By Luvena Rangel
Bengaluru, Aug 14: Kanara Entrepreneurs (KE) were joined by the legendary Padmashri Syed Kirmani at The Grand Magrath during their members meet in Bengaluru on August 11. The evening was bustling with energy with the sports theme that had the ball rolling right from the get-go.
After KE lead member, George Timothy, commenced the session with the KE prayer, Aaron Rego and Carol Pereira energized everyone present with their ice breaker. The activity required members at a table to keep their assigned smiling stress balls up in the air for the longest time using themselves as human paddles. Needless to say, the team strategy, friendly but competitive streak and playfulness was infectious and lasted well into the World Cup themed quiz that followed.
Claudius Pereira, president – KE, delivered his welcome note next with not one, but two interesting sequels to the Hare & Tortoise fable. His message loudly affirmed that at KE, they do not compete; they collaborate. Claudius also shared the key initiatives he intends to lead through his term – the Business Accelerator Certificate Course and the Founders Fiesta on the fourth Wednesday of every month starting August 2023.
Next, James Coelho, director - memberships, facilitated the induction of nine new members to KE to the welcoming applause of the gathered members.
To harness the power of storytelling and inspiration, KE has extended the platform for members to share their success and entrepreneurial chronicle with the members, in their own words. Roshan Sequeira crisply narrated his business journey that started with a gift from his father, further touched by a mentor’s guidance (who happens to be a former KE member) and then sprinkled with the inevitable difficulties of the business experience. The message resonated well with the members who could see themselves in various shades of the shared experience.
The highlight of the evening was the fireside chat with Padmashri Syed Kirmani, moderated by Neil Joseph. The celebrated cricketer regaled a rapt audience with anecdotes of his career with ‘what really happened’ snippets and humour. Kirmani shared a quote he had read in a hospital in Cuttack as a young man – “A little bit of common sense, tolerance and good humour are required to make life wonderful.” Clearly, the saying remains etched in his mind and informs his personality and attitude to date as the audience witnessed throughout the evening of mirth, raucous laughter and his patience while fielding questions from his fans in the audience, well after the formal event.
Naveen D’Souza, director - marketing & sponsorship, followed with some key announcements that included the launch of KE’s newsletter ‘The Entrepreneur’ – an initiative set to bring together, inform and edify the KE community.
The August KE members meet held together the underlying essence of India’s Independence and patriotism with members arriving in their ethnic best. Lavina Prakash and Winkle Mathias received the prizes for the best dressed members and quiz prize winners also received autographed cricket balls from Kirmani himself. The members meet included guests and virtual members from Mumbai, Goa and the United States signifying the reach and potential of the power of networking and community.
The very successful evening was emceed by Eugene Mathias, who kept the evening’s agenda on track with his engaging personality and well placed humour. Luvena Rangel, brought the evening to a close by delivering the vote of thanks and signalling the social networking over dinner.