The Achievers of The Incredible Goa Awards 2021

Incredible Goa Awards, the title tells it all. The most awaited Mega event of the year was finally concluded at Goa’s finest luxury property, The Planet Hollywood Beach Resorts situated in the south Goa. The event was attended by the who’s who of the society of Goa, and it was witnessed by the people from across the world on the live social media platform. 

Incredible Goa Awards is one of the premium properties created by the Goa’s first and only Society Magazine. The Awards that was started in year 2018 to give the platform to the Incredible People of Goa from the various field of specialisation. The Incredible Goa is a complete package of a lifestyle and business magazine. It has a section of the society, with the lifestyle features and business section and the awards are categorised in the similar fashion, from the Young Achievers to the Businessman of the year and Lifetime Achievement Awards.

In the past 3 years time incredible Goa has already honoured and given the platform to more than 50 people and appreciated the work of hundreds of Incredible Goans on its print and digital platforms and this year we have honoured another 20 Incredible People of Goa. Lets take a look at the Achievers of the Incredible Goa Awards 2021. 

Rajasi Dhavalikar

The Incredible Goa Awards always begins by honouring the women and first recipient of our first  award in the women empowerment category for the Excellence in Business was given to Rajasi Dhavalikar who has set an example in the field of women empowerment by way of setting a milestone in the field of empowering the women power from the remote villages of Goa. 

Rajasi comes from a very affluent family with a strong political background. She had received her MBA degree in Finance from one of the most reputed universities in India the Symbiosis, Pune. She went on to do her internship with KPMG after a 5 year journey of SIU, and later returned back to Goa in 2014 to start her own venture into the real estate business and later she ventured into her business idea of starting a e-commerce business called Cottons Daily, an online textile store, in year 2016.  

Living and working in Ponda, she is one of the few Goans in the e-commerce industry. What’s more she has a pan-India presence as her portal gets buyers from all over India. In the future she wants to provide the variety of Indian fabrics and sarees to the most remote locations through their e-commerce platform at the same time creating hundreds of employment opportunities for the women living in remote villages of Goa. 

Currently Rajasi provides an employment to hundreds of women from the remote villages of Goa through her venture Cottons daily. 

Julia Kurian 

The second recipient of the award in the women empowerment category for the Excellence in Social Cause went to Julia Kurian. Julia is a well known name in Goa for her contributions in the social work. She heads a child rescue organization called ‘El-Shaddai’ started by her husband Matthew Kurian who is also a co-founder of this charitable trust. 

Julia entered in the field of social work at a very early age, working her way up to eventually alongside her husband she soon become the Managing Director of Goa’s First & Only Child Care NGO. Today, she takes care of thousands of children who are either homeless, orphaned or from unprivileged backgrounds.  

She also heads a huge team of volunteers, teachers, educators and counsellors and she herself heads the School with custom-designed academics for the students. According to  her, their education system is completely different from conventional study systems followed in other schools. 

Some may disagree or have doubts about this method of teaching but you’ll be surprised to learn that many of the children who were taught under her are working in multinational companies and some even have their own business setups. Today she has more than 3000 students studying under the guidance of her umbrella and they have a centre in every city across Goa.  

She wants to revolutionise the existing teaching system in the state and she is very positive that things will work out as the method which she uses in the school is the most effective and her efforts will surely pay off and she will be able to empower more children from underprivileged society in times to come.    

Bhakti Dempo

The third award in the women empowerment category for the excellence in Finance & Education was given to Bhakti Dempo for her contribution in the Corporate Finance and Education sector.

Bhakti is a chartered accountant by profession. She comes from a well to do family and later married into one of Goa’s most respected business families. She represents the epitome of being wealthy yet humble and invests her resources for the greater good and for the betterment of society.  

She leads a big business branched out into hospitality, real estate but her heart and soul lies in the education sector where she creates and shapes the young minds. 

According to her it is the basic things that people deserve to get in life. In Goa, we might have all the brands in the world at our fingertips, but when it comes to Education we are definitely lacking what rest of the states in the country seem to have and she is working towards bridging the gap between. 

She wants to tell every woman out there that struggle is a part of a woman’s life and she needs to learn to balance her personal and work life. According to her, women should go ahead and pursue their dreams, no matter what. Sacrificing those dreams isn’t a good idea because this is the only life we have and one has to live it to the fullest which is very important. 

