Tamarind Tours has a young and energetic team of over 150 highly experienced professionals, who are enthusiastic and committed, and never shy away from going the extra mile. Tamarind's strengths are a unique amalgamation of carefully developed best practices, a comprehensive synergy and seamless adaptability with our partners and clients, and state of the art communications and technology.

Our Key Team Members:

 

Mahesh Shirodkar

Managing Director

Mahesh can truly say that his first love has always been travel, and for most of his 30-year career in the travel industry, he has set up and run his own companies. Mahesh has gathered many interesting stories and even more friends along the way… you never know which engrossing tales may come out over a glass of single malt and a cigar! While Tamarind remains his main focus, Mahesh is a partner in a celebrity management company, and serves on the boards of publicly listed companies. For Mahesh, his people and his team are his huge strengths, and he has always chosen to ensure their personal and professional growth. Mahesh's passion for music is evident in his extensive CD and vinyl collection. He also loves sports of all kinds- he plays cricket and table tennis, and was an avid amateur boxer in his college days.

 

Louis D'Souza

Executive Director

20 years ago, Mahesh convinced Louis to set aside a promising career as the lead guitarist and singer in a rock band, and take up an even more promising career in travel. Louis has not looked back since then, today heads the Middle East and East Africa Markets, along with overseeing contracting and product development, as well as the online domain. Louis' analytical thinking skills and his completely unflappable personality make him an extremely competent leader, and his commitment to excellence has played a role in building up loyalty for brand Tamarind. In spite of his decades of experience, Louis feels he is still learning everyday, and every experience brings new knowledge with it. Louis needs no excuse to burst into song every so often, and he leads and inspires our own home grown band of musicians.

 

Aarti Manocha

Executive Director

Aarti has spent 15 years in the travel industry, 13 of which have been with Mahesh Shirodkar. Currently, she heads our South Africa, Mauritius, Reunion, and UK markets, along with her special love, the domestic Indian market. She believes that each area of India is unique, but she is particularly familiar with Rajasthan, Uttaranchal, Kerala and Goa. Her passion lies in promoting India overseas, as she knows that the destination has so much to offer; the bonus of her sales trips is that she meets people from varied and diverse cultures and broadens her horizons along the way. While she competently manages her team at work, Aarti copes with a home and family with equal aplomb. Her interests include dancing, movies, designing clothes and cooking..

 

Chetan Juneja

Vice President

Happily for Chetan, almost two decades in the travel business with Mahesh have not diminished his passion for selling India. He believes that each new day comes with a whole new set of challenges, and that has kept the monotony at bay. Chetan heads our North India operations along with sales for the Australia, Far East and India markets. His strengths lie in his people management, and keeping his team focused in pressure situations. To Chetan, relationships are of paramount importance; nothing brings more satisfaction than seeing clients go back with a smile on their faces! His hobbies vary from cooking for his family, to mountain rallying and table tennis.

 

Khaver Ali Khan

Business Development Manager

Before Khaver joined us at Tamarind, he spent six months wandering the length and breadth of India, hobnobbing with Lamas in Leh and mendicants in Varanasi. As a result, he knows India better than most people, and can be trusted to tell you where you get the best masala tea in Khajuraho, or which is the best time of day to shoot pictures of Dal Lake. Needless to say, he is a keen photographer, and is fond of horse-riding. Khaver has spent 8 years in the hospitality business, which includes hotels and travel agencies. He currently looks after contracting and product development at Tamarind.

 

Sudhir Shetty

Business Development Manager

With an experience of 14 years in the travel industry, Sudhir looks after Tamarind's UAE, Qatar and Oman business. Originally from Mumbai, Sudhir is currently based in Dubai, UAE. His role encompasses marketing and sales, and facilitating an enhanced level of servicing for our clients in the Middle East. Sudhir enjoys building relationships and making friends… he also is a keen foodie with an interest in all types of cuisine.

 

Amod Kulkarni

Assistant Manager- Tours

Amod is part of Tamarind's domestic Sales and Marketing team, and is based out of Pune. He handles the Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh regions. With 11 years of travel industry experience behind him, he loves the challenges that his job brings. Amod likes to follow market developments closely, and observe emerging trends, so that he can tailor his services to meet his clients needs in an optimal manner. He enjoys moving around the city on his two-wheeler, and is a music buff. Leisure time is spent singing and playing the tabla.

 

Rajesh Navalkar

Assistant Manager- MICE

Between off sites on the banks of Himalayan rivers and corporate incentives in Chiang Mai, Rajesh has no time for boredom. His clients often have eclectic wish lists, and to Rajesh the best part of his job is meeting these challenges. With 14 years in travel, Rajesh enjoys the constant thrill of planning relevant corporate solutions, and building long-term client relationships. He loves travelling, making new friends and playing cricket. He is also associated with an NGO that works for the upliftment of underprivileged children.

 

Sagar Mavjekar

Assistant Manager- MICE

A native of sublime Goa, Sagar has a natural feel for holidays and destinations in India! After 13 years in travel, Sagar joined Tamarind in our MICE division, using his talents to understand and execute the varied needs of our MICE clients. The opportunity to work in MICE, Sagar feels, is the opportunity to expand your horizons and learn about a multitude of new destinations. Work is never monotonous for Sagar, thanks to his passion for his job. Sagar's hobbies include photography and music.

