Obstacles to Opportunities

By Agnelorajesh Athaide

This book is my way to give back to society. Its the outcome of all my real-life work experiences which will benefit every reader of this book, with a wish that each and every one reading this book will prosper in improving their knowledge, learned, earned, and wealth and will also write a similar story a better book to motive still more people. So that more entrepreneurs are created and not only create wealth for themselves, but also for the country. Every living moment is a life experience. It all depends on how one looks at it and how can one capture the knowledge from it. Lessons learnt if not implemented, is a waste of knowledge. No idea is good enough if it cannot be implemented or if it is not implemented. This book is dedicated to my parents, my wife, and my entire family and each and every person who has been a part of my life and my life journey. I share personal gratitude to all my business partners who have worked with me on various projects and had the belief and faith in my capabilities. I remain most humbled and obliged to all and my best wishes to the reader of this book who is in the process of creating history by their own contributions and efforts in this sphere of action.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Oct 11, 2016
• ISBN: 9781524600105

Agnelorajesh Athaide

AGNELORAJESH ATHAIDE is a social entrepreneur leading India in a host of businesses focused on improving millions of lives through education, media, and real estate? From being raised in low-income rent houses to becoming an influential real estate developer of well thought-out communities, Athaide has brought a fresh breath of technocratic discipline to a once very dysfunctional and unpredictable world of the Indian real estate industry. At an early age of twenty and as the managing director of St. Angeloís Professional Education, Agnelorajesh Athaide started his IT business within the slums in India, teaching computer learning courses in poor neighbourhoods where poverty and illiteracy compounded with a lack of understanding presented an obstacle to growth. He soon realized that most students would be unable to afford what he was offering. Hence he partnered with a small credit co-op bank to create an educational loan facility for students at a time when the concept of educational loans for private coursework did not exist. This initiative proved to be very successful and helped many more students become employable resulting in empowering many under privileged communities. As a pioneer and visionary who accurately predicted the Indian IT and real Estate Boom, Athaide shares a candid yet a fresh insight into the world of the technological digital age revolution and how anyone with a keen sense of self-direction and perseverance can make it in developing and underdeveloped societies.

Book preview

2016 Agnelorajesh Athaide, Dr. Naved Jafry and Garson Silvers. All rights reserved.

Technical Writer: Ms. Krunali Kadam

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 10/10/2016

ISBN: 978-1-5246-0010-5 (e)

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

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Contents

Chapter            Title

1   The Germinating Seed

2   I found God!

3   Problem? No, it’s an opportunity!

4   Name has it all

5   Wish to see the real world?

6   Business Multiplied

7   Blowing trumpet is a must skill

8   ‘I’ for Investment

9   The ‘Brand’

10   How should our Leader be!

11   I have Information

12   Be smart man!

13   Think Differently

14   The Talkative

15   Who to Compete?

16   Have Arjuna’s eyes, Only on goals!

17   Social Entrepreneurship

Editors

Preface

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I have been lucky to enjoy some unique experiences in life. I always wanted to share my experiences with the world so as to motivate young people and guide them to new possibilities.

Learning from the experiences of others is the best way to learn and move forward in life. I have learned so much from the people around me and the people with whom I have worked and dealt within life.

This book is my way to give back to society. It’s the outcome of all my real life work experiences which will benefit every reader of this book, with a wish that each and every one reading this book will prosper in improving their knowledge, learned, earned and wealth and will also write a similar story a better book to motive still more people. So that more entrepreneurs are created and not only create wealth for themselves, but also for the country.

Every living moment is a life experience. It all depends on how one looks at it and how can one capture the knowledge from it. Lessons learnt if not implemented, is a waste of knowledge. No idea is good enough if it cannot be implemented or if it is not implemented.

I have not used the names of the people in this book but every person who has touched my life, will relate himself with me when he is reading this book. As I have kept each person in my mind and heart throughout the process of my sharing’s in the form of this book.

This book is dedicated to my parents, my wife and my entire family and each and every person who has been a part of my life and my life journey.

I share personal gratitude to all my business partners who have worked with me on various projects and had the belief and faith in my capabilities.

I remain most humbled and obliged to all and my best wishes to the readers of this book who are in the process of creating history by their own contributions and efforts in this sphere of action.

