A product of the Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management and the London School of Economics, Sita Laxmi Narayan Swamy, Senior vice president, network marketing, Zee Telefilms Ltd always lived life on her own terms. A multifaceted personality with keen interests in a variety of domains like art, painting, reading and writing, this lady is a pleasure to talk to. Her enthusiasm, zest for life and never-say-die attitude is contagious.

My tryst with books
Her tryst with books began when, tired of moving from one town to another due to her father's transferable army job, she went and complained to him that just when she was beginning to settle down in one place and make new friends... it was time to move and pick up the pieces of her life all over again. As a six-year-old, she went and cried to him, "This is not fair papa. Every two years we have to move and I spend so much time making friends, only to leave them behind. That's when her father picked up a book, handed it to her and said, "From today, this is going to be your best friend."

"I think I took him rather literally (thankfully)," she says.

And the rest as they say is history. Books have become an integral part of Zee Telefilms senior vice president network marketing Sita Laxmi Narayan Swami's life and she boasts of a mammoth collection... a passion which has been lovingly nurtured over the years.

As a child, when she was grounded by her parents for any mischief, they realised that barring her from meals or playing with friends didn't mean a thing to Sita. However, it didn't take them long to find her Achilles' heel --- "No books for you," her mother then began saying! And that worked!!!

"I really feel that books are a great way to travel to places that you've never been to. They are a great way to listen to points of views of people you may never meet. Books also help a person who wants to keep learning - not just management fundas - but about human nature and life. They really elevate and liberate you and actually make you evolve. For me, life would be a lot less enriching without books," she says with obvious passion.

Being in the media a common complaint heard is - "I don't get the time to read!" But for Sita that doesn't hold true... more so because she makes the time to read! "I don't have to push myself to do it. I want to find the time to read. So I can easily trade a Saturday night outing for a book," she says.

My favourite books

There are three books that have shaped her into the person she is today. The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exup?ry. "It's about a little Prince who comes to Earth from a different planet. It's a story about him recounting his space-travelling experiences to a pilot he meets in the Sahara. It is also slightly metaphysical and spiritual as well in the sense that while he is talking about very real experiences, you keep reflecting and feeling that what was being said was so true about human beings as well," says Sita.

One line from the book that Sita has kept in her heart and lived by is - "'You can only see things clearly with your heart. What is essential is invisible to the eye". "It's very beautiful and profound but it's true. What is obvious is sometimes not as important as you think and one needs to take out time and the energy to look beyond the obvious even at a day-to-day level," says Sita.

The other book I really like is Mister God, This Is Anna written by Fynn. "It's a beautiful book about this little girl from the street who has miraculously entered this big household. It revolves around her thoughts and philosophies and how it changes their lives."

The third one, a best seller that almost everyone has read, is The Alchemist by Paulo Cohelo. "Having said that, I have also read a lot of Paulo Cohelo's lesser known books like Veronica Decides To Die and By The River Piedra, I Sat Down And Cried," she says.

"When growing up, you tend to read books like The Fountainhead and it does leave an impact on you," she adds.
 

Fancy books on Physics too

"I also tend to read a lot of books on Physics and science because I like to read a lot about time and space," she says. Books by Stephen Hawkins like A Brief History of Time and also some on philosophy like The Gift of Now by Susan Squellati Florence have also caught her fancy.

"I've also enjoyed reading The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying by Sogyal Rinpoche," she says.

Love for Literature and poetry

She also harbours a special love for literature and dotes on books by W Somerset Maugham, DH Lawrence and shorts stories by O Henry.

"Now this may come as a surprise and a lot of people don't know this but I also read a lot of poetry. My favourite poet is TS Elliot. Of course, in India authors like Vikram Seth, Amrita Pritam and Gluzar," says Sita.

"I could go on and on for more than three hours on this and I'm sure by the end of it I'll end up recommending some books to you!" she laughs.
 

Management books

"I don't like the term management books because it makes them sound boring but of the books I really liked are Life After The 30 Second Spot by Joseph Jaffe. I love Tom Peters especially his latest book Re-imagine! and I loved Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner," she says.

