social cause your personal life, family will have to suffer the brunt. Track 5 When your desire is ‘Life oriented’ and your actions are focused only on self and not the world, then you will get into the trap of greed, intolerance and be insensitive to the world and become individualistic. Track 6 When your desire is life oriented and your actions are now
focused on both, self as well as world, then there is a free flow of joy, serenity and happiness along with creation, invention enriching self and others Business Goa and the biography of Harshvardhan runs parallel to track 6 in the ‘Journey of HOPE’, the 60th issue is strong evidence of it. No doubt on track 6 one has to make your own road and travel the tarmac for others. History has enough stories about people who, in their journey of hope, choose Track6. To name a few, there are are Karl Marx, Plato, Decorates and Swami Vivekananda. A popular adage says “A prisoner cannot free his companions unless he first breaks his chains”. In a positive sense, we all are quite often prisoners of our own thoughts which often stunt our action. Very few have the courage to break free. Business Goa’s own journey, its offering to society, at large aptly fits this metaphor. The success of Business Goa though can be easily measured on the number of issues it has released seamlessly and consistently, but one should also take into account its contribution in motivating the business community at large amplifying the entrepreneurial spirit by featuring and publishing their stories, recognizing their achievements and making it loud and clear that ‘Business’ and ’Profits’ are not bad words. Ventures like Business Goa are successful because they come with original ‘Thought’ and when such thoughts are backed by holistic actions, which incorporates all the four fundamental components – Discovering the root causes, acquiring technical skills, developing inspiration, projecting it on the world always results in a wow effect. The Business Goa success story is actually the success story of Goa’s business community in a way, isn’t it?
LEGAl EAGLE
Inspite of all its merits, in reality the SFCs essentially remain – a State-managed Financial Institution running on Public Exchequer. And the rest is best left at that. In the same breath, and as a responsible member of my fraternity, I think, an ounce of that culpability can be attributed to us as sometimes even under insouciant judicial pronouncements he and his surety scot free from their liability.
‘New teeth to the old Tiger’ State Financial Corporations
The Writer talks about the role of the State Financial Corporations and the process of recovery by them
Raunaq Rao The Columnist is a practicing Advocate and takes keen interest in public affairs and socio-legal issues raunaq.rao@gmail.com
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e have achieved political freedom but our revolution is not yet complete and is still in progress, for political freedom without the assurance of the right to live and to pursue happiness, which economic progress alone can bring, can never satisfy a people. Therefore, our immediate task is to raise the living standards of our people, to remove all that comes in the way of the economic growth of the nation. …” said Nehru in his 13th October, 1949 speech to the United States Congress. The intention was clear and the goal was set for the First Cabinet. Industrial development had no substitute – Industrialisation it was - and that was the agenda of the first Minister of Industries & Supplies, Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee during his tenure in office (from 15.08.1947 to 06.04.1950) One of first legislative steps in this direction was the setting up of the Central Industrial Finance Corporation under the Industrial Finance Corporations Act, 1948
which aimed at providing medium and long term credit to industrial undertakings which back then fell outside the “normal activities” of Commercial Banks. Soon a need was felt and expressed by the State Governments that similar Corporations be set up at StateLevel to supplement the work of the Industrial Finance.It was also felt that these State Corporations be established under a special legislation in order to make it possible to incorporate in the Constitution necessary provisions in regard tomajority control by the Government, guaranteed by the State Government in regard to the payment of principal. With this view the State Financial Corporation Bill was introduced in the Parliament. The State Financial Corporation Act was thus enacted on 31.10.1951. As envisaged State Financial Corporations (SFCs), played apivotal role in the development of small and medium enterprises with the main objectives of financing and promoting such enterprises for achieving balanced regional growth, catalyse investment, regenerate employment and widen the ownership base of industry. Between 1951 till date there are according to available statistics 18 SFCs nation-wide and counting. With the deregulated financial system, and with the coming into fray of the Amendment Act of 2000, this provided greater flexibility to the SFCs. Inspite of all its merits, in reality the SFCs essentially remain – a State-managed Financial Institution running on Public Exchequer. And the rest is best left at that. In the same breath, and as a responsible member of my fraternity, I think, an ounce of that culpability can be attributed to us as sometimes even under insouciant judicial pronouncements the debtor and
