What are you reading at the moment? What have you learnt from it? Zen Golf by Joseph Parent, a book presented to me by a colleague living in the US. Golf is as much a game of the mind as it is of skill. The book provides insights into remaining focused, freeing the mind from all distractions, to help build a "can do" attitude". The results are visible; scores on a round are lower and the game is more fulfilling.
The one book all leaders must read...
I would recommend a simple fable by Prof John Kotter an award winning author from the Harvard Business School and change management guru, called Our Iceberg Is Melting. The world is changing dramatically and with challenges associated with economic slowdown, global unrest, and climate change, change is inevitable. The authors believe that deliberate change needs more action from a broader range of people. The book provides insights into leading and managing change and it does it in a manner which is easy to read and understand. It is very relevant for executives in all disciplines in the current context.
One book everyone in your sector should pick up...
I would pick a book co-authored by C K Prahlad and Venkat Ramaswamy called The Future Of Competition of which I have a copy presented by Venkat himself. This is yet another masterpiece from C K Prahlad who co-authored the International Best Seller Competing For The Future, a book which shaped strategic thinking in the nineties. The Future Of Competition shapes thinking in the current decade where value is created jointly by consumers and providers in an ever changing connected world. This is a must read for those engaged in the IT sector as we are continuously co-creating value along with our customers.
What kind of books would you normally buy while travelling?
It's wide and varied, but usually I buy books that are light and informative. In the past few months during my travel I have picked up a book on Daschunds (given my interest in dogs as I have 3 at home) by Ingrid Schwartz, self development books such as Life's A Pitch by Stephen Bayley and Roger Mavity, management insights from books like Who Moved My Cheese and Our Iceberg Is Melting. A lot of my buys include best seller fiction, the last one being Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code.
The books you grew up with? What did you like most about it?
Who can forget Enid Blyton's Famous Five and Secret Seven. Those were a series read during primary school. Then came characters created by Captain W E Johns in the war series with Biggles and Gimlet as adventurer heroes. That was in middle school and by the time schooling was over my reading included a wide variety of books from Perry Mason, Agatha Cristie to thrillers by James Hadley Chase.
Your book shelf consists of....
My bookshelf is dotted with a wide range of subjects. These include biographies (Warren Buffet), books on management such as Good To Great, Blue Ocean Strategy, The Future of Competition, on development (Lateral Thinking, Emotional Intelligence, Steven Covey's 7 Habits), books related to IT, and relationship oriented. But by far the largest space is occupied by popular fiction ; novels by Stephen King, Robin Cook, Jackie Collins, Aurthur Hailey, Harold Robins, Mary Higgins Clark, Sidney Sheldon, Fredrick Forsyth among others which covers reading interests of the entire family.
Where do you shop for books?
Crossword, Reliance book shop, airport book stores as well as book stores in coffee shops
Has your reading habits changed in the past four or five years? If so, How?
There isn't much change in fiction as I continue to enjoy light reading and thrillers. Non-fiction reading is beginning to include books on philosophy, meaning of life, relationship between the mind body and soul. Some such books that have found their way lately onto our bookshelf include Quantum Healing by Deepak Chopra, Dr Raymond Moody's Life After Life, The Seat Of The Soul by Gary Zukav, Through Time Into Healing from Dr Brian Weiss.
One book you cherish that you received as a gift... and who gave it to you
That would be How I Play Golf by Tiger Woods. It's a book by the master himself, the greatest player of the game. It was a birthday gift from my old colleagues who moved on with their careers in different organizations but meet ever so often for a round of golf. The book has been a great substitute to toiling endlessly at the driving range in a bid to continuously improve the game.
A version of this interview was published in the Businessworld Issie dated 02-08 June 2009
Reading Room 
What are you reading at the moment? What have you learnt from it?
Your book shelf consists of.... 