Another book Sita enjoyed reading was Lovemarks: The Future Beyond Brands by Kevin Roberts and Business is Unusual by Anita Roddick, where the author talks about why she started Body Shop. "These books also go into corporate social responsibility. Of course you are creating products for the consumer and hoping to reap revenues out of it, but it delves into how you need to give back to the world, what you have got from it."

Her interest in books is surely a varied one. "In fact, when I go to a bookshop, the book calls out to me. I'm not much for reading reviews before buying the book. So most often I've read a book long before it has been declared a bestseller," she says.

Weekly itch to buy books
Sita frequently visits book stores since she feels the urge to buy books almost every week. "Every room in my house is filled with books. There isn't a nook or corner left in my house where books are not there since I possess many thousands of them," she says.

So if you want to catch Sita over the weekend, hit the bookstores and not some fancy club!

By Hetal Adesara

It has been a rollercoaster ride for Premjeet Sodhi, Sr. Vice President, Intellect, Lintas Media Group. He welcomes change and has experimented with many different roles along the way. Some have clicked, whilst others failed. Here, Premjeet takes us through the maze that he calls life.

"Born in Nagpur, Premjeet has fond memories of being beating up by his sister and elder brother. "I even remember the days when my brother would return after giving an exam and sit with my mother to discuss his paper and she would always turn to me and ask, 'are you going to pass?' I have always been an average student throughout my life."

"With my father working in the bank, our childhood has seen many transfers to various places. I completed my electronic engineering from RKN engineering college in Nagpur. Just as most youngsters my age, I too harboured a desire to go to the United States for further studies. To boost my chances,I knew that experience in teaching would be an advantage. So, I became a lecturer at RKN engineering college.

I've made a few wrong moves in life
"My first visit to Mumbai was for my US visa, and I left the dream of going abroad far behind when my visa was rejected. Later, I sat for the competitive exams and cleared quite a few of them and finally got into IRMA (Institute of Rural Management Anand). After completing my management from there, I joined Gujarat State Financial Service at Ahmedabad. But, on realizing that it was too risky a business as the burden of any default would come on me, I decided to opt out of it. Then was the time to do a SWOT analysis and I found that my analytical skills were my biggest strength," says Premjeet.

"So, choosing marketing research as a favourable field, I moved to Mudra Advertising as an associate project director in the ICRG branch for two and a half years. I found no scope for growth in Ahmedabad and therefore moved to Mumbai in 2000."

"Here, I joined hands with MRUC and worked with great names in the industry like Roda Mehta, among many others. I was later guided by some senior friends of mine who told me that I was fit for rural media, so I applied to O&M and Lintas and luckily got through both interviews, but ultimately joined O&M."

"New enterprises always charmed me and the dot com boom caught my fancy. I joined Tangent Software Pvt Ltd. But the company wound up in no time and I was without a job. At this point, I took complete time off from work and just did nothing for a couple of months.

I returned to MRUC as a consultant and later became the Technical Manager. In 2002, I joined Lintas Media under Partho Ghosh, though I did not get to work much with him. But thereafter, Lynn de Souza has been my driving force. She has been an extremely good guide and philosopher and has helped me gain a completely new perspective.

Mine was an arranged marriage
My wife Simran, a dentist had come down from Amritsar to Mumbai to be with her relatives. It took us only 15 minutes in our first meeting to decide that we want to spend our lives together. Since my marriage, life has been great with my wife and my three-and-a-half-year-old son, Rajveer.

I was absolutely numb when Rajveer was brought to me
No one can really prepare you for the day you become a father. There is a strange feeling of numbness and all that you can do is just wait and watch. When I held Rajveer for the first time, I was aghast! I really did not know what to do. And, nowadays, all that I hear from Simran is, 'you don't love me, you only love Rajveer.'

I surprised my wife with a trip to Goa
I've have been slogging away and have not really been able to take off for any planned holidays. Last year in September, I took Simran for a holiday to Goa as she has not seen much of the West. One day prior to her birthday, I asked her to just pack her bags as we were off to celebrate her birthday in Goa.
Though we go to Punjab quite often, we hardly get time to go anywhere else. My trips abroad have been to London, New York and California. The best place to see was Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon.

