“GOOD BUSINESS LEADERS CREATE A VISION, ARTICULATE THE VISION, PASSIONATELY OWN THE VISION AND RELENTLESSLY DRIVE IT TO COMPLETION”

On the 7th of August 2020, the students of class 11 of Mushtifund Aryaan Higher Secondary School (MAHSS) were bestowed with the opportunity to interact with a top Industrialist of Goa, Mr. Audhut Timblo and Professor Larry Simonson. Also present for the session were Businessman and a member of Mushtifund Saustha, Mr. Anil Counto and an former MAHSS Student Mr. Ishaan Shetye. Firstly we would like to thank Our sir.Vyankatesh Prabhudesai for giving us this platform to enhance our knowledge by conducting such interactive sessions with eminent personalities from various fields. Sincere thanks to all the speakers for spending their valuable time despite their busy schedule.

Sir. VPD commenced the session by welcoming Mr.Audhut Timblo and Prof. Larry by presenting their brief introduction.

Mr. Audhut Timblo did his schooling from Campion School in Bombay in the year 1966, higher secondary from St.Xavier’s college Bombay and his BS in electronics engineering from South Dakota School of Mines and Technology and also has an LLB degree from university of Bombay. Presently Mr. Timblo is the chairman of the Fomento group of companies which has completed a number of projects and has employed several goans. He conceptualized the brand and implemented, now an international recognised 5 star deluxe resort ‘Cidade Goa’. He masterminded systematic expansion of this project. He is also responsible for the systematic conceptualization planning and design of a resort in Aravali in Sindhudurg, Maharashtra. He is involved in various businesses including news, media and entertainment.

Then sir VPD introduced us to Professor Larry Simonson. Prof. Larry did his BS, MS and Ph.d in electronic engineering from South Dakota School of Mines and Technology and also is the professor at the same institute for the past 3 decades. He is currently a professor at electrical and computer engineering department at the institute. He is also an assistant to the President-alumni ambassador, South Dakota School of Mines and Technology.

Then Mr.Audhut started his interesting session by explaining the meaning of the word ‘FOMENTO’. Fomento is derived from the Latin word which means ‘Development’, ‘to inspire and ignite’ and ‘promote entrepreneurship’. If you go into the antecedence of the word Fomento it means to get together as a team, inspire each other to build, develop and promote. The word Fomento runs for 5-6 decades in the Timblo Family.

He further went on to tell how securing jobs in Goa has become a difficult task. Out of the engineering graduates only 10% seek jobs whereas a student pursuing in the US has almost 100% job opportunities. The education system in Goa has failed to provide 100% jobs to the students and there is a need to change the education policy in Goa. He briefly spoke on the new skill sets. He said that artificial intelligence is taking over the workforce. Just 1-5% of the people are needed but rest all work can be satisfactorily done by artificial intelligence.

Sir.VPD was keen to know about Mr. Audhut’s experience with Fomento. Mr. Audhut stated that the Fomento Group started under the Portuguese leadership in the 1950’s. After World War 2, Goa got the benefit of free trade which was the only part in the Indian subcontinent to have a free port. There were no strict rules on taxation, license registration, no proper governance and complete freedom to do business which became easier to establish businesses.

By Briefly giving some examples he explained how holistic development is more important than selfish development. Then Prof. Larry Simonson began by giving us a basic idea of the developments in the field of electrical engineering. He said that electrical engineering is a large field. It has several areas such as Power, communication , applied electromagnetics and a lot more. Briefing about the educational system he apprised us that in the 1st three years there is a basic course in each field for the students to gain a wider perspective of each field. In the 4th year at the university, the students can branch off into specialised areas. Also there is a complete freedom for the student to change his major stream.

He advised the class 11 students that if they like maths and science and are curious to know about how things work then they should consider the engineering field. ” If there is willingness to work hard, dedicate quality time, one can be successful” he quoted. He also specified that working hard does not mean studying for 20 hours a day instead he said to focus on smart studying. According to Prof. Larry engineering does not teach you exactly what to do for the rest of your life but it teaches you how to think and learn about how things are done. This is one of the merits of engineering education. He mockingly also shared about his goal in life to make every medical student undergo the undergraduate engineering degree because it teaches you how to think.

