A KOHINOOR GROUP PUBLICATION VOL : 12 ISSUE 1 January to March 2015 Dear Readers, A fter a long hiatus, we are back with E-Kohinoor Times (EKT) to connect, bond and establish dialogue with you. We have chosen to release this issue so that it is available to you by 7 December. Why 7 December, you may ask. Perhaps some of you have the answer. For those who don’t, it is Kohinoor’s Foundation Day. So we felt there could be no better muhurat to make a comeback. I am delighted to connect with you through EKT, because it is as much yours as it is mine. It belongs to all of us and if all of you have this sense of belonging, nothing will make me happier. Every issue of EKT can take birth only with your inputs. Being a diversified multi-locational business group, EKT is an excellent platform to share information and keep everyone updated on what is happening at your end. In days of yore, people used to write letters to keep in touch. Today, you can just send us an email. It’s as simple as that. I am now doing a small reality check. Whenever I ask for inputs for EKT, I am asked – When is the next issue of EKT? Probably, people feel ‘Oh well, I’ll send it a few days before that. What’s the hurry?’ Now this is like the chicken and egg situation. Let me tell you a small story. There was a large family and the lady of the house was a great cook. All the family members had their own choice of her favourite dishes. They decided that every month on the last Sunday, they would have a feast. Through the month, each one would tell her what s/he wanted for the feast and it was left to the lady to fix the menu. The lady was more than happy to cook for them; but she said, “Whatever dish you want me to cook, please make sure you get all the ingredients in time for me to decide the menu well in advance and make all preparations for the feast. I will not pester you for it.” Everyone agreed, but as days passed they all forgot about it. The family members made their farmaish during casual chats, but the ingredients came in bits and pieces or didn’t come at all. As the last Sunday neared, the lady had no choice but to scrap the idea. Does this give you a message? Let’s not land up in a mess like this family. As and when you feel there is anything worth publishing in EKT, simply mail the write-up with good decent resolution photos to [email protected]. I am sure many of you are gifted and talented. Mail us a story with pictures to bring out your talent. This will be our treasure house. And from this treasure I will decide the ‘menu’ for the next EKT. We may connect through EKT every quarter, but for that there has to be a continuous stream of inputs from you. We shall eagerly From Me, To You Kohinoor CMD Unmesh Joshi has been declared the Lokmat Corporate Excellence Sustainability Leader 2014. The award was presented to him at the Lokmat Corporate Excellence Awards function held at Taj Lands End. CMD UNMESH JOSHI DECLARED LOKMAT CORPORATE EXCELLENCE SUSTAINABILITY LEADER 2014 Kohinoor Education Trust Governing Body Chairman CA Sunil Karve was awarded the Lokmat Corporate Excellence Award 2014 for outstanding contribution in the field of Education and Brand Building in recent times. KET Governing Board Chairman CA Sunil Karve Awarded Lokmat Corporate Excellence Award 2014 for Education wait for your inputs so that our EKT treasure house remains full always. Now for a googly! Do you know that almost all Kohinoor ventures were started on 7 December? What is the significance of the number 7 for Kohinoor? When you reach the last page, you will get the answer straight from CMD Sir through his column ‘Between u & me’ in an old print issue of Kohinoor Times reproduced here. Hold on; don’t scroll to the last page. Go through all the pages and read that most interesting column last. Before I sign off, please tell us how you liked this issue and send us your constructive suggestions along with your other inputs by email to [email protected]so that we can make every issue more interesting for you than the previous one. So long, till we connect again. And yes, wish you all A Wonderful 2015! - Editor-in-Chief
Transcript
A KOHINOOR GROUP PUBLICATION
VOL : 12 ISSUE 1
January to March 2015
Dear Readers,
After a long hiatus, we are back with E-Kohinoor Times (EKT) to connect, bond and establish dialogue with you.
We have chosen to release this issue so that it is available to you by 7 December. Why 7 December, you may ask. Perhaps some of you have the answer. For those who don’t, it is Kohinoor’s Foundation Day. So we felt there could be no better muhurat to make a comeback.
