A man of his words and who fears none, Dr Vithal Venkatesh Kamat, Chairman and MD, Kamat Hotels, has consistently been serving India some lip-smacking food for decades. A well-known face in the hospitality world, what is lesser known is that he is also an inveterate writer. Having penned down three books so far, he has now written an ode to his mother in his fourth book
– ‘Yash Apyash Ani Mi’
Dr Vithal Kamat with his mother Indira, during the launch of his book ‘Yash Apyash Aani Mi’ at the Orchid Hotel, PuneThe Orchid hotel at Balewadi, Pune was abuzz with his family, relatives and friends as Vithal Kamat was all excited to launch his fourth book – ‘Yash Apyash Ani Mi’. This book in Marathi language, is a heartfelt ode to his mother and explores the relationship between a mother and a son. Through the chapters of his book, he wishes to convey a very important message to today’s generation, which overlooks the importance of parents in one’s life.
Vithal Kamat, the Chairman and Managing Director of Kamat Hotels (India) Ltd is a second- generation restaurateur. He is a pioneer of green hotels, an environmentalist, entrepreneur, educationalist, antiquarian, ornithologist, author, a globetrotter, and black belt holder in karate. His journey began from a small vegetarian family restaurant to becoming the chairman of the world’s highest award-winning, and also Asia’s first Ecotel hotel, The Orchid. He is a recipient of many national and international awards including ‘Best CEO of Industry’ award by The Indian Express, ‘Golden Peacock’ award received from the hands of His Holiness The Dalai Lama, and the ‘Lifetime Achievement’ award in Berlin, Germany. He is a visiting faculty at IIM-Ahmedabad, BITS Pilani, Rajasthan and Symbiosis, Pune and many management institutes in India and Abroad.
He is essentially known as the kingpin of the hotel industry. While his journey in the hospitality industry is well-known by all, very little is known about him being an articulate writer. At the launch of his book, which left every one teary-eyed, Corporate Citizen caught up with Vithal Kamat at the side-lines of the launch to know more about his versatile personality. He talks about his journey as a writer and much more.
He is a staunch follower of the saying, ‘Knowledge is not everything, application of knowledge is wisdom’. Ever since he was a kid, he was an avid reader. “My love for reading is courtesy my mother and friends,” he smiled. So what provoked him to be a writer? “All my life I have faced competition at every level. I somewhere felt that I might have done injustice to others. Now I am at a stage where I want to give something back to the society. There are a lot of deprived people in this world. If my words could provoke them to believe in themselves and motivate them to take a plunge to follow their passion, then I believe that I did something worthwhile. I feel the best way to return something to the society is to write a book,” he says. The returns of the book are then given to an eyesight foundation and organ harvest donation.
He believes that all have a writer in them, they just have to find it and start penning it down. During his reading days, he was in complete awe of the writer Behram Contractor, whose articulate writing inspired him. “In life, I have become successful by following and watching other successful people. However, things changed when I entered the food industry. There I found some other gurus and reached the pinnacle. The thing about me is, I see dreams and make them come true,” he says.
His one peculiar trait is that he would go to any extent for the well-being of his loved ones. When his mother was diagnosed with Parkinson’s, dementia and Alzheimer’s, he says was shattered. He made sure to consult the top doctors in the country for her treatment. What struck him the most was when a doctor said, “You can always keep your mother happy. But unfortunately Parkinson’s, dementia and Alzheimer’s are not curable.” But he was one of them who would never give up easily.
The love for gardening is a seed which once sown never perishes. His love for building gardens around his area is immense. He is a man who loves greenery around him and will do anything to preserve it. Residing in Mumbai, he has helped to build several gardens.
‘One of the most important values that I have learnt is – fear none. Don’t let fear grip you if you have committed something. Just politely accept it in front of everyone. People may not forgive at first, but later everything will fall in place’
Aai Museum at Fort Jadhavgadh Heritage Resort Hotel, Pune, which has collection of over 35,000 antiques collected by Dr Vithal Kamat, owner of Fort JadhavGADHThe best way of learning how to cook is to watch your mother cook. He certainly agrees with this. “I love to cook. It’s a stress buster and more so I love to feed people. I am a self-taught chef and I learnt the art of cooking by simply watching my mother,” he informs.
At 19, when in London, he had the first chance to prove himself. Sharing the incident, he proudly says, “It was almost 50 years back, I was working as chef in London for 100 pounds a week. There we had an order to make 2000 laddus. And the owner was reluctant to make it. However, I took the situation under my control and made the laddus efficiently. The owner was quite impressed by my work. As a result, he asked me if I would marry his daughter. I politely declined, as I wanted to do something big in my country.”
Fear none and don’t hesitate to take risks—these are the two principles that he religiously follows. “The values that a person receives from his family members, teachers and friends are what makes him a better person. One of the most important values that I have learnt is—fear none. Don’t let fear grip you if you have committed something. Just politely accept it in front of everyone. People may not forgive at first, but later everything will fall in place,” he explains.
He began his career by acquiring loss making properties in Khandala(Pune district) and Vapi (Valsad district, Gujarat). It was a big risk, but he was prepared for it. “The biggest risk is not taking a risk. When you have an ability to change something, I feel the risk is worth it. This risk rather boosted my confidence. I saw an opportunity and encashed it,” he said. His plan of embarking on the loss-making property and creating something worthwhile from it was simple. The journey taught him several things. “I tried to be in their shoes and understand what went wrong. I made sure that I did not commit the same mistakes,” he says.
He later acquired some bigger properties in Mumbai. In 1997, he took a giant leap and started The Orchid, Asia’s First 5 Star Ecotel Hotel in Mumbai. With several employees under his guidance, he made sure to set the right example and tried to be their role model. One ritual that he follows is to appreciate his employees no matter what. “A pat on their back motivates them. Rather than finding out their flaws, a few kind words changes their lives. If you treat them with respect, it reflects in their work,” he smiles.
Since then, there has been no stopping him. The Orchid chain soon started getting recognition. One of India’s truly homegrown hospitality chains, The Orchid is part of Dr Vithal Kamat’s group of hotels, which also owns the only Maharashtrian luxury fort heritage hotel, Fort Jadhav- Gadh and Mahodadi Palace, Puri.
Adventurous Vithal is street smart when it comes to dealing with people. He never does business with people who have no ethics. Also, he is a firm believer that the service industry is very different from other sectors.
He never leaves a stone unturned when it comes to hospitality. Each step in his hotels is monitored for better outcome. Following the notion of—you eat with your eyes—he makes sure that the plating is also given utmost importance.
By Ekta Katti