 

Yatin Belwalkar

Assistant Manager- Tours

Yatin came to Tamarind from a background of hotel and travel experience in the United Kingdom. Four years of exposure to the hospitality industry in the UK, and an insight into British purchasing behavior and their expectations from long haul luxury travel, has given Yatin the requisite skills to flourish in our UK FIT leisure department. Yatin believes in a strong one on one relationship with clients. Much as he loves India and its destinations, he feels particularly interested in wildlife and safaris, and is committed to the Save the Tiger Project. Yatin enjoys fishing, backpacking through villages to meet local farmers and artisans, and playing the guitar. Occasionally, he forgets about travel and takes on the role of a DJ!

 

Narayan Shetty

Senior General Manager- Finance

Narayan began his career in travel with Mahesh Shirodkar 15 years ago, in the accounts department. Today, he heads accounts and finance at Tamarind. Narayan is the proverbial whiz with numbers, from budgets and forecasts to planning and accounting. While he runs his department on a tight leash, he makes leisure time interesting by indulging his hobbies: cricket and singing.

 

Shilpa Luthra

Assistant Manager- Tours

Shilpa started her career 8 years ago with Mahesh Shirodkar, and currently works with our South Africa market. Over the last few years she has familiarized her self in depth with the sub-continents popular destinations, but what she enjoys most is planning routings and holidays that are off the beaten track. Charting an itinerary for a discerning client is a challenge she loves, and her time management skills ensure she does this with speed and precision. Shilpa spends her leisure time painting, cooking and taking care of her family.

 

Lokesh Madan

Manager- Contracting and Products

Lokesh has spent the last three years with us in Tamarind. After handling the Far East Operations for a while, he now works with the Contracting and Product team. Lokesh's particular skill is PR, and he involves himself with building relationships with our partners in the industry. He enjoys discovering new and offbeat product areas, and feels a special closeness to Punjab, his home state. For Lokesh, leisure means unwinding with movies, music and cartoons.

 

Ashish Agri

Manager- Sales and Operations

Ashish believes his true forte is sales and public relations, and applies his talents within our domestic markets, particularly in North and East India. With seven years in travel, he has spent the last two with Tamarind, honing his passion for destination India. With his intimate knowledge of the Indian subcontinent, Ashish has a developed a special attachment to Kerala as a destination, due to its particular beauty and diversity. He loves travelling, especially to new and unknown places where he can learn about local cultures and cuisines.

 

Francis Fernandes

Manager- Sales

After 7 fruitful years with us, Francis currently handles our burgeoning domestic market. This challenging task becomes exciting for Francis, as he is passionate about discovering new products and destinations to sell. Francis loves to travel, and translates his experiences into advice for his clients. The domestic market chooses destinations slightly differently from the international market, and Francis keeps up with the changing trends with constant interactions and discussions within his client group. This keeps his relationships strong, along with a sturdy loyalty factor. While he does enjoy common hobbies like music, his real leisure activity is amateur carpentry.

 

Prabhakar Kamat

Manager- Tours

One of the long-standing members of the Tamarind team, Prabhakar has over 14 years of experience in the travel industry. He handles our South Africa, Mauritius and UK markets. Making India accessible to visitors is Prabhakar's passion, and he does it with enthusiasm and commitment. Thought Prabhakar is thoroughly familiar with India as a whole, he is particularly partial to the temple circuits of the Himalayan region and Tamil Nadu, and loves the hilly environs of Himachal Pradesh. He considers his extensive product knowledge an asset, as he can answer queries from clients without hesitation. He relishes the challenges of his job, as much as he enjoys trekking, music and photography.

 

Rahil Shaikh

Manager- Tours

Rahil began his career with Mahesh Shirodkar 13 years ago, and he insists that it has been a rewarding time for him in many ways. He currently handles the Middle East, East Africa and Sri Lanka markets, with a team of tour consultants to assist him. He feels particularly attached to the Golden Triangle and Kerala regions of India, as he knows these are the most popular circuits for his clients. Rahil loves interacting with clients and getting a feel of what their particular requirements are, so that he can offer the best possible services. This has helped him build and maintain long-term relationships with clients. Rahil is a keen sportsman, and is passionate about football and cricket.

 

Amal NS

Manager – South India

Amal is best known at Tamarind for his ready wit and unexpected sense of humour, along with his razor sharp mind and vast knowledge of South India. With 8 years of travel experience behind him, Amal handles our entire South India Operations. While he has a quick instinctive grasp of all things travel related, he believes that stringent systems are what avert mistakes and mishaps. Amal has his systems in place and makes sure they are followed by everyone. Proactive by nature, he is an infectiously energetic influence on his team. Amal loves trekking, long drives, photography and cooking.

 

Gufran Qureshi

Business Development Manager

Having spent almost two decades in Saudi Arabia in the travel space, Gufran is our Business Development Manager in Saudi Arabia. His familiarity with both the products and destinations in the Indian subcontinent, and his lengthy experience in the Saudi Arabian Market, give him the expertise to advise our clients in the area. Apart from travelling and exploring new destinations, Gufran's talents extend to singing; he is an avid lover of Hindi and Bollywood music.