The Next Category of Awards deals with the Young Achievers of Goa and in this category we honour the youths of Goa. Youth is one of the major pillars of our society, and at Incredible Goa we celebrate the achievements of Young Achievers who have come out of their comfort zone and walked miles to achieve their dreams. 

We at Incredible Goa are proud of those young achievers who have made the difference to this society with their achievements.

Bhakti Kulkarni 

The first winner of this category is Bhakti Kulkarni the Ace Chess player of Goa who received the award in the Young Achiever’s category for the Excellence in Chess Grandmaster of India. She is the first and only person to receive such a great honour.   

Born in Goa in 1992 she developed a love for Chess right from a young age. How many of you can play chess? Not many I’m sure, and those who do play will understand how difficult this game is. She is a rare example of a child genius who began playing when she was just 2½ years old!

She won her first state championship at the age of six. She won her State under-7 Championship, and then got selected for the nationals, and it was in the year 1998 that she stood 3rd in the nationals.

In 2011, she won the Asian Junior Chess Championship. In 2013, she was the first at the international women’s chess tournament in Czech Republic — Open Vysočina. In 2016, she won the Asian Chess Women Championship. She played for the Indian team in the Women’s Asian Team Chess Championship, in which she participated twice (2009, 2016). In the individual competition won the bronze medal in 2009.

According to her, she inherited the skill of this game from her father, who played chess whilst he was in college. Her dad, who was an avid chess player right from his college days, could not pursue a career in the field of chess due to the financial constraints but she accomplished all his dreams through her achievements.

She is the only Goan, and perhaps the only woman from India, to enter into the world championship. A lot of us may think that our journey is complete once we’ve achieved the highest accolade, but for her it is different. She believes that maintaining a position is more challenging than winning, and she is absolutely right. The real journey starts only after becoming a winner.

Vikram Pai Raikar

Our next awardee in the Young Achiever’s category for the Excellence in Visual Effects is a young and dynamic Vikram Pai Raikar. Vikram works in the field of visual effects and at this young age he achieved an excellent height of the success. 

Vikram’s story is very interesting, like most of the youths, he also wanted to become a computer wizard in the field of coding and that is why after completing his graduation in computer science, he had a plan to pursue an MCA, but soon he realised that his interest lies somewhere else: in a world of creativity, graphic designing and visual effects that according to him, he has always attracted him more than a flat blank screen with abstract codes written on it.

His journey into the virtual graphic world began when he came across sci-fi movies and saw the glaring visual effects created in the movies and that is when he decided to move from a boring coding life to a dazzling visual effects world. 

After completing B.Sc in Computer Science, he developed an interest towards Visual effects or VFX as we call it.  Hollywood movies inspired him and that is when he decided that I will opt out of doing an MCA and go for the course that teaches VFX.

After finishing his studies in the VFX, he had dozens of offers from the Multinational companies from India and abroad but he chose to come back to his motherland Goa and serve for the soil. Today he runs a very successful enterprise in Goa and provides his expertise in VFX to many Goan Entrepreneurs and clients overseas.

The next category of awards facilitates the talented Goans in various field of Art, Culture,Heritage and Literature. Goa has a ton of talent and many of them have crossed the physical boundaries and reached global from local. 

At Incredible Goa we celebrate the budding talents of Goa. We at Incredible Goa are proud of those talented people who have made the difference to this society with their achievements and put our tiny state on the world map.

Sonia Shirsat

Our first recipient of the Goan Talent Awards Category in the field of Excellence in Fado Singing is Goa’s First and finest Fado Singer Ms Sonia Shirsat. 

Sonia is Goa’s first Fado singer who has been referred to as “the ambassador of Goan music to the world and has performed across India and the world and often during cultural and music events in Goa. She sings in 13 different languages and has been promoting Fado in Goa, by holding training and introductory classes to this form of music at various parts of the region.

In her earlier days, she worked as a lecturer of law. She “bagged an international award for her speaking skills, much before she started singing professionally She holds an LL.M (Master’s in Law) degree. She started singing as a hobby, and has been a professional singer since about 1999. Her mother is Roman Catholic and her father, a Hindu.

