Opening Doorz

By Martin D’Souza | Opening Doorz Editorial | August 20, 2025

When the apostle Peter asked Jesus how many times one should forgive another, Jesus answered, “Seventy times seven.” [Holy Bible, Matthew 18:22].

In other words, forgive as many times as it takes.

Sheetal Paknikar may not be aware of this scripture, but he is doing exactly that and much more. Anyone who knows him knows that he gives without counting; he gives 72010 times 7.

Digging Deep, Rising Higher

To reach this state, he has lived, been through, seen, and learnt from life—digging deep into the lessons life has thrown at him. We all need to dig through instead of just questioning, “Why me?” when things don’t go as planned.

Sheetal Paknikar has learnt when to duck a bouncer [the vagaries of life] and when to stand on his toes and slap the ball [nastiness of life] over mid-wicket. And when someone comes within sledging distance, he knows when to let it bounce off his shiny bald pate! No, not the Zidane-Materazzi way.

No use getting into futile conversations. “Let the guy think he has the last laugh,” I imagine he reasons. What does it cost? He knows he’ll laugh harder in the end, not because the other person has ‘won’ after cheating him, but because he’s dug deeper and understood the lesson.

The countless blessings that follow? That’s the upside of doing it the 72010 way!

Through his company, 72010 Network, Sheetal Paknikar has won several Awards. But more than the accolades, it’s the relationships he has built with his clients that matter. The fact that many have stayed with him for years speaks volumes about his head for business.

He established his business in July 2010: The name of his company is a play on the inception date: 72010. Now you know the “Seventy times seven”, and the 72010 connection!

Business, Built on Blessings

Sheetal Paknikar is a God-fearing man, a steadfast father, a loving husband, a compassionate businessman, and, more importantly, a friend one can only aspire to have. Few are lucky to have his company.

Even his staff is treated like family. No matter the cost, Sheetal walks those four extra miles to ensure they are not exploited.

Few people walk the talk. And not many want a nerd as a friend who sticks to his principles, whether in business or life, at home or work.

I count myself fortunate to have been blessed with his friendship and generosity, which comes without a rider.

There are friends… and then there are friends. Some ask for a 15 per cent cut even before telling you about a business deal or what the job entails. These are just percentage friends.

As for Sheetal, “What money? Boss, you are a friend.” That’s his attitude. I don’t believe in this kind of percentage stuff either… neither taking nor giving.

No Strings Attached: Friendship in Its Purest Form

Friends are many, especially when you’re of some use to them professionally or personally. These are seasonal friends. Parasites. They feed off what value you bring to the table. They stay in touch almost every other day. As you grow older and wiser, you realise that those ‘friends’ were using what you had to offer for their gain. Once you’re no longer of value, they quietly slither away… as though you never existed.

I met Sheetal Paknikar at the Old Lady of Bori Bunder. The year was 1993, I guess. I knew him when he had six-pack abs (he was a skinny lad) and a head full of healthy hair. His office was located in the bromide room shared by The Independent and Metropolis on Saturday, on the fifth floor of the Times of India building. He and his colleague, G.V. Sreekumar, would either be inside or outside the office—more outside, I guess, because it was too cold for comfort inside.

Those were the glory days of cut-and-paste. We’d cut bromides (small photographic prints of text) and paste them onto pages to make the next day’s edition. We would often rummage through a litter of cut bromides on the floor, along with the artists, to find a missing line or headline.

The Old Lady of Bori Bunder and a Chance Encounter

The first time I ‘ran’ into Sheetal Paknikar, he was reading the sports bromide, and I needed it to make the page. He’d usually be sitting on the sofa outside the bromide room. That’s how we met and connected. We’d occasionally talk about sports. Before I knew it, he had left to join B4U, then Whistling Woods, and a few other places before establishing 72010 Network.

Cut to 2016. Sheetal wants to network with me. He knows I run Light Infotainment. We meet at Chhayos in Bandra. Our work overlaps, and we keep a sports project on the slow burner.

A Post Graduate from the Industrial Design Centre, at one of India’s Prestigious Institutions, the Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai, Sheetal Paknikar has worked in the Media & Communication Industry for the last three Decades. His growth story is unique in its diversity. He has successfully worked across different communication domains with some of the leading Media Houses in India: The Times Group, National Films Development Corporation, Maya Entertainment, EROS, B4U Television Network & Mukta Arts Limited.

One particular year, Sheetal introduced me to a global corporate giant and several individual clients who needed ‘publicity design’. All those clients clicked, and suddenly, my numbers soared.

“Why did you pitch me to all these people?” I asked, surprised. “I know you can deliver, Martin,” is all he said. But why he had to go those four extra miles still beats me. And to top it off, there was no talk of percentages.

Forgiveness: His Masterstroke

I partly got back to watching cricket after over twenty years because of him. Initially, I’d brush off his cricket talk. Later, my interest, which I’d lost after the betting scandal of the late 90s, reignited.

Ravi Shastri is our favourite cricketer, maybe because we’re from the Shastri era.

“Aisa Hota Kya, Shastri?” is our favourite line when we talk cricket. I was fortunate to witness Glenn Maxwell’s special at the last World Cup, thanks to Sheetal.

Coming back to “seventy times seven,” Sheetal knows it’s not profitable (for the bank balance or the soul) to hold on to resentment. He chooses to embrace a mindset of forgiveness, refusing to remain trapped in madness. He moves on. He holds no grudges.

No wonder he is blessed 72010 times 7!

Happy Birthday, Sheetal Paknikar.

May you continue to enlighten all those who come in contact with you.

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