He
is the quintessential gentleman and a man of many parts seeking to engage Goan
society in a different way. It may seem a detour from the life of his famous
parents, but Yatin Kakodkar has made his own immense contribution to Goa.
The
International Centre Goa (ICG) was the perfect foil for this gentleman who
enjoys the arts, particularly literature. “The two aspects of ICG appealed to
me. One was its ideational role and the other the arts and culture. ICG helped
to combine both my interests,” explains Kakodkar, a life trustee and President
of the Centre, a role he adroitly juggles with his directorship of Apex
Packaging Pvt Ltd, Kundaim.
His
outlook is largely influenced by his time at the prestigious Dartmouth College,
USA where he completed his MBA. “Going from Don Bosco, Goa to Sydenham College,
Mumbai was a big leap in itself. Dartmouth opened a new world altogether. A
member of the Ivy League, the college is among the top five in the world. By
this measure, it draws around 200 of the brightest people who intensely
interact and engage on various subjects. This in itself was a big stimulus to
the mind,” avers Kakodkar.
Keen
to bring a similar stimulus to Goa, which he points out is unfolding in a very
cosmopolitan way, he sees the International Centre as the right platform to
create an interest and enable people to access the right content. Bursting on
the scene in the last five years, although it started 15 years ago, ICG has
managed to sustain the interest of a diverse crowd.
The
2014 edition of the Goa Arts and Literary Festival, under the guidance of
Kakodkar, witnessed an unprecedented success rate in its five-year run. “The
quality of speakers, delegates, authors, participants at GALF 2014 was very
good and the discussions that took place were of a high standard,” he
maintains, while promising a more interactive/happening Centre by empowering
team ICG.
Behind
the scenes, the private persona is equally engaging. A father first, his busy
schedule takes a backseat on weekends when he spends quality time with his
10-year old daughter at home in Porvorim playing squash and taking up her
homework. He nevertheless becomes the student when his daughter sits him down
for some smart phone lessons!
A
foodie who loves to indulge in the right food with quality ingredients,
Kakodkar has proved his expertise in the kitchen as well. “My friends wrongly
credit me with being a good cook,” he says self-depreciatingly. But he works
off the calories with a regular workout at the gym which he refers to as his
‘big stress buster’. Music is another favourite for this gentleman whose choice
depends on the time of day, and his biggest passion yet – reading. Indulging in
two/three books simultaneously, his picks are of the non-fictional genre. “For
now I am reading ‘The Authorised Biography of Margaret Thatcher’ by Charles
Moore and ‘Why the West Rules – for Now’ by Ian Morris,” he reveals.
To
Yatin Kakodkar, the future is one big promise on many fronts, with many miles
to go.