his surety walk scot free from their liability. In the year 2006, the Supreme Court in the case of Maharashtra State Financial Corp. v. Ashok K. Agarwal was faced with the following facts:The Corporation had advanced loans to Crystal Marketing Private Ltd. The Directors of the Company had stood surety towards the loan. On default in repayment, the hypothecated property was attached. Upon auction sale of the attached properties, there arose a shortfall of Rs. 16,79,033/-. Upon being demanded by the Corporation from the surety, the same was not paid. The Corporation moved an application under Section 31 of the Act for enforcing the liability of the surety for the said amount. The District Judge dismissed the application holding that it was barred by limitation. Upon Appeal to the High Court dismissed reiterating the District Courts finding. In appeal before the Supreme Court, two substantial questions arose: (a) Whether an application under Section 31 is in the nature of execution proceeding and, therefore, Article 136 of the Limitation Act is attracted allowing a limitation of 12 years; and; (b) Whether the limitation for enforcing a continuing guarantee commences only from the date of failure of the surety to pay on demand. The Supreme Court however considered only the first question, and whilst dismissing the appeal held that an application under Section 31 of the Act is not by way of execution of a decree or order of any civil court and as such the residuary Article 137 of the Limitation Act applies which provides for a limitation of 3 years; and since the application was not moved within this limitation period, it was time-barred. The second question as regards limitation for enforcing the continuing
guarantee remained unanswered despite an attempt to review. So what really happens when a debtor does not pay? The remedy to that lies in S. 29 of the Act whereunder the SFCs can take over the assets of the debtor, which asset is thereafter auctioned and the dues realised. In the event of any deficit, the SFCs can apply for an action under S. 31 of the Act, whereby such deficit is recovered from the debtors and their sureties. However, more often than not, the period of time spent between action under S. 29 and thereafter under S. 31 is more than 3 years. This year i.e. 2014, by virtue of the case of D. Bhandari v. HP State Industrial Development Corporation Ltd., the Supreme Court revisited this question. Their Lordships, Justices A.K. Sikri and K. S. Radhakrishnan at the very outset made it clear that it was not a virgin path that they were treading. It has been now held that when the Corporation takes steps for recovery of the amount by resorting to the provisions of Section 29 of the Act, the limitation period for recovery of the balance amount would start only after adjusting the proceeds from the sale of assets of the industrial concern. As the Corporation would be in a position to know as to whether there is a shortfall or there is excess amount realised, only after the sale of the mortgage/ hypothecated assets. In the same breath, the Bench expressed that it had become necessary to clarify the legal position and to reconcile the ratio of the previous judgments of the Supreme Court which although unintended, had left scope for ambiguity to creep in thus leaving the rest to one’s imaginative interpretation, which this judgment now peacefully lays to rest JULY 2014
Business Goa 127
REluctant entrepreneur
The cookie jar
Blaise Costabir The Columnist is a first-generation entrepreneur whose company manufactures water tanks blaise@gmizm.com
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ongratulations to Business Goa for completing a milestone 5th year. Every year adds to the wealth of experience and strengthens the magazine for another year ahead. All the very best to Team BG. Even as this is written, “SHAKTI” enters its 20th year. A cookie jar is a more Western in usage. It usually denotes an easily accessible jar in the kitchen which anyone can put their hands in and get a cookie (reward). In our companies, we usually make policies and systems which unknowingly create cookie jars. Related or unrelated stake holders, find them and help themselves. When it is discovered, it leaves a bad taste as it implies the company was short changed. When sitting late into the night in Shanghai and catching up with a junior from the Asian Institute of Management, he told me a story. He was a senior expat manager at an FMCG company.