Sonia is one of the few from India to excel in the Fado, a music genre which can be traced to the 1820s in Portugal or earlier. She credits Portuguese guitarist Antonio Chainho, who was offering guitar training in Goa some years ago, for introducing her to it. At the end of the workshop conducted by him, there was a search for someone to sing the Fado. Shirsat’s voice was found to have “fitted perfectly for the song”, and thus began her “tryst with the genre.In five years time, she performed at her first-ever solo concert, in Portugal, 2008.

As Dr Stephen Post says, good things happen to good people! Many good opportunities came knocking on her door and took her to new places. And in return, she popularized her love throughout the State. She had started by singing Hindi songs, moved onto English, Konkani, and Portuguese; till today she has sung in 14 languages! After all her travels, success and experiences, she has just one thing to say to the younger generation, “Remember your roots, don’t forget where you come from!”

Namrata Vaingankar 

The next recipient of the Award in the Goan Talent Category for Excellence in Radio Jockey is Namrata Vaingankar. Namrata works with 92.7 BigFM Radio and she is one of the most popular RJs in Goa. 

Namrata, is a small town girl who came into the city with a big dream and worked hard to carve her niche for herself in the entertainment industry. She started her journey on Radio as an RJ and later on she started the BIG Memsaab show dedicated to women, where she talked about issues related to women from bollywood news and gossip, and brought experts from various fields on the forum. She plays cool 90’s music along with trivia.

She is the No.1 RJ of Goa for many years and has a very strong local connect. She has a very nice connection with youths. Also has a privilege of being associated with Marathi & Konkani film industry. She has been associated with BIGFM since inception and has a great command over languages.

Planet Hollywood Beach Resort Goa

This year’s award in the category of Hospitality went to the Planet Hollywood Beach Resort Goa for the Best Wedding Destination Resort of Goa and the trophy was received by Mr Sunil Amonkar, the Director of Sales and Revenue.  

Nestled on the pristine white sands of Uttorda Beach in South Goa, the Planet Hollywood Beach Resort is situated in a close proximity of 20 minutes from the Goa International Airport. This resort has 115 unique rooms and suites and 3 sea chalets that have a breathtaking ocean view.

The property that is spread across 12 acres of land is a reminiscent of the post – modern design with hints of low rise Goan architecture & eye pleasing landscapes. While the elaborate interiors dressed in dramatic sculptures & vibrancy through their artwork is something to look forward to.

Whether an exclusive high profile conference or intimate destination wedding, this place has the perfect setting with multiple venues to choose from. Unobtrusive service and professional expertise help to make your event a memorable one.

Ziggy’s by Fame

After the hospitality the next thing that comes into the picture is the food sector of Goa. The Ziggy’s by Fame is the winner of the award in the category of Cuisine for being the Best Goan Cuisine Restaurant of The Year. 

The Ziggy’s by Fame provides a treat to your taste buds with a unique and specially curated selection of Home-style Goan, Asian and Western cuisines. To add to it, they have got the perfect ambience and unparalleled service that will keep you coming for more.

A fun place for lunch and dinner. Great ambiance for intimate parties. Attentive and warm service. It’s not just about the food but it also creates a memorable dining experience for you and your loved ones. 

Poseidon’s Cove

Our next winner in the category of the Cuisine is Poseidon’s Cove for being the best Bech Grill Restaurant of the year. It is believed that food tastes best with a side of sea breeze – ‘Poseidon’s Cove’s is the chic addition to Planet Hollywood Beach Resort, Goa’s culinary offering.

Poseidon’s Cove’s relaxed and cheerful approach to dining combines the best seasonal produce with breathtaking ocean views.

Watch the waves roll in with one of their signature cocktails in hand or spend a lively evening tucking into platters of their unique Poseidon Plank, Poseidon Roll, Prawn Shumai and amazing Sushi.

Bury your toes deep in the sands of Uttorda Beach or if you want something on the cozier side, snag a spot indoors and relax in the intimate setting, tucked away behind open-air wood panels.

