Leo Sukant Sharma came to Tajikistan for the first time 12 years ago. During this time, he got acquainted with the local culture, traditions and cuisine. In an interview for our publication, he shared his impressions and talked about his activities.
About moving
I was born and raised in India. When I was 19 years old, I moved to the territory of Ukraine. Here I studied at the Kharkiv National Medical University, and then went into business. I worked in various fields: pharmaceutical export and distribution, business consulting, international transportation and logistics.
In 2010, I had a chance to get acquainted with Tajikistan. I have signed a contract for the development of a business project for the import of pharmaceutical products in this country.
Before the trip, I searched for information about Tajikistan on the Internet. I found several blogs and news articles. They painted a picture of a calm, mysterious place where people live, following traditions, and have little in common with the outside world.
The first impression of Dushanbe is a small city, the architecture and atmosphere of which resembled the USSR. I noticed a large number of Opel Astra cars on the roads. Urban transport was represented by electric trains and minivans of the brand Tangem.
About Tajikistan
Tajikistan surprised me with its natural beauty, environmentally friendly food and rich culture.
I like the national cuisine
The inhabitants of the country keep their traditions: hospitality, respect for parents, the older generation and teachers, who are called Malima here. I also noticed that Tajiks consider bread sacred, do not leave it on the ground and try not to throw it away. At the same time, many people adhere to modern views on life. And that's great.
I like the national cuisine. With friends we often eat sambuses, kebabs, shakarob, khoshmurbo, pilaf.
About the activity
At the moment, I hold the position of CEO at Al-Baraka. The company is engaged in the import and distribution of original medicines.
Even during the first year of my life in Tajikistan, I noticed a shortage of high-quality drugs in the local pharmaceutical market. I wanted to provide the residents of the country with access to world-class medicines. Today I can proudly say that we have done a lot in this direction.
About the plans
We plan to remain a part of the pharmaceutical market of Tajikistan and develop together with it. I will expand the range and introduce new technologies like an online pharmacy.