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The Writer analyzes the cookie jar scenario and its repercussions on organizations
A common use of this cookie jar phenomena is ‘leave’. Not much can be done to stop employees from clubbing sick or casual leave with a long stretch of public holidays and making it even longer for themselves at the cost of productivity and customer service
They had faced a peculiar problem; sales to a nearby district (X) were almost zero. While sales to another district (Y) a few 100 kms away were flourishing. Yet, when the marketing team visited the district X, the market was flooded with the product. Surprised and perplexed, they did a quick survey and found out that they were being supplied by the company distributor itself. The catch was in the freight factor. Freight to District X was far less than freight to District Y. So the salesmen decided to book all orders on District Y, claim higher freight, but ship to product to X. The difference was split between the transporter, distributor and salesmen. Closer home, we noticed that it was difficult to get our workers to agree to an hour of OT. However if we asked for four hours, there was less resistance. This was becoming cumbersome. After a little study the reasons became
apparent. We used to offer an incentive with four hours – a food allowance and somewhere along the line, an additional transport allowance got added. This was in addition to the statutory double salary for OT. All this was not available for one-three hours. So our workers adapted to the situation and either did four hours OT or nothing. We had made the rules; the employees were only tweaking them to their advantage. It took us some effort to correct the situation. Another common use of this cookie jar phenomena is ‘leave’. Not much can be done to stop employees from clubbing sick or casual leave with a long stretch of public holidays and making it even longer for themselves at the cost of productivity and customer service. The above clearly demonstrates that management policy defines and guides behaviour. This can be positive or negative from the Company’s
point of view. Another word which describes the cookie jar syndrome is “loop holes”. People are always looking for loop holes to exploit and get a better deal for themselves. Not wrong in itself, but when the other persons perspective is taken, it is wrong. Take any situation mentioned above or look at some of your own and you will notice it is not fair to all. One way of avoiding such situations to think through your decision making process to include checking if cookie jar situations are possible. This is easier said than done. The other way is networking, where you meet other owners and managers and discuss situations and avoid the same in your organization. If, despite all your precautions, you do end up with a cookie jar situation, be sure to take immediate corrective action. All the best
antarprerna
A very important marker and if the entrepreneur says it has come down, more power to him. The cost comes down when you have done two things. Seduced your customers into being addicted to you. And you have induced them to recruit new customers to become addicted to you.
The Power of Five The Columnist jots down various markers that indicate business success
Nandini Vaidyanathan The Columnist is the founder of CARMa which mentors startups, mature businesses and family enterprises (www.carmaconnect.in). She teaches Entrepreneurship in several Ivy League biz schools across the world. She is also author of the best-selling ‘Entrepedia’, a step by step guide to becoming an entrepreneur in India.
The obvious metric is growth. In both, revenue and in profits. I am old fashioned that way. I like to see numbers climbing steadily northwards
W
hen a child turns five years old, the parents acknowledge it to be a huge milestone and celebrate. The markers for celebration are varied and plural. A parent will say, “My daughter has been going to a playschool for a little over a year now. She has learnt to recognize the English alphabet. She identifies all the colours, even the difficult ones like maroon. She has learnt to eat with a spoon without spilling on herself. She asks to go to the loo. She even loves to bathe on her own but under supervision of course. And she forms full sentences without lisping!” These are big markers because they pretty much define how futureperfect she is likely to be. She fits snugly under the bell-shaped curve. And most important, there are no tell-tale signs of anything being off-kilter! So when an organization turns five, what should the markers be? Here’s my take: Growth: The obvious metric is growth. In both, revenue and in profits. I am old fashioned that way. I like to see numbers climbing steadily northwards.