Gaonkars Nandanvan & Rock Valley Resorts

This year we have inserted few new categories of the Awards to give wider perspective to the property and the award in the section of Eco-Tourism is just one of them. Goa is slowly moving away from the beach tourism and heading towards the ecotourism and the recipient of the awards in the Eco-Tourism category this year is Gaonkars Nandanvan & Rock Valley Resorts. 

The Gaonkars Nandanvan & Rock Valley Resorts received the award for being the Best Eco-Tourism Venture of Goa. While most Tourists get attracted towards the beaches, the hinterlands of Goa have remained unexplored by the people visiting Goa. With a vision to open this window of hinterland with its multi dimensional culture and living habits, this idea of Eco Tourism Venture was conceived some two decades ago.

This is one of the first Eco-Tourism Ventures started in Goa back in 2013 today this venture has scaled up to more than just a spice plantation tour. Now it offers an overnight stay, a jungle walk in the early morning and a visit to a heritage house, Polyhouse coupled with swimming pool, rain dance and adventure activities for fun n entertainment. Authentic Goan food with Goan hospitality gives an ultimate feel of joy to those who visit the place.

Anusha Shaikh

The next category that comes into the picture is Fashion and the award in the category of Fashion for the Excellence in Fashion Designing was given to Anusha Shaikh from Arushas Couture situated in the south Goa. 

Anusha Shaikh is a fashion entrepreneur, devoted with ardour towards creating a new distinctive approach to craftsmanship. a graduate with a bachelor of commerce and a master diploma in fashion, she developed a label Anusha’s, with a unique style of its own. Reflecting the authentic tradition of Indian raiment in a contemporary vocabulary. Owning a fashion studio in Pajifond Margao, she has been excelling in her field of Goa’s Fashion industry.

She offers a diverse mix of experimental style extending up to Bridal couture. She has participated with celebrity designers and launches whilst  relating to victory in various fashion competitions. She has also  collaborated with many multi designer stores in Mumbai and Bangalore.

Anusha has organised 2 successful seasons of her fashion show RUNWAY INSPIRATION BY ANUSHA’S in association with Goa Tourism, supporting an NGO in each season, where the Specially abled are groomed and trained by professionals to walk for her label alongside professional models and Bollywood celebrities. And the proceeds of which are donated for the cause. She has also been appreciated and National Awarded for her work in Bangalore for excellence in the field of fashion.

Jayashree Parwar 

Our next awardee is a finest example of the Women Empowerment but she took the award in the category of Trend Setters for the very reason that her initiate which is meant for the Sanitation of Women is unique and no one has tried it before in Goa. I am talking about Jayashree Parwar the recipient of the award for the Excellence in Women Sanitation. 

Jayashree comes from a very humble background, but the backdrop of a middle-class orthodox family did not stop her from achieving her dreams. She decided to step out of her comfort zone where most of the ladies do not even dare – and helped many women to fulfil their basic sanitation needs.

Even Today, menstruation in India is considered a taboo. This lady from a small town of Goa started producing biodegradable sanitary pads made from pine wood paper. The self-help group led by her has produced and marketed over 2,000 pads since 2015. She was termed as a Padwoman of Goa by the Yourstory portal.

When it comes to menstrual health and hygiene, more awareness needs to be raised and more people need to be educated. She leads the women’s Self-Help Group called Saheli situated in a small village called Mulgao in Bicholim taluka in north Goa.

She did not have the resources but that did not stop her from taking up this challenge and she converted her house into a factory For biodegradable sanitary pads.

D S Prashant

As I mentioned earlier that we have added couple of more categories this time and the Startup of The Year Award is one of them. This year we decided to introduce this category with the sole purpose of giving the platform to the growing startup trend in the tiny state of Goa. 

The The recipient of this year’s startup of the year award for the excellence in Incubation is the CEO of Forum for Innovation Incubation Research and Entrepreneurship better known as FiiRE. Prashant is a startup enabler with over two decades of experience supporting over 100 startups and handholding to establish over 1500 micro-enterprises in Goa.

Prashant is also on various committees including Program Advisory and Monitoring Committee – Entrepreneurship Training, Dept. of Science & Technology, Govt. of India; Goa State Innovation Council; District Skill Committee, South Goa; Goa Chamber of Commerce and Industry – IT and Startups Committee and Trustee of Manovikas Charitable Trust, Margao [ Manovikas English Medium School ].

