Leading the AVA Cholayil group to heights of glory, Dr. Anoop elucidates his business plans and the positive ambience created by the LKS.
Excerpts from the conversation.
The Loka Kerala Sabha (LKS) organised by the Government has been hailed has as a novel initiative towards the welfare of NRKs. You were also part of the delegation. What is your assessment on the same?
I personally feel that LKS was a very positive attempt from the part of the Government. Apart from the various other conclaves we witnessed in the previous years, LKS had a clear cut objective and planning which ensured the participation of NRKs from different walks of life who had adequate expertise in their respective fields. The active participation and involvement of people’s representatives cut across political lines was another laudable factor, especially the active involvement of the Opposition Leader in the discussions could send a very positive message to the participating delegates. It was also decided to form a separate standing committee consisting of the members of the LKS to follow up the deliberations of the conclave. This shall go a long way in sorting out the concerns and issues raised in the meet and finding out appropriate solutions through a proper follow up mechanism. So, if things go as per plan, the LKS would pave the way for a boost in the infrastructure development as well as provide an ideal platform for the welfare of NRKs.
You participated in the LKS as a representative of Keralites who have settled in other states within the country. How do you assess the intervention of the State Governments in addressing the issues being faced by this community?
I have been working for this cause for so many years and have raised the problems faced by this community, which constitute almost three by fourth of the NRK population, at various Government platforms. In fact, the word NRK ( Non Resident Keralite), was coined by the then E K Nayanar Ministry after we expressed our strong reservations in categorising the Keralites living in other States also under the general category of NRI (Non Resident Indian).Till then, all the Government programmes and initiatives were aimed at those living outside the country and the major Malayalee population in other States within the country was lying totally unattended. This situation has changed now with NRKs in other States also finding place in various welfare schemes of the Government. Even artistes, especially from the Theatre, residing in other States have been getting due recognition with the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Academy honouring many of them.
You have been actively involved in the programmes of the World Malayalee Council which works for the welfare of the NRKs across the Globe. How do you recollect the activities of the council?
World Malayalee Council, a representative body of NRIs, works for the welfare of the NRKs and it has actively intervened in issues like the NRI pension plan and many other social welfare schemes. Our activities have been recognised by the society at large and even the State Government has shown the courtesy to associate with us considering the nature of work being carried out. During the Tsunami disaster, WMC could actively participate in the rebuilding process by constructing houses for hundred families. Also during the recent Chennai floods, we were in the forefront to carry out the rehabilitation process. The State Government for the first time sanctioned an aid of fifty lakh for same and we see this as a token of recognition for the welfare programmes executed by the Council.
Do you see any change in the general perspective that Kerala is a not an investment friendly State?
See, till recently labour problems were considered to the major hindrance to investments. But now, since unemployment in the State has almost become nil, this issue has become a thing of the past. The current problem, according to me, is the lack of proper infrastructure and facilities for waste management. The Government’s responsibility does not end in giving a single window clearance to a particular project. It should concentrate more on improving the infrastructure facilities, especially an ideal waste disposal plan which could create a hassle free atmosphere for the investors to run their factories without the fear of local resistance.
Coming to Ayurveda, your area of interest, we witnessed a huge surge in the ayurvedic FMCG market in the recent years especially with entry of certain indigenous brands. How do you asses this scenario?
I see this trend as a very positive development, since the entry of huge brands like Pathanjali has actually opened up the market scope for lesser players also. This has pushed the demand for natural and ayurvedic products to a huge level which will be beneficial for the industry as whole. But at the same time we should be cautious about the quality of the products we choose, since there is a huge chance of bogus players exploiting this opportunity by flooding the market with third rate products. Likewise, the enquires for Ayurvedic treatment has also gone up with many of the groups going for major expansions. I have also set up a new hospital with all state of the art facilities at Kochi which will be opened in April. Hence I feel that it’s the ideal time to make use of the positive climate prevailing in the market and gather a fairly good market share for your brands.
At the same time we are still struggling to obtain an international recognition for ayurvedic treatment modules and medicines which is highly essential for taking this stream of medicine to the global platform. Do you see any positive development in this front in the near future?
This is actually a major area of concern and the Central Government should without any laxities address this issue and find out a positive solution. Otherwise, whatever said and done, the dream of popularising Ayurveda across the Globe will never take off. You should note that Chinese medicines has obtained this recognition and they can now spread this treatment module anywhere in the world without any restrictions. At the same time Ayurveda, which is 5000 years old, is still not recognised by any of the foreign countries which means that you cannot prescribe or sell any of the ayurvedic medicines outside our country. We need to have a strong political lobbying for this and I think the Ayush Department under the Union Government is working hard in this direction. Another factor is the preservation and recording of the knowledge we acquired over the years. The consolidation of the fragmented knowledge from various groups and individuals will be a challenging task, but we need to do this at the earliest and preserve this knowledge bank for getting the due recognition from foreign countries.
As you might be aware, Care Keralam, an ambitious project launched by the State Government some time ago could not achieve its objectives. What do you think might be the reason for this?
It was actually a very unfortunate episode. The project was actually at par with all international standards and it was the first its kind in India. But unfortunately, the lack of coordination among the manufacturers and the Government machinery led to the failure and currently the whole facility is lying idle. Again, the government is now trying to revive the project and has even sought my help in giving a new lease of life to it. I personally consider this as a very viable and useful facility for the manufacturers since they can avail facilities like high-tech lab, spacious godown etc. Another possibility for reviving this project is to make the testing at this lab mandatory for all the manufacturers who operates from Kerala. This, even though a challenging policy decision, will pave the way for the full fledged functioning of the lab facility here. Another factor is the streamlining of the activities of the various government agencies working behind this project which is highly essential for a hassle free operation of this facility.
You have strengthened your presence in Malayalam film industry also with your banner AVA Productions coming out with a couple of hits last year. How do you view the present trend in Mollywood?
The year 2017 was actually highly productive for the Malayalam film industry with a lot exceptional films hitting the screens and many of them reaping good collections. Our banner AVA productions could also become part of two major hits, Godha and Ezra. The general trend prevailing in the industry is highly encouraging with quality films, irrespective of the huge star cast and crew, becoming runaway hits. Also the arrival of a new breed of fresh creative talents has paved the way for a highly positive change in the outlook of the average film goer. This year also we have a couple of mega projects. Oolu, the project helmed by Shaji N Karun is poised to be most ambitious one and it is mainly targeted for international festivals. Other projects in association with E4Entertainment include the one in Hindi and another in Tamil. I am also partnering a movie in Hollywood which will also happen this year.
Your business acumen seems mainly to be in identifying ideal associates and coming out with innovative business concepts. How do you go about this?
Its always important to evolve a clear cut plan and carry out an extensive market research before venturing into new business concepts. We have been doing this in a religious manner and that might the reason for the positive results we get form our initiatives. The foray into food business by taking over a prominent brand has also yielded good results and currently we are in the process of attaining a comfortable stabilisation for the brand in the market and further expansions will be undertaken after that. Also the recent venture Kytra in association with Ambika Pillai, the most sought after name in the cosmetic industry, has also been successful with a huge response pouring in for the brand in the initial days of the launch itself.