According to Prof. Larry the education provided at the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology is outstanding and the credit to this goes to the experienced professors. The graduate students only assist the undergraduates in the laboratories and study sessions.

Sir VPD was curious to know whether BE students from India find it easier to cope up with the masters level program in the US, To which Prof. Larry replied that the students from Goa do extremely well and are generally the toppers. In India a vast syllabus of physics, chemistry and maths is completed in depth in 11th and 12th which makes it easier for students to cope up with the syllabus in the US.

VPD Sir then asked Mr. Audhut Timblo to throw some light about his views on the education system. Mr. Timblo started by saying that education is a part of your journey since the day you are born. The process of learning is continuous.”Yesterday’s graduate who stops learning today; is tomorrow’s illiterate”he quoted. Now with advancement in technology like the internet and other tools, education is not only confined to classrooms, but has spread to the campus ; cafeteria and sports field. In schools, we start with learning, with information we get knowledge and knowledge is power. “Imagination is more powerful than knowledge”~Albert Einstein.

 

Further giving an example of Eklavya from Mahabharat he explained how curiosity and inherent love for the subject helps to become a master.

Answering to the questions related to quality education he was a bit reluctant to differentiate between quality and less quality education as the word itself is discriminating. Instead we should look at the skills, education and learning with great respect and abstract from using the word quality education. Which will help our society to understand that each one is equally needed. He further went on to say that there is no substitute For hardwork.

“Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration” he quoted.

Mr. Anil Counto was happy to speak to the bright minds of Goa and also congratulated VPD Sir for having conducted such interactive sessions. He said that the ease of business in Goa is pathetic and there is no encouragement from the government. He also said that The New Education Policy that has been announced recently will be beneficial to a lot of students. Education plays a very important role. It helps in logical thinking. Nowadays, with digital technology at their fingertips students can develop innovative ideas.

Sir VPD then asked what are the qualities one has to look at as an entrepreneur when you employ a young person. To which Mr. Avdhut instantly replied “Character and continuous interviewing” and Mr. Anil said “Hardwork and perseverance”.

Mr. Ishaan Shetye also added a comment on what Prof. Larry said. Engineering is not just about logical thinking. It is about finding solutions to problems or trying to find problems if everything seems perfect. Today in the engineering field there is a high level of specialization and it is only possible with teamwork.

All the queries put forth by students were enthusiastically answered by the speakers.

Prof. Larry told the students that there are no specializations in the grade 11th and 12th in the US as compared to India where students have an early focus on the technical subjects like maths and science. Perhaps in the US, the undergraduate programs are very broad and not just focussed on one major. Industry sponsored projects are also involved in the university programs. Each of the departments have industrial advisory boards.

Mr. Audhut added a point regarding the New Education Policy. He said that the policy cannot be implemented unless intellectual depth is provided by the Central government. He also mentioned the unexpected difficulties faced by the hotel industry due to the current pandemic and also how the ban on the mining industry affected the businesses. Answering one of the questions, he said that all gigantic companies need not be monopolies. A Monopoly company is one that exists in a market with little to no competition and can therefore set its own terms and crises when facing consumers. At times one needs to recreate monopoly for the betterment of the society but the best way to overcome it is by creating competition. Lastly, Mr.Ishaan shared a piece of information by saying that in the global market it need not be necessary you have to be first to build a sustainable. Though companies like Panasonic and Texas Instruments were the first in the revolution of chips , Today , Intel are unbeatable and have captured the market.

All in all the interactive session was an insightful one! Once again we all students are extremely thankful to VPD sir and all the guest speakers for sharing with us their knowledge and experience which will definitely ignite a fire in every heart that dares to dream.

Written by,

Eeshani N. Pai Kane

Class 11- MAHSS