Rahul Laud met the Global Chamber of Saraswat Entrepreneurs directors at the ITCX 2025 in Tirupati.
The International Temple Connect Expo (ITCX) 2025 held recently in Tirupati witnessed strong support and participation by the Global Chamber of Saraswat Entrepreneurs. According to Anirudha Walawalkar, representing FPA Global with his brother Anurag, who led the initiative on behalf of the Saraswat Chamber, said, “The ITCX wasn’t just another event. Those who participated benefited from the discussions, knowledge sharing, and real action plans in temple management.” Chamber directors met some of the biggest minds in temple governance, operations, and technology and they sat down with specialists to exchange ideas, debate solutions, and set the foundation for a stronger temple ecosystem.
When academicians and Chamber’s avid supporters Dr. Prof Ajit Parulekar, Director at the Goa Institute of Management, and Dr. Prof Manoj S Kamat, Principal at the Dempo College in Goa, and other experts came together on one platform, “learning was inevitable”, Directors said. From crowd management to financial transparency, sustainability to digital transformation every conversation there was about making temples future-ready while staying rooted in tradition, the Directors pointed out..
Chamber’s other Directors VAIBHAV WARERKAR, AJAY PINGE, Mrs. Sumatha Nayak, and Founder Siddharth Sinkar attended the ITCX to support the participating Chamber companies who were sponsors at the event. Chamber members Shraddha Sinkar and Gautam Kharangate with his daughter Swasti travelled from different parts of India to participate and volunteer at the event.
Participating Saraswat Chamber sponsor companies managed to garner interest among the delegates. Pride of Goa, Fluid & Power Automation, established two decades ago and led by Walawalkar brothers – Aniruddha and Anurag evoked a huge response. From its humble origin of providing electrical services to delivering robust lighting and electrical engineering solutions, Walawalkar brothers presented their prestigious projects – the powering of Mumbai Coastal Road, an unprecedented engineering marvel powering 6 islands in the Maldives, transforming Ram Jhula at Nagpur into a fascinating landmark, the illuminating of Shree Ram Setu Chandrapur’s cultural significance, the Rajiv Gandhi Sea Link, Mumbai, and the Atal Setu, Panjim in Goa captured the eye of visiting delegates. FPA ‘s expertise in lighting commercial & Government spaces, Heritage Sites, Industrial Parks & Corporates, Urban & Residential Spaces, Stadiums & Auditoriums, and Hotel & Retail Complexes gave the delegates an insight into how best their temple spaces could be decorated with lighting.
Managing Partner Pravin Kakode from Goa-based Kakode Trading LLP popularly known as UPGRADE – one of the largest distributors of construction materials and equipment in Goa showcased how UPGRADE has transformed itself into a one-stop shop for the construction industry. With a network of 1900+ dealers under its belt, Upgrade With a robust product portfolio of marquee brands in the construction industry caters to most needs of construction, maintenance, cleaning, and repair industries. In his insightful presentation, Kakode educated the audience with a comparison that a temple is like a building that requires adequate attention for its long life. Kakode believes that the Temple building is like a human body thus the best treatment is deserved.
With drones in the exhibition area, Hebale brothers from Mumbai – Abhishek and Hrishiskesh their Aeroswift Technologies was all set on revolutionizing defense and aerospace, with cutting-edge UAV solutions for mission-critical operations, Hebles said, “We deliver cutting-edge drones designed for defense, security, and emergency response. With advanced AI, real-time intelligence, and unmatched precision, our UAVs redefine aerial innovation for the most demanding missions. Our drones are engineered to effortlessly connect with 200+ tools, ensuring mission success with real-time data processing, AI-powered analytics, and robust security protocols.”The Hebale brothers were present to support temples in their mission to develop surveillance using drones and also external cleaning operations
It may be recalled that last year in November 2024 the Saraswat Chamber had signed a MoU with the Temple Connect organisation. Directors Aniruddh Walawalkar, Siddharth Sinkar, and Pravin Kakode were later co-opted as part of the national convening committee of the Expo 2025.
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