He used to be a pretty decent bat but the demands of life took its toll and he had to put away those pads. Aditya Angle one of the few Goans to play in the IPL for the Rajasthan Royals has long given up on his dreams of higher glory on the cricket fields of the world and now prefers to use his intelligence to craft a new beginning for his family business which has suffered ever since the supreme court banned mining in the state. He met Ajit John to talk about his plans for the BVM group.
Herald: As the Managing Director of the group what are you now doing to offset the loss in revenue due to the ban on mining?
Aditya Angle: We have been exploring various avenues and has now invested in a pilot project for food processing. With over Rs 25 odd lakh invested I hope to eventually invest up to a crore to establish this business. Let me also say this that I will be investing this money in a southern state. We had looked at other options too, in the past we had a facility at the SharjahAirport free zone which we have now discontinued. With regards to light manufacturing I have thought about it and perhaps sometime in the future I may do something.
Herald: What are the challenges you face conducting business in the state now?
AA: the ban on mining has made the market very vulnerable. It has slowed down everything, I would love to see mining start again because it would make me focus all my attention on that business. What I am doing now is basically to keep myself busy. If mining does not commence at all then I will have this as a backup. Even if mining commences and does not take place at the earlier levels I will be happy since it would mean there is some revenue coming in. We are also involved in buying and selling property in the state which is helpful in earning revenue.
Herald: You were a cricketer who played in the IPL for the Rajasthan Royals in the first two season, what did that teach you in your life as a businessman?
AA: Cricket was and still is my life, I learned to handle pressure on the field and the same is the case off it. It is also about discipline which helps in all facets of life. I am today because of my life as a cricketer. I may not play the game as much as I did in the past; I keep in touch by playing local tournaments and practising twice a week. I scored approximately ten centuries in all grades of cricket after starting off as a off-spinner, so you can see I added more skills and it is something I intend to do in my avatar as a businessman. Dad once said it was important to leave a mark of existence before dying or what was the difference between birds and stones. This quote is inspired by Swami Vivekananda
