Completing 90 years of a golden run

Time ravages everything. But, a few people, despite falling to the scythe, are still able to leave their mark of timelessness.

The late Ghanashyam Shankarshet Verlekar (his name was registered as Ghanashyam Xencorxete Verlecar in Portuguese) was just a teenager when he started his business selling precious gems imported from Japan and Thailand and would travel from Margao to Mapusa on a bicycle to trade them. Who knew his legacy would be carried forth for three generations now and G X Verlekar & Sons would be one of the most successful jewellery enterprises in Goa.

Established at Rua de Ourem in 1927, G X Verlekar was the first gold and silver jewellery shop in Panaji. And for the last 90 years, the baton has passed through the hands of late Vasantrao, Suvarnakumar and now, Sunny Verlekar.

Suvarnakumar, 67, recalled the early days of his association with father, Vasantrao, in the business. Vasantrao was barely 15 years when he took over the reins of the jewellery shop with his three brothers, Mohanrao, Motiram and Shankar. After a few years, when his brothers decided to set up their own establishments, Suvarnakumar decided to share the workload with his father. Later his brother, Hiralal, also joined them.

“It was 1977. My father needed someone to help him. I had studied mechanical engineering but decided to give up pursuing the field and work with my father instead. It was a gamble that paid off, for although the price of gold has jumped from Rs 70 per gram to Rs 2,770 per gram in the last 40 years, our faithful customers stuck with us for our authenticity,” said Suvarnakumar, as ‘Zindagi ek safar hai suhana’ played on the radio in the background, almost as an ode to the family’s journey.

When NRP Sagres, a Portuguese ship, came to Goa in 2010, many tourists came to meet Suvarnakumar. “I guess people in Portugal heard of us. That’s why they visited,” he said.

Sunny, 30, who wished to pursue a masters degree in computer application but ended up acquiring a BCom, is the fresh blood in this ancestral business.

“When I used to come with my father (Suvarnakumar) to the shop as a child, my perception was that he had no work but to sit around and idle away time. I never wanted to be in this business. It was my cousin and mentor, Vikram, who one day asked me if I would like to learn the basics of jewellery. As my dream of pursuing MCA couldn’t be fulfilled, I decided to take the plunge. It took me just four days to understand the nitty-gritty of the business,” Sunny said.

The lad started off by tending to Vikram’s jewellery shop in Panaji, before joining his father two years ago.

G X Verlekar & Sons, unlike Panaji’s new, fancy jewellery stores, does little to flaunt itself to customers. But what attracts even the most preoccupied passer-by is the shop’s old world charm and its owners’ genuineness while doing business.


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