What are you reading at the moment? What did you recently finish reading? What have you learnt from it?
I am currently reading The Learning Organization by Peter Senge. It is an old publication but has some timeless guidelines on how current organisations need to be transformed in order to excel in the future — focusing on individual competencies and creating a harmonious working culture to maximize gains through synergy.
The one book all leaders must read... The Pursuit Of Wow by Tom Peters— a classic book which exemplifies the need to ‘change’ and adapt to the evolving market dynamics.
One book everyone in your sector should pick up...
Seth Godin’s Purple Cow. It talks about how one needs to have a ‘remarkable’ work attitude as well as the attitude and passion for excellence.
What kind of books would you normally buy while travelling?
I don’t stick to any particular genre. My tastes normally include, non-fiction, research books (for instance The Last Mughal by William Dalrymple), classical short stories (by Rabindranath Tagore and Satyajit Ray) , opinion oriented books (such as the works of Shashi Tharoor, Shobha De and Gurcharan Das) and some good literary works like Chowringhee and Shantaram.
Have you written any books? If not, do you plan to write in future?
The thought crosses at times to express some of my learning and experiences through writing; however, there is time before thought is put into execution.
The books you grew up with? What did you like most about it?
Indrajal Comics and Tinkle were my favourites growing up. I guess fantasy & the ‘super power’ presence in everyday life attracted me towards Indrajal (my favorite being Phantom). And I loved the ‘interactive’ nature of Tinkle — some moral stories, some brain-teasers, some facts, etc. were quite interesting.
Where do you shop for books?
No place in particular. I shop mostly at the book counters in the Airports.
Have your reading habits changed in the past four or five years? If so, how....
My reading interests have widened. Couple of years ago I was more focused on ‘management books’ or factual books. Now, my reading has expanded to ‘new writers’ and varied genres as mentioned above. I have liked books like Keep Off The Grass by Karan Bajaj) and MBA – Married But Available by Abhijit Bhaduri. I have not yet read Chetan Bhagat’s novels.
One book you cherish that you received as a gift... and who gave it to you.
I cherish a gift from one of my senior colleagues— Good To Great by Jim Collins
A version of this interview was published in the Businessworld Issue Dated 19-25 May 2009
Reading Room 
What are you reading at the moment? What did you recently finish reading? What have you learnt from it? 
The books you grew up with? What did you like most about it? 
