He Stops every leak. And let’s the world speak… of this work!

Parag Edwankar,Director, CONTOURS INTERIO PVT.LTD

The worth of a plumber is understood the day your favourite piece of furniture is lost to leakage! The same humble plumber can also be a good interior executer knowing exactly where the problem is, ways to solve it, and leaving the place looking the same as before (if not better)!

Parag Edwankar is an Interior Contractor and Executer with a difference! To him, any wall is as strong as its smallest leak! And for this reason, he is an acknowledged ace in plumbing and contracting who has handled spaces as small and modest as 1 BHKs of 500 sq ft to palatial homes spread over 50,000 sq ft to a few acres!

Way back in 1993,Mr. Parag, a Civil Engineer from Mumbai University had his fill of a decade of civil engineering jobs and decided to venture out on his own. What started small in the field of interior contracting, including plumbing, is today Contours Interio P Ltd, one of the most accomplished of such agencies anywhere in Maharashtra. It prides itself on having done the entire piping and civil works (including the use of humongous quantities of Italian Marble) of Mr. Avinash Bhosale’s palatial 50000 sq ft home in Baner! In hindsight, he reminisces that he bagged this prestigious project for the commendable work executed for some very influential architects, interior designers, and contractors. One of them recommended him to Mr. Bhosale’s project team.

Contours Interio’s other prestigious projects include those for the Chairman and all the Directors of Lupin Pharma at Mumbai, the Chairman of D’décor (a INR 1500 cr company), the Lodha Group, IUCAA Pune, Rajarambapu Info Tech (RIT Islampur), Branches of Rajarambapu Sahakari Bank at Peth, Sangli, Kolhapur, Satara, Pune and Mumbai, Kesari Tours at Mumbai and Pune and that of Ex-State Minister, Shri Jayant Patil!

Ask him his value proposition and the blunt reply is QUALITY of work, ALWAYS! Small or big, simple or complicated, across all considerations, the one unique thing that stands out is QUALITY of work! Closely following & woven into their work culture is the surety of response to a client who takes the trouble to call. Be it providing service or understanding the scope of work to provide service later, Contours Interio’s staff has their work clearly cut out. In these, Parag puts great emphasis to READ BETWEEN THE LINES and LOOK WHERE NO-ONE LOOKS because it is in these unsaid & unexplained spaces that one either makes or breaks a project. Specifications have implications leading to complications if there is no communication at the right time. With Parag, this possibility never arises!

Contours Interio knows for a fact that tastes and needs have changed. People have information on their fingertips and travel far and wide. Being better informed and astute customers, they are ready to spend only where they are convinced of its worth. A challenge never-the-less, Contours Interio remains ever-ready to serve them!

Despite technical advances and large business volumes, plumbing as a profession remains unorganized and under-represented. Professionalism though is slowly catching up. Having spent considerable time, Parag has seen more than his share of ups and downs, both professionally and personally, from which he has come out a winner- more than once. In fact, it was around 2013-14 that he faced his worst financial crisis when projects, one after the other went from slow to a grinding halt. Saddled with losses close to INR 2.7 crores, he did not buckle down but buckled up and came right back into the ring to fight the battles of his life and profession. Days went by and then years as he toiled from project to project slowly drawing down his debts. It was just some time back that he finally broke free from it. As is his nature, he itched for more work which, quite naturally, is coming his way in droves!

It is commendable that in his darkest days, Parag did not flinch from furthering his knowledge and keeping himself updated. These are also times when for most folks, humility, and humanity take a back-seat. Not for him. Never running his enterprise with PROFITS ONLY as a motive, he did everything for the betterment of his associates and those around him.

Speaking of social responsibilities, Parag Edwankar feels intensely for the workers in this unorganized sector. His staff, unlike others, gets the full benefit of schemes like PF and ESIC. He adds his own like funding the medical expenses of a cancer-ridden labourer or helping another who lost a leg in an accident or another suffering from depression. He is known to have helped the deserving, like his office boys, by giving them responsibilities and turning them into able supervisors and workmen- helpful in an industry notoriously short of trained manpower! Sub-contractors being the lifeline of the industry with who he has worked for the longest of time, he knows for a fact that it’s workers from among their ranks who make or break projects on the ground. Knowing what they face and their circumstances, he shares great respect and appreciation for them.
Parag’s way of motivating his staff to give their best, is unique. He encourages them to sit around a table and speak up where he remains the mediator. Under his guidance, his core team of supervisors arrive at a consensus on important matters. This gives them the feeling of being in control which motivates them to push harder and make things work!

Interiors and Plumbing aren’t the only things Parag and his team delve in. Where the situation so demands, they are known to mix technology and art and come up with the impossible. Like the open-to-air 42ft x 42ft (L&H) monument at Patan in memory of Loknete Balasaheb Desai. Given its size and the wind patterns at Patan, every aspect had to be calculated to precision which turned out to be tougher than expected. With budget and time constraints, they went ingenious, making the challenge worth the efforts. The toughest part was cutting the granite block(s) with hand-held devices instead of lasers- to maintain accuracy and give the creation its intended shape.

With the sky as the backdrop and given its sheer size, the whole edifice portrays a certain gravity. “I am truly fortunate to have been part of this one work,” says Mr. Edwankar!!

Most of Parag’s projects, be they for interiors or plumbing, come from referrals! He needn’t sell his work. It sells itself. And in doing so, takes him places! That’s one hell of a plumber and his way of handling leaks such that it helps retain value forever!

parag.edwankar@yahoo.com
www.contoursinterio.com