Managing multiple responsibilities
simultaneously is an art that Lyndon Furtado developed in his early years. By
the time Lyndon graduated in BSc from the Dhempe College in Miramar in 1995, he
was already running a folk troupe by the name of ‘Goa’s Heritage’ where he
first experienced the happiness of entertaining people across the state.
However, it was only his ‘partying days’ that influenced him and prepared him
for one of his most successful business ventures till date in the form of Down
the Road – a popular nightclub and restaurant in Panjim.
Speaking about his early days, Lyndon says,
“My brother used to run a discotheque called Lido in the early 90s which
incidentally was the first in Goa. I have been partying since then. Most of the
people who run similar businesses now like David (De Souza), Kennedy (owner of
nightclub, Kamaki), etc used to patronise this place that was located in Dona
Paula. As a regular party-goer, I have been going to all the different places
that have opened in Goa. Unfortunately, till about 6-7 years ago, there was
nothing in Panjim and one had to travel about 20 kms to go along the northern
beach belt to have an enjoyable evening. This, coupled with the idea of
recovering all the money that I have spent partying (laughs), encouraged me to
open a party place in the capital city in 2008-09. My uncle had a ready bar
license for a bar he was running since 1980. The bar was in a bad state, so I
converted our ancestral house into what stands as Down the Road today.”
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After having a successful stint with Down
the Road, Lyndon experienced a nightmarish incident which almost rocked him off
the boat. A brutal fight outside the premises of Down the Road involving 3-4
people led to the place being shut down temporarily. However, with support from
friends and family, Lyndon bounced back. Lyndon says, “Firstly, It was a big
misconception and the incident was portrayed incorrectly by the media. The
facts were narrated much later by the respected newspapers. The day the
unfortunate incident took place, we had shut the premises and the incident
happened in the parking lot nearly 30 minutes after the person had left from
Down the Road. My jurisdiction and security is limited to the premises of Down
the Road and unfortunately I do not have any control outside of it. Thanks to
the security and the CCTV cameras installed at the premises, we were able to
narrate the actual incident, with evidence, to the authorities. On investigating
the matter, the police gave us a clean chit and cleared the pub as it had
nothing to do with the event. But by then the damage had been done.”
Ask Lyndon about his future plans and he
rubbishes it aside. He says, “I take life as it comes. I don’t want to be
looking into the future, For me, what I feel like doing in the next hour is
what matters. I don’t think ahead of time. Personally, I would do anything that
relaxes me more. I go for bike rides almost every Sunday, go for a swim, catch
up with friends and do anything that is unplanned. That is what works best for
me and I’m not complaining.”
