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It’s sunrise at Oleander Farms, the Ahuja family’s breathtakingly beautiful 180-acre retreat 90 minutes or so outside of Mumbai. From my room overlooking the lake that anchors this blissful fusion of nature and luxury, all is peaceful in the world, interrupted only by the serene concerto of bird song.
The Ahuja family is, of course, that of Atul Ahuja, the serial entrepreneur who rewrote the rules of Indian travel retail by taking on the long-time monopoly of state-owned India Tourism Development Corporation through his company Flemingo.
From a single contract at Thiruvananthapuram International Airport in Kerala, Atul created a powerful retail network both at home and abroad spanning multiple countries and channels, growing into a consistently high-ranking force in The Moodie Davitt Report’s annual Top Travel Retailers ranking.
I last visited this wondrous place in August 2008, when it was simply (or not so simply given its majesty) the Ahuja ranch, a home away from the family’s Mumbai and Dubai homes.
The COVID-19 pandemic changed everything for Flemingo, its by-then geographic diversity offering no immunity against a definitively global scourge. But the Ahujas had their own form of commercial vaccine, a dual cocktail of resilience and innovation.
Corporately, Flemingo found a safe haven in 2021 in the form of Adani Airport Holdings Limited (AAHL) – by then the new powerhouse of Indian aviation. A joint venture agreement saw Flemingo effectively positioned as the in-house retail operation for AAHL’s heady ambitions both home and abroad.
And in family terms, the Ahujas also put the worst of times to the best of use, transforming the family ranch with astounding alacrity and vision into the magnificent facility it is today.
Atul and his family welcomed delegates to the APTRA India Conference to Oleander Farms on Sunday for a memorable day of relaxation and partying. All of those who were privileged enough to be invited will never forget the experience. And my bet is that many of them will be back. ✈
Enjoying a social moment with Kreol (left) and Lal Arakulath (right) of Kreol Travel Retail and Navi Mumbai Airport Head Commercial Rahul Sahni