I don’t understand, quite like Warren Buffet, the business model that is proliferating these days where ET tells me that the founding directors of a company took home some obscene amount as salary and in the same breath it tells me how the company is bleeding like a slaughtered pig, quarter on quarter! Cost of customer acquisition: A very important marker, and if the entrepreneur says it has come down, more power to him. The cost comes down when you have done two things. Seduced your customers into being addicted to you, and, you have induced them to recruit new customers to become addicted to you. Virality is more potent than virility my friend, that is the new macho! Brand leadership: In five years have I succeeded in creating that kind of a mindshare where my customers will give up their habit but not me? Will I stop eating Shrikhand if Amul stops making it? You bet! Entrepreneurial teams: Have I built a team that lives, breathes
and sleeps my product? Have I fostered an organization culture that encourages everyone to take ownership without worrying about failure? Have I nurtured in them the madness to go forth and billow instead of being weighed down in their bath tubs? Have you bought the new sleeping bag from Patagonia? If the answer is yes, you have already conquered your Everest, my dear. In five years’ time, you should have done two things, one, (i) built a team so you are not involved in operations anymore and (ii) allow yourself the luxury of trekking to TsePangong in Ladakh to ideate on the road map for the next five years. You can’t evolve as a leader unless you evolve as a human being. And if you can’t evolve as a human being, how will your team evolve as an organization? Mirror mirror on the wall, who’s the happiest of them all? You, if what stares back at you is a lean, mean, gaunt, obsessive and hungry guy, the same guy who started off on a fool-hardy chase with an idea five years ago. But wait, here’s the big change. There is such a twinkle in your eye now! JULY 2014
Business Goa 129
GOABUZZ
Nana Bandekar
Mahadev Naik
Manoj Caculo
Cesar Menezes
Victor Albuquerque
Ajai Chaudhry
Kirit Maganlal
Prashant Joshi
Nitin Kunkolienkar
Manguirish Pai Raikar
Sandip Bhandare
Nitin Bandekar
Rajiv Nevgi
Shekhar Sardessai
Vikram Verlekar
Sanjeev Desai
Sylvia Albuquerque
Urvija Bhatkuly
Roshan Bandekar
Dinesh Sinari
Sharad Sardessai
Amita Nayak Salatry
Manisha Naik
Tulsidas Pai
Sara Cabral
Raj Bhandare
Supriya Sinari
Ramakant Kamat
Rakshit Tandon
Dattesh Parulekar
Prasad Kamat Mhamai
Dr Rajesh Jhaverani
Sairaj Dhond
Shabnam Shaikh
Ghanashyam Halkar
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Pic: Siddesh Mayenkar
Goa Chamber of Commerce & Industry hosts 106th AGM GCCI recently organised its 106th AGM. The keynote speaker was Ajai Chowdhry, co-founder of HCL and former Chairman of HCL Infosystems, who spoke on ‘Manufacturing: Prospects and Challenges’. Chief Minister, Manohar Parrikar was the Chief Guest and the Industries Minister, Mahadev Naik the Guest of Honour. Welcoming the gathering at the general session, the GCCI President Narayan Bandekar said that this year he was optimistic that with the approval of the New Investment Policy, all decks were cleared for attracting investments to kick-start the economic development of the State. Praising the CM, Bandekar said that the Chamber was aware of the tight rope walk the CM had to do and appreciated the innovative ways in which he had managed to improve the State finances and bridge the revenue gap. Among the dignitaries who attended the function were Deputy Speaker Anant Shet; MLA Carlos Almeida; Victor Albuquerque, the Hon. Consul of Russian Federation; Dean Menezes, the Hon. Consul of Germany; S V Naik, MD of GIDC & Director, DITC; Shekhar Sardessai - President of GSIA; Kirit Maganlal, Chairman, CII, Goa Region; among others. The evening was supported by the NRB Manohar Parrikar Group, Caculo Group and the de Souza Group
GOABUZZ
6th edition of My Goa Quiz held in memory of Chandrakant Keni Pic: Tejal Mahambre
The sixth edition of the Chandrakant Keni Memorial My Goa Quiz was held on June 18, Goa’s Revolution Day. The evening started with a preliminary round. The top six finalist teams were at their quizzing best, careful not to miss any question. After a fierce battle, Arun Kamat and Mahesh Prabhu were declared the winners followed closely by Harsh Hegde and Zibaine Paes in second place and Pamela D’Mello and Aniruddha Sengupta in third place. Prizes were given away by architect Sunil Sardessai, Mrs Suman Kurade and President of GCCI, Narayan R Bandekar. The quiz is conceptualised by Harshvardhan Bhatkuly and Rajiv D’Silva. The Sponsors for the event included Lawrence & Mayo, Dinar Bhatkar of Delta Engineering, Reira Group, Broadway Book Centre and Business Goa magazine Participants and organisers of the Chandrakant Keni Memorial My Goa quiz