The project of FiiRE incubation will remain incomplete without the mention of a most important man behind it, Fr. Kinley D Cruz, the Director of Don Bosco College of Engineering and FiiRE. Fr. Kinley is also a Civil Engineer by qualification.

Vyankatesh Prabhudessai

Vyankatesh Prabhudessai is a well know name in Goa in the field of Education. He is connected with this field for the past several decades and he has nurtured many students from the various parts of Goa and many of them are holding the high positions in the various field of industry. 

The Award in the Category of Education was given to Mr Vyankatesh Prabhudessai for the Excellence in Tech Education. 

Mr Vyankatesh Prabhudesai heads one of Goa’s premier educational institutes which bags the 100 percent results year after year 6 times in row in the HSSC Board Exams. Something like this is not possible without the vision and efforts of the genius behind it.

An IIT alumnus he is the director of Mushtifund Aryaan Higher Secondary School, and chief of Aryan Study Circle that started in 2004 and since 2011 Mushtifund Aryaan Higher Secondary School is an integrated school cum Aryaan Study Circle.

He has coached over 140 students who have cleared IIT, JEE Advanced and close to 150 students who have scored 300 and above in BITSAT. And there are a number of students joining the National Institutes of Technology (NIT), Goa Medical College and other medical institutes.

According to Him, his students have been achieving consistently for more than 15 years not only in the Board exam but also in the All India level engineering and Medical entrance exams.

Now the time comes of one of the most important category of the awards that entire Goa awaits eatery and that is, “Businessman of the Year Awards”. This year we had shortlisted around 4 recipients this time from the various segments of the business including the Tech, Advertising, Fitness and Business. 

Vijay Thomas 

The first award in the Businessman of The Year was given to Mr Vijay Thomas for the Excellence in Information Technology. If you are wondering who is Vijay Thomas then let me give you a brief Introduction. 

Vijay is the Founder & CEO of Tangentia, a leading digital transformation company from Goa with operations in Canada, USA and India. He is also co-founder of FOHO which is a blockchain based fractional real estate company and Crypto Currency. 

He started Tangentia Ventures which invests and manages a diverse portfolio of companies globally. Born and raised in Goa, he now calls Toronto, Canada home.

He has a B.Eng in Mechanical Engineering from Karnatak University and an MBA from Goa Institute of Management. He is active in multiple local and global business organizations and was the 32nd president of the Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce (ICCC), a 44-year-old institution serving the Indo-Canadian business community.

He also spearheaded the ‘Oxygen for India’ movement in Canada to support India during the second wave of the covid-19 pandemic. 

Angelo Nunes 

A very down to earth and the owner of a happy go lucky personality, Angelo Nunes is a first generation businessman into the field of Outdoor Advertising. He is the recipient of the Businessman of the Year Award for the Excellence in Outdoor Adverting in Goa.  

The holiday maker’s paradise with sprawling hills, meandering rivers, lush green fields and miles of sun-kissed beaches is Goa’s true outdoor culture. Recognizing this culture and giving outdoor recognition to brands is Adcity Advertising, established in 1989.

A student of Goa College of Arts, he took his degree in fine arts and later in 1989 started his venture in outdoor advertising called AdCity. The small outfit that he started has grown by leaps and bounds. Today, Adcity Advertising is among the biggest names in the state, and covers all major hubs in the state.

He didn’t just restrict his experience in the field of outdoor to their company but also to improve the industry at large in Goa. A pan Goa campaign is incomplete without occupying sites belonging to Adcity. It is after constant efforts, belief in the medium and the state, that the company has been able achieve such heights today.

According to him, the future plans of the company include more innovation to better serve their clients and streamline the industry with the help of the association and make it more accountable and professional so that not just the vacationers but also the brands say “Lets Go Goa…”.

Norbert D’Souza

The next recipient of the Award does not need any introduction as he runs the first and the biggest chain of the fitness hub in Goa. Norbert is the recipient of the award in the category of the Businessman of the Year for the Excellence in Premium Gym Chain of Goa. 

