Wednesday 6 April 2016

Dedicated to Navi Mumbai Chartered Accountants.

Dedicated to Navi Mumbai Chartered Accountants.


       April 3rd, 2016, marks the  10th Anniversary of Navi Mumbai Branch of Western India Regional Council (WIRC) of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI), the premier accounting body for regulation of profession of Accounting in India. The Navi Mumbai Branch was formally inaugurated on 3rd April, 2006, and has grown in all spheres of activities, qualitatively as well as, quantitatively, in past ten years. The number of Seminars, Study Circle Meetings, Conferences, RRCs, International RRCs, Students Programs, etc have grown spectacularly over the past decade. The knowledge sharing, and value additions needed by members to keep abreast of latest changes in laws and professional practices, are achieved through branch activities besides providing mandatory CPE hours. Navi Mumbai branch is fortunate to generate, in-house star speakers such as CA Satish Shanbhag, CA A. M. Shetty, CA J. D. Adhyapak, CA Sameer Gavali, CA Ujjwal Land  ge, and many others, who have addressed WIRC programs and  Study Circle Meetings in Other Regions, as well.








           The Chairmen CA Suresh Ameria, and his dynamic team of Committee Members, are steering the branch activities, at present.











         All the Past Chairmen, CA E A Patil, CA Satish Shanbhag, CA A M Shetty, CA J D Adhyapak, CA M V Mahashabde, CA Shankar Tekchandani, CA Narendra Mangal, CA Shrikumar Nair, CA Sameer Gavali, CA Shrikant Limaye, have played distinct and important role and have raised the bar, in successive years.  The  rapport with Regional Council and Central Council members have also helped the branch immensely.  The comradery and fellowship amongst all members of the branch, is the beauty and unique feature, of Navi Mumbai. All the members have collectively struggled to make Navi Mumbai  Branch from  almost 'no entity',  to  'the force to reckon with'.
  
         Though, the Branch status is only 10 years old, the activities of Chartered Accountants  in Navi Mumbai, dates back to 1988-89. I remember, a small group of CAs used to meet in Vashi, usually on Saturday evenings, to share professional experiences.  One meeting was in Office of  CA Singhavi (of M/s Kelkar Singhavi Oturkar) and some meetings in Office of CA E A Patil. (That was my first interaction with CA E A Patil, who has yeoman contribution in the Branch development).  Latter on a  "New Bombay Chartered Accountants Association" was formed. CA E A Patil was the  President, CA Narendra Mangal was the Tresurer, and myself, the Secretary.  It was inaugurated by Chief Commissioner of Income Tax (Pune), and was attended by many IT Officials, besides eminent persons from Navi Mumbai.












        The concept of Continued Professional Education (CPE) as a mandatory requirement, came latter on.  Navi Mumbai had one Study Circle, to start with. Latter on DAKC had second Study Circle for convenience of members in industry.  In past, the Study Circle Meetings were very small and  in class rooms of New Bombay High School, in Vashi. I remember speakers like Past President CA Kamlesh Vikamsey,  CA A.R. Krishnan, et al had addressed our study circle meetings in such ambience.  
        
        We members also were in learning-phase, and not quite adroit, in conducting  meetings, then. It so happened once, that we forgot to give memento to the Speaker, in a meeting.  We realized our mistake, while the speaker had boarded in taxi to go back. We hurriedly arranged and offered a memento  to the speaker, in the Cab.  It was very embarrassing situation then. It is a thing of past. Now the members are well trained and they conduct the meetings in absolute professional manner, and that too, in far better ambiance.

           I would like to share one event  during my tenure as Chairmen, The branch was pursuing with CIDCO for the plot of land, and it was felt that  the branch  should have good Building Fund in its Balance Sheet, to make our claim with CIDCO, stronger.  On my personal appeal to the members, CA fraternity responded very spontaneously,  and contributed generously towards the  Building Fund. I was touched by the response of my fellow members!







         The  Union Budget Meetings of Branch, and RRCs are very well attended by good number of CAs, regularly.   Initially, RRCs used to be at Lonavala, or Matheran, or somewhere nearby. During my tenure as Chairmen, we had RRC at Goa. Next years' was International RRC in Thailand. So the frontiers of branch activities have widened. The Students Conference, Quiz, Elocutions, Cricket Matches, other sport events have been very popular branch activities. The branch has shown magnanimity of recognizing our social debt and has  given donations to needy students/schools, Blood donations on Foundation Day every year, has been a regular activity of branch. Past Chairmen CA Sameer Gavali has been a greatest help for the success of these events. CA Rajendra Phadke, CA Akila M'am,  Dr.(CA) Minaxi M'am, and many others (pardon me, if  I missed some names here),  has also taken active part in student programs.  It's indeed a team effort.  Family night dinner and enjoyment programs on Foundation day, with families have made branch activities multifaceted.  The feather in cap, was  the novel initiative by immediate past Chairmen CA Shrikant Limaye. On Union Budget day (29/2/2016) he took all the past Chairmen to the Parliament, to witness 'live' budget presentation by the Finance Minister !




       
           All the successive Chairmen and their teams, has poured their heart and soul to take the branch to greater heights.  The wholehearted participation of all members has made the branch, what it is today. The appreciations from WIRC, is just the testimony of that.  Now the speakers and visitors take pride and honour in visiting Navi Mumbai.


          With the growth of  the branch, the challenges have also grown in multiple ways.  To orient members with the changing professional scenario,  and to enable members for quality services, to have own Premises for the Branch, to create a brand value for CA's services, and to be a partner in Nation building, at large, are the challenges before the Branch. The present managing committee is young, dynamic, and enjoys the full support of  all the members. There is a saying, "more difficult the task is, it is worth doing;  simple  tasks  are done by anyone."  So we all wish best luck to the present committee in their endeavors, with following words of  Swamy Vivekananda, 

                            " Arise, awake, and stop not until the goal is achieved"