I am delighted to connect with you through EKT, because it is as much yours as it is mine. It belongs to all of us and if all of you have this sense of belonging, nothing will make me happier. Every issue of EKT can take birth only with your inputs. Being a diversified multi-locational business group, EKT is an excellent platform to share information and keep everyone updated on what is happening at your end. In days of yore, people used to write letters to keep in touch. Today, you can just send us an email. It’s as simple as that.
I am now doing a small reality check. Whenever I ask for inputs for EKT, I am asked – When is the next issue of EKT? Probably, people feel ‘Oh well, I’ll send it a few days before that. What’s the hurry?’ Now this is like the chicken and egg situation.
Let me tell you a small story. There was a large family and the lady of the house was a great cook. All the family members had their own choice of her favourite dishes. They decided that every month on the last Sunday, they would have a feast. Through the month, each one would tell her what s/he wanted for the feast and it was left to the lady to fix the menu. The lady was more than happy to cook for them; but she said, “Whatever dish you want me to cook, please make sure you get all the ingredients in time for me to decide the menu well in advance and make all preparations for the feast. I will not pester you for it.” Everyone agreed, but as days passed they all forgot about it. The family members made their farmaish during casual chats, but the ingredients came in bits and pieces or didn’t come at all. As the last Sunday neared, the lady had no choice but to scrap the idea.
Does this give you a message? Let’s not land up in a mess like this family. As and when you feel there is anything worth publishing in EKT, simply mail the write-up with good decent resolution photos to [email protected]. I am sure many of you are gifted and talented. Mail us a story with pictures to bring out your talent. This will be our treasure house. And from this treasure I will decide the ‘menu’ for the next EKT. We may connect through EKT every quarter, but for that there has to be a continuous stream of inputs from you. We shall eagerly
From Me, To You
Kohinoor CMD Unmesh Joshi has been declared the Lokmat Corporate Excellence Sustainability Leader 2014. The award was presented to him at the Lokmat Corporate Excellence Awards function held at Taj Lands End.
Kohinoor Education Trust Governing Body Chairman CA Sunil Karve was awarded the Lokmat Corporate Excellence Award 2014 for outstanding contribution in the field of Education and Brand Building in recent times.
KET Governing Board Chairman CA Sunil Karve Awarded Lokmat Corporate Excellence Award 2014 for Education
wait for your inputs so that our EKT treasure house remains full always.
Now for a googly! Do you know that almost all Kohinoor ventures were started on 7 December? What is the significance of the number 7 for Kohinoor? When you reach the last page, you will get the answer straight from CMD Sir through his column ‘Between u & me’ in an old print issue of Kohinoor Times reproduced here. Hold on; don’t scroll to the last page. Go through all the pages and read that most interesting column last.
Before I sign off, please tell us how you liked this issue and send us your constructive suggestions along with your other inputs by email to [email protected] so that we can make every issue more interesting for you than the previous one.
So long, till we connect again. And yes, wish you all A Wonderful 2015!
- Editor-in-Chief
Students of Cricket India Academy (CIA) got the
rare life-time opportunity of meeting Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott and cricket legends Sachin Tendulkar, Adam Gilchrist and Brett Lee who is also the Brand Ambassador of CIA’s Cricket Education Program (CEP), all under one roof. The Australian PM, who was on
with Brett Lee and Adam Gilchrist in a Question and Answer session. During the session, participants asked questions to these legends to get tips from them on how they could further improve their cricket performance.
The CIA participants received signed cricket bats from Australian PM Tony Abbott and Sachin Tendulkar.
Cricket India Academy Meet Australian PM And Cricket Legends his official visit to India, visited Cricket Club of India (CCI), Mumbai, on 4th September 2014 to pay tribute to the game of cricket with a positive comparison of Sachin Tendulkar and Sir Don Bradman.
Twenty-five CIA participants were selected from all over India to attend the function. CIA participants also interacted
One of the participants Jai Vanvari presented his drawing of Sachin Tendulkar to the God of Cricket himself and Sachin Tendulkar personally autographed it.
CIA players also got an opportunity not only to see the World Cup Trophy but also to click pictures with it. Contributed by : SEDIL Team
Business Excellence ProgramIn today’s highly competitive
world, every business entity strives to excel in its
performance not only to beat competition, but progressively better itself to raise the bar and set higher standards for each ensuing year.
In pursuance of the Vision for Kohinoor Group ‘To Grow Perpetually’, a Business Excellence Program was organized for a cross section of 36 senior management executives of Kohinoor Group from 5th July to 23rd August 2014. The team met every alternate Saturday for the program. Kohinoor CMD Unmesh Joshi also took time out to attend the program.
Devised and conducted by veteran management leader T R Doongaji, the chosen business excellence program is
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based on Malcolm Balridge National Quality Award which is very popular in USA. In India, the Tata Group has instituted the Tata Business Excellence Awards. Doongaji is an industry doyen who has worked with the Tata group for 45 years and has been the Managing Director of several Tata companies. He is a certified external assessor for
the Tata Business Excellence Model (TBEM).
The program started with Doongaji’s presentation on ‘Power of Vision - Excellence an Endless Journey’. The presentation stressed the importance of vision and stated the power of hopes and dreams, meaning, well-articulated goals, setting of priorities and commitment to ethical conduct. This was followed by an introduction to the Business Excellence Model. The TBEM Program encourages continuous improvements through a formal system of benchmarking and assessment.
All the employees were given a case study (one of the Tata companies) and the business excellence study material folders. This confounded most of the
participants and left them wondering – What next? The program began on this outlandish note.
The participants were divided into six groups. Each group was given the responsibility of preparing a presentation on one of the categories of the following Business Excellence Models - Leadership, Strategic Planning, Customer and Market Focus, Measurement Analysis and Knowledge Management, Workforce Focus and Process Management. The participants had to make their presentations on subsequent Saturdays.
The key takeaways for the participants were the three pearls of rich experience that Doongaji graciously shared with the participants -• Business has a larger purpose • Ethics is Paramount • Learn to PauseContributed by : Ashutosh Dolke, Assistant General Manager, Corporate HR
January to March 2015
A small memento to T R Doongaji from CMD Unmesh Joshi
SEDIL CEO Arun Khetan with Sachin Tendulkar, Tony Abbott, Adam Gilchrist and Brett Lee
CIA participants pose with the World Cup Trophy
Friday Series is an initiative at Kohinoor Business School where blend of eclectic speakers are
invited to share their insights, personal journey, professional experiences and other learning with the students. It is a forum where speakers from various fields share their invaluable professional experiences with the students from their personal journey in the corporate world.
As the new academic year unfolded, the Friday series was started with a session of SKB Machine Tools MD Ramaswamy. He connected with the students by tapping into the student’s perspective and understanding their expectations from the course. The international exposure and marketing experience connected the students with the real world challenges and various professional skills that are expected from a fresh graduate.
Edelweiss Head (Corporate Sales) Arijit Saha highlighted the importance of building relationships at work and in personal life. In the cut-throat world of professional competition, goodwill and positive word-of-mouth goes a long way to ensure smooth functioning and personal success. He touched upon the concept of success in terms of corporate achievement and striking a work-life balance. Positive attitude and uniqueness is what separates us from the general masses, he added.
On 12th September 2014, the Friday Series witnessed a change from its routine track. Academy Award winning movie ‘The King’s Speech’ was screened for the students of PGDM and MMS. It was based on the true story of the Duke of York struggling to overcome a speaking impediment, while preparing to assume the throne as King George VI. He overcame his shortcomings and his self-sabotaging beliefs by meticulous planning, careful preparation and relentless practice.
On 19th September 2014 Vijaykumar
Friday Series At Kohinoor Business School (KBS)
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Kohinoor Business School had organized a discussion ‘Indian Economy-A Perspective’ by experts from industry and academics on 5th November 2014.
The discussion forum was chaired by Unmesh Joshi, Chairman & Managing Director, Kohinoor Group. Dr Abhay Pethe, economist, academician and former Director of Autonomous Department of Economics at University of Mumbai, shared his thoughts on the industry economy which focused on ‘LLEEGG’ (Land & Labour, Employment and Employability, Growth and Governance) aptly coined as two legs of the economy by Dr Abhay Pethe. During the interactive session he expressed his views on economical, social and political relations between India and China.
Pradhan graced the stage. He has served as an advertising consultant for the last 30 years in the industry. He started off with some very interesting anecdotes of the yesteryears like the birth of Amul butter
and market penetration of Onida television through their ad campaigns. He dissected commercial communication into its specifics and explained how the market has evolved over the years.
January to March 2015
Contributed by : Sachin Mistry Deputy Manager, (Marketing & Corporate Communications), KET
‘Indian Economy-A Perspective’ in progress
Arijit Saha at KBS Friday Series
Kohinoor Education Trust (KET) is always keen on participating in various activities which help students as well as institutes grow beyond academic
studies. One such activity was an Economic Times initiative ET Edge, which hosted a panel discussion by eminent thought leaders on ‘ET Edge Future of Learning Forum’. Held at KBS on 19th November 2014, the forum focused on various educational issues.
Kohinoor Hospital Gives CPR Train-ing To Mumbai Police To Save Lives
‘Project Management’ Seminar For Real Estate Division
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On the occasion of World Heart Day on 29th September 2014, doctors and paramedics from Kohinoor Hospital delivered
an in-depth CPR (Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation) Training and basic life-saving operations to over 300 police personnel at the Naigaon Police Hall. In addition, the hospital also distributed 110 Tactical First Aid Kits to police beat marshals on the field while providing them with training on how to use them effectively. The kits were specially designed to treat trauma patients and are used to stem the flow of blood until the victim can receive medical care.
The police were also given a health talk on ‘prevention of heart risk’ by Dr Deepak Shinde, Interventional Cardiologist, Kohinoor Hospital. A special health check-up camp for police personnel was conducted by the hospital later in the day.
An interactive seminar on ‘Project Management’ was conducted on 24th
September 2014 at KBS in association with ‘Expert Interface’ for the Real Estate Division team. One of the key elements in project management is learning and sharing of experience. This seminar was conducted with this intent, for which five CEOs from various organizations were invited. They shared with the participants information on the latest available
technology, products in the Real Estate Industry and helped us gauge as to how we can utilize this in our area or scope of work.
Shyam Balsekar, CEO, Liner EAST, shared with us about the latest building evacuation system for high-rises and how effective the system can be during fire emergencies to help evacuate people safely.
Ajit Panicker, CEO, Nova ACR Services, shared with us the functioning and effective ways of using air-conditioning which can lead to power saving and cost-cutting.
Adarsh Todi, CEO, NBT Export, briefed us about various high end motorized curtains and blinds available in the market.
Siddharth Shetty, CEO, Evavo Wellness Pvt Ltd, enlightened us on various aspects of a hi-tech SPA for clubhouses and how we can attract customers by giving these additional facilities.
Mona Menon, CEO, Marshalls Wallcoverings, gave us information on designer wall papers and how effectively we can use them to cover the problems of echo sound in conferences and rooms.
Fizza Rehmani, a fourth standard student of Kohinoor International School and SEDIL’s after school program RSG
(Ready, Steady, Go...!), has made her parents and Kohinoor proud by winning a Gold Medal in the 14th Roller Skating Championship held from 29-31 October 2014 at Aurangabad by the Roller Skater Federation of India. She was trained by RSG Skating Coach Mohit Bajaj.
Proudly holding up her Gold Medal, Fizza beamingly says, “My RSG training and practice sessions with Mohit Sir helped me a lot and I want to continue my practice.”
Kohinoor International School And SEDIL’s RSG Program Student Fizza Rehmani Is A Roller Skater Gold Medallist
January to March 2015
Contributed by : Kohinoor Hospital Team Contributed by : Cibin George, Manager (Marketing Services), SEDIL
Contributed by : KPCPL Team
Ajit Panicker, CEO, Nova ACR Services
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Kohinoor IMI, School Of Hospitality Management Signs Mou With Mount Saint Vincent University, Canada
Kohinoor International Management Institute (School of Hospitality Management) - Kohinoor IMI, India’s premier
Hotel and Tourism Management School, offers a three-year residential program in BSc Hospitality Studies and Catering Services (BSc HSCS) from a UGC recognized university and an internationally recognized specialization from American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute (AH & LEI). To add value to the course, Kohinoor IMI has now signed a Memorandum Of Understanding (MOU) with Mount Saint Vincent University (MSVU), Canada.
MSVU is often referred to as The Mount. It is primarily an undergraduate public university located in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. The Mount is committed to providing the best
university experience for all members of its community and developing thoughtful, engaged citizens who make a positive impact on the world. The Mount University offers thirty-eight undergraduate programs and thirteen graduate degree programs.
Kohinoor IMI entered into to this MOU to pursue mutual interests in the fields of research, higher education and as a contribution to the general goal of increased international cooperation. As a result of this MOU, faculty members and students of Kohinoor IMI and MSVU will now get an opportunity for faculty exchange programs, academic publications, research, qualifying students from one university to the other for the purpose of enrolling in undergraduate programs.
Kohinoor Blossoms Celebrates Janmashtami
Our little Krishnas and Gopis of Kohinoor Blossoms (KB) celebrated
the playfulness of Krishna with great enthusiasm. The Sr KG children put up mesmerizing performances, enacting excerpts from Krishna’s life. How can one miss the beautiful Gopis who danced with Krishna? This was followed by the most favourite part of the entire celebration… Yes, the breaking of the dahi handi. All in all, it was a true spirited festivity which will be etched in our memory forever.
Ae Haalo… Garba ramiye… The students of Kohinoor Blossoms
celebrated Navratri in a very unique way.Goddess Durga and her nine forms are
worshipped during Navratri. A unique aspect of this festival was presented by the children of Kohinoor Blossoms. The festival of nine nights has a specific colour for each day. It is believed that each colour represents a particular guna (characteristic or quality.)
The students brought together the nine different colours of Navratri, each symbolic of or portraying a peculiar trait of the goddess.
Kohinoor Blossoms Celebrates Nine Colours Of Navratri
Jr KG students displayed a design illustrating the nine colours and their significance. It was truly a sight to see our little performers at their best.
It was right here at KB that one could see all the nine forms of the goddess come alive in the most adorable way.
The Grand Diwali Mela - 2014
Kohinoor Blossoms and Kohinoor International school celebrated the
festival of lights Diwali with gusto. The Diwali Mela was inaugurated by CA Sunil Karve, Chairman, Governing Board, Kohinoor Education Trust (KET). Parents and children actively participated in the Mela and contributed towards the grand success of the event. A fine mix of clothes, jewellery, gifting articles, sumptuous food and fun rides kept the children and parents happily involved. The highlights of the mela were the enthralling performances put up by the Grade IV children and the Art workshops presented by the staff. The one minute games, pottery corner and the mehendi corner had all the participants yearning for more. The presence of various NGOs and the overwhelming collection of
toys and books for the NGO Green Yatra Foundation added to the fervour of spreading the joy of lights amongst one and all. The Rangoli competition for the parents organized one day earlier showcased an array of creativity. The Kohinoor Business School students wholeheartedly volunteered to lend their support to help out for the arrangements for the mela. It was a truly memorable experience .
January to March 2015
Contributed by : Sachin Mistry Deputy Manager, (Marketing & Corporate Communications), KET
KTI strives to empower students with practical skills that make them job-
ready. Training 15,000 to 20,000 students every year over the past 53 years, KTI understands their concerns and challenges like none other. It has dedicated itself towards all-inclusive growth of the students. Over the years, KTI has tied up with many corporates and organizations in a bid to open new doors of opportunities for the students.
Taking these efforts further, KTI is now affiliated with NSDC’s Skill Sector Council for Automotive Sector – ASDC and with IPSC for the plumbing sector.
NSDC (National Skill Development Corporation) is a first of its kind Public Private Partnership (PPP), set up by the Ministry of Finance. NSDC was formed to develop and upgrade the skills of the growing Indian workforce especially in the unorganized sector in India through various skill training programs.
KTI’s affiliation with the NSDC’s Skill Sector Council means that the interested students would be trained in line with the industry guidelines by the experts themselves. The trainees would thereby be trained to readily fill the skill gap requirements in the industry, thus increasing their job prospects. The Skill Sector Council is comprised of a group of industry led bodies which define the skilling needs, concepts, processes, certification and accreditation of their respective industry sectors.
Presently, KTI has got affiliated with ASDC (Automotive Skills Development Council) of the NSDC’s Skill Sector Council. It is noteworthy that all KTI’s current modules of the automobile and mechanical courses are included under this specific Skill Sector Council.
KTI’s affiliation with NSDC’s Skill Sector Council is an absolutely win-win opportunity for the students as it makes
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KTI Affiliations
January to March 2015
From the KTI Website
them eligible for National Skill Certification and the Monetary Reward Scheme or STAR scheme. The Star scheme was proposed by the Finance Minister in 2013 to encourage skill development for the youth by providing monetary rewards for successful completion of approved training programs. The advantages of enrolling under the scheme include:• The training and certification are
aligned to the needs of the country and the industries to ensure better job opportunities for the candidates.
• The certificates awarded under this scheme are central government recognized. Thus, after the successful completion of their chosen course, students will be eligible to apply for government jobs.
• Each candidate undergoing skill training would be entitled to a monetary reward ranging from a minimum amount of ̀ 7500 to a maximum amount of `15000 depending upon the course selected under the Star Scheme of NSDC.
Contributed by : Kohinoor Hotels Team
Kohinoor Continental And Kohinoor Elite Score A Hat-Trick
First awarded the TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence in 2012, the four star deluxe Kohinoor Continental and three star Kohinoor Elite have consistently repeated their feat in 2013 and 2014 too scoring a hat-trick.
My journey of trust with Kohinoor began under unexpected
circumstances. I was working with a firm solely devoted to Rent Act matters. After the passage of time, the practice of the firm unfortunately started showing a downward trend. Taking into consideration my personal responsibilities, I started looking for other options.
Problems in life sometimes prove to be gifts of opportunities wrapped in a mysterious cover.
Luckily, I got two opportunities; hence I consulted my previous senior Mayank Chandan. He said, “I know your nature. The family environment of Kohinoor will help you grow further.” And so, I joined Kohinoor.
It was my first job in a corporate office and my profile was quite different. Still, everybody welcomed me and genuinely helped me to learn things.
Later, I got transferred to Kohinoor City. The warm and friendly attitude of my colleagues in Kohinoor City was like a smiling welcoming garden which enriched me as a person and a professional.
Thanks to the support of my colleagues and guidance of all seniors, we learned together, toiled together and laughed together. Those smiles are an integral part of
my heart now and will always remain with me.
In 2013, I came to Kohinoor Square. While coming to Square, I was a bit hesitant and apprehensive whether I would be able to adjust with new people; but to my pleasant surprise, the colleagues of Kohinoor Square accepted me as if they had always been waiting for me.
Kohinoor City taught me how to smile and Kohinoor Square taught me how to shine.
In Kohinoor, along with smiling and shining, we have also seen the other side of life in the form of problems and difficulties. Regarding problems, I would like to say that simple experiences have
MY JOURNEY OF TRUST WITH KOHINOORtaught me the best lessons of life. When I newly joined Kohinoor, I had a severe infection of conjunctivitis. The infection was so strong that my eye nerves suffered severe damage and it took months for me to recover. After one year, I had the same infection, but I recovered within one day. When I asked my doctor about the reason for quick recovery, he said - “Your previous infection made you stronger.”
The moral of the story is - You have to fight and win over the problems to survive; and ultimately, problems will go away leaving behind the invaluable gift of making you a stronger individual.
As a child, my grandfather used to tell me - Love and Trust are the forms of God and when God is with you, your duty is to walk and it is God’s duty to show you the way.
All of us in Kohinoor have trust in our heart.
Let us then walk the path together hand in hand with a song in our heart.
I struck my biggest real estate deal in July 2005 for Rs 421 crore, Kohinoor Mill No. 3. This was by the tender bidding
process. I remember the numerous meetings, many of them stretching late into the evening or night, before we zeroed in on the figure Rs 421 crore. There was a lot of speculation, discussion and debate on what the magical bidding figure should be. Several suggestions came forth – 403, 412, 421, 502 crore. It is not easy to come to the right figure while submitting a tender bid. The bid has to be higher than the market price.Competitors too would be bidding high. Yet, if we bid way above other bidders, we would win the tender, of course, but our financial commitment would be unnecessarily too heavy. The trick was to come to an optimum winning yet affordable figure which also made business sense. We finally decided on Rs 421 crore, and we won the deal! In retrospect, 421 proved to be just the right bid. Our nearest competitor’s bid was Rs 411.11 crore, a difference of just 2.3 per cent.
You may wonder why the suggested figures were (seemingly) random like 403, 412, 421, 502. No friends, they are not random. All these figures have one thing in common. Add the digits of all these figures and you will find they all add up to 7. Why 7? Because 7 is lucky for me, in fact, for my father and me.
My father started his first business venture, which was the foundation for what is today the Kohinoor Group, on 7 December 1961. This was not intentional, but he tasted success, and one of his well-wishers told him that the number 7 was lucky for him. Then it became a practice to start a new venture on 7 December. Kohinoor Technical Institute, Hotel Airport Kohinoor (now Kohinoor Continental), the new branches of Kohinoor when we went national and even Kohinoor Corporate House at Dadar were all inaugurated on 7 December.
All our personal vehicles bear the registration number 4444. I make sure we get that number, barring, of course, very rare exceptional cases. Why 4444, you may ask. Well, there is a story behind this. Add the digits 4444. Don’t they add up to 7? My father became the Mayor of Mumbai in 1976. He was given two official cars bearing registration numbers 4444 and 7000. Digits adding up to 7 in both cases.
This was the first rung of his rising political career. After that, his career graph went upwards – Leader of the Opposition, Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Central Cabinet Minister, Lok Sabha Speaker, and now Member of Parliament in the Upper House (Rajya Sabha). And mind you, friends, he is still going strong! Of course, his relentless energy, sincerity and hard work have been responsible for this, but that one factor which can turn everything around, luck, has also faithfully stuck with him. Kohinoor too has grown over the years beyond his expectations. Whether 4444 or 7 has brought him and us luck
may be debatable, but yes, we do feel more comfortable with these numbers, as the going has been good for us.
And so, the number 7 plays an important role in my life. That is why Kohinoor Corporate House is Level 1 (instead of ground) plus 6 storeys so that my office is on Level 7. Let me share another little known fact with you. The city survey number of the plot where Kohinoor City is coming up happens to be 637 (once again adding up to 7). Now this is certainly not purported or manipulated, but it is on this plot that Kohinoor is developing its first township.
Another number that is lucky for me is the unitary number 1, perhaps because the digits of my date of birth (June 28) add up to 1. So if 7 is not possible, I settle for 1. When I was a little younger, the Maruti Gypsy had just entered the market and was a craze with the young crowd. Needless to say, I lost no time in purchasing one. The number of this vehicle was 2413 adding up to 1. The Gypsy holds a special place in my heart and has given me many memorable moments. Even today when I think of it, it strikes a nostalgic chord in my heart. The city survey number of Kohinoor Mill is 46 which adds up to 1. And I don’t need to repeat why I consider Kohinoor Mill lucky.
One more factor which has played an important role in my life is the Devanagari letter ‘keÀ’ or the phonetic sound of the letter‘K’, in English. So many of my successful ventures and associations are related to keÀ/K. Kohinoor, Khandala (Kohinoor Global Campus), Carleton in Canada, Cornell. When I was collaborating with IMI,Switzerland, I thought, hey, no keÀ/K factor here, but when I landed in Switzerland to go to IMI, I learnt that it was located in Kastanienbaum. So there was a keÀ/K here too; and the collaboration fructified into Kohinoor-IMI (not IMIKohinoor). The Kohinoor City plot too is located at Kurla.
Take Kohinoor Times, for that matter. It is understandable that our Group publication starts with Kohinoor, but the first editor was Mr Kanitkar, and now Mr Kulkarni. Take our hotel Kohinoor Continental. Mr Kanitkar very ably managed the hotel right from inception till he retired. Somewhere along the way, he was joined by Mr Kamat and today Mr Kamat is running the show successfully. Kohinoor Times too, is published by the hotel. So you have multiple ‘K’ factors here.
What’s more? I got married to a girl from a place called Kelwa and she is not only the light of my life but has brightened my life. Call me superstitious or charm struck, but if 7, 1 and keÀ/K bring me luck, I’ll always go along with them. Wait a minute, isn’t ‘K’ the 11th letter of the alphabet? Now add 7+1+11. What do the digits add up to? 1, my dear friends.
Not only that, now that I think of it, Kohinoor was founded in the year 1961, If you add up the digits, the sum is 17 in which only two digits figure, 1 and 7. So that’s luck compounded for me. All my three lucky factors keÀ/K, ‘7’ and ‘1’ took root and started germinating when my father founded Kohinoor in 1961. And to think that I wasn’t even born then!
