I don’t dream, I work

This globetrotter cannot survive without his Goan fish. Be it Paris, Tai Pei, Beijing or any other city on the planet Nitin Kunkolienker primary job becomes hunting for a place where he could get his Goan fish. “Food is my addiction. I spend a huge amount on food. In Paris I found a restaurant named  ‘Goan’, run by a Goan who serves excellent Goan fish. What else would you look for in Paris. After work it is most important that I must have a good meal with my family and close friends. Lately, apart from Goan food I have developed taste buds for Asian Oriental and Italian cuisine,” said Mr Kunkolienker.

 After work, whenever he crosses Margao market, he never forgets to stop at Margao fish market, virtually on a daily basis for the last 22 years. Felix after his mother passed away is the man who gives him the best fish in the market and stands to his reputation of being the President of the Fish Vendors Association. “Never in past 22 years, I have had any complaint about the fish”, added the food connoisseur Mr Kunkolienker.  

Another passion is that every first Saturday or Sunday of the month he would visit his deity Goddess Balaji/Purus/Shantadurga temples at Ramnathim and Kumkolien. Also for the last six years, twice a year he along with his driver would go on a “Goa pilgrimage tour” and in a single day would visit at least 28 to 30 temples. “Apart from pilgrimage I also get the sense of the development taking place in that area,” he adds. 

This God fearing but confident man is now heavily engaged in transforming the education system in Goa. He being the first vice president of the Vidya Vikas Mandal, Margao, Goa is spending nearly 50 per cent of his time to ensure that the students from the school are less stressed when they grow-up. “Three years are more than enough to transform the education system if one takes the right approach and I believe that the students of this age must be tech savvy. I don’t dream, I work,” added Mr Kunkolienker.

Pained by the non-availability of resources in Goa for the new entrepreneurs to set-up their own business, he has taken up the mantle to help out those start-ups who are interested in setting up their own business in Goa, specially in the IT sector. “Since our socio-economic sector is poor, someone has to do it. I have the experience in this and at the moment as a mentor I am  heavily engaged in guiding bright young populace of Goa,” he added.    

A man who enjoys playing table tennis with his family is also a habitual walker and steps out of his music loaded BMW sedan after work to invariably take a one-hour walk daily. “I love listening to music, especially to my daughter Aashna’s skills on piano and six other instruments. Apart from that I love to hear Hindi songs, Gazals, Sufi songs and western music. My car is fully loaded with all kinds of music and I feel it is the best way to relax,” he added. 

He loves spending free time with his freelance architect wife, Roopa, 14 year-old daughter Aashna who excels in musical instruments and has won several awards in Goa and his 11 year old son Ronit who is a “tech-freak” and loves his I-Pad and washing machines. The entire family is also engaged in several charity work that they do without expecting anything in return.