Norbert has revolutionized the fitness industry in Goa and his name is synonymous with health and fitness all over Goa. Having first made his mark in the bodybuilding scene way back in 1999, he went a step further by taking charge of a gym with passion and enthusiasm. After its first studio was set up in Caranzalem, which was later shifted to Panjim, the brand quickly spread all over Goa with outlets in Porvorim, Mapusa, Vasco, Ponda, Margao, Panjim, Dona Paula and Canacona.

Norbert D’souza is the owner of Norbert’s Fitness Studio who has been successfully driving home the message of “Fitness for all” for over the last 21 years with special crafted programmes for weight loss, body toning and muscle building, personal training, nutrition-suited for all ages and gender. Norbert’s Fitness Studio has highly enthusiastic trainers guided by Norbert himself.

In 2016 Norbert launched a multi activity fitness hub located at Mathias ocean park Donapaula, is accessible to individuals of all ages seeking to embrace a healthy lifestyle. in addition to a professional equipped gym. The fitness hub has expansive health compliant areas for yoga, kickboxing , zumba , dance, crossfit  and host of other activities.

Norbert’s Fitness Studio has also initiated a unique concept in fitness by launching 24×7 ( 24 hour gym) in Panjim Convention  Centre, Panjim.its a first and only 24 hour gym in Goa.

Rajkumar Kamat 

Rajkumar Kamat doing the business in Goa for the past 3 decades and now diversified into the Eco-Friendly business activities. He is the recipient of the “Incredible Goa Awards” in he category of Businessman of the Year Awards for the Excellence in Green Business. 

Rajkumar Kamat is a graduate Mechanical engineering with Post Graduate Diploma in Business Management honed his engineering & management skills at ACGL Tata motors subsidiary for a decade before he plunged into Entrepreneurship.

Right from the beginning, his focus was on offering Environment friendly Engineering products & services. He started off in November 1991 exactly 30 years back with the most Environment-friendly powder coating unit called EP Industries. The conglomerate of these small-scale units is now called EP Kamat Group.

In 2003 his company bagged the National award for Best  success story in Rural industrialisation. In 2010 he won the prestigious National award for outstanding effort in Entrepreneurship from MSME. An award which has been won by only 3 Goan units in the last 20 years. In 2006 he was one of the 25 entrepreneurs selected by CII for a programme on Business planning for Indian SME’s conducted by AOTS -association for overseas technical scholars in yokohama Japan.

In 2016 the core team of EP Kamat Group reviewed the group business & decided to disinvest from powder coating & metal products and instead focussed on composites. Getting inspired by PM Modi’s initiative for Swachh Bharat he decided to get into sanitation & water. He acquired know-how from a DRDO (Défense Research Development Organisation) for biodigester technology for use in processing human waste. The E P Kamat Group is the first to introduce the concept of bio-toilets in Goa in 2017.

Sandip Bhandare

With this we come to the last category of the awards “The Lifetime Achievement Award” and the recipient of the “Incredible Goa Awards” for the Excellence in Accountancy is none other than Mr Sandip Bhandare.  

Mr Bhandare is a graduate in commerce and a rank holder of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India and He has been in practice since 1984. He has been the President of Goa Chambers of Commerce (GCCI), one of the oldest chambers in India for the term 2017-19.  

He had earlier held all the other important positions in GCCI.  He was the Chairman of Goa Branch of Institute of Chartered Accountants of India in 2006.

He has authored a book on Goa Vat Act 2005 and co-authored the book on Guide to audit under Goa Vat Act 2005 published by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India. He has been a Chairman of the Task Force on GST formed to study the impact of GST on Goa.  He has delivered lectures at various places on Goa VAT Act as well as the GST Act.  He is also a  Director of EDC Limited. Earlier he was also the Director of Goa Electronics Ltd. and Goa Industrial Development Corporation.

He has lectured in Dempo College of Commerce & Economics.  Later he was also a member of Internal Quality Assistance Cell of the College and is presently on the Governing Board of Dempo Charities Trust which is running Commerce, Arts & Science Colleges. He is also a member of Goa Management Association.

He is actively associated with the Lions Organisation and has received several awards including the International President’s medal for Leadership.

The Incredible Goa Awards is not just the felicitation platform but it is the mission of the founder and publisher of the Magazine Rajesh Ghadge, to provide the recognition to the Incredible People of Goa and we are doing this for the past 4 years and we will continue to serve to the people of Goa in the times to come.