Bengaluru: 'Knock and it shall be opened; seek and you shall find' was the advice Elisha Andrews, under-secretary to the chief minister of Karnataka, had for the members of Kanara Entrepreneurs.

Speaking at the members meeting of Kanara Entrepreneurs at the Grand Magrath Hotel, in the city, on the 'Voice of entrepreneurs impacting government decision makers', he sought greater involvement of entrepreneurs with the Government machinery for better results and benefits.

Admiring and drawing attention to one of the purpose of Kanara Entrepreneurs that was recited at the beginning of the meeting - 'We all come together, take our resources together and work for the betterment of the society', he commended the organisation for this outlook. Identifying himself as a 'social entrepreneur', he said that he was a 'Missionary with a vision' and expressed that one of his own personal goals, being in the administrative service with the Government of Karnataka, was bringing about a positive difference to the system.

The evening began with a very valuable educative session on Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR). It's importance and the do’s and don’ts of this life-saving exercise was explained by Dr Anthony Pais, a lead member of Kanara Entrepreneurs. The techniques of imparting this exercise was expertly demonstrated by Dr Suryakanth Mohanty and Dr Sanjay Banakal.

Members were informed of the importance of administering this procedure to keep the heart pumping blood to the brain till qualified medical help arrives, as the stop of blood flow to the brain for over 5 minutes would render any medical care thereafter ineffective.

The whole process was denoted by the acronym CAB with ‘C’ for 'compressions' to be administered to restore blood circulation; ‘A’ representing the 'airway' to pave way for easier breathing and 'B' for the 'Breathe' that had to be offered and restored. The thumb rule being 2 breaths after every 30 compressions rendered.

The huge effort and the special skill required in administering it efficiently was realised when some of the KE members were called upon to administer it on the mannequins that the doctors had used to demonstrate the technique. Nevertheless all members acknowledged that this life-saving technique is a must-know for every person, as this could save a life in the event of an emergency.

In his presidential address, Peter Anil Rego related how a little difference in the attitude of people would make a big difference in their lives as well as hugely impacting the society.

Recalling an advertisement by the renowned carmaker Volkswagen, he mentioned how there could be 2 kinds of people on the road of life – one in the passenger seat and the other in the driver’s seat, with the driver being the one who has control and steers the vehicle. At Kanara Entrepreneurs, he was pleased that he was amongst some of the most positive persons who have always steered and driven themselves in the direction of their goals and spread positivity all around.

He welcomed Elisha Andrews to the meeting, describing him to be one such very positive person who was extremely dedicated to his duty, very helpful and always willing to share knowledge.

Welcoming Ivan Fernandes, global chairman of Kanara Entrepreneurs, he informed the audience that vision is the art of seeing things that are invisible to others and described Ivan as a great visionary, who had revolutionised the use of technology in the banking industry.

He informed that KE has taken great strides in working with educational institutions for providing a platform that would churn out well-informed, well-equipped, industry-ready professionals who can immediately add great value to their organisations. He welcomed the dignitaries of various reputed institutions such as Christ University, St Joseph’s, Kristu Jayanthi etc. The affiliates of Kanara Entrepreneurs - Rachana from Mangaluru and Dimensions from Mumbai were welcomed to the meeting.

On this occasion, Ivan Fernandes released Claudius Pereira’s book – i, CEO, The handbook for a thrilling journey in entrpenrueship.

Addressing the gathering, Ivan said that Claudius Pereira should be appreciated for penning his thoughts and experiences during his tough journey of entrepreneurship as it would serve to be a guide for others. He urged all to read the book as they could avoid the pitfalls encountered by the author during the extremely challenging journey that he traversed.

Ivan Fernandes, is a pioneer in introducing the concept and technology of Digital Signature and several mobile applications in the banking industry. He narrated how on several occasions he had to say ‘no’ to the good things, so that he could say ‘yes ‘to the best things! Coming from a community that then had a mind-set not conducive to entrepreneurship but to be contented with a government job, he had, on several occasions changed the course of his journey. This was much to the dismay and criticism of those close to him, venturing out to take risk by leaving a comfortable job and position that paid him very well! Every decision and every mistake he made was a turning point in his life!

Money and recognition he stressed were only a by-product of success and should not be looked upon as the sole motive, else one will lose one’s way in the journey of entrepreneurship. If a person would 'continue to develop his skill set', never say 'no' and 'never give up until he makes a breakthrough', then success will eventually be theirs.

The increase in KE members during this term was commended by the KE global chairman and further validating this achievement, seven new members were inducted. The new members were administered the oath by Naveen D’Souza, director membership.

The new members inducted were Christopher Albuquerque, Eugene Mathias, Keroline Kavita Martis, Lancy Gonslaves, Santosh Gonsalves, Vijay Lionel Lobo and Nikhil Jerome D’Costa.

The whole meeting was well compered by ever gracious, jovial and smiling lead member – George Timothy.

The meeting concluded with a fellowship dinner.