K.A. Parameswaran, Ebony Gautier

What are you reading at the moment? What did you recently finish reading? What have you learnt from it?
Right now I am reading the 'Foundation Series' by Isaac Asimov. I just finished reading the The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. The book was referred to me by a friend. Only after I read it did I realise why people were raving about it. The book is engaging and deals with the ideas of guilt and loss in a very realistic way. Most of us at some point of time would have committed actions, which we would not have been proud of and sometimes finding closure can be the best therapy.

The one book all leaders must read...
Built To Last by Jim Collins and Jerry I. Porras. Though this book is very old it is still very relevant especially in today's times.

One book everyone in your sector should pick up...
That would again be Built To Last.

What kind of books would you normally buy while travelling?
I am not a very discerning reader. I usually go by the recommendations of my friends. I used to favour thrillers once upon a time but today I am more open to books across genres.

Have you written any books? If not, do you plan to write in future?
No, I have not written any books. There are no plans of immediately writing any book but in case I do write, it would be something related mainly to my field of work or a kind of memoir.

The books you grew up with? What did you like most about it?
Like many people of my generation I grew up on the Enid Blyton series, The Hardy Boys, Alistair Mclain, etc. Besides these, I also used to read a lot of Hindi novels especially the ones involving Capt. Ranjith, who used to be a detective of sorts.

Your book shelf consists of…
An eclectic collection ranging from management to self-help, thrillers and stories.

Where do you shop for books?
Usually at the book stores in Airports.

Have your reading habits changed in the past four or five years? If so, how...
Yes. Now, I am more open to reading novels beyond the thriller genre. Earlier my reading in fiction was limited mostly to thrillers.

One book you cherish that you received as a gift... and who gave it to you.
That would be Jack: Straight from the Gut by Jack Welch and John A. Byrne . This was given to me by a friend of mine who used to be a big fan of Jack Welch. I really loved the book in the sense that I thought it was fairly honest and non pretentious in its approach. I may agree or disagree with many of Jack Welch's ideas but I thought the book was a very engaging read.