Conferences and Seminars

 I have by now attended countless conferences and seminars, and some were memorable. The first one was in the U.S., and the next two as well, while I was a Ph.D. student there. I even won a prize for one of my papers, at a Southeastern DSI conference. One was in Las Vegas, which became memorable due to the place!

At IIMK, IMT in India and also at PES, I organised conferences as well. One of our ideas to host one in Goa was a big hit. It was also a case conference, unlike most others which are research-paper based. The venue was an attraction for many participants, and I still get reminded of the Goa conferences by people I meet.

Among other international conferences I have been to, Tourism related ones in Colombo, Vietnam and Japan were the most interesting. I offered a course on Tourism Marketing during that time as well, at IIM Indore, for both Ph.D. students and MBA students (with a colleague, Jayasimha). The MBA course continues, I am told. 

Last week I attended a seminar at St. Xavier's University, in Kolkata on invitation. It was on Strategy, with the vision for India in 2047 as a theme. There was an interesting address by the Chairman of Coal India, Mr. Prasad, and a panel discussion with executives from industry.

First Two Months of 2025

 We had a New Year's Eve party with a bonfire. We also had a karaoke session going in parallel. A few cousins and nephews and nieces attended, so the average age came down significantly.

Also had a trip to Indore, to take a session on Personal Branding for MBA students.

Then, we met as a group of music-minded friends for a beer and lunch in a Pune restaurant called Tipsy Turtle. Sheetal Garg visited from Mumbai, and stayed over. Rina Das we met for the first time, and Dipti Kane too. Planned another meet in August.

Last week of January was spent in Goa, mostly on Colva beach facing the sea- at the Colva Residency. This was the 40th Reunion of our MBA btach too, at nearby Benaulim. One highlight for me was visiting the Paul John Distillery in Cuncolim. Also picked up Kadamba Single Malt made in Goa.

Also, Pooja, my daughter, returned after a 3 year stay in the U.K.- hopefully wiser.

February, we had a trip to Chikhaldara for another reunion, this time of my wife's batchmates from school. Nice resort, and fun with the group, singing and dancing. 

Saw a play Baghi Albele, a comedy, at Ishanya Mall. Presented by WOPA, World of Performing Arts.

Relaxing away the rest of Feb.-it's pretty hot for Feb.

Goa Photo Shoot- 2025 January

 Photos by Dash. Location- a beach in Goa.

A Reunion- the 40th

 We finished our MBA in 1984. So our 40th year after was 2024. We pushed it to January 2025 for the celebration in Goa. We enjoyed meeting around 40-42 colleagues and spouses who added spice to the proceedings. One spouse, Anu Venkitaraman, took up the responsibilty of taking group pics of various groups during the event. Some representative pics-

Anu and husband Ravi Venkitaraman. Above. Various groups elsewhere.

Paul John Distillery Visit

 Just went on a tour of the distillery in Cuncolim, Goa. Amazing! It's a beautiful visitor centre, and our our guides.. two young men and a young lady- were very good.

Asmita took us around the distillery, and showed us what appears to be a simple process of making great whisky. Obviously, it's not so simple! We enjoyed learning about the process, that begins with Barley being converted to beer, and then distilled to make Whisky.

Bourbon casks, for aging

Some products.. there's also an XO Brandy, and Fireball -a cinnamon whisky.

Roulette is also their brand.. 

Asmita, who did a great job explaining the process..

Copper stills, above.

The Peat coms from Scotland, Barley from the Himalayan plains, and water is local. Yeast is also a special variety of Brewer's yeast. Tasted one sip from an in-process 61% alcohol beaker too. 

3 years aging in India is equal to roughly 7 in Scotland, due to the heat. And losses due to evaporation are bigger here. Our malts may not carry an age statement for those reasons, but they are good!

Pics From MBA

 I have a few good pics from our days at IIM Bangalore. Actually, for our Yearbook, I had shot block-wise group photos of all the floors in the hostel. Most of these are available, and take us on a nostalgic journey.

From the tank. And groups..

Alibag, where we stayed at a Grindlays cottage.

My room with a view, and the Tank.

Things I am Proud of

 Work first.

Started a journal, PES Business Review when I was at PESIT, Banashankari, Bangalore. Manasa, Jayasimha and Shahida all played a role. We launched it with some good papers.

A Case conference at Goa when I was Director at IMT Nagpur. It was exotic, fun, and very successful. Harsh Halve was a prime mover. 

Successful convocations at IMT Nagpur. The Admin. played a major role. Also the faculty in various organising committees.

Publishing my first book, on Marketing Research. KIAMS staff helped, and students by writing cases for it. Now in its fourth edition, released at IIM Indore.

Alumni meets for IMT alumni. Many were memorable. Some friends made there are forever. Sheetal, Nikita, Anchal, Shuchi, are just some of those.

Ph.D. students I worked with as a Guide, or mentor. Manoharan, Suma and Naveen Das actually were my students as a Guide. Others, I was on their committees.

New courses, like a Seminar on Thought Leadership, or Digital Marketing and Seminar on Tourism Marketing. Taught me a lot. 

Tourism and Goa

 Goa occupies a unique spot in our psyche out here in India. Its tropical beaches stretch for miles, and give you an opportunity to swim or bathe in the sea almost any time of the year, except when it is raining heavily. Very few beaches in the world can compare. 

But more than this, it's an idea. Just the mention of Goa brings a smile to anyone's face. Stories of plans made to go there tumble out, many of which went unfinished. Some who actually made it want to do more of it. I have rarely met a person who does not wish to holiday in Goa, in all these years. It's almost a magical land.

Maybe, at a psychological level, it's a place where you can BE. Try and discover yourself, your limits. Not just the drinking limits, but in forgetting your routines, and immersing yourself-figuratively, in the sea. Enjoying the present, without a care of the past or the future.

Having been there about 8-10 times now, probably more, I can vouch for that feeling. You feel bad when you leave. Viva la Goa!

Long Awaited Goa Trip

 It finally happened. The family went on a vacation to Goa and stayed at a new place in Candolim called Lillywood Highland Resort. Also found a decent restaurant called Taste of Goa nearby and gorged on Xacuti Chicken, Chicken Cafreal, Pork Sorpotel, and a few other local specialities. Had a bit of Feni too, before the poll-induced dry days. All in all, had a bit of wine, whisky, beer and Apple Cider-different people, not me alone. Also picked up Kadamba, a Single Malt made here, for 2120 rupees. A good deal, I am guessing.

Satisfying, but never enough, as usual. Pics-