Vasco Pinho
Vivek Mendonsa
Arun Kamat
Dinar Bhatkar
Suman Kurade
Anju Sakhardande
Leroy Veloso
Parind Phadte
Sanjay Parab
Maria imelda
Frederick Noronha
Pamela de Melo
Brig Ian D Costa
Mahesh Prabhu
Ameya Mardolkar
Sayuli Pai Raikar
Paula Mambro
Anjali Sengupta
Sunil, Shaunak and Prita Sardessai
Prajal Sakhardande
Inaugural Food & Hospitality Awards a big hit The inaugural Goa Food & Hospitality Awards, presented by Goa Tourism and organised by Hospitality Biz held at the Goa Marriott Resort & Spa, received an overwhelming response from prominent players of the hospitality segment in the state. Shripad Naik, the newly appointed Minister of State (MoS) with Independent Charge for Culture and Tourism, Government of India along with Dilip Parulekar, Minister for Tourism, Women & Child Development, were the guests of honour for the event
Erneast Dias
132 Business Goa
Guitry Velho JULY 2014
Kedar Dhume
Ajit Sukhija
Chandra Shekhar Pandey
Dilip Parulekar
Sripad Naik
Sanjeev Mendes
Clive Sequeira
Varun Albuquerque
Nikhil Desai
RESORTS CLUBS PUBS RESTAURANTS EVENT MANAGEMENT WEDDINGS TOURS & TRAVELS REAL ESTATE FINANCIAL SERVICES SUPER MARKETS INDUSTRY www.titos.in Helpline: 9822765002 goatitos@yahoo.com
NEWSMAKERS Manoj Patil installed as President of Rotary Club of Panaji
Gangaram Morajkar is President of Lions Club Panaji
Rtn Manoj Patil has been installed as the 53rd President of the Rotary Club of Panaji along with his Board of Directors at Taleigao Community Hall in presence of the Chief Minister, Manohar Parrikar. Past District Governor, Rtn Jorson Fernandes was the Installation officer. The function was attended by more than 500 guests. In his acceptance speech, Rtn Patil complimented the ougoing committee on their wonderful efforts and committed to continue the good work done by his club during his tenure. He also said that his focus this year would be on a range of issues, most importantly youth development, literacy, community development and entreprneurship. Apart from Patil, the following were installed as the Board for the coming year — Rtn Dinesh Sinari (Vice President) , Rtn Rajiv Marathe (Secretary), Rtn Ameet Nachinolkar (Treasurer),Rtn Dr Prasad Netravalkar (Imm Past President), Rtn Shashank Mahatme(President Elect) Rtn Nilesh Shah (President Nominee) Rtn A Shanbhag (Sgt at Arms), Rtn Sadashiv Shirsat( Dir Community), Rtn Balchandra Amonkar (Director Youth )Rtn Glenn Kalavampara (Director International), Rtn Sameer Kapadi ( Director Vocational) Rtn Sanjay Gaokar( Jt Secretary)
Noted social worker and consumer rights activist Gangaram Morajkar took over as President of Lions Club of Panjim. Installed at a glittering function at the hands of Ln Arvindrao Deshpande, Morajkar, 80 has been in business and public life for over six decades. A man known for his enthusiasm, Morajkar has been serving on the Managing Committee of Goa Chamber of Commerce and Industry for many years. He serves as the Chairman of GCCI’s Consumer Affairs Committee. He has also been actively representing the Chamber on the Board of Konkan Railway. In 2007, he was decorated with the ‘Best Social Worker Award’ by the State Government
Shamoli Barreto and Liesel Duarte open White Brick Wall Conceptualised by Shamoli Barreto and Liesel Duarte, White Brick Wall, a multi design concept store was recently launched near Municipal Gardens, Panjim. The store is an amalgamation of old school charm, modern hues, contemporary design and pure artistic joy. At the launch, multi-talented performer Ash Chandler did a standup comedy act and also serenaded the crowd and got the packed store to sing to his tunes. The launch ended with a designer showcasing, with models wearing outfits from the various collections in the store. Spread over 839 sq ft, White Brick Wall, situated in the heart of the city stocks home and fashion accessories, clothing for men, women and children, traditional wear, lifestyle pieces, art and handmade products to name a few
quiz
61
1. Which Indian conglomarate’s logo is designed by Wolf Olins and it reflects the ‘Fluid Motion’? 2. Name the person who coined the term “Management by Wandering Around (Walking About)”, and popularly known as MBWA? 3. Cannaught Plaza Restaurants and Hardcastle Restaurants have had the responsibility for the entry of which MNC to India? 4. Which NRI businessman owns the Caparo Group? 5. With which famous brand would you associate ‘The Spirit of Ecstasy’? 6. Identify this newsmaker Answers to BG Quiz 60 1.Mortein 2.Seth Godin 3.V-Guard 4. Kalraj Mishra 5.Hero Honda 6.Ted Turner
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Email your entries to businessgoa.media@gmail.com First all correct entry will get 1 year’s subscription to Business Goa
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