TNN | Posted March 11, 2013 12:00 AM
Spending his childhood years at the foothills of Nainital in north India, Sandeep Chakrabarti grew up on a diet of Jim Corbett adventures. When his father bought him the hardbound book — Man Eaters of Kumaon, he got even more interested in the outdoors. At the age of 52, Sandeep decided to leave the corporate world (after 28 years) to start his ‘
OutRigor is a venture born out of a passion for the outdoors. To share its activities and pleasures with those looking to experience the outdoor. The prime service offered by OutRigor is to plan and execute customised and guided trips to outdoor locations around Bangalore.
Sandeep’s love for the outdoors, which began as a child, sustained him through a demanding corporate career, which culminated with him as the vice-president of marketing of a mobile phone company. “My love for
“This business-cum-hobby model is not exclusively a ‘wildlife tourism’ venture, but I focus on wildlife,
What is his 60-40 ratio? “When I started my company I was clear that the work I did would be 60% fun and 40% money.” In 2003, when Sandeep retired he was reasonably fit and active; for him ‘retirement from work’ did not mean ‘retirement from life.’ “Doing nothing was not my idea of retirement. More importantly, I was getting paid to do things I always enjoyed doing. That’s what 60% means.”
What is his advice for students wanting to operate on a similar business model? “In any service industry service is the key differentiator. To run a hobby-cum-business model like mine students don’t need formal qualifications in tourism. However, it is important to understand that there is not much money in this model. Candidates need knowledge of the domain they wish to operate in. Apart from that skills such as communication, managerial, logistics, etc, are important.”
Sandeep’s company wants to leave no trace when humans enter the wilderness. He is concerned about the impact of tourism on the natural habitat. “Eco-tourism is much quoted but little understood. The principles of LNT (Leave No Trace) outdoor tourism are close to my heart. I am involved with a group called ‘Clean and Green;’ volunteers go to selected wilderness locations and clean up the plastic litter left behind by tourists.
What does the future hold?“So long as I enjoy what I am doing I have a future. The day I stop enjoying or find it bothersome, I will take my website off the internet and quietly shut down my business,” he signs-off.