As such, I don't have a dream destination, but I do wish to undertake a voyage to Darjeeling, Imphal, Kerala and the Himalayas some day.

I don't miss my wife as far as food is concerned
I am a typical Punjabi when it comes to my appetite. I am game for any kind of cuisine. But, yes, I am biased to non-vegetarian food. Staying alone for 6 to 7 years, I had even started experimenting in the kitchen and seeing the time consumed, I started channelising all the effort in making non-vegetarian dishes. I am a pretty good cook, so much so that my wife leaves making some dishes entirely to me. I love Chicken Mumtaz, which I make following recipe books. Otherwise, Tariwalla chicken, chawal and rajma chawal are my favourite dishes.

Other than that, I once went for a light Chinese meal of Dimsums, which one can eat unlimited. I remember this meal as the food was awesome.

I read only when traveling
Reading is part of my profession and I keep up with it. I hardly read one or two books in a year. Presently I am reading The World is Flat and Freakonomics.

Sundays were reserved for early morning movies with my son
I am fond of English romantic movies which include, A Walk in the Clouds and One Fine Day, among others. There were days when I used to take my son for movies every Sunday morning and it used to be great fun watching him getting ready in the morning, all excited.

I am a cautious shopper
I am an essential part of any shopping routine, purely to hold the bags. I am a reformed husband now. With time, I have learnt to like shopping. I value need and don't go in for anything which is not necessary. I mostly prefer branded stuff.

Hidden secrets
I love photography and sketching to a great extent. The last sketch I made was of my wife and my son, when my son was very young. I used to play the violin when I was young, but its been over 10 years since I even touched the instrument.

I always wanted to learn different languages and my dad's transferable job helped me in that. Urdu is one language I want to learn at length. I wish to read my dad's Ghalib collection.

Something that makes me go green with envy is the word "Dr" that precedes Simran's name. So, it is my dream to do a PHD in communication and have the "Dr" tag too.

Speed thrills! He wishes to touch the sky when flying high. Times Now vice president and business head Partho Dasgupta reveals his passion for speed... something which until now, only his close friends were privy to. "Speed always gave me a thrill and that's one of the reasons why I learnt how to drive at a very early age, when I ideally shouldn't have been driving," says Partho.

I inherited the thrill for speed from my dad

Part of my thrill for speed has been inherited from my father. There is an air strip near Calcutta called Barrackpore, where many races were held. It was here that Vijay Mallya used to race in a Formula 3000 in those early days. I used to attend those with my dad when I was seven and that's where I got enamoured by speed. So much so that when I was young I used to drive with pillows under me. Once I was tall enough to drive a car, I got a license.

I want to do a flying course

I harbour a dream of doing a flying course some day. Flying gives the concept of speed, a whole new dimension. But unfortunately, there are no flying courses in Mumbai and Delhi. My dream is to experience the thrill of sitting in a cockpit and flying high.

There is a lot to learn from racing

I love watching Formula 1 and sometimes my friends ask me what do I find so exciting in watching all 64 rounds of the race. To which I tell them there is always something new and exciting in each of those rounds.

There is a lot to learn from racing. It teaches you about team work and that's something we can apply in our professional lives too. In the end, there is only one champion and it is the quality of work that you put in, which ultimately decides whether you are a winner or not.

Sundays are race days

There are a lot of things that I want to do and once I have more time in my hand, I will eventually do them. With all the work pressure, one hardly gets to do these things. I have participated in some rallies earlier but never in races. Nowadays there are places where you can hire a Formula 1 car for a day and you can go on a ride with trainers.

Sundays are sacrosanct for me and I try and switch my mind off work and chill. This is when I catch up on the races.

My longest drive has been from Calcutta to Delhi

My biggest stress buster is playing with my daughter. Secondly, I also love hitting the Mumbai - Pune highway on Sunday mornings. I zoom at a speed of 160 - 170 kph and try not to think about anything at all.

My longest drive has been from Calcutta to Delhