DK FlipBook-Magzter January 2019

ABOUT US 

www.destination-kerala.com 

Destination Kerala 

Entrepreneurship. Economy. Excellence. 

Vol. 21 Issue 09, January 2019 

Founder 

Late Shri. Mathukutty J Kunnappally 

Chairman, Publisher & Editor 

George Kunnappally 

MD & Chief Editor 

Jose Kunnappally 

Director & Executive Editor 

Athul Lal A G* 

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Sajini Sahadevan 

Resident Editor - Middle East 

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Date of Publishing: 1st of every month 

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IN-HOUSE NEWS 

DESTINATION KERALA TO HONOUR TOURISM ENTREPRENEURS 

Destination Kerala business 

magazine is launching a 

thought leadership and 

recognition platform for travel 

and tourism entrepreneurs. The 

first edition of 


Tourism Conclave 

and Awards will 

be held in Kochi 

on February 22. 

The Conclave will 

witness senior travel 

industry leaders from the national 

scene present their ideas on topics 

like travel technology disruptions, 

ancillary travel services and new 

revenue models in hospitality. 

The Awards program will be the 

most comprehensive recognition 

platform for the tourism industry in 

Dr. B Ravi Pillai, Chairman of RP Group of 

Companies – the cover personality of Destination 

Kerala November 2018 Issue, being presented a 

memento by Jose Kunnappally, MD & Chief Editor, 

Destination Kerala and Athul Lal A G, Director & 

Executive Editor at The Leela Raviz Kovalam. 

Kerala. Nominations will be invited 

under the award categories and the 

shortlisted nominations will be put 

up for online voting. “Attending 

numerous travel and tourism fairs 

globally along 

with the Kerala 

Tourism delegation, 

TOURISM 

CONCLAVE 

& AWARDS 2018 

launching new 

products and 

promoting unique 

experiences, 


has played a pioneering role in 

marketing God’s Own Country. 

Taking our commitment forward, 

we are establishing a recognition 

platform to celebrate success stories 

from Kerala’s travel and tourism 

industry,” said Jose Kunnappally, 

Chief Editor. 

P Nandakumar, MD and CEO of Manappuram 

V Finance Limited – the cover personality of 

Destination Kerala December 2018 Issue, being 

presented a memento by Jose Kunnappally in the 

presence of Uma Maheswari, Head, Advertising and 

Corporate Partnerships, Destination Kerala in Thrissur. 

4 / Destination Kerala • January 2019

EDITOR’S NOTE 

WITH 97 HARTAL DAYS IN 

2018, IT CAN BE INFERRED 

THAT THE STAGGERING 

LOSS IT CAUSED KERALA 

TOUCHED RS.1,94,000 

CRORE!!! 

TO HELL WITH HARTALS 

Finally, the business community of Kerala, heavily impacted by the 

frequent calls for hartal by political parties, is joining forces to eradicate 

this cancerous scourge once and for all. 

Given that one hartal day translates into a revenue loss of Rs. 2000 crore 

on an average, and Kerala had 97 hartal days in 2018, it can be inferred that 

the staggering loss it caused touched Rs.1,94,000 crore!!! 

If the Maruti Suzuki plant was in Kerala, it would have run into a production 

shortage of 4,85,000 cars, considering that they produce 5000 cars every 

day. 

The formation of Joint Action Council Against Hartal (JACAH) which 

comprises TiE Kerala, KMA, IMA, CII, FICCI, KSSIA, KCCI, NASSCOM, 

KTM, CREDAI, Kerala Vyapari Vyavasayi Ekopana Samithi (KVVES), Hotels 

& Restaurants Association, CBSE Schools Association, among others, is 

a step in the right direction. If the resentment among the trade and business 

community spreads to the general public and this grows into a mass noncooperation 

movement against hartal, then no political party will dare test 

the patience of the electorate so often with impunity and total disregard for 

their fundamental rights as they do now. 

There is already a malicious propaganda against Kerala portraying it as 

an investor-unfriendly place, which the State has to fight tooth and nail to 

attract business and investments home. Recently, when Airbus came to check 

out Technopark for setting up a business accelerator, the capital city was 

shut down due to a hartal. With hardly any vehicle on the streets and police 

escorting the visiting delegation, it was explained away as “a nice sleepy little 

town with skilled talent” and “VIP courtesies”. It does not take much for the 

cat to leave the bag. 

On every hartal day, more than 70,000 tourists get stranded in the State. 

That is certain to lead to a ‘word of mouth’ campaign that is hugely negative. 

Holding businesses and people to ransom for scoring political brownie 

points has to stop. KVVES has already announced 2019 as ‘Anti-Hartal Year’. 

This is indeed promising and needs all our support. 

The business community of Kerala has spoken and it sounds: ‘to hell with 

hartals.’ Let’s hope the public takes it up from there. 

We now have a Chief Minister with a rare mandate, execution prowess 

and high degree of political currency. We would expect him to show the 

courage and conviction to treat this cancer, even if it means the pill is bitter. 

Jose Kunnappally 

I wish all our readers a Happy New Year. 

/DKeralaMag 

@DKeralaMag 


CONTENTS 

Pg.26 

Pg.16 

COVER 

STORY 

Pg.32 

Pg.18 

Pg.38 

PG.10 / SMART INVESTMENTS: 

Some broad predictions which may 

prove to be profitable for investors in 

2019 and beyond 

-------- 

PG.12 / OPINION: RAJESH NAIR 

Demystifying ‘workplace motivation’, 

with intrinsic approach as focal point 

-------- 

PG.16 / INTERVIEW: K BIJU IAS 

The dynamic officer speaks about the 

advantages that K-SWIFT will offer to 

entrepreneurs of the State 

PG.18 / REALTY: ASSET HOMES 

Expanding its footprint in Kerala’s capital, 

the builder launches two new projects 

-------- 

PG.26 / EVENTS: SME 

EXCELLENCE AWARDS 2018 

Destination Kerala’s platform to honour 

Kerala’s SMEs was held in Kochi 

-------- 

PG.38 / MAKING A DIFFERENCE: 

HARI M R 

This techie has converted a barren 

land into a mini man-made forest! 

PG.48 / AYURVEDA: 

RCM HEALTHCARE GROUP 

Promoting authentic Ayurveda 

treatment and medicines in a way that is 

affordable and accessible to everyone 

THE CONTRARIAN 

Starting with this issue, we are introducing a new 

column titled ‘The Contrarian’ by C Balagopal 

replacing ‘The Last Word’ (page 50) 

COVER PHOTOGRAPH: 

GOKULAM GOPALAN 


SMART INVESTMENTS 

INVESTORS CAN EXPECT 

GOOD RETURNS FROM 

STOCK MARKET IN 2019 

Dr. V K Vijayakumar 

Investment Strategist 

Geojit Financial Services 

Famous economist J K Galbraith 

once remarked: “There 

are two kinds of forecasters: 

those who do not know, and those 

who do not know that they do not 

know.” In the modern VUCA (Volatility, 

Uncertainty, Complexity and 

Ambiguity) world, prediction is a 

hazardous exercise. 

Nevertheless, even at the risk of 

being proved wrong, let me make 

some broad predictions which may 

prove to be profitable for investors 

in 2019 and beyond. 

GLOBAL ECONOMY SET FOR 

A SLOW DOWN 

After impressive growth in 2018, 

global economy looks set for a 

slowdown in 2019. The US, which 

re-emerged as the engine of global 

growth, has been on the second longest 

period of economic expansion 

in US history. If the current expansion, 

which started in June 2009, 

goes beyond June 2019, it would 

be the longest economic expansion 

in US history. This certainly looks 

likely; but a slowdown appears imminent. 

The flattening of the yield curve 

in US indicates slowdown. Global 

PMI in December, at two-year low, 

is another indication of an imminent 

slowdown. However, the consensus 

is that a recession is unlikely. 

Even though this ‘growth scare’ 

is a negative, it has positive implications 

for market performance in 

EMs like India. The growth scare 

is likely to turn the Fed’s monetary 

stance dovish. This, in turn, will 

weaken the dollar and pave the way 

for resumption of strong FPI flows 

into EMs like India. 

The sharp dip in US 10-year yield 

– from the peak of 3.26 per cent in 

October to around 2.82 per cent 

by mid December - have stemmed 

capital outflows from EMs. EMs are 

likely to outperform DMs in 2019. 

This augurs well for the market. 

MONETARY STANCE WILL 

TURN ACCOMMODATIVE 

The crash in crude and soft food 

prices has brought inflation well 

below the RBI’s comfort zone. The 

central bank expects H2 FY19 inflation 

to range between 2.7 and 3.2 

per cent. 

With CPI inflation declining 

to 2.33 per cent in November and 

Repo at 6.5 per cent, the real interest 

rate is way too high. Therefore, the 

central bank, particularly under 

its new chief, is likely to move to 

neutral stance in the February policy 

and might turn accommodative 

soon if growth continues to be weak. 

The softening of the bond yield (the 

10-year is at 7.32 per cent as I write) 

is clearly indicating this emerging 

monetary scenario. This is positive 

for markets. 

CRUDE CRASH WILL BE A 

STRONG TAIL WIND FOR THE 

ECONOMY AND MARKET 

The growth scare in the global 

economy has already impacted the 

crude price. The US slowdown, 

along with decelerating Chinese 

economy and increasing shale supplies 

from the US will put a firm lid 

on crude price and may even trigger 

further fall in crude price. 

Though this is a negative for international 

trade and global growth, 

it is a major tailwind for the Indian 

economy and stock market. 

EARNINGS GROWTH LIKELY 

TO SPURT IN FY 20 

Projections of earnings growth 

have been consistently proved 

wrong during the last four years. The 

huge losses of PSU banks, the miserable 

performance of telecom and 

aviation and the woes of the metal 

segment contributed to this lackluster 

performance. Excess capacity in 

manufacturing constrained private 

investment. 

Now, there is some light at the 

end of the tunnel. The huge losses of 

the PSU banks are likely to turn to 

profits for the FY 2019-20 making a 

big difference to profit growth and 

Nifty earnings growth in FY20. The 

12 per cent depreciation in INR 

will boost around 40 per cent of 

Nifty earnings. Capacity utilisation 

in manufacturing has improved 

to above 76 per cent and once this 

reaches 80 per cent it will lead to 

smart pick up in private capex. All 

these point to a smart pick up in 

earnings growth in FY20. 

PROFIT FROM VOLATILITY 

In 2017, stock markets globally 

were unusually stable. 2018 proved 

to be very volatile. Going forward, 

in the coming months, this volatility 

is likely to continue, even aggravate, 

given the unclear political landscape 

in India. 

The bright prospects for earnings 

growth in FY20 have made 

valuations fair. Further dips in the 

market, triggered by any internal or 

external factors, will make valuations 

attractive. Investors can profit 

from this volatility. 


OPINION / Rajesh Nair 

ANALYSING WORKPLACE 

MOTIVATION IN THE DIGITAL AGE 

The employee of tomorrow wants to feel autonomous and empowered to do her 

job which underscores the relevance of intrinsic motivation, says Rajesh Nair 

Our motivation to work is 

visible and often infectious. 

The zeal with which we 

work percolates down to our teams 

and positively impacts our peers. Let 

us try here to demystify ‘workplace 

motivation’. Some even say that 

the phrase is an oxymoron; we can 

either be at the workplace or remain 

motivated! 

A significant proportion of time in 

our lives is spent at work. Researchers 

say that more than one-third of 

our life is spent on to be physically 

present at workplace and for more 

than half of the life we ‘carry’ work in 

our minds. With the advent of email 

and smart phones, our mind share 

on work has increased enormously. 

While social media has enabled us 

to connect with friends and relatives, 

a significant time on the social 

network is also spent talking to colleagues 

and discussing more work. 

With this level of engagement, it is 

also imperative that one gets best out 

of this time. 

Conventional theory on motivation 

focuses on two aspects – intrinsic 

and extrinsic factors. Intrinsic 

motivation relates to all those 

aspects which lie within us and motivate 

us. Our values, thoughts and 

upbringing all play a part in encouraging 

or discouraging us from doing 

things. Extrinsic motivation is anything 

outside of the individual that 

he/she needs to acquire to increase 

motivation. Typical examples are 

money, bonuses, nice cars etc. 

The focus on management theorists 

have been on extrinsic motivation 

for ages resulting in industries 

offering ‘incentives’ without much 

thought and application. The broad 

consensus of the past had always 

been that ‘positive and negative reinforcements’, 

known as ‘carrot and 

stick’ approach, is the best method 

to enhance motivation. 

But the workplace of today and 

tomorrow are quite different. The 

proportion of knowledge workers is 

increasing and automation is replacing 

low-skilled jobs. The employee 

of tomorrow wants to feel autonomous 

and empowered to do her 

job. This also points to the view that 

intrinsic motivation needs to be the 

focal point. It needs to be addressed 

with tact. The new thought says that 

what is important is the desire to do 

things because they matter, because 

we enjoy doing the tasks as they are 

interesting and because they lend us 

a larger purpose and meaning. The 

foundation of this new approach 

is embedded in three pillars – the 

three ‘F’s of motivation. 

Freedom: It is the independence 

and autonomy to accomplish our 

tasks and lead our lives. The knowledge 

worker of today wants to have 

her own space to manage her work. 

The tasks of today need self-guidance 

by the performers. Google is 

a new-age organisation which has 

made ‘20 per cent of its ideation’ a 

radical success. Google employees 

are urged to spend 20 per cent of 

their time doing ‘anything they 

want’. They can do literally anything! 

Very interestingly, Google claims 

that more than half of their new 

products and product innovations 

are seeded during this free time! 

Focus: Human beings intrinsically 

have this urge or desire to do 

something better than that they have 

done in the past. The issue is when 

we try this at everything we do. 

Focus is about the complete determination 

to improve some specific 

areas. The mastery of work is a great 

motivator and so is the relentless 

quest for excellence. If we create 

workplaces where people are encouraged 

and not goaded like cattle, 

we are likely to trigger this feeling in 

individuals and teams. 

Function: What is the overall 

function of what we do? What is the 

larger purpose? We constantly seek 

meaning in what we do and to connect 

it to a larger picture or vision. 

There is a flawed perception in our 

society that if we need to find purpose, 

we need to leave our jobs and 

materials and become an ascetic and 

lead the life of a hermit. Nothing is 

more further from truth. Purpose 

is about making a difference in the 

lives of everyone we touch each day 

whether at our workplaces or in our 

personal lives. It also provides the 

ultimate fuel to work. 

Every job, no matter how meaningful 

or boring it may seem, will 

get mundane if we let it. Freedom, 

focus and function keep it fresh. 

(The author is Associate Partner – 

Markets, South India, EY) 


OPINION / Roshan Kynadi 

TIME FOR ‘NOMADIC MALAYALI’ 

TO LOOK AT DOMESTIC AVENUES 

It is time for Keralites to identify jobs and livelihood in our State or country as 

job opportunities in other countries are getting bleaker, says Roshan Kynadi 

Skilled and educated manpower 

was the one thing 

that Kerala exported in large 

numbers in the last 30-odd years. 

The foreign exchange brought in by 

non-resident Keralites sustained the 

economy of the State and helped 

even meet the foreign exchange 

requirements of the country to a 

large extent. 

But of late we have been getting 

to see restrictions of various forms 

being imposed in many countries 

around the world. Employment 

restrictions in Saudi Arabia and 

visa restrictions in the USA and the 

UK are only some of them. These 

countries seem to have decided that 

the limited number of jobs available 

there should go to their citizens and 

not foreigners. This is an attitude 

prevailing in many countries. As a 

result, the people of these countries 

have elected leaders who support 

this ideology. Donald Trump and 

BREXIT are the outcomes of such 

an attitude gaining currency among 

the public of these nations. Even in 

our country, the NRC issue in Assam 

was the result of this viewpoint. 

The decision to issue Aadhaar cards 

to all citizens of our country was 

done to ensure that outsiders like 

Sri Lankans, Rohingyas and Bangladeshis 

do not enter our country and 

enjoy the benefits of the citizens. 

KERALA 

GOVERNMENT 

AND THE PEOPLE 

OF THE STATE 

SHOULD CONSIDER 

ENTREPRENEURS 

AS JOB-GIVERS AND 

CONTRIBUTORS 

TO THE TAX KITTY 

OF THE STATE AND 

WELCOME THEM 

WITH RED CARPET 

In addition to this, over the next 

10 years we are going to see the shift 

from fossil fuel (petroleum) to renewable 

energy. Tesla has become a 

catalyst in this transformation. With 

their range of cars Tesla has shown 

the world that electric cars are less 

polluting. Taking a cue from this, 

almost every automobile manufacturer 

around the world has already 

announced the launch date of electric 

cars. Since India is located close 

to the equator receiving abundant 

sunlight throughout the year, solar 

energy is going to become a major 

power source of the country. The 

foreign exchange savings that India 

would get by not having to import 

crude oil is likely to trigger unprecedented 

economic growth in the 

country. We are also going to witness 

the economic downfall of the Gulf 

countries over the next 10 years due 

to the drop in demand for petroleum 

products. That being the case, the 

job prospects in the Gulf countries 

that an average Malayali had been 

enjoying over the last 30-odd years 

are going to vanish very soon. 

I believe in the days to come we 

are going to witness the emergence 

of leaders like Donald Trump in 

many other parts of the world, 

especially developed countries. This 

is going to bring in more and more 

restrictions on job opportunities in 

these countries. Hence, I feel it is 

time for Keralites to identify jobs 

and livelihood in our own State or 

country. Promoting entrepreneurship 

among our youth and transforming 

them from job-seekers 

to job-givers would help us in a 

big way in this transformation. I 

think time has come for the Kerala 

Government and the people of the 

State to consider entrepreneurs as 

job-givers and contributors to the 

tax kitty of the State and welcome 

them with red carpet. 

(The author is an Agripreneur and 

former president of Calicut Management 

Association) 


EVENTS / ‘Seeding Kerala’ 

ANOTHER WINDOW FOR HNWIs 

TO INVEST IN SMART STARTUPS 

'Seeding Kerala', to be organised by KSUM and LetsVenture, is aimed at 

helping and guiding HNWIs of Kerala to invest in some of the best startups 

The Central Government 

recently lauded the growth of 

startup ecosystem in Kerala 

spearheaded by the Kerala Startup 

Mission (KSUM) by bestowing the 

‘top performer among the States’ tag. 

KSUM is making every effort to 

not miss any opportunity to scale 

up the startup ecosystem. In such an 

initiative, KSUM in association with 

LetsVenture, an online platform for 

angel investments, will organise the 

fourth edition of ‘Seeding Kerala’ 

program in Kochi on January 23 to 

bring together the high-net-worth 

individuals (HNWIs) of Kerala to 

provide them opportunities to invest 

in some of the best startups from the 

State and other parts of India. 

The event is envisaged as a virtual 

platform for people who are interested 

in seeding startups both financially 

and as mentors. Seeding Kerala 

will focus on connecting the existing 

ecosystem in the State to national and 

international touch points. 

“It is the fourth Seeding Kerala 

event to be organised by KSUM 

along with LetsVenture. We expect 

a gathering of around 100 investors 

and potential aspirants. It will be an 

event where one could share one’s experiences, 

understand the excitement 

of investing in startups and nuances 

of startup investment, and learn how 

we can give back to society as well as 

be a part of the journey for creating 

innovative products which can actually 

reshape the world,” said Dr. Saji 

Gopinath, CEO, KSUM. 

To be held at Kochi Marriott 

Hotel, the event will host marquee 

investors from the country’s startup 

ecosystem and senior officials from 

the State and Central Governments. 

DR. SAJI GOPINATH 

CEO, KERALA STARTUP MISSION 

“We are very impressed by the 

way KSUM has helped groom the 

startup ecosystem. Recently, it has 

started another initiative under 

which they acted as a Fund of Funds 

and invested in funds like us. We 

look forward to keep investing and 

help growing the ecosystem,” said 

Anil Joshi, Managing Partner, Unicorn 

India Ventures. 

KSUM will offer around Rs. 10 

lakh and other prizes to the best 

startup in the country that will be 

chosen at the meet. The highlights 

of the conference will be an Angel 

Investing Masterclass – covering the 

basics of investment and portfolio 

diversification, legal aspects of 

investing and some remarkable business 

case studies from the State. 

About 10 leading technology 

startups selected at the national level 

will be getting an opportunity to 

receive investment worth up to Rs. 

3 crore and guidance from experts 

at the event. They also stand the 

chance of getting business partners. 

The startups can pitch their ideas 

before the individuals and institutions 

participating in the event with 

a readiness to invest. 

According to KSUM officials, 

market access, industry exposure 

and one-year branding support are 

the other opportunities awaiting the 

startups at the event. 

“Kerala has a very vibrant startup 

ecosystem. A unique feature of the 

ecosystem is that it is not city-centric. 

It is available throughout the State. 

We have also started looking at the 

possibility of educating the homegrown 

HNWIs, small companies and 

corporates to make them consider 

investing in this startup ecosystem,” 

said M Sivasankar IAS, Secretary, 

Department of IT and Electronics, 

Government of Kerala. 

Investors will get opportunities 

to involve themselves in startup 

policy formulations, invest in the 

best 50 startups in Kerala, partner 

with Fund of Funds of the Government 

of Kerala, get facilitation space 

at Incubation Centres and network 

with potential partners etc. 

Anil Joshi; Manoj Kumar Agarwal, 

Co-founder, Sea Fund; Mehaboob 

M A, MD, Secura Investment 

Management; Vishesh Rajaram, 

Managing Partner, Speciale Incept 

Advisors; Dibya Prakash, Cofounder, 

Technology and Business 

Consulting Group; Shilen Sagunan, 

Chief Executive, SS Consulting; 

Vinod Keni, Partner, Artha Venture 

Fund; and Abhishek Prasad, Managing 

Partner, Cornerstone Venture 

Partners Fund, among others, will 

attend the event. 

technopolis, the official campus 

magazine of IT Parks Kerala is the 

Magazine Partner of the event. DK 

January 2019 • Destination Kerala / 15

INTERVIEW / K Biju IAS 

K-SWIFT, KERALA’S BIG PUSH 

FOR INDUSTRIAL PROMOTION 

A much-awaited initiative, the online platform facilitating single-window 

clearance, will ease the procedures for granting industrial licences in the State 

by Deepu Aby Verghese 

Kerala has not been at its best 

when it comes to facilitating 

ease-of-doing business. 

While the hartals declared by political 

parties at the drop of a hat and 

strikes called by workers’ unions are 

a major factor, corruption and nepotism 

prevalent in the system play an 

equal part in dampening the spirit 

of entrepreneurs. But now the State 

Government has come forward to 

put an end to this situation, realising 

that promotion of entrepreneurship 

is very crucial in ensuring sustainable 

economic development of the 

State. 

To start with, the Department of 

Industries with the help of Kerala 

State Industrial Development Corporation 

(KSIDC) has formulated 

Kerala Single-Window Interface 

for Fast & Transparent Clearance 

(K-SWIFT), an online platform 

to create an environment which is 

investor-friendly and conducive to 

improve ease-of-doing business in 

the State, by making procedures to 

obtain industrial licences easier. 

K-SWIFT has been shaped by 

amending a number of key Acts, 

rules and procedures which were 

hitherto governing the clearance 

protocols. State Industries Minister 

E P Jayarajan is expected to do the 

soft launch of K-SWIFT in the first 

week of January while, in February, 

the Chief Minister will officially 

launch the system. 

K Biju IAS, Director, Department 

of Industries & Commerce, Government 

of Kerala speaks to Destination 

Kerala about the advantages K- 

SWIFT offers to entrepreneurs. 

K BIJU IAS 

DIRECTOR, DEPARTMENT OF 

INDUSTRIES & COMMERCE 

Can you explain how the mechanism 

of K-SWIFT has been conceptualised? 

The government has been overhauling 

the industrial licensing 

system in two ways; one, through 

modification of existing laws governing 

different departments which 

admittedly slow down the process 

of issuance of licences and second, 

through an omnibus piece of legislation 

called the Investment Legislation 

Bill passed by the Legislative 

Assembly unanimously. Under this, 

many of the existing Acts have been 

amended to speed up the process of 

clearance and licence issuance. Steps 

have been taken to increase the 

tenure of licences so that the investors 

need not have to run often from 

pillar to post to get them renewed. 

Moreover, certain processes which 

are already followed like some forms 

which the applicants need to submit 

have also been simplified. 

Through the K-SWIFT mechanism 

the entrepreneur can track his 

application which would be sent to 

different government departments 

once the application for a licence is 

submitted through the platform. 

How does the platform work for an 

applicant? 

Once a Common Application 

Form (CAF) is submitted, it goes 

to the respective departments for 

clearance. The CAF is a general 

form in which the entrepreneur will 

address the queries from all departments 

which his particular industry 

is required to furnish. Once this is 

done, the platform culls information 

and provides a common result. 

There is a time limit of 28 days 

for each department to respond. 

If they don’t respond in time, the 

licence will be deemed as granted. 

In that case, the entrepreneur gets a 

single sheet which will have all the 

clearances he or she has sought for. 

There is a mandated time frame for 

various departments to issue clearance. 

The clearance by the respective 

department will be included in the 

final clearance which the entrepreneur 

obtains through the K-SWIFT 

portal. However, if an applicant obtains 

a deemed licence to commence 

operations, the unit is liable to be inspected 

by respective departments. 

If discrepancies or falsification of 

facts are detected in the application, 

the applicant will have to pay a fine 

of up to Rs. 5 lakh. 

All these procedures are mandated 

by the law. The tenure of licences 

has been extended to five years. For 

example, earlier, the licence for Dangerous 

and Offensive Trades and 

Factories was issued for a period of 

one year. Now we have made it five 


years. Hence, the applicant need not 

go to the concerned offices every 

year to get it renewed. 

KSEB 

Fire & Rescue 

Services 

Kerala Water Authority 

What are the advantages of the new 

system? 

A hassle-free system will be provided 

to entrepreneurs by which they 

will be able to get all the required 

clearance through a single portal. 

The duplication and multiplicity of 

laws, cumbersome procedures and 

red-tapism will no longer trouble the 

entrepreneurs with the introduction 

of the K-SWIFT platform. 

There have been instances of 

misuse of the provisions of law in 

certain departments. Such incidents 

will be done away with. In that sense, 

K-SWIFT will help stop unwarranted 

interventions by government 

officials. These are some of the salient 

features of K-SWIFT, envisaged 

as model which promotes ease-ofdoing 

business. In the event of any 

dispute, there is a provision by which 

the entrepreneur can appeal the State 

Government seeking to redress the 

issue which has cropped up during 

the process. So this is how the K- 

SWIFT platform is going to work. 

What will happen to applications 

pending clearance outside the K- 

SWIFT platform? 

There is no question of applications 

awaiting clearance outside 

K-SWIFT platform. They will be 

accommodated into K-SWIFT’s 

portal. See the whole system has 

been introduced to promote easeof-doing 

business. Hence, we cannot 

afford to treat the old and new applications 

differently. 

What are the plans to publicise this 

game-changing initiative? 

Following the soft launch of K- 

SWIFT, we will hold sensitisation/ 

awareness sessions for industry 

participants and people’s representatives 

at the panchayat level. Awareness 

programmes will be conducted 

in all districts. We will also hold 

Kerala State Pollution 

Control Board 

Local 

Self-Government 

trial run of the new system during 

which its operability will be ensured. 

Kerala is generally changing from 

being a State where the laws and 

processes were cumbersome. One 

main objective of the new system is 

to put a curb on unnecessary harassment 

and red-tapism. The motto is – 

quick clearance, easy clearance. 

Will there be a dedicated team to 

monitor the operations of K-SWIFT 

portal? 

The IT-based platform which 

enables K-SWIFT has been created 

by NIC and KSIDC. And yes, there 

will be a dedicated team at NIC and 

another one at KSIDC who will 

provide the necessary backup. All 

government departments will have a 

particular nodal officer to look after 

the operations of K-SWIFT. 

What has been the response from the 

industry? 

The industry has been very 

receptive to the news of K-SWIFT. 

The Investment Facilitation Bill was 

passed unanimously by the Legislative 

Assembly. There is a general 

belief that Kerala needs to move forward 

in the field of entrepreneurship 

and it should be celebrated. We are 

no more a State where we can ignore 

even a single industrial player. We 

need systems which will encourage 

people to invest. And with GST ushering 

in a level playing field, we need 

to capitalise on tools like K-SWIFT. 

It is going to be a very good tool by 

K-SWIFT 

Ground Water 

Department 

which we will ensure that the easeof-doing 

business is translated into a 

systemic approach to governance. 

How will the Intelligent Building 

Planning Software (IBPS) help 

K-SWIFT users? 

It is part of K-SWIFT. To be 

precise, it is a reform coupled with 

Business Process Reengineering 

(BPR). It is one of the reforms that 

have to be at the Local Self Government 

Department level. 

It is a software which helps the 

user receive a building permit by 

entering all parameters needed for 

the purpose. The permit will be 

automatically issued by the software 

if all the prerequisites are met. 

The pre-programmed parameters 

include aspects like distance, elevation 

and zone. IBPS automation 

has been completed at Thiruvananthapuram 

Corporation. From now 

on, all building applications at the 

Corporation should go through 

the IBPS system. All corporations, 

municipalities and panchayats in 

the State will eventually switch to 

this system. 

Will there be offline mode to apply for 

industry licence? 

Once the system is implemented, 

only online mode will be available. 

There will be a grievance redressal 

system. The centralised system will 

monitor the applications. It will be 

able to pinpoint the delay in processing 

any particular application. 


REALTY / Asset Homes 

ASSET HOMES TO EXPAND ITS 

FOOTPRINT IN KERALA’S CAPITAL 

The leading builder announces two new projects – Asset Sovereign and 

Asset Sunny Days – promising a slew of attractive offers 

Asset Homes, one of the 

emerging builders of the 

country, is expanding its 

footprint in the capital city of Kerala, 

Thiruvananthapuram, with a kitty 

of offers this New Year. Accordingly, 

the residents of the city will get an 

opportunity to welcome the New 

Year by availing an attractive offer 

from Asset Homes, ‘Expect More, 

Save More’, for booking new apartments 

near Statue Junction and at 

Peroorkada. 

The new projects, Asset Sovereign 

near Statue Junction and Asset 

Sunny Days at Peroorkada, have 

been designed by incorporating 

state-of-the-art facilities and ensuring 

the outstanding Asset Quality 

Lifestyle. 

“By availing this offer, a customer 

can get a benefit of up to Rs. 10 lakh. 

The clients will get exemption from 

floor-based price variance under 

this offer. Besides, Rs. 1 lakh-worth 

furnishing will be given as gift,” said 

V Sunil Kumar, MD, Asset Homes, 

while announcing the projects. 

Two-bedroom and three-bedroom 

luxury apartments will be 

available under Asset Sovereign. 

The project consists of facilities 

such as swimming pool, air-conditioned 

fitness centre with worldclass 

equipment and well-designed 

children’s play area. Solar lights and 

ample green spaces are the other 

highlights of the project. 

Having two-bedroom and 

three-bedroom apartments, Asset 

Sunny Days provides facilities 

such as infinity swimming pool, 

multi-recreation hall with space for 

indoor games, children’s play area, 

well-equipped fitness centre, open 

V SUNIL KUMAR 

MD, ASSET HOMES 

theatre, open terrace party area and 

grand entrance lobby. 

The offer, ‘Expect More, Save 

More,’ will be available till January 

20 for those who wish to own Asset 

Homes apartment before their 

launch. For Asset Sovereign project, 

the offer promises a discount of Rs. 

600/sq.ft while it will be 

Rs 500/sq.ft. for Asset 

Sunny Days. 

“Asset Homes has 

completed 56 projects 

in seven districts across 

15 cities of Kerala. In Thiruvananthapuram, 

we have around 1200 

customers. We provide 17 different 

service offers for different projects,” 

Sunil Kumar added. 

One of the services the builder 

offers is an insurance coverage for 25 

years. This has proved helpful in situations 

like floods. For example, the 

occupants of one of the Asset Homes 

apartments in Aluva, which was 

affected by the recent floods, could 

repair the damage without pooling 

in extra amount as the apartment 

was insured. The insurance covers 

damage due to natural calamities like 

cyclone, flood and other unexpected 

attacks like theft, terrorism and bomb 

blast. 

Asset Homes is also the residential 

partner of one of the major developments 

coming up in Thiruvananthapuram, 

the Taurus Downtown 

Project to be established in the third 

phase development of Technopark. 

ASSET HOMES IS ALSO THE 'RESIDENTIAL 

PARTNER' OF THE UPCOMING 

TAURUS DOWNTOWN PROJECT IN 

TECHNOPARK PHASE III 

The 4.4-lakh sq. ft. completely furnished 

and serviced apartments have 

been designed to suit the modern 

lifestyle of youngsters working in the 

technology field. The ‘Asset Identity’, 

will have apartments ranging from 

100 sq. ft. to 1800 sq. ft. inside the 

Technopark campus. The 100-sq. ft. 

facility known as Selfie 

unit will be a single room 

apartment catering to 

bachelors. There will also 

be 300-sq. ft. apartments 

known as Selfie-Plus unit. 

Asset Homes, which has been 

honoured with CRISIL 7 Star for 

its three projects, is the youngest 

builder in the country to receive 

CRISIL DA2 honour. Asset Orchestra 

at Kazhakkoottam, Asset Legacy 

at Gowreesapattom and Asset Volga 

at Vattiyoorkavu are the other 

projects under construction in the 

capital city. 

DK 


EVENTS / ‘Anti-Hartal Year’ 

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH, NO MORE 

HARTALS: ENTREPRENEURS 

A string of hartals, numbering almost 100 in a year, has prompted the business 

community to come out and say in unison, ‘No, Not Anymore’ 

A 

whopping 97 hartals called 

by different political parties 

and organisations in Kerala 

this year caused enormous trouble 

to the businesses and industries 

alike in the State, whose economy 

was even otherwise reeling under 

tremendous damage caused by 

unprecedented floods which hit the 

State in August. Against this backdrop, 

various organisations have 

jointly come forward openly declaring 

their strong opposition to the 

scourge called hartal and resolved to 

observe 2019 as ‘Anti-Hartal Year’. 

The Kerala Tourism Task Force, 

an initiative of Kerala Travel Mart 

(KTM), stated that the tourism 

industry would vehemently oppose 

the forcible enforcement of hartals 

which, according to it, had become 

detrimental to the sector. A joint 

meeting of 28 organisations in the 

tourism sector has adopted a sixpoint 

resolution calling to ensure 

that the tourism industry remained 

unaffected during the forced shut 

down on hartal days. The forum also 

made it clear that they would not 

participate in the nation-wide strike 

on January 8 and 9, 2019. 

Baby Mathew, President, KTM 

said, “Though we are not opposing 

a person’s right to disagree, we will 

in no way associate with forcibly enforced 

hartals. Tourism was the most 

affected industry during Nipah virus 

outbreak and floods, but we somehow 

withstood it. However, hartal is 

a ‘man-made disaster’ which we will 

oppose.” The task force will also take 

steps to file cases seeking compensation 

from those who call hartals and 

cause troubles for the industry, by 

presenting clear evidence. 

M S A KUMAR 

PRESIDENT, TiE KERALA 

Through a resolution the meeting 

also urged the government to provide 

police protection to ensure the safety 

and security of tourists and the uninterrupted 

functioning of institutions 

and services in the tourism sector 

during hartals. As far as tourism sector 

is concerned, a single day’s hartal 

on an average causes a total loss of 

around Rs. 200 crore. 

On parallel lines, the Kerala 

Vyapari Vyavasayi Ekopana Samithi 

(KVVES) also convened a meeting 

ANATHALAVATTOM ANANDAN 

STATE PRESIDENT, CITU 

“I do not agree with the declaration 

of hartal on short notice. 

But if the hartal is called well in 

advance, like the general strike 

on January 8 and 9 which was announced 

in September, people will 

get time to prepare for the same. 

Hartal is a form of protest and I do 

not believe in banning it.” 

of representatives of 36 organisations 

along with associations of 

private truck and bus operators and 

endorsed the call to observe 2019 

as ‘Anti-Hartal Year’. An anti-hartal 

committee was also formed at the 

meeting which included representatives 

of various trade bodies. 

T Nasiruddeen, State President 

of KVVES, pointed out that Kerala 

witnessed 97 hartals in 2018 alone 

and one-fourth of the trade and business 

houses in the State were badly 

affected by this. Most of the hartals 

were also announced on short notice, 

he said. The committee also explored 

ways to hold hartal organisers 

responsible for the damage caused 

during hartals. A final meeting of the 

KVVES to be held in January will 

chart out plans in this regard. 

A meeting of the Joint Action 

Council Against Hartal (JACAH) was 

held in Kochi recently. 

“Just like there is a ‘right to hartal,’ 

there is a ‘right to work’ as well. We 

understood that if people come out 

openly in support of this move, there 

will be no hartals. All shops and organisations 

of those who have gathered 

here for the meeting will remain 

open during hartals in future,” said S 

Gopakumar, President, Better Kochi 

Response Group and a TiE Kerala 

Charter Member. 

“Just as political parties have the 

right to organise hartals, we as members 

of the industry have right to do 

business. Moreover, we are going to 

tell political parties that ‘no vote for 

parties that call hartals!’, “said M S A 

Kumar, President, TiE Kerala. Discussions 

on strengthening the ecosystem 

to counter the fear of hartal were 

also held during the meeting. DK 


EVENTS / Kochi-Muziris Biennale 2018-19 

KOCHI’S YET ANOTHER TRYST 

WITH MESMERISING ARTS FIESTA 

The fourth edition of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale, the only art event of its 

kind in the whole of India, commenced in Kochi on December 12 

CHIEF MINISTER PINARAYI VIJAYAN INAUGURATING KOCHI-MUZIRIS BIENNALE 

It’s the Biennale season again in 

Kochi as the fourth edition of the 

Kochi-Muziris Biennale commenced 

in the city on December 12. 

The grand inaugural events started 

off with a flag hoisting ceremony 

at Aspinwall House followed by a 

‘Walk with the Curator’ and other 

events. The official opening ceremony 

held at Parade Ground had an air 

of grandeur as Peruvanam Kuttan 

Marar and his group of 180 artists 

enthralled a massive gathering with 

their brilliant percussion performance 

(chendamelam). 

Pinarayi Vijayan, the Chief Minister 

of Kerala, inaugurated the ceremony 

and delivered the inaugural 

address in which he praised art and 

its ‘‘inevitability in human life.’’ 

“What makes a human life humane 

is art and culture. Art should exist 

to elevate man from the level of a 

beast,” he said. The Chief Minister 

said though the State Government 

is focusing on rebuilding the State 

hit by devastating floods recently, 

it has not slashed the grant for the 

event. 

“Even thinking of organising the 

Kochi-Muziris Biennale, the only 

art event of its kind in the whole of 

India, was a great adventure against 

the backdrop of such a calamity, yet 

we did it solely because we value art 

and culture,” he added. 

Curated by eminent artist Anita 

Dube, the Biennale this time is 

unique in its composition of artists 

with women totalling more than half 

of the participating artists. 

The Chief Minister said it is 

heartening to see the Biennale 

bringing in more women artists at 

a time when the concept of equality 

is being questioned. “Many of 

you may be aware that efforts are 

on in our society to question the 

equality of women and men citing 

centuries-old customs and practices. 

CURATED BY EMINENT 

ARTIST ANITA DUBE, 

THIS EDITION OF 

BIENNALE IS UNIQUE 

IN ITS COMPOSITION 

OF ARTISTS WITH 

WOMEN TOTALLING 

MORE THAN HALF 

OF THEM 

Our government has not minced 

words in re-affirming that equality 

and our commitment to the same 

which is again evident in the various 

programmes and campaigns that we 

are conducting to defend the rights 

of women.” 

Curator Anita Dube said that the 

Biennale seeks to blend pleasure with 

pedagogy. Reading out from her curatorial 

note, ‘Possibilities for a Non- 

Alienated Life’, she explained that the 

event is divided into two parts: one, 

the exhibits, and the other, the Pavilion, 

‘’where anyone and everyone 

can become a curator.’’ “I hope you all 

enjoy each work on display,” she said 

adding that “I hope these works also 

evoke questions in your mind.” 

Kadakampally Surendran, 

Kerala Tourism Minister, spoke of a 

symbiotic relationship between the 

Biennale and the number of travellers 

arriving in Kerala. The Biennale 

gives a boost to Kerala’s tourism sector 

and hence, the government has 

been aggressively promoting the art 

event abroad, he pointed out. 

Speaking on the occasion, Bose 

Krishnamachari, President, Kochi Biennale 

Foundation (KBF), said, “Let 

this year’s Biennale act as a healer 

for the State that was hit by natural 

disaster in the month of August.” 

With the curatorial theme ‘Possibilities 

for a Non-Alienated Life’, 

this year’s Biennale seeks to explore 

newer avenues to art practices 

through seminars, workshops, 

lectures, cinema and performances 

before its conclusion on March 29 

next year. 



INFRASTRUCTURE / Kannur International Airport 

KANNUR FINDS A PLACE ON 

THE AVIATION MAP OF INDIA 

With the commissioning of the Kannur International Airport, Kerala has 

become the only State in the country to have four International Airports 

When the Boeing 737 

flight of Air India Express 

took off for Abu 

Dhabi from Kannur International 

Airport on December 9, it was a 

dream-come-true moment for the 

people of Malabar who have been, 

for years, dependent on Calicut International 

Airport to travel abroad 

or to other domestic destinations. 

Suresh Prabhu, Union Minister for 

Civil Aviation and Pinarayi Vijayan, 

Kerala Chief Minister jointly flagged 

off the first flight from the airport, 

making Kerala the only State in the 

country having four International 

Airports. The duo also inaugurated 

the terminal building by lighting the 

traditional lamp in the presence of 

thousands of people who came to 

watch the milestone event. 

E P Jayarajan, Kerala Minister for 

Industries and Commerce, who is 

also the legislator representing Mattannur 

Assembly constituency in 

which the airport is located, presided 

over the inaugural ceremony. 

Delivering the inaugural address, 

the Chief Minister congratulated 

the people of Kannur for having 

extended wholehearted support in 

completing the project. “A big salute 

to the people who stood with the 

government in implementing developmental 

initiatives,” he said. 

“Kannur International Airport 

will be a boon for the people residing 

along the Mysore-Koyilandy 

stretch. Roads connecting the 

airport with these places will be 

developed soon. The government 

will provide reasonable compensation 

to the people whose land has 

been acquired for development 

purposes,” he said and added that 

further development would not be 

possible in the absence of good road 

connectivity. 

The Chief Minister expressed 

hope that the Central Government 

would allow the State to take up the 

operations of Kannur International 

Airport and added that the State is 

also willing to take up the operations 

of Calicut International Airport at 

Karipur. The Chief Minister said this 

while alluding to the recent decision 

of the Ministry of Civil Aviation 

(MoCA) to privatise Trivandrum 

International Airport. 

Congratulating the Kerala Government 

for its consistent effort to set 

up the airport, Suresh Prabhu said 

that Kannur Airport has established 

an ideal model for development. 

“The airport has become a gateway 

to development. It is an example 

of how the State and the Centre can 

work in unison to achieve development. 

It is a laudable fact that the 

construction of the airport was completed 

keeping in mind the avenues 

for its future expansion,” the Union 

Civil Aviation Minister said. 

The World Bank estimates that 

non-resident Indians would contribute 

$80 billion to the country’s 

economy. “The lion’s share of that 

contribution comes from the people 

of Kerala working abroad. Hence, 

it is only fair to take steps to make 

their home-bound journey hasslefree,” 

the Minister added. 

“There are several tourist destinations 

in Karnataka and Kerala 

that are easily accessible from the 

airport. Commissioning of KIAL 

will give a fresh impetus to the tourism 

activities in areas like Coorg, 

Wayanad and Kozhikode. Hence, we 

will make all possible efforts to start 

more services,” said V Thulasidas 

IAS (Retd.), MD, KIAL. 

Procedures to acquire land for 

the airport began in 2008. So far the 

State Government has acquired 2300 

acres of land for KIAL. Although the 

estimated expenditure for the airport 

was pegged at Rs. 1820 crore, it overshot 

by Rs. 500 crore as on December 

9, 2018, according to Thulasidas. 

Extension of runway and construction 

of a cargo complex are the other 

projects in the pipeline, he said. 

State Ministers E Chandrasekharan, 

Ramachandran Kadannappally, K 

K Shailaja, A K Saseendran and K 

Krishnankutty, and Union Civil 

Aviation Secretary R N Choubey 

IAS were among the dignitaries 

present on the occasion. DK 


EVENTS / Vijayee Bhava Alumni 

A NOVEL VENTURE TO HELP 

SMALL ENTREPRENEURS SUCCEED 

A unique plaform to encourage budding entrepreneurs, Vijayee Bhava Alumni 

will host its fourth edition of Business Summit and Awards on February 1 

Vijayee Bhava Alumni (VBA), 

a platform for fostering 

entrepreneurs in Kerala, is 

all set to organise the fourth edition 

of its Business Summit and Awards 

2019 on February 1 at Hotel Crowne 

Plaza Kochi. 

VBA has emerged over the 

years as a platform which focuses 

on giving training and support to 

budding entrepreneurs by conducting 

monthly training sessions and 

annual Business Summit. 

“What we have under Vijayee 

Bhava are not startups but young 

and upcoming entrepreneurs from 

across Kerala, those business people 

who have been in the field for about 

three years. There are a number 

of support systems for startups 

in Kerala, but there was no such 

support system for young entrepreneurs 

having just a few years of 

experience. What we intend through 

Vijayee Bhava is to offer such a support 

system,” says Noushad M K, 

Programme Director. 

Speaking more about the Business 

Summit, he says, “This is 

held annually. Last year, when we 

organised the Summit, VBA had 

about 350 members, but this year it 

has gone up to 500. The event will be 

inaugurated by veteran entrepreneur 

Kochouseph Chittilappilly.” 

This year’s Summit will have 

about seven sessions, including 

panel discussions. “The theme of 

the event is ‘Celebrating Entrepreneurship’. 

An interesting session of 

the event has been titled ‘Beyond 

Boundaries’ which will focus on 

businesses that grew in Kerala and 

spread its wings to other states and 

nations,” explains Noushad. 

IT WAS VETERAN 

ENTREPRENEUR 

KOCHOUSEPH 

CHITTILAPPILLY WHO 

LAUNCHED VIJAYEE 

BHAVA IN 2013 IN A BID 

TO SUPPORT BUDDING 

ENTREPRENEURS TO 

BECOME SUCCESSFUL 

BUSINESS LEADERS 

Vijayee Bhava Alumni, which is 

based in Kochi, currently has about 

500 entrepreneurs as its members. 

The vision of the organisation is to 

facilitate learning and development 

by providing continuous mentoring, 

learning, inspiration and networking 

support. “The activities that we 

organise as part of this include ‘VB 

Talks’, a session conducted every 

month, where we bring in successful 

entrepreneurs to share their 

life experiences with youngsters 

KOCHOUSEPH CHITTILAPPILLY (RIGHT) WITH SHAMIM 

RAFEEK (EXTREME LEFT) OF WINNER IN YOU TRAINING 

& COACHING SERVICES AND SATHYANARAYANAN OF 

VARMA & VARMA CHARTERED ACCOUNTANTS 

in the field of business. There are 

other training sessions as well,” says 

Noushad. 

It was Kochouseph Chittilappilly, 

Founder and Chairman of 

V-Guard Industries Ltd., who initiated 

the entrepreneurial training 

programme – Vijayee Bhava – in 

2013 in a bid to support budding 

entrepreneurs to become successful 

business leaders guided by ethics. 

The initiative, which comes under 

Kochouseph Chittilappilly Foundation 

(KCF), was launched in 

association with Varma & Varma 

Chartered Accountants and Winner 

in You Training & Coaching 

Services led by international trainer 

and motivational speaker Shamim 

Rafeek. Each successful VB-ian will 

become a member of VBA, which 

has been constituted to keep the 

members updated on new trends 

in the business world and motivate 

them through regular monthly 

meetings. 



HEALTHCARE / Matria Hospital 

THE MATRIA PROMISE OF A 

PAMPERED BIRTHING EXPERIENCE 

The exclusive woman and child hospital has top-class facilities to care for 

expectant mothers and accompanying family members 

Childbirth is a beautiful life 

experience for a woman. 

But being a trying time for 

her, both mentally and physically, 

receiving the best prenatal care plays 

a major part in letting her enjoy 

this phase. At Matria Hospital – an 

exclusive woman and child hospital 

in Kozhikode – moms-to-be are lavishly 

pampered by the friendly staff. 

The exclusive birthing facility 

set up in 2010 under Dr. Kutty’s 

Healthcare, Matria Hospital offers 

every feature that ensures women 

have a truly pleasant experience. The 

idea is to make pregnant mothers 

feel at home. They can request for 

a particular doctor. What is more, 

spouses and family members are 

encouraged to stay with the mothers-to-be 

all through and be present 

in the labour rooms so they can be 

actively involved in the birthing 

process. Moms-to-be are allowed to 

choose their own birthing position. 

“We make this possible because, 

first, it offers great mental support 

and relief to the person who is in 

labour. These are labour suites with 

utmost privacy unlike the spaces 

separated by curtains that one may 

find in other hospitals,” says Dr. 

Gopika G S, Consultant – Obstetrics 

DR. GOPIKA G S 

CONSULTANT – OBSTETRICS 

& GYNAECOLOGY 

& Gynaecology, Matria Hospital. 

Matria Hospital has deluxe and 

premium suites with soothing décor, 

recliners, a rocking chair, a private 

shower and more. As per practices 

followed in the hospital, expectant 

mothers are not shifted to labour 

rooms at the first sign of labour. Two 

labour suites are kept ready for taking 

in expectant mothers at any time and 

are equipped with imported ‘Hill 

Rom Affinity 4 Birthing Bed’ from 

the USA, which allows mothers to lie 

down comfortably in a particular position 

they like in the labour rooms. 

Should there be a requirement 

from other pregnancy case when 

both suites are engaged, the hospital 

is equipped to handle such a situation 

too. “We monitor the initial 

stages of labour in the individual’s 

room so that expectant mothers do 

not come under pressure for having 

spent a prolonged time in labour. 

They can spend that time with their 

kin. Carrying mothers are shifted to 

labour suites only when they enter 

active phase of labour,” she adds. 

Moms-to-be can opt for labour 

analgesia or epidural analgesia to 

undergo painless labour. “Matria 

has the honour of having carried out 

the maximum number of epidural 

analgesia procedures successfully in 

Kerala. Close to 85 per cent moms 

have chosen analgesia,” she says. 

Before discharge, a team of hospital 

staff visit the mom and child and 

give them a surprise celebration with 

a small cake cutting and capturing 

photographs of the moment. Following 

discharge, a nurse will see off the 

mother and child till the vehicle. 

Matria Hospital recommends that 

expectant mothers start periodic 

check-ups following a positive Urine 

Pregnancy Test (UPT). The hospital 

is equipped with physicians, radiologists, 

anaesthetists, neonatologists 

and paediatricians to deal with any 

complications during the gestation 

and postnatal periods. It has 

a well-appointed operation theatre 

for gynaecological, laparoscopic and 

operative surgeries with sophisticated 

equipment. It also has facility to conduct 

hysterectomy using laparoscopy. 

The facility has an Obstetrical 

Ultrasound Unit (OUU) to analyse 

foetal development. The hospital 

also has an NICU with a dedicated 

team of neonatologists and trained 

nurses on call to handle premature 

deliveries and other emergencies. 

For details, log on to: www.matria.in 

or contact, Ph: +91 495 2436000. DK 


JEWELLERY / Konikkara Gold & Diamonds 

A GLITTERING PRESENCE IN 

THE JEWELLERY INDUSTRY 

A family partnership venture managed by Thomas Konikkara, it has earned 

reputation as a business firm committed to providing customer satisfaction 

Konikkara Gold & Diamonds 

which is a household name 

in Thrissur today built its 

business based on trust it cultivated 

among the clients by consistently 

offering top quality jewellery. The 

company which completed 35 years 

of its existence has earned reputation 

as a business firm committed to 

providing customer satisfaction. 

A family partnership concern 

managed by Thomas Konikkara, 

an experienced hand in the gold 

jewellery trade, Konikkara Gold 

& Diamonds has his brother Jacob 

Konikkara, his wife Sonia Thomas 

and his sister-in-law Johnsy Jacob as 

other partners. 

The company attributes its stellar 

growth to the ‘Midas touch’ 

of Thomas Konikkara. It started 

off as a small gold manufacturing 

business during 1983-84 before it 

entered into wholesale manufacture 

and sale of gold jewellery. The year 

1989 was an important milestone 

for the business as it set up a gold 

testing centre, marking a shift 

from the traditional touchstone 

method of gold testing to the acid 

test. Thomas Konikkara went to 

THOMAS KONIKKARA 

MANAGING PARTNER, 

KONIKKARA GOLD & DIAMONDS 

Mumbai for training before returning 

to Thrissur to set up the gold 

testing centre. In order to build 

trust in the new testing methods 

among his customers, he brought 

with him from Mumbai those who 

had trained him. Konikkara gold 

testing centre brought about a new 

style which was the precursor to 

Hallmarking of gold, which is the 

standard practice these days. 

The establishment of Konikkara 

Gold and Diamonds Manufacturing 

and Sales Centre in 1995-96 marked 

a shift towards contemporary styles 

and designs by experimenting with 

latest manufacturing methods. The 

success mantra of Konikkara Gold 

and Diamonds is Thomas’ steadfast 

belief that one could win customers’ 

hearts by offering them a wonderful 

shopping experience rather than 

going for advertisements. Thomas 

considers ‘trust and tradition’ as 

the strength of Konikkara Gold and 

Diamonds. With the setting up of 

the gold and diamonds store, there 

was no looking back for Thomas. He 

also helms the affairs at Ishara Gold 

and Diamonds, Thriprayar and RS 

Gold, Pamboor. “I do have plans to 

expand and, as an initial step, set up 

a store in Ernakulam,” says Thomas. 

Thomas was bestowed the Best 

Young Entrepreneur Award instituted 

by the Department of Industries 

and Commerce, Government 

of Kerala by the then Minister P K 

Kunhalikutty. He is also a recipient 

of the Destination Kerala SME Excellence 

Awards 2017 and Kanakathara 

Award instituted by YMCA. 

Konikkara Gold and Diamonds 

has always been a sure winner at 

Gem and Jewellery shows. 

Apart from his time as a businessman, 

Thomas also held leadership 

positions as the President of 

Kottekkad Catholic Welfare League, 

Treasurer of Jewellery Manufacturers 

Association (Kerala) and Vice 

President of Kottekkad Yuvajana 

Kala Samithi. A staunch believer in 

philanthropy and charity, Thomas 

Konikkara manages institutions 

like the Konikkara Charitable Trust 

and Pullazhi Christina Home. 

Thomas has also generously helped 

the flood victims of Kerala, in both 

grand and kind. 



COMPANIES / Nissan Digital Hub 

NISSAN FINDS A HUB IN THE 

LAP OF KERALA IT 

Giving a boost to Kerala's efforts to emerge as a hub of futuristic technologies, 

automobile giant Nissan has set up its digital facility at Technopark 

CHIEF MINISTER PINARAYI VIJAYAN PAINTING 

THE EYE OF DARUMO DOLL MARKING THE 

INAUGURATION OF NISSAN DIGITAL HUB AT 

TECHNOPARK IN THE PRESENCE OF DIGNITAR- 

IES INCLUDING UNION MINISTER K J ALPHONS 

In a major milestone for Kerala’s 

technology industry and that 

of the country, Chief Minister 

Pinarayi Vijayan inaugurated Nissan 

Digital Hub in Thiruvananthapuram 

in December. K J Alphons, Minister 

of State (I/C) for Tourism; Shashi 

Tharoor MP and Kenji Hiramatsu, 

Japanese Ambassador to India were 

the guests of honour at the glittering 

event which was held on the premises 

of Yamuna building, Technopark 

Phase III. 

“We are gearing up to be the first 

fully-digitised State in the country. 

Kerala is becoming the nerve 

centre of digital innovations with 

the entry of Nissan. It is a pointer 

to Kerala’s role as the next destination 

for global companies. This 

move also paves the way for our 

startups to brainstorm and collaborate,” 

the Chief Minister said. 

The auto major’s entry into the IT 

ecosystem has rendered visible signs 

of enthusiasm in the industry as 

leading IT and real-estate names 

like Tech Mahindra, Fujitsu and 

Boston-based Taurus Investment 

Holdings have also announced their 

presence in the State. Vijayan added 

that the electric mobility policy of 

the State government could turn out 

be a mutually beneficial project for 

Nissan and Kerala. 

“This is a major step for Nissan. 

We are leading a revolution of 

creativity in the automobile sector. 

This place will develop Nissan’s software 

solutions. What we create here 

would serve our global customer 

base,” said Tony Thomas, Chief 

Information Officer, Nissan Motor 

Corporation. 

Since the start of operations in 

July, Nissan Digital has grown from 

300 to 500 in staff strength. The venture 

is speculated to encourage global 

companies to create more jobs in 

the State and to shift here. The new 

office is just a preview compared to 

what is to come up in Technocity. 

He assured of deployable talent and 

skill pool and leisure prospects for 

the employees. The Nissan facility 

was set up in just 60 days. 

“The vote of confidence of the 

Japanese on Technopark is confirmation 

of its potential. Places like 

Thiruvananthapuram are the true 

future of the company. Despite our 

political differences, we all share a 

non-partisan view that such moves 

are imperative for the progress of 

the State,” said Tharoor. 

Kenji Hiramatsu expressed 

his sadness at the suffering of the 

people during the flood. Japan has 

invested about 10 billion dollars 

and is one of the largest foreign 

investors in India. “Japan is strong 

in hardware and India is strong in 

software. There is a very plausible 

synergy. I discussed investment 

possibilities with the Chief Minister 

when we met last year. The inauguration 

of Japan Endowed Course 

(JEC) at Nippon Kerala Centre 

in Kochi is yet another step,” said 

Hiramatsu. 

The dignitaries also painted the 

second eye of the Daruma doll 

which, according to Japanese belief, 

brings good luck. The first eye of 

the doll was painted during the 

signing of the project’s MoU in 

June this year. 



EVENTS / SME Excellence Awards 2018 

WINNERS OF DESTINATION KERALA SME EXCELLENCE 

AWARDS 2018 WITH THE DIGNITARIES 

AN EVENING THAT SAW SMEs 

WITH A DIFFERENCE SPARKLE 

Raviz Hotels & Resorts presents Destination Kerala SME Excellence Awards 

2018, the second edition of the event, was held on December 7 in Kochi 

Small and Medium-sized 

Enterprises (SMEs) are the 

unsung heroes of Kerala’s 

economic resurgence just as in 

many other parts of the country. 

It is to celebrate and honour the 

success stories of SMEs in Kerala 

that Destination Kerala magazine 

has instituted the SME Excellence 

Awards. Guided by an independent 

jury comprising prominent business 

leaders, the second edition of the 

awards was held on December 7 at 

Crowne Plaza Kochi. 

Raviz Hotels & Resorts presents 

Destination Kerala SME Excellence 

Awards 2018 powered by Luxury 

Partner Rajasree Motors (Dealers 

for Mercedes-Benz) was organised 

in association with Kerala Bureau 

of Industrial Promotion (K-BIP) 

and Kerala State Small Industries 

Association (KSSIA). 

This year the SME Excellence 

Awards saw over 200 nominations 

across 10 sectors such as Food 

Processing/Fruits Processing/Rice 

Mills; Ayurveda/Traditional Medicines; 

General Engineering; Electrical 

& Electronics; Coir; Jewellery & 

THIS YEAR THE 

SME EXCELLENCE 

AWARDS SAW OVER 

200 NOMINATIONS 

ACROSS 10 SECTORS 

Diamonds; Rubber & PVC; Footwear 

& Leather; Garments/Handloom/Silk; 

and Wood/Furniture. 

The event was inaugurated by 

Prof. K V Thomas MP. “There is 

a perception that the climate in 

Kerala, political or otherwise, is not 

conducive enough for running businesses. 

But Kerala has its advantages. 

The State may not be ideally 

suited for operating major industries 

but SMEs can definitely function 

very successfully here,” said Thomas 

in his inaugural address. He cited 

the example of tourism industry in 

Kerala in this regard. “The tourism 

industry is moving ahead very fast. 

Most of our tourism activities are 

village-centric and such tourisms 

initiatives are self-sustaining and 

self-developing.” 

He also alluded to the success of 

health and convention tourisms in 

Kerala. “Moreover, Kerala’s work 

force is both intelligent and committed. 

So I think the State’s climate 

is slowly changing, although there 

are a few issues such as lightning 

strikes and hartals. But, I think 

all major political parties are now 

slowly coming together and reaching 

a consensus on keeping a check 

on the recurrence of such unhealthy 

practices in Kerala. It is the only way 

forward for Kerala,” he said. 

E P Jayarajan, Industries Minister 

of Kerala, who was the Chief Guest 

for the event, through video message, 

said that he became fully aware 

of the problems being faced by the 

SME community as a result of the 

recent devastating floods that hit the 

State. 

“The general attitude in Kerala is 

that making money is a crime and 

doing business is a bigger crime. 

We should come out of this mindset 

and start viewing entrepreneurs 

as people who spur growth of the 

economy,” said K Biju IAS, Director, 

Department of Industries & Commerce, 

Government of Kerala, deturn 

to page 31 


PRESENTS 

LUXURY PARTNER 

Rajasree Motors 

Dealers for 

Mercedes-Benz 

IN ASSOCIATION WITH 

GIFT SPONSOR 

THE WINNERS 

Food Processing/Fruits Processing/Rice Mills: 

Dinesh Foods, Kannur; C Rajan, Chairman & K 

Prabhakaran, Secretary 

Food Processing/Fruits Processing/Rice Mills: 

Keratech, Thrissur; K V Mohanan, Chairman 

Garments/Handloom/Silk: Mahila Apparels, 

Angamaly; Gracy Thomas, MD 

Ayurveda/Traditional Medicine: Sreedhareeyam 

Group, Thrissur; Hari N Namboothiri, Vice Chairman 

Rubber & PVC: Dolphin Rubber Industries, 

Kottayam; T C Joseph, Proprietor 

Electronics/Electrical Engineering: Waves 

Electronics, Ernakulam; P I Chacko, MD 

General Engineering: Malappuram Metals & 

Engineering Consortium, Malappuram; 

Dwaraka Unni, MD 

Gem & Jewellery: Desire Diamond Jewellery, 

Ernakulam; K Raveendranath, MD 

Footwear & Leather: Cubix, Kozhikode; Faisal 

Rahman M, Chairman 

Special Jury Award: Eternal Blooms, Wayanad; 

Suresh James, Proprietor 

MEMBERS OF THE JURY 

Vivek Krishna Govind, Senior Partner, Varma 

& Varma Chartered Accountants and Immediate 

Past President, Kerala Management Association 

(KMA); Anand Sarma, Director, KPMG India; Lekha 

Balachandran, MD, ResiTech Electricals (Winner of 

Destination Kerala SME Excellence Awards 2017) and 

Rajesh Nair, Associate Partner-Markets, EY South India 



A BASKETFUL OF FOOD PRODUCTS IS 

DINESH’S GIFT TO THE MARKET 

Dinesh Foods was the result of a novel initiative to 

rehabilitate the workers of Kerala Dinesh Beedi 

in Kannur who lost jobs when the Karnataka-based 

manufacturers stopped production in Kerala. The food 

processing division subsequently formed by the Kerala 

Dinesh Beedi Workers Central Cooperative Society 

manufactures and markets curry powder, masala powder, 

various varieties of jams, pickles and squashes, valueadded 

coconut products like coconut milk, desiccated 

coconut powders and virgin coconut oil, and tea dust. 

Dinesh Foods is now set to launch non-animal milk 

ice cream using coconut milk and desiccated coconut 

powder-based chocolate. The company has plans to 

produce baby oil from extra virgin coconut oil. While the 

total turnover of the Society was Rs. 38.18 crore in 2007, 

it nearly doubled in 10 years when it reached Rs. 73.27 

crore in 2017-18. Diversification initiatives also helped 

the Society increase job opportunities considerably. 

C RAJAN & K PRABHAKARAN OF DINESH FOODS 

K V MOHANAN OF KERATECH 

KERATECH, TAPPING THE FULL 

MARKET POTENTIAL OF COCONUT OIL 

Based in Thrissur, Keratech Private Limited is a 

consortium of four independent virgin coconut oil 

manufacturing units supported by Coconut Development 

Board. Keratech was formed and incorporated with 

the objective of marketing virgin coconut oil under the 

brand name, Virgin Plus. It exports Virgin Plus to the 

UK, USA, Malaysia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, 

Bahrain, New Zealand and Singapore. According to K 

V Mohanan, Chairman, Keratech Private Limited, the 

consortium is planning to launch value-added products 

from coconut water and ice cream from coconut milk. 

The consortium commenced commercial production 

in 2006. Keratech was inaugurated on August 17, 2008 

with the support extended by Coconut Development 

Board (CDB). Small and medium coconut farmers are 

benefitted by the company. Keratech has been generating 

employment opportunities in rural areas particularly 

for uneducated women. The consortium also focuses on 

the economic development and self-sufficiency of the 

economically backward people. 

MAHILA APPARELS REVOLUTIONIZING 

THE GARMENTS SECTOR 

Led by Gracy Thomas, Mahila Apparels at Angamaly, 

an umbrella of apparel manufacturing clusters, is 

undertaking a silent revolution in Kerala’s garments sector. 

At present there are 73 units functioning under this 

garment-making cluster, which together has a turnover 

of Rs. 1.25 crore annually and employs more than 750 

people. The products manufactured by the company 

include surgical gowns, gents’ shirts, ladies kurties, uniforms 

and kids wear. Apparels are being manufactured 

for domestic as well as export markets. Mahila Apparels 

registered 75 per cent growth in revenue between 2015- 

16 and 2017-18. In association with the State Industries 

Department, Mahila Apparels is setting up a 40,000-sq. 

ft. garment design factory with advanced facilities. The 

GRACY THOMAS OF MAHILA APPARELS 

Rs. 11-crore project will have space for individual units 

with 50 to 75 workers each as well as a training institute. 

For her commendable work as an entrepreneur, the 

Kerala Government honoured Gracy Thomas in 2015 by 

bestowing Best Woman Entrepreneur of the State award. 


SREEDHAREEYAM, AN AYURVEDIC 

BRAND WITH A LONG LEGACY 

Started off as a small-time clinic way back in 1999, 

Sreedhareeyam has emerged over the years as one 

of the most popular and trusted Ayurveda brands. 

Sreedhareeyam inherited three centuries of traditional 

Ayurvedic wisdom from Nelliakkattu Mana, a Namboothiri 

family known for Ayurvedic treatment for eyes. 

Sreedhareeyam Ayurvedic Eye Hospital, Sreedhareeyam 

Ayurvedic Medicines, Sreedhareeyam Ayurvedic Eye 

Clinic and Panchakarma Centre, Sreedhareeyam Research 

and Development Institute and Sreedhareeyam 

Farms and Foods Ventures are the initiatives under the 

umbrella of Sreedhareeyam Group. The Group is led by 

N P Narayanan Namboothiri, Co-founder & Chairman 

and Hari N Namboothiri, Vice Chairman. The Group 

HARI N NAMBOOTHIRI OF SREEDHAREEYAM GROUP 

which employs over 600 people has an annual turnover 

of around Rs. 50 crore. It intends to set up five more 

Ayurvedic hospitals in Kerala and outside the State in 

the near future. A plan to increase the number of clinics 

from 24 to 50 is also in the pipeline. 

T C JOSEPH OF DOLPHIN RUBBER INDUSTRIES 

DOLPHIN, A LEAPING BRAND IN THE 

RUBBER PRODUCTS MARKET 

Dolphin Rubber Industries has been a market leader 

in manufacturing and supplying high quality rubber 

flooring products for more than three decades. 

The company under the leadership of T C Joseph has 

managed to position itself prominently in the manufacturing 

and exporting of different varieties of products 

like restaurant/kitchen mats, rubber door mats, rubber 

cast iron mats, polypropylene mats and more. Established 

in Kottayam in 1995, the company has been exporting 

its products to the countries in the Middle East, 

Europe, Africa and North America apart from catering 

to the Indian market. The company employs more than 

110 workers. According to Joseph, research and innovation 

form the core of his business activities. In the last 

fiscal, Dolphin Rubber Industries clocked a turnover of 

Rs. 14 crore. Considering the prospects of the export 

market, Joseph plans to adopt latest manufacturing technologies 

to launch new products. 

WAVES, REACHING DISTANT SHORES 

WITH ELECTRONICS PRODUCTS 

Founded in 1972, Waves Electronics is now the market 

leader in the manufacturing of industrial battery 

chargers, marine control systems, navigation light indicator 

panels, generator automation and automatic power 

factor correction control panels. The company caters 

to the leading brands in Indian industry and exports to 

countries in Europe, South-East Asia, the Middle East 

and Africa. Waves Electronics has supplied electrical 

control to Indian Navy and Rolls Royce Naval, UK. The 

company has developed IGBT-based battery charger for 

Bangalore Metro Rail Project for charging and discharging 

of Ni-Cd, Lead Batteries. Receiving the SME Excellence 

Award on behalf of P I Chacko, Managing Director, 

Waves Electronics, Mary Ann Chacko, his daughter, 

said that it was an honour to receive the recognition and 

it will be great inspiration to the SMEs in Kerala. 

C B JAYAN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AND MARY 

ANN CHACKO OF WAVES ELECTRONICS 



MECON, AN ICON IN THE GENERAL 

ENGINEERING SECTOR 

Malappuram Metals & Engineering Consortium 

(MECON) was established in January 2006. The 

consortium has set an example of how Small Scale 

Industrial (SSI) units can form a cluster and compete 

in the modern market by diversifying and modernising 

production. With over 1200 general engineering units 

under it, MECON now has a raw material bank at the 

SIDCO Industrial Estate at Manjeri in Malappuram. 

MECON undertakes big mechanical projects for the 

government and private sector companies and offers infrastructure 

and marketing support to startups. Dwaraka 

Unni, Managing Director, MECON said the award will 

boost the spirit of players in the general engineering 

sector. Recognising the contribution of MECON in the 

field of cluster development in general engineering sector, 

the State and Central Governments have identified 

the institution as a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) for the 

implementation of development projects in the sector. 

DWARAKA UNNI OF MECON 

K RAVEENDRAN OF DESIRE 

DIAMOND JEWELLERY 

DESIRE, A SPARKLING PRESENCE IN 

THE DIAMOND JEWELLERY SEGMENT 

Started in 1984, Desire Diamond Jewellery is engaged 

in the import and export of rough and polished 

diamonds and manufacturing of cut and polished 

diamonds in Kerala. Over the last three decades, the 

Jewellery has been striving to become a leader in the 

segment. At present, Desire Diamond Jewellery is one 

of the first 100 per cent export-oriented units dealing 

in loose diamonds from South India. It was made possible 

through a joint venture project with Kerala State 

Industrial Development Corporation (KSIDC). 

In the retail segment, Desire is a pioneer of custommade 

diamond jewellery in Kerala. Having 20 employees, 

the company recorded gross sales of around Rs. 

3.39 crore in 2016-17 fiscal. At present, the Jewellery 

has outlets in both Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram. 

Receiving the Destination Kerala SME Excellence 

Awards, K Raveendran, Managing Director, Desire Diamond 

Jewellery, said he was honoured to be chosen by 

an independent jury in the Gem & Jewellery category. 

CUBIX, A VISIONARY LEADER IN THE 

FOOTWEAR INDUSTRY 

One of the biggest footwear manufacturers in Kerala, 

Cubix Footwear started their business in the year 

1996 with PVC footwear and later ventured in to PU 

and ‘stuck on’ footwear. In 2008, the company under the 

chairmanship of Faisal Rahman M introduced Polyurethane 

(PU) technology in production lines to expand the 

production capacity. For Faisal, the focus of the company 

has been on manufacturing high quality products. 

With great feedback and customer satisfaction, Cubix 

Group managed to emerge as one of the most appreciated 

names in the footwear industry in Kerala. Currently, 

Cubix is marketing products in Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, 

Telangana, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Chattisgarh 

and Pondicherry, besides Kerala. The company 

FAISAL RAHMAN OF 

CUBIX FOOTWEAR 

employees more than 500 people. In 2019, Cubix hopes 

to launch a premium brand footwear. The company 

manufactures wide range of trendy models in every 

category to suit different changing climate conditions, 

without compromising on style and quality. 


ETERNAL BLOOMS; MASTERING THE 

FINE ART OF PRESERVATION 

The SME unit by Suresh James and Binimol Suresh 

established at KINFRA Industrial Park, Wayanad 

brings out preserved flowers and plants. According to 

Suresh, it is the first company in India to venture into 

flower and foliage preservation. The products brought out 

by Eternal Blooms include dehydrated fruits, preserved 

flowers and foliage, vacuum-dried fruits and vegetables, 

coffee powder and dehydrated spices. In 2009, the company 

started off doing flower preservation and in 2014, it 

commenced producing dehydrated fruits and vegetables 

without additive colours or preservatives. Suresh claims 

the company has introduced at least one new product 

SURESH JAMES AND BINIMOL 

SURESH OF ETERNAL BLOOMS 

every year since 2014. Some of the preserved fruits and 

vegetables include jackfruit, banana, mango, pumpkin 

and ladies finger. The company, launched with an initial 

investment of Rs. 89 lakh, now employs around 10 people. 

from page 26 

livering the presidential address. “In 

Kerala, the cost of land is generally 

high and its availability is also high. 

If we take any project, we can see 

that the value of the land constitutes 

at least 5 to 10 per cent of the total 

project cost. We have come up with 

crucial steps to bring about drastic 

changes in the entire land allotment 

policy for industrial development. 

We would like to see that there is 

space for the industry by allowing 

them to grow vertically and create 

small business growth centres by 

which people can bring in investment 

and lease out the space to 

industry. We are living in the times 

of disruptive ideas and technologies. 

So, if the people are willing to innovate 

and come out with new ideas 

which cause disruption in the existing 

technology, there is potential for 

economic growth,” he said. 

Venugopal C Govind, MD & 

CEO, Varma & Varma Chartered 

Accountants, presented an enlightening 

session on ‘financial integrity 

and statutory compliance’, which 

is a matter of concern for the SME 

community. “Growth is difficult, 

sustenance is difficult, continuous 

progress is difficult, collapse can 

happen at any time and business is 

hugely challenging,” he observed. 

“We have come to a stage where 

disruption of technology is what is 

PROF. K V THOMAS MP 

ADDRESSING THE GATHERING 

important. Disrupt all the technology, 

be creative and innovative. 

Product and customer form the 

bottom line of all businesses. Right 

product with right quality, and to be 

in the right place at the right time 

are things that keep your customers 

happy and satisfied. This relation is 

the most important one, whether 

the business is big or small,” he 

underscored. 

The inaugural ceremony was followed 

by Jury Report presentation 

by Vivek Krishna Govind, Senior 

Partner, Varma & Varma Chartered 

Accountants and Immediate Past 

President, Kerala Management 

Association (KMA). “Those who 

applied were shortlisted based on 

criteria such as information on 

financials and product innovation 

which they submitted to the jury. 

The 10 winners across eight categories 

have made it purely on the 

basis of their merit. And that is a big 

thing. Some of them are not known 

to any one of us. But they exist and 

deliver. And that is the beauty of this 

recognition platform,” he said. 

Anand Sarma, Director, KPMG 

India; Lekha Balachandran, MD, 

ResiTech Electricals, who was also 

among the winners of the first edition 

of the SME Excellence Awards 

(2017); Rajesh Nair, Associate 

Partner-Markets, South India, EY 

& Immediate Past President of TiE 

Kerala and Vivek Krishna Govind 

were the jury members for the 

awards this year. 

Prof. K V Thomas MP presented 

the awards to the winners. The award 

citation was presented by K Biju IAS 

while the gifts sponsored by crocurry. 

com and Wilmax England were presented 

by Venugopal C Govind. 


COVER STORY / Gokulam Gopalan 

GOKULAM GOPALAN 

CHAIRMAN & MD, 

GOKULAM GROUP OF COMPANIES 


DIVERSIFICATION 

AS THE DNA OF 

BUSINESS SUCCESS 

A very familiar face even outside the business circles, Gokulam 

Gopalan, Chairman & MD of Gokulam Group of Companies, 

has unbelievably diverse business interests ranging from chit 

funds to hospitality to entertainment which includes film 

production and TV channels. During the course of this exclusive 

interview given to Athul Lal A G, Executive Editor, at one 

point he says that he would consider any proposal mooted by 

anyone if he found it investment worthy. This unflagging ‘count 

me in’ entrepreneurial spirit of the man who is in his mid- 

70s speaks volumes about the DNA of his business success. 

This consummate business tycoon is otherwise a ‘typical 

Malayali’ who is least pretentious. Here we present the veteran 

entrepreneur for our readers. 



Fifty 

years ago, a 24-year-old man 

hailing from a village in North 

Kerala was in dire need of some 

money to buy a pair of formal attire 

for his new job in a pharmaceutical 

company in Chennai. As a graduate 

in Mathematics, he was much 

sought after in his village by smalltime 

financiers to help in tallying the 

numbers. Taking a cue from it, he 

himself started a mini chit fund involving 

10 members with a monthly 

installment of Rs. 60 each. It served 

his purpose but little did he know 

then that he had just sowed the 

seeds of what will, over the years, 

become a vast business empire. 

A M Gopalan, popularly known 

as Gokulam Gopalan, the Chairman 

& MD of Sree Gokulam Group 

of Companies, is celebrating his 50 

years of entrepreneurship and the 

Golden Jubilee of Sree Gokulam 

Chit & Finance. The flagship venture 

of the Group, the Chit company has 

around 450 branches spread over 10 

states. Besides, the Group has diversified 

its operations into hospitality, 

healthcare, education, logistics, 

food, manufacturing, retail, cinema 

and media entertainment, and realty. 

With over 11,000 employees, the 

annual turnover of the Group now 

comes to around Rs. 7000 crore. 

In an exclusive chat with Destination 

Kerala at his office in The 

Gokulam Park Hotel in Kochi, the 

septuagenarian business tycoon 

spoke in detail about his entrepreneurial 

journey. The simplicity of 

his attire, typical rural Kozhikode 

accent and the warmth he exudes 

never give the impression of a billionaire 

businessman unless you see 

him coming out of his Audi SUV. 

When I met him, Gopalan was 

about to attend a function being organised 

by an NGO to felicitate him 

for constructing two homes for the 

flood victims in Wayanad district. “I 

believe, for any business to succeed, 

the promoters must maintain commitment 

towards society, whatever 

the business maybe. If there is a lack 

of concern for the community, one 

will never succeed,” said the veteran 

beginning the long conversation. 

The year 2019 is going to be a 

turning point for Sree Gokulam 

Group since it is waiting for the final 

nod from the RBI to start an NBFC. 

“Upon receiving licence from RBI, 

Gokulam Finance will start with 

two products – gold loan and housing 

loan. The headquarters will be 

in Chennai. Initially, we will start 

operations in select cities and subsequently 

expand to all other places 

where we already have branches of 

the chit firm,” Gopalan said. 

THE SUCCESS STORY 

After his graduation, Gopalan 

wanted to study medical science but 

his family’s financial health was not 

sound enough to support in realising 

his dream of becoming a doctor. On 

the other hand, his father insisted 

that he should do post-graduation 

in Mathematics and pursue a career 

in teaching. However, Gopalan had 

some other plans. His passion for art 

made him think of trying his luck in 

cinema. A few weeks after he joined 

the PG course, Gopalan saw an advertisement 

of a job vacancy in a private 

company in Chennai which was 

into weighing machines business. 

“The year was 1968. I was longing 

for an opportunity to visit Chennai 

because of my love for cinema. 

Though I did well in the interview, 

for some reason they didn’t offer me 

the job. Since it was my own decision 

to come to Chennai, my ego 

did not permit me to return home 

without accomplishing anything. 

Then I started doing small-time jobs 

like selling lottery tickets. One day, I 

happened to meet a doctor. Realising 

that I am a graduate, he recommended 

me for a job in a pharmaceutical 

company. I got the job but 


hardly had the money to buy a pair 

of formal clothing required for the 

new job. That was when I started a 

mini chit fund involving 10 members 

with a monthly installment of 

Rs. 60. The first month’s collection 

was my commission and I used it for 

the purpose,” he said. 

In 1975, Gopalan got a promotion 

and was about to be transferred. “By 

then, Sree Gokulam Chit Funds had 

become a reasonably big business. 

After office hours I used to work 

for my personal venture and it grew 

substantially. So I decided to quit the 

job and run the chit business on a 

full-time basis. I registered the company 

in 1975 and new branches were 

subsequently set up,” he added. 

ENTRY TO TINSEL TOWN 

Though the business began flourishing, 

Gopalan’s love for cinema 

didn’t in anyway wane. As a result, in 

1976, he took the plunge by producing 

‘Allari Vayasu’, a Telugu film, 

which was the directorial debut of 

Chandrasekhar, father of present-day 

superstar of Tamil, Vijay. “The film 

was well received but financially, it 

did not yield any substantial gains 

forme. So, I decided to focus more 

on my chit business,” he said. Now, 

Sree Gokulam Movies has become 

a major production house bringing 

out big-budget films like Kayankulam 

Kochunni, which bagged record 

collection of Rs. 100 crore-plus, and 

Pazhassi Raja, a period film. 

MEGA LAUNCHES IN 2019 

If things go as per plan, Sree 

Gokulam Group will foray into retail 

sector in Kerala market this year. 

Gokulam Galleria, a mall project in 

Kozhikode, is nearing completion 

and is expected to be commissioned 

in the first quarter of 2019-20. “Our 

plan is to position the mall as a 

fashion hub since the urban population 

of Kozhikode has awareness 

about and exposure to international 

fashion brands. Taking this into 

consideration, we have given a lot of 

thought while designing the structure 

and its interiors,” Gopalan said. 

In fact, Gokulam Galleria is a 

mall-cum-hotel project. There will 

be a multiplex with five screens. 

“The seven-storey mall space will 

have a gross lease area of around two 

lakh sq.ft. The Food Court will have 

the space to accommodate 500-plus 

seats. The 73-key four star business 

hotel will have 14 suite rooms, four 

banquet halls and roof garden restaurant. 

Overall, there will be facility 

to park around 500 cars,” Gopalan 

informed. 

GOKULAM GALLERIA, 

A MALL PROJECT 

IN KOZHIKODE, IS 

IS EXPECTED TO BE 

OPENED IN THE FIRST 

QUARTER OF 2019-20 

Gokulam Park Hotels & Resorts, 

the hospitality arm of Sree Gokulam 

Group, has recently acquired MSR 

Hotel and Spa Bengaluru, which was 

earlier being operated as Movenpick 

Hotel and Spa Bengaluru Hotel. The 

acquisition marks the Group’s entry 

into the five star segment and the 

new property will be operated under 

the brand name Gokulam Grand 

Hotel and Spa. 

“We have always maintained 

excellent service standards across all 

our properties and this has helped 

us gain customer loyalty in a big 

way. Now, tapping into the goodwill, 

we would like to expand the hospitality 

portfolio. Going forward, 

we will have three brands at three 

different price points – Gokulam 

Grand, Gokulam Park and Gokulam 

Residency,” Gopalan said. 

A few weeks ago, the Group 

launched Gokulam Park Munnar, a 

four star leisure hotel at the scenic 

Chithirapuram valley. Gokulam 

Grand Resort & Spa, the upcoming 

five star property at Kumarakom 

spread over 10 acres of land, is 

expected to be operational later this 

year. The luxury resort will have individual 

cottages with private pools and 

facilities for MICE activities as well. 

The other hotels promoted by the 

Group include Gokulam Park Chennai, 

Gokulam Park, Coimbatore; 

Gokulam Park Sabari – OMR, Chennai; 

Gokulam Park Hotel & Convention 

Centre, Kochi; Sree Gokulam 

Nalanda Resorts, Nileswaram; Sree 

Gokulam Sabari and Sree Gokulam 

Vanamala, Guruvayur; Sree Gokulam 

Residency, Thrissur and Hotel 

Gokulam Fort, Thalassery. Gokulam 

Park Doha, a four star hotel, is the 

Group’s first overseas hotel venture. 

Under the banner Gokulam Cruise 

Lines, the Group also operates luxury 

houseboat service at Kumarakom. 

The hospitality division contributes 

around 15 per cent of the 

Group’s turnover and it aims at 

increasing this share to 25 per cent 

in the near future.“We have plans 

to expand operations to national 

and international levels. This can be 

greenfield projects or management 

contracts,” he said. 

Gokulam Gopalan is also keen on 

investing in a heli-tourism project in 

Kerala. “I believe there is immense 

scope for such a tourism product in 

Kerala. Who will not want to enjoy 

and explore the beauty of Kerala 

from above?” he asks. 

Recently, the Group forayed into 

retail business in the UAE in collaboration 

with Al Madeena Group 

and now runs two hypermarkets 

in Dubai. It has also invested in an 

educational venture in the UAE, 

which runs the Dovecote Green 

Primary School, an English curriculum 

school in Dubai. Study World 

Education Holding, the Group’s 

educational investment arm, has 

plans to start schools in Sharjah 

and Abu Dhabi as well. In 2015, 

Sree Gokulam Group entered into 

the construction sector in Dubai by 

acquiring Golden Readymix, which 

supplies readymix concrete. 

Also, Gopalan acquired the 

Thiruvananthapuram-based GG 



GOKULAM GOPALAN WITH HIS SON 

BAIJU GOPALAN (L), EXECUTIVE 

DIRECTOR OF SREE GOKULAM GROUP 

AND ACTOR KAMAL HASSAN 

GOKULAM GOPALAN WITH 

THEN CHIEF MINISTER OOMMEN 

CHANDY DURING THE LAUNCH 

OF HYPERMARKET IN DUBAI 

Hospital two years ago and it has now 

become one of the fastest growing 

multi-specialty healthcare facilities 

in South Kerala. Sree Gokulam Food 

and Beverages, another subsidiary of 

the Group, manufactures and supplies 

packaged drinking water under 

the brand Holy Aqua across Kerala as 

well as in Chennai and Coimbatore. 

In between, the Group ventured into 

tea manufacturing after setting up a 

factory at Valsaravakkom in Chennai. 

In a unique move, Gokulam Gopalan 

launched Flowers TV in 2015, 

which has emerged as one of the top 

general entertainment channels in 

Malayalam language in a short span 

of time. In December 2018, a Malayalam 

news channel ‘24’ was added to 

the portfolio. 

“So, what is the rationale behind 

your Group’s diversification?” I asked. 

“It is not about expanding my business 

empire. I have been successful 

in the business, thanks to Almighty. I 

believe now it’s time to support good 

initiatives. People come to me and 

discuss ideas. If I find it interesting, I 

will support them. While launching 

Flowers TV, I was very particular that 

we should unearth the local talents 

and give them an opportunity to 

showcase their skills. The difference 

is now there for you to see. If you are 

an entrepreneur and suppose you 

sought my help for launching a business 

idea, I will extend all support 

provided you prove the capability to 

do so. That’s how the diversification 

happened and now, Sree Gokulam 

Group has around three dozen 

companies under it,” he explained the 

dynamics of growth. 

Having decades of entrepreneurial 

experience, Gopalan believes that 

Kerala now enjoys a perfect climate 

for investment. “Unlike in the past, 

when we struggled to make things 

happen, now we have political leaders 

who are aware of the need to 

rope in mega investment projects for 

the State to grow,” he added. 

At the same time, Gopalan, who 

owns Sree Gokulam Medical College 

and Research Foundation, is 

not happy with what’s happening in 

the State’s higher education sector, 

particularly the inconsistent policies 

being pursued by successive governments 

vis-à-vis the self-financing 

educational institutions. “We decided 

to venture into the medical education 

sector when former Chief Minister A 

K Antony came forward with his 50- 

50 policy. The logic behind his move 

was that when six medical colleges 

would be set up in the private sector, 

it would tantamount to establishing 

three medical colleges in the 

government sector, that too, without 

any financial obligation to the State. 

Now the situation has gone upside 

down. There seems to be a general 

consensus among political parties to 

not promote private investments in 

the higher education sector. No other 

State has such a problem. Anyway, 

since we have already established it, 

we will continue to run our medical 

college,” he informed. 

A known philanthropist, Gopalan 

gives back to society in a big way 

through various channels. At Sree 

Gokulam Medical College, he has set 

up a separate block for rehabilitating 

senior citizens who are destitute. 

About 160 elderly persons are at the 

centre now. He also provides monthly 

pension to 200 people belonging to 

weaker sections of society. 

Given his popularity, one political 

party approached Gopalan 

to persuade him to contest as their 

candidate from the Vatakara Assembly 

constituency. “But I said no. I feel 

whoever maybe the elected representative, 

he or she should be present 

there in the constituency itself and 

work for the benefit of the public. It 

is not possible for me and hence, I 

politely declined the offer. Even now, 

without being a politician, I am active 

in social work. The only difference is, 

social worker won’t become an MLA 

or MP,” he chuckles. 

Looking back, Gopalan believes 

that honesty and timely resolution 

of issues which affect work are the 

key things that helped him grow. “In 

the early stages of business, proper 

time management and hard work 

really paid off. You can imagine how 

risky a business like chit fund is. 

The risk factor increases manifolds 

when you do business by employing 

hundreds of people and through a 

number of branches. However, right 

from the beginning, I made sure that 

payments to the customers wouldn’t 

be delayed. In the early days, there 

were occasions when I had to even 

borrow and pay the clients. Even 

then, I had the inner feeling that the 

business would flourish some day 

if I was able to enjoy the customers’ 

trust,” he concluded. 

And, he has proved himself 

through his life for all the entrepreneurs 

out there to emulate. 


MAKING A DIFFERENCE / Hari M R 

THIS MINI, MAN-MADE FOREST 

IS A GIFT TO HUMANITY 

While an average Malayali would build a 2000-sq.ft. house with a garden in 

the land, this techie chose to make it a mini man-made forest 

by hema sreek u m a r 

I 

magine you get to know that a few 

cents of land close to the city is up 

for sale and it comes too. Not to 

forget a river flows by. What would 

you do? Build a villa or a house with 

a garden, right? 

But that’s not what Hari M R, the 

Managing Director of Invis Multimedia 

had in mind. He was clear 

about what he wanted to do: convert 

the barren land into a reservoir of 

different species of plants and trees – 

simply put, a mini man-made forest! 

Situated near the originating 

point of Karamana river, Hari found 

two acres of land in Puliyarakonam, 

a suburb in Thiruvananthapuram 

less than 15 km away from the main 

city. 

You are sure to breathe in some 

fresh air while approaching this 

spot. On the way to the man-made 

paradise, which is on a hill-top, 

I was introduced to a variety of 

medicinal plants, some that are rare 

and used to treat cancer. 

Further up, the land is divided for 

different kinds of farming: medicinal 

plants like various species of tulsi; 

passion fruit on one side; pineapple 

on the other (which grew naturally). 

Hari has also dug up a well and a 

bore-well to make watering of plants 

HARI AT HIS MICRO FOREST IN PULIYARAKONAM 

easy. To save water, he has planted 

saplings in paint buckets that 

need less water than those planted 

directly on earth. He has also built 

THE ONE-YEAR-OLD 

FOREST HAS NO 

INVASIVE FOREIGN 

SPECIES. HARI PLANS 

TO DEVELOP THREE 

CENTS OF LAND 

INTO A FOREST 

EVERY YEAR AND 

GRADUALLY HAVE 30 

CENTS OF FOREST IN 

10 YEARS 

three tanks that store two lakh litres 

of water. 

“I have, however, got permission 

from the government to take water 

from the river,” said Hari. 

Further up, there are tanks built 

for storing asola, a type of fern, 

which serves as fodder to cattle, 

poultry and fish. Each tank can hold 

up to a kilo of asola which is rich 

in proteins and can be cooked and 

eaten by humans too. Adjacent to 

this, is a strip of land ploughed for 

vegetable farming and Hari plans 

to make it a vegetable forest in the 

future. He currently grows chillies 

there. As I walked further into the 

micro-forest, aadalodakam, amruthavalli, 

neermathalam, oorila, 

thaani, changalamperanda, thippaliand 

ambazham are some of the 

medicinal plants and trees I saw. The 

plants are also labelled for a lay man 

to recognize. 

“Medicinal plants will make a 

difference in the quality of air. The 

plants here are not fully ayurvedic 

but the extracts from these plants 

can be used to make medicines. 

Around 100 years ago, Ayurvedic 


plants were part of one’s compound 

at home and any home maker would 

know to make a normal ‘kashaayam’. 

However, ayurvedam has been reduced 

to pharmaceutical medicines 

and has become more commercial 

now,” said Hari. 

“It is for this reason that I chose 

to conserve medicinal plants. For 

example, kanjiram which has high 

medicinal value and trees like naatumaav 

are rarely seen now. We import 

gooseberry from Tamil Nadu, 

which may not be rich in quality. I 

wanted to create awareness among 

people on this and that is how I 

started this initiative,” he added. 

He pointed out that not many 

trees are being planted on the 

roadsides in Kerala and are lesser 

compared to cities like Bengaluru 

and Delhi. “Lack of trees means 

reduction in bird population and 

systematic elimination of diversity,” 

he said. According to him, a common 

complaint raised by people to 

develop forests in their house is the 

lack of space and the possibility of 

the presence of snakes. “But these 

issues can be solved easily as micro 

forests can be developed even in 

100 sq.ft. of land to one acre. Also, 

enclosing the area using nets (used 

for covering wells), can stop snakes 

entering the premises,” said the budding 

environmentalist. 

Sensing the importance of 

this social cause, the government 

has leased five cents of land in 

Kanakakunnu to Hari for cultivating 

a sample micro forest with medicinal 

plants there. He has also bought 

lands in Peyad and Munnar for the 

same purpose. He is planning to do 

high altitude farming in Munnar. In 

Puliyarakonam, he plans to develop 

three cents of land a year to a forest 

and gradually have 30 cents of forest 

in 10 years. “After three years, there 

is no question of maintenance in 

the forest as it will become dense,” 

he added. He is also planning to 

develop a flower and fruit forest in 

Puliyarakonam. 

“Afforestation has been my passion 

for many years. Knowing this, 

one of my friends suggested that I 

watch the TED (Technology, Entertainment, 

Design) talk of ecoentrepreneur, 

Shubhendu Sharma. I also 

studied about the Miyawaki Model 

of Afforestation, conceived by Akira 

Miyawaki, a Japanese botanist who 

planted around 40 million trees 

across the world. I have developed 

my micro forests based on the Miyawaki 

Model,” said Hari. 

As a prelude to the afforestation 

model, Hari brought in some cows 

and bulls to the land to make it fertile. 

The nearly a-year-old forest has 

only native plants in it and there are 

no invasive foreign species. 

When asked about the challenges 

he faced during the process, Hari 

says the whole process starting from 

getting the right place for farming 

to sourcing plants from different 

people was challenging. Getting 

water in a dry land was yet again a 

hurdle. He had to spend Rs 4.5 lakh 

for the three cents of land. 

“I also had to do a lot of homework 

on the whole process and 

study plants deeply,” he said. 

NGOs also come here to learn the 

process for future replication. 


STARTUP / Arunima C R 

STARTUP YATRA SALUTES A 

SOCIALLY-RELEVANT IDEA 

Arunima C R’s solid waste remover machine bagged her the 

‘Best Womenpreneur Award’ at the grand finale of KSUM’s Startup Yatra 

by hema sreek u m a r 

Extracting 

solid waste from water 

bodies is never an easy job, and 

when it is a manhole, the health and 

safety hazards involved are numerous. 

As a solution to the risks faced 

by manual scavengers, Arunima C 

R, a final-year student from Government 

Polytechnic College, Meenangadi, 

Wayanad presented an idea 

at the recently concluded Startup 

Yatra organised by Kerala Startup 

Mission (KSUM). Her product, solid 

waste remover machine would be 

used for cleaning manholes, thereby 

avoiding direct human contact with 

waste. It is designed to collect waste 

of approximately five kilograms at 

a go and drop the same in a vehicle 

using a roller. 

“As part of the Rebuild Kerala 

initiative, some of the students from 

our college were involved in cleaning 

houses affected by the flood. 

There was a lot of silt that accumulated 

in those houses which had to 

be cleaned manually. One of the 

students contracted leptospirosis after 

that. This is what led to our team 

of 10 students deciding to develop a 

solid waste cleaner,” said Arunima. 

The waste remover is available in 

small (to clean mud from houses), 

medium (for drains) and large sizes 

(to clean water bodies like rivers, 

streams and ponds). The product 

was first made by students of the 

Polytechnic college as part of their 

academic project and the idea of a 

manhole cleaner was based on the 

working principle of the solid waste 

cleaner, though in a different design. 

“Till now, we have not designed 

A PROTOTYPE OF THE MACHINE 

ARUNIMA C R (SECOND FROM RIGHT) AND ASWIN C 

JACKSON WITH DR. SAJI GOPINATH 

any machines to clean manholes 

except Bandicoot, a robot developed 

by Genrobotics. Our machine 

can be used by workers once they 

understand how it operates. It does 

not require highly skilled people,” 

she said. 

Once the robot is put to use, 

Arunima notes that many people 

who were already earning a living as 

manual scavengers maybe deprived 

of their job but they can continue to 

earn their livelihood by operating 

our machine. 

She developed the product with 

her friend Aswin C Jackson, who is 

also a student at the same college. 

The duo has plans to hand over 

the design to the government once 

the required fund and mentoring 

programme is ready. Arunima hopes 

to begin a startup before she pursues 

higher studies. She also intends 

to find a solution for solid waste 

removal from railway tracks using 

machines. 


STARTUP / Domatio 

LACTATION POD FOR 

MOTHERS AT TECHNOPARK 

An initiative by ‘I Love 9 Months’ , an all-women startup, Domatio will 

enable working mothers to pump and store breast milk for later use 

World Health Organisation (WHO) 

recommends exclusive breastfeeding 

of infants for the first six months and 

then breastfeeding combined with 

solid foods till two years. However, 

working mothers often find it a challenge 

to do so. They either rely on 

formula milk or take a break from 

their careers to ensure that their 

children get the right nutrition. In 

this regard, Technopark has created 

history in the country by setting up 

Domatio, a lactation pod in the Park 

– a first-of-its kind in India. 

Kerala-based women-led venture 

‘I Love 9 Months’ (IL9), incubated 

by Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM), 

has set up a Lactation Pod which 

will enable working mothers to 

pump and store breast milk for later 

use. The state-of-the art facility, 

‘Domatio’, which comes as a trailblazer 

in mother and child care 

in the country, can be used by all 

Technopark-based mothers free of 

cost, initially. The facility, set up on 

the ground floor of Thejaswini block 

at Technopark, was inaugurated by 

Dr. Saji Gopinath, CEO, KSUM, 

and Tina James, President, e-WIT 

(Empowering Women in IT) Trivandrum 

Chapter. 

“KSUM is proud that ‘I Love 9 

Months’ has taken the initiative. We 

hope that this model will be emulated 

at all work places including IT parks 

THE LACTATION POD 

INSTALLED AT TECHNOPARK 

in Kerala,” said Dr. Saji Gopinath. 

Taking the safety and privacy of 

mothers into consideration, the pod 

comes with a two-way lock facility 

as well as a hygienic state-of-the-art 

breast pump. Comfortable chairs 

with footstools are provided for 

the mothers to relax and do breast 

pumping. The initiative will also 

provide emotional and informational 

support for mothers. WHO has identified 

breastfeeding-friendly work 

place policy as a critical component 

in mother and child wellness. 

“We believe no child of a working 

woman should be deprived of 

breast milk. Let us make workplaces 

more breastfeeding-friendly for 

TEAM ‘I LOVE 9 MONTHS’ AT TECHNOPARK 

happy and engaged employees,” said 

Suma Ajith, Co-founder & Director 

– Operations, IL9. Binu Shankar, 

Kerala CEO of Ernst & Young; Jena 

Peter, HR Director, Navigant India; 

Ashok Kurien, Business Development 

Manager, KSUM; IL9 CEO B 

K Raj Kumar, COO Ganga Rajan, 

Kerala Operations Head Varsha K R 

and Kerala Field Manager Mahesh 

SS also attended the inaugural event. 

‘I Love 9 Months,’ is a maternity 

wellness startup incubated by 

KSUM. It is co-founded by three 

women entrepreneurs, Ganga Raj, 

Anjali Raj and Suma Ajith. The company 

provides products and services 

that help improve maternal and 

infant outcomes, and was selected 

as the best startup in the wellness 

sector in the India-Israel Innovation 

Challenge. The company is also one 

among the winners of Destination 

Kerala Startup Awards 2017. 

The startup earlier launched ‘Sahodari’, 

to assist mothers with vital 

checks, and physical, emotional and 

breastfeeding support. They plan to 

partner with corporates and government 

offices to make the workplace 

more mother, baby and breastfeeding-friendly. 


AUTOMOBILE / BMW X1 Series 

THIS BMW CHARMS HIM WITH 

GREAT DRIVING EXPERIENCE 

Dr. Tharun of Rajagiri Hospital, Kochi proudly displays his first luxury car, 

BMW X1 Series, which, he affirms, blends beauty and performance 

The X1 series of BMW is known 

as the sensible family car sans the 

tough looks of X3 and X5 series. 

This new series is also bigger in 

comparison to the X2 series. Having 

4439 mm length, 2060 mm width 

and 1598 mm height, X1 series is 79 

mm longer than X2. With well-crafted 

interior and an overall premium 

look, this one appears rather sleek 

and pretty. 

Dr. Tharun B K of Rajagiri 

Hospital, Kochi is more than willing 

to vouch for both its beauty 

and performance. “I had a Skoda 

before I decided to go for a luxury 

vehicle. From the very beginning I 

had in mind three major German 

car brands. Out of the three, I felt 

BMW provided the most responsive 

driving experience. When I was test 

driving, this was the car that gave 

me the most positive feedbacks. 

And so, here is my first luxury car,” 

says Dr. Tharun who purchased the 

vehicle from BMW Platino Classic 

at Marad in Kochi in September, 

2018. 

It takes nearly an 

hour-long drive for 

Specifications 

Engine Displacement: 2.0 L, 4-cylinder 

Fuel tank capacity: 51 L 

Power: 140 kW (190hp) 

Ex-showroom price (Kochi): Rs. 37.5 lakh 

Dr. Tharun to reach his workplace 

from home, and that too along one 

of the busiest roads in Ernakulam. 

“I stay at Edappally and work at 

Rajagiri Hospital in Aluva and the 

commute itself takes a good part of 

time in my daily life. After I started 

using the new vehicle I found that I 

could easily cruise along the stretch 

despite heavy traffic without causing 

much strain to my hands. By driving 

on the economic mode one can 

decrease the fuel consumption as 

well. All this is good for the Kochi 

traffic where you spend a considerable 

amount of time in the car even 

if it for a few kilometres. I also took 

the vehicle for a long drive. Though 

I didn’t go at full throttle I realised 

that one could easily manoeuvre this 

vehicle on long drives. Overtaking 

can be done with 

ease. On a scale of 10, I would give 

the comfort level in this car a big 9.” 

Speaking about some of the 

features he loves about his BMW 

X1 series xLine variant, Dr. Tharun 

says, “First and foremost, the overall 

driving experience is really great. 

The best part is that you can store 

everything electronically in the car. 

From the preferred seat position to 

the temperature that you want to 

maintain in the car can be stored. 

Everything is adjusted for you the 

moment you get into the car. Safety 

features of this vehicle is yet another 

aspect that impressed me the most.” 

Dr. Tharun credits the team at 

Platino for their prompt response 

which again, according to him, 

played a major role in his decision to 

go forward and purchase the vehicle. 

“This is my fourth car and I 

found that they are the most 

approachable franchise 

you can get. A group 

of very hard working 

people who are very 

positive. They do the 

follow-ups regularly 

and make sure 

that you get all your 

doubts cleared. Their 

after-sales service is 

also excellent,” Dr. 

Tharun sums up. DK 


IN THE NEWS 

CM INAUGURATES REVAMPED DOMESTIC TERMINAL OF COCHIN INTL. AIRPORT 

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi 

Vijayan recently inaugurated 

the revamped domestic terminal 

(T1) of Cochin International Airport 

Ltd. (CIAL) in the presence of Ministers 

V S Sunil Kumar and Kadakampally 

Surendran; Yusuffali M A 

of LuLu Group and V J Kurian IAS 

(Retd.), Managing Director, CIAL. 

The Chief Minister also officially 

launched the enhanced solar power 

production facility of the airport. 

The six lakh sq.ft. terminal, which 

has undergone a Rs. 240-crore renovation, 

has many elements of traditional 

architectural style. A highlight 

of the terminal is perhaps the 

‘Kerala Art Arcade’ installed near the 

security check area on level 2. The 

new terminal is based on the theme 

of ‘Ettukettu’, a traditional Kerala 

house, and the Art Arcade is designed 

with a ‘nadumuttam’ having 

a replica of a ‘koothambalam’ and 

mural paintings. It also displays the 

State’s traditional dance forms which 

include Mohiniyattam, Koodiyattam, 

Ottanthullal, Koothu, Theyyam etc. 

The renovated terminal has 56 

check-in counters and can handle 

4000 passengers an hour. It also has 

seven aero bridges, a state-of-the-art 

conveyor belt system that can handle 

baggage from 12 flights at a time, 

six reserved lounges, an executive 

lounge, food court, prayer rooms 

and washroom facilities. 

SABU JACOB INDUCTED 

AS MEMBER OF TDB 

Sabu M Jacob, Managing Director of 

Kitex Garments and Chief Co-ordinator 

of Twenty20 Kizhakkambalam, 

has been appointed as a member of the 

Technology Development Board (TDB) 

for three years. 

He is the first private member from 

Kerala to be included on the board 

which is a statutory body under the 

Department of Science & 

Technology, Government 

of India. The 11-member 

board has four nominated 

private members who 

have a proven track record 

in the field of technology 

and industry. TDB is the first organisation 

of its kind within the government 

framework constituted with the sole 

objective of commercialising the fruits 

of indigenous research. The Board 

promotes development and commercialisation 

of indigenous technology and 

adaptation of imported technology for 

wider application. 

FINCARE SFB FORAYS INTO KERALA 

Fincare Small Finance Bank 

(SFB) has entered the 

Kerala market by opening its 

first branch at Palarivattom in 

Ernakulam. V P Sajeendran 

MLA inaugurated the branch. 

Fincare SFB is now operational 

in all five states of South India. 

Fincare SFB started its banking 

operations in July 2017. 

Fincare SFB offers fixed 

deposits, with interest rates of up 

to 9 per cent per annum. which 

goes up to 9.5 per cent for senior 

citizens, and savings accounts 

with interest rates of up to 7 per 

cent per annum. 

Rajeev Yadav, MD & CEO 

of Fincare SFB, said, “Kerala is 

India’s first digital State with the 

highest mobile penetration of 30 

million-plus connections, in a 

population of 33 million. Fincare 

SFB believes that its unique 3D 

proposition – Deposit Rates, 

Doorstep Service and Digital 

Banking, will meet the banking 

needs of such a mature market.” 

Fincare SFB’s rating has been 

recently upgraded by ICRA for 

its long-term instrument to A 

(Stable) from A– (Stable), and 

for its medium-term instruments 

to MA+ from MA. 


IN THE NEWS 

ESAF GETS RBI NOD TO OPERATE 

AS SCHEDULED BANK 

ESAF Small Finance Bank Ltd. has received Reserve 

Bank of India (RBI) approval for its inclusion in the 

second schedule of the RBI Act 1934 within two years of 

its commencement of operations. 

This makes ESAF Small Finance Bank the fifth 

scheduled bank from Kerala. ESAF MFI was one 

among the 10 applicants to receive approval from RBI 

to start banking operations in 

2016. “The recognition from 

RBI will encourage our journey 

towards financial inclusion. 

This will give us more legroom 

and regulatory support to boost 

business and gain greater trust 

from stakeholders and customers,” 

said K Paul Thomas, 

Managing Director and CEO. As 

a scheduled bank, ESAF Small 

Finance Bank can now broadbase 

resource mobilisation through the issue of certificate 

of deposits and inter-bank borrowings at competitive 

rates of interest. The bank can also access sources 

of funds from trusts, associations, religious institutions, 

mutual funds etc. It will also enable the bank to avail 

higher refinance facility. 

KERALA WINS NATIONAL HONOUR 

FOR PROMOTING STARTUPS 

Kerala has got a shot in the arm for its efforts in 

nurturing the startup ecosystem of innovators and 

entrepreneurs, with the Government of India lauding its 

initiatives in a nationwide ranking of states’ performance. 

The Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM) received the 

honour of ‘Top Performer’ in the annual States’ Startup 

Ranking 2018 exercise held in New Delhi. 

A total of 27 states and three Union Territories participated 

in the ranking exercise, which was launched by 

Suresh Prabhu, Union Minister 

of Commerce and Industry, on 

February 6. “We were the first 

State in India to evolve a startup 

policy way back in 2014. This 

recognition is testimony of the 

work we have done,” said Dr. 

Saji Gopinath, CEO, KSUM, 

after accepting the honour from Ramesh Abhishek IAS, 

Secretary, Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion 

(DIPP).” The Top Performer ranking also recognised 

efforts of ‘Champions of State’, who have been 

instrumental in strengthening the startup ecosystem. 

From Kerala, Dr. Gopinath and M Sivasankar IAS, 

Secretary, Electronics & IT, Government of Kerala, were 

felicitated with the title. 

STARTUPS, EXPORTS 

TO LIFT FOOD SECTOR 

Kerala’s agriculture sector is 

poised for strong growth, riding 

on rising exports of spices and 

seafood, and a new energy provided 

by startups in the sector, opined experts 

who addressed the CII’s Kerala 

Food Summit held in Kochi recently. 

V S Sunil Kumar, Kerala’s Agriculture 

Minister, said in his inaugural 

speech that while holding a 

Summit like this, we should deliberate 

upon how the benefits of such 

growth in the industry could aid 

farmers who are constantly experiencing 

a drop in commodity prices. 

He added that a holistic effort 

focussing on branding indigenous 

varieties of agricultural products 

found in the region and deriving 

more value-added items should be 

top priority. 

“I am confident that through a 

joint effort of farmers’ collectives, 

research institutes, government and 

the industry, Kerala can emerge as 

a strong force in the food processing 

and export industry,” said the 

Minister. 

“The significance of the food industry 

is that it creates employment, 

mobilises investible resources from 

the rural sector, promotes agricultural 

production and industrialisation 

in such an economy, and tackles 

rural-urban migration,” said Dr. S 

Sajikumar, Chairman, Kerala CII. 

Navas M Meeran, Past Chairman, 

CII Southern Region, said, “There 

are immense opportunities for startups 

to fill the gaps in the existing 

food sector value chain and transform 

the food processing economy.” 


KINFRANEWS 

MONTHLY NEWSLETTER 

KINFRA WINS ACCOLADES AT 

FOOD EXPO IN MUMBAI 

K 

erala Industrial Infrastructure 

Development Corporation 

(KINFRA) added yet 

another golden feather to its hat by 

winning ‘India’s Best Infra Award’ 

in the 16th edition of ‘Agro Food 

& Beverage Processing Expo 2018’, 

held in Mumbai from December 

18 to 20. Successful track record in 

undertaking Industrial Infrastructure 

projects helped KINFRA win 

the award. 

The event was organised by 

Trinity Ventures with the support 

of Government of India through 

Ministry of Commerce & Industries, 

Ministry of Food Processing 

Industries, Ministry of AYUSH and 

other government bodies. Kerala, 

Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand 

and Assam also supported the event 

by ensuring the participation of representative 

bodies/departments. 

“KINFRA, through its participation, 

highlighted the strengths of 

Kerala in food processing, a priority 

sector of the State; the multi-faceted 

profile of KINFRA in providing 

industrial infrastructure for a wide 

range of industries and the predominant 

position the body holds in the 

country in providing infrastructure 

services to food processing sector in 

the form of Food Parks,” said Wg. 

Cdr. K A Santhosh Kumar, Managing 

Director, KINFRA. 

KINFRA represented Kerala as a 

‘bronze partner’ of the event. 

The event was also used to highlight 

KINFRA’s Mega Food Park in 

Palakkad and the various facilities 

being offered under the project. 

KINFRA had also put up a stall 

for displaying the activities being 

undertaken by the organisation, and 

for distributing its literature on food 

processing initiatives and various 

KINFRA WON ‘INDIA’S 

BEST INFRA AWARD’ 

FOR ITS SUCCESSFUL 

TRACK RECORD 

IN UNDERTAKING 

INDUSTRIAL 

INFRASTRUCTURE 

PROJECTS 

other sector-specific schemes under 

the Union and Kerala Government. 

The stall also doubled as a venue 

facilitating one-to-one interactions 

with those taking part in the event. 

Majority of the enquiries received 

were from business entities from 

other industries, which wanted to 

enter into food processing sector 

and were keen on knowing about 

its prospects. There were also few 

enquiries from prospective startup 

promoters and from Keralites based 

in Mumbai. The event, which was 

organised mainly to generate B2B 

and B2C linkages, was also a platform 

to showcase the food processing 

sector to highlight the potentials 

and opportunities available for food 

entrepreneurs, farmers, equipment 

manufacturers and other stakeholders 

in areas such as processed foods, 

food ingredients and organic foods, 

as well as prospects for distribution, 

logistics and retail business. 

The expo also showcased several 

other products particularly related 

to the hospitality sector. 


KINFRA PARKS IN KOLLAM DISTRICT TO 

HOST MORE INDUSTRIAL UNITS 

KINFRA Parks in Kollam district 

are opening their doors to new 

industrial units. While the Park at 

Punalur is inviting new industries to 

set up facilities, the Park at Mundakkal 

will soon house a new standard 

design factory. A presentation on 

the upcoming projects was made at 

the Investor Meet held in association 

with Kerala State Small Industries 

Association (KSSIA) at their office in 

Kollam. The meet was inaugurated 

by Wg. Cdr. K A Santhosh Kumar, 

Managing Director, KINFRA and 

was presided by Helen Jerome, 

General Manager, District Industries 

Centre, Kollam. 

G Sunil, Planning and Business 

Development Head, KINFRA 

explained the facilities to be developed 

at the Park at Piravanthur near 

Punalur through a presentation. 

The Park at Piravanthur, established 

in 2013, is spread across an area of 

14.33 acres and includes a standard 

design factory with an area of 65,000 

sq.ft. The basic infra available here 

includes internal roads, 2.1 MLD 

water supply unit (KWA), 11 KV 

power distribution unit (KSEB), solar 

street lights and round the clock 

security. 

At Mundakkal, KINFRA has seven 

acres of land where it proposes 

to develop basic infrastructure and 

a one-lakh-sq.ft. standard design 

factory to cater to non-polluting 

industries. 

A lease deed of 30 years for the 

commencement of commercial production 

in the Park will be signed 

with a new entrant and the lessee 

will be able to renew it by remitting 

a processing fee. The buildings in 

the Park will be leased for 10 years 

and is renewable for up to 30 years. 

Dr. T Unnikrishnan, General 

Manager (Projects) KINFRA; A 

Nizarudeen, State General Secretary, 

KSSIA; Ramachandran Nair, 

former State President, KSSIA 

and Len Philip, President, KSSIA 

Kollam District were also present at 

the meet. 

LORA NATURAL FLAVOURS OPENS 

AT KINFRA MEGA FOOD PARK 

DR. K ELLANGOVAN IAS, PRINCIPAL SECRETARY, INDUSTRIES 

DEPARTMENT ALONG WITH WG. CDR. K A SANTHOSH 

KUMAR, MANAGING DIRECTOR, KINFRA, TOOK PART IN THE 

GLOBAL AYURVEDA SUMMIT 2018 HELD IN KOCHI RECENTLY. 

THE SUMMIT ORGANISED BY CII FOR DISCUSSING MEASURES 

TO PROMOTE AYURVEDA WAS INAUGURATED BY E P 

JAYARAJAN, KERALA’S INDUSTRIES MINISTER 

L 

ora Natural Flavours, spices and oil extraction firm, 

started operations at KINFRA Mega Food Park in 

Palakkad on December 5, 2018. The first industrial unit to 

come up at the Park, the firm has a total area of 50 cents. 

It houses a highly sophisticated extraction plant with a 

production capacity of 2,000 tonnes per annum and a wellequipped 

lab for determining the quality of the products. 

The company delivers spice-based value-added products to 

major pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals and food industries 

across the globe. 

KERALA INDUSTRIAL INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION 

(A Statutory Body of Govt. of Kerala) 

KINFRA House, 31/2312, Sasthamangalam, Thiruvananthapuram 695 010, Kerala, India 

Tel: +91 471 2726585, 2724860 | Fax: +91 471 2724773 | Email: kinfra@vsnl.com | www.kinfra.org

AYURVEDA / RCM Healthcare Group 

AN AUTHENTIC AYURVEDA 

BRAND WITH A RICH LEGACY 

RCM Group is focussed on promoting authentic Ayurveda treatment and 

medicines in a way that is affordable and accessible to everyone 

The legacy of RCM (Rakhee 

Chandra Memorial) Healthcare 

Group dates back to over 

a century. Set up as a small Ayurvedic 

treatment centre by C G Kumaran 

Vaidyar, it was passed down to his 

son Dr. K S Chandran. Under him 

RCM Group, formerly known as 

CKKM Group, started its journey in 

1965. Today, RCM Healthcare is an 

ISO 9001-2008-certified company 

with GMP certification. RCM has 

been strictly adhering to its core idea 

of promoting authentic Ayurveda 

treatment and medicines in an affordable 

and accessible manner. 

The objective set by the visionary 

founder of the company still guides 

Dr. Rakesh Chandran, an ophthalmic 

surgeon and Chairman & Medical 

Director of RCM, his mother 

Kanthi Chandran, who is one of 

the Directors, and his wife Linda 

Rakesh, Managing Director - RCM 

Wellness Centre. 

The verticals under RCM Group, 

which employs more than 150 

people, are CKKM Pharmaceuticals, 

RCM Wellness Centre, RCM Eye 

Hospital, RCM Ayurbliss Spa, RCM 

Institute of Health Care Studies, 

RCM Ayurbliss Spa Institute (RASI), 

RCM School of Optometry and 

Western Opticals. 

Today CKKM pharmacy manufactures 

around 350 classical and 

wellness products that range from 

ayurvedic handmade chemical-free 

bath soap ‘Chandini’, bathing scrub 

‘Kasthoori Snana’, immunity booster 

powder ‘Swad’ to the recentlylaunched 

seasonal product ‘oats 

karkidaka kanji’. 

RCM ran a multi-specialty hospital, 

established in 1992, which was 

DR. RAKESH CHANDRAN 

sold later. “That was the point when 

we were faced with two choices; 

either go back to our roots as an 

Ayurveda hospital or take up allopathy. 

My personal opinion was not to 

go forward with the multi-specialty 

hospital and we finally chose the 

Ayurveda way,” Linda says. 

The RCM Ayurveda and Wellness 

Centre, situated on a one-acre 

property, comprises the main treatment 

centre, service villa – Ayur 

Bhavan, medicine factory and the 

eye hospital. 

RCM Ayurveda and Wellness 

Centre, having an in-patient wing 

with 15 beds, has a panel of four 

doctors.“Patients from abroad often 

do not prefer a hospital-like environment. 

For them, we do treatment 

at our service villa, which has five 

rooms, providing a very homely 

environment,” Linda explains. Both 

the Wellness Centre and the Eye 

Hospital are working towards attaining 

NABH certification. 

“Our products are not just meant 

for internal treatment. We have 

a State-wide network apart from 

distribution facilities in Karnataka. 

There are around 100 CKKM 

pharmacy outlets in Kerala which 

LINDA RAKESH 

are franchise outlets. We have 

three direct outlets as well located 

at Palarivattom, Irinjalakkuda and 

Munnar. Service of our own doctors 

is also available in those outlets. We 

have also tied-up with a few medical 

colleges where our medicines are 

distributed,” she explains. 

RCM’s CKKM Pharmacy has to 

its credit 10 patented products. “We 

have a research wing where our doctors 

themselves are the researchers.” 

Linda and her team do not believe 

in commercialising their Ayurveda 

medicines, about which she says, 

“There are a number of products 

we have, for example, there is an 

aphrodisiac that we prescribe. But 

we don’t plan to go for its commercial 

production. We make sure that 

it is prescribed and explained to the 

patients in a proper way,” says Linda. 

At RCM Health Care Studies 

students are offered job-oriented 

courses. Recently, RCM also started 

a prenatal and postnatal care facility. 

The Group forayed into Qatar a 

year ago. “It is an Ayurveda centre 

located inside a luxury hotel. We 

have set up similar facilities in Munnar. 

These are directly operated by 

us,” she says. 


HOSPITALITY / Olive Downtown 

‘MY AIM IS TO MAKE THE HOTEL 

THE MOST HAPPENING PLACE’ 

Anil G Nair, who recently took charge as the GM of Olive Downtown Kochi, 

has already initiated a slew of measures to redefine customer experience 

by deepthi g s 

Located at the busy Kadavanthra 

junction in Ernakulam, 

the easily accessible Olive 

Downtown, the five star luxury 

hotel, offers great ambience and 

food which has made the hotel very 

popular among both the local people 

and corporate clients. The newlyappointed 

General Manager of the 

Hotel, Anil G Nair, having years of 

experience in the industry is all set 

to implement some of his innovative 

ideas to make Olive Downtown even 

more attractive to the clients. 

“I started off my career as an F&B 

Manager and that being my forte, 

immediately after joining I began setting 

my priorities for the segment. I 

plan to make this hotel the most happening 

place and the management is 

fully supportive of it,” he said. 

The plush Arena Cafe on the 

ground floor, which is a favourite 

hangout of the visitors, enthrals 

them with live band performances 

these days, thanks to Anil’s love for 

music. “Arena used to serve mostly 

cake and sandwiches and, soon after 

joining, I turned it into a ‘food zone’. 

We have added a lot of new dishes to 

the menu. The first thing I did was 

to organise a ‘Steak and Sizzler’ food 

fest, which was a big draw. The menu 

had an array of really interesting 

ANIL G NAIR 

GM, OLIVE DOWNTOWN KOCHI 

dishes and ‘pork ribs’ was a big hit! 

We even extended the fest for a week. 

Basically, the plan is to make Arena 

Cafe a cool and happening spot by 

organising some interesting event 

every week. We have also started 

serving drinks at Arena,” said Anil. 

Anil points out that each of 

their segment draws a different 

crowd. The visitors to the Arena 

Cafe mostly comprise people from 

the business world. We have some 

regular customers who spend two to 

three hours here every day. Everything 

from business meetings to 

office work is done from here.” 

Anil also wants to make their 

bar, Blue Rock, the most popular 

one in the city. “We have introduced 

special ‘Ladies Day’, not ‘Ladies 

Night’ which is what we usually see. 

The ‘Ladies Day’ is from 10.30 am 

to 10.30 pm twice a week. We call 

it ‘Pink Wednesdays’ and ‘Rose Fridays’. 

Walk into our bar on Saturday 

nights and you get to see DJ Savio 

performing.” 

Alluding to the challenges he 

may have to face, Anil said, “With 

the introduction of online bookings, 

I find the field getting more 

competitive. As a result of the 

unprecedented floods that ravaged 

the State, the months of August and 

September took a big hit. So now 

all the hotels are trying to tap the 

market intensely and somehow no 

one wants to leave anything for the 

other. Aggressive marketing is the 

one thing I see these days. Another 

challenge we have to face is the traffic 

block caused by the Kochi Metro 

work. But the one good thing that 

I even consider as my USP is the 

ample parking space the hotel has. 

Moreover, new hotels are coming 

up as well. But then, as far as I am 

concerned, everyday is a challenge,” 

he puts it lightly. 

However, Anil feels there are 

many positives. “We have an occupancy 

of 80 per cent this month, 

which is very good by industry 

standards. On an average, we have 

an occupancy of 74 per cent.” 

Into his 23rd year in the hotel 

industry, Anil started his career with 

Avenue Regent Kochi. “Before joining 

Olive Downtown, I was working 

as the GM with Keys Malabar Gate 

in Kozhikode,” said Anil, who has 

also worked with PGS Vedanta at 

Kochi. 


THE CONTRARIAN 

DOING BUSINESS IN 

KERALA: REALITY 

AND PERCEPTION 

C Balagopal 

Founder President, TiE Kerala, Angel 

Investor, Mentor and Author 

The common view is that Kerala 

missed the development 

bus as a result of its mistaken 

focus on social welfare aspects like 

education and health coupled with 

militant trade unionism. This led 

to the demise of businesses. This 

deterred new investors from coming 

in, and also forced Keralites to seek 

jobs outside Kerala. Today, Kerala 

depends on inward remittances and 

is a ‘money order economy.’ The 

Kerala Model is not sustainable. 

This is the dominant narrative about 

business and industry in Kerala. 

The counter narrative states 

that in the early 1950s, Kerala was 

among the lowest performing states 

in India on the economic front. 

Kerala then proceeded to allocate 

more of its budget to public health 

and public education, introduced 

land reforms, and brought in social 

welfare measures. This resulted in 

producing a stream of young people 

who completed school and undergraduate 

education. When the Gulf 

boom started in the late 1970s, the 

young people of Kerala were best 

situated to take advantage with their 

education and skills. Their remittances 

became a major source of 

income for families and the economy. 

The State today has the highest 

per capita GDP in the country. Life 

expectancy is the highest in India. 

Literacy is the highest. It is difficult 

to understand how there can be a 

perception that the Kerala Model 

has failed! 

The flip side of this otherwise 

positive picture is that jobs are not 

being created in the State at the 

same rate as in some other parts 

of the country. However, it is a fact 

that the hard working Kerala worker 

who has gone far from his home to 

earn good incomes has not been as 

productive in Kerala. Why is that 

so? In my view, this is due to the inability 

of business and entrepreneurs 

in Kerala to modernise and adopt 

technology. 

Labour productivity depends 

mostly on technology, and traditional 

businesses should have 

modernised, which would have 

enabled them to take advantage 

of the trained and educated workforce 

available in the State. While 

traditional industry declined, new 

startups were appearing on the scene 

that employed modern technology. 

Companies such as Synthite, Kerala 

Solvent Extractions, Premier Breweries, 

Premier Tyres, Apollo Tyres, 

MRF etc. all came up during this period. 

Several engineering companies 

sprang up at the same time, including 

Bhageeratha Engineering, Asian- 

Tech and others. During this time, a 

number of public sector enterprises 

too were set up in the State, mostly 

by the Central Government. These 

included VSSC, Hindustan Latex 

Ltd., Cochin Shipyard Ltd., Indian 

Telephone Industries Ltd. and HMT 

Ltd. The companies in the private 

sector also included new ones which 

came up in non-traditional areas. 

They include Peekay Steel, DentCare 

Dental Lab, Agappe Diagnostics, 

SFO Technologies, Terumo Penpol 

Ltd. and many others. Many of these 

firms today employ large numbers of 

people, who are well paid. 

During the first two decades after 

1947, and especially under governments 

led by the Communist Party 

of India, important reforms like the 

Land Reform Act were enacted. This 

had a significant impact on rural 

poverty. This, coupled with the focus 

on public primary education and 

public health, created the platform 

for the high HDI. The second phase 

of reforms came under the Achutha 

Menon Government in the 1970s, 

when the second phase of land 

reforms was put into effect, and several 

research institutions including 

SCTIMST, CDS, CESS, CWRDM, 

FRI, TBGRI and KELTRON were 

created through public investment. 

‘Why didn't trade unionism and 

hartals prevent these companies and 

organisations from working well? 

The answer: professional management 

and good leadership coupled 

with the unique assets of Kerala are 

what made them thrive.’ 

The strongest proof that Kerala 

had created the right conditions and 

ecosystem for sustained development 

of hi-tech industries can be 

seen from the fact that so many 

companies in these fields have developed 

and prospered in the past three 

decades. 

The corollary of this argument 

is: it is not trade unions, hartals and 

attimari that have scared away businesses 

and industry from Kerala. 

Kerala has had a shortage of genuine 

entrepreneurs willing to take risks 

especially in the traditional sectors 

that were once dominant. 

(Edited for structure and word count) 

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Destination Kerala | Date of Publication: 1st January 2019 | Price Rs. 50/- (within India) US$ 5 (outside India) | RNI No. KERENG/2001/05154 

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