Agnelorajesh Athaide

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Is a social entrepreneur leading India in a host of businesses focused on improving millions of lives through education, media and real estate. From being raised in low income rent houses to becoming an influential real estate developer of well thought out communities, Athaide has brought a fresh breath of technocratic discipline to a once very dysfunctional and unpredictable world of the Indian real estate industry.

At an early age of 20 and as the managing director of St. Angeloís Professional Education, Agnelorajesh Athaide started his IT business within the slums in India, teaching computer learning courses in poor neighborhoods where poverty and illiteracy compounded with a lack of understanding presented an obstacle to growth. He soon realized that most students would be unable to afford what he was offering. Hence he partnered with a small credit co-op bank to create an educational loan facility for students at a time when the concept of educational loans for private coursework did not exist. This initiative proved to be very successful and helped many more students become employable resulting in empowering many under privileged communities.

As a pioneer and visionary who accurately predicted the Indian IT and real Estate Boom, Athaide shares a candid yet a fresh insight into the world of the technological digital age revolution and how anyone with a keen sense of self-direction and perseverance can make it in developing and underdeveloped societies.

Chapter 1

The

Germinating Seed

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The 15 year duration of 1970-1985 was completely different. India had won the war against Pakistan in 1971, and the same remarkable year I was born. The next fifteen years seemed to be steady with nothing major happening. The film industry had a huge influence over the youth in those years. Rajesh Khanna & Amitabh Bacchan were the role models of the Indian youth. Life was like a 70mm movie screen. Bush shirts, Pyarelaal pants, long hair, large sideburns, and Amitabh on their minds. Now, besides this most of the youth most of the times were inclined to seek a permanent job. Family and society also insisted for the same expectations.

The magical world of cinema did not attract me. Rather, we weren’t from a background that could afford going to the movies repeatedly. So the cinema never affected me. I was growing up in a conservative environment.

"Being born in difficult situation does not mean we must live the rest of our life in same situation. We must decide on what life we want to lead and with what achievements we want to leave this world.""

I was born in a middle-class family in Vasai. Then from Vasai we moved to Goregaon, and later settled at Malad for a few years. Malad was my world during my childhood. The Malad Malvani sector was a very infamous sector during those times. Not for its development, but it was the most favoured area by the criminal elements those times. The criminals when expelled from other areas were sent to Malvani. The criminals had set up their lives in this area. ‘Malad Malvani’ stirred fear in the hearts of even the brave. The thoughts and even the dreams of the people around had their limits.

Amidst these unfavorable conditions, my mind had a dream, to do something different and something big. Even though I was born in difficult surroundings; I did not want to carry that throughout my life. That was the time I decided, Enough! It’s time to do something big. Although I did not understand what exactly I had to do, the seed of exceptional success was planted in my mind. Only one thing I knew which was to learn all the good I could from the surroundings and my senses got hungry for knowledge.

We cannot decide the conditions we are born into, but we can decide what life we want to lead and want to achieve before we leave this world.

My parents were my first teachers and idols of my life. They had a loving marriage. My father was on his way to become a priest and was training at the St. Pius seminary. He met my mother there and fell in love with her. My father was a Roman Catholic and my mother a Mudaliar Tamil Brahmin. Their respective families did not approve of their marriage. This caused them to leave their homes and their adventurous life began. That started the journey of moving from one rented house to another. In the beginning both of them were tutors. After a few moves, they moved to Vasai again. Since my mother was a South Indian, she found it a bit difficult to adjust to living with our large Christian family. In 1975, when I was four years old, my father brought us to Goregaon. The four-roomed house was in the Unnat Nagar area of Goregaon. The house was at the corner of the chawl, which also had an adjacent garden. During that time, my father worked as a clerk in Mahindra and Mahindra. My mother continued to conduct personal tutoring. The efforts of my parents never went unnoticed in my eyes. With their untiring efforts, they enrolled me into St. Thomas High School, a noted school located in Goregaon.

In 1982, our landlord told us to vacate the house. Perhaps he wanted to use it himself. Fortunately, my mother had bought a house from the Housing Board in 1971. My mother was a good friend of an ex-khasdar and an important personality Mrs. Mrunal Gore. My mother had participated with her in many social projects. Mrs. Gore knew the story of my mother’s marriage