My Story
My Story
-
Setting up BAIT – Bringing IT competitors together
Where pints of beer and friendships merged
In late ’80s and early ’90s, IT was all about hardware. Companies that manufactured computer hardware formed an association called MAIT (Manufacturer’s Association of Information Technology). I was then one of the directors of PCL, the company that I had co-founded and it was one of the top 3 hardware companies of India. I was hence an executive council member of MAIT…
-
IT Asia – Always thinking Big!
Taking India’s best IT exhibition to a new high
It was in the year 1993, that as a Chairman of MAIT (Manufacturer’s Association of Information Technology), I was in-charge of one of the biggest IT exhibitions of India. Unfortunately, till then this fair was done on a small scale. It was more like an annual exhibition of IT companies of India that came with their products and the exhibition was held in a small hall in Delhi with chief guests selected from the bureaucrats of different departments…
-
DREAM INFINITE
How I made Kolkata’s first 21st Century Building — The Infinity
It’s often said ‘Sky is the Limit.’ But I have forever delved beyond the sky, to the infinite clouds whose fragility did not deter them from crossing formidable mountains. And just like those clouds, I have always dreamt infinite. The power of that dream changed into reality when in February 2000 the first ‘Intelligent’ building of India – ‘The Infinity,’ was unveiled in the backdrop of a symphony of sunset and world class modern technology…
-
SADHU & CHHEDI
My First Gurus of Entrepreneurship
Well, some people it’s said do not need any formal degree to learn the art of communication, a vital microcosm in the art of entrepreneurship. Rather they have all the qualities of becoming an entrepreneur themselves and to teach even established entrepreneurs like us, what we probably did not learn in the pages of our textbooks.
Sadhu and Chhedi were two such persons who touched upon my life very early…
-
First Day in India Oxygen or British Oxygen
The golden advice that I kept in mind forever
One of my first ever job after graduating from IIT was at Indian Oxygen, also known as British Oxygen in those days. Though I was inducted at their Taratala Factory in Kolkata, I was posted at their Chennai factory, which was smaller than their Kolkata plant located in the Northern fringes of the city. Once there, I was supposed to meet the zonal manager of South division…
-
My reaction to the first bribe offered!
I lost my cool!
Yes, can you imagine I was offered a bribe as young as 24-25? I was a sales engineer then at Indian Oxygen or British Oxygen in Vizag. In those days, the company used to produce very premium products and there were a lot of traders who wished to become the distributors of these products. Indeed, it was a lucrative proposition!
One day a local who was a distributor of welding electrodes…
-
Bengali Association of Vizag
My tryst with theater and Durga Pujo!
I often say I went to Vizag or Vishakhapatnam in 2 legs, but I left in 8 legs. Vizag is one place very close to my heart, primarily because this was the site that gave me most of my personal life and memories that I would cherish for the rest of my life. From my marriage to my twin sons, Vizag indeed made my family complete. And that’s how my two legs grew to eight!
When I first landed in Vizag I was a bachelor and after office, I had almost the whole evening to myself and often… -
Pink Elephant – the name that sounds a bell
Where incredible friendships begin
Pink Elephant – the very name that attracted me with a chubby elephant as their mascot, and I got curious to explore it during my bachelor days in Vizag. That was also a time when I used to explore various restaurants of the city on my bike, trying to fit into dinners that would be simple and not create tummy problems. The name Pink Elephant Bar & Restaurant tickled my imagination and I decided to give it a shot.
Incidentally, I used to suffer from prolonged bouts of amoebiosis as I was eating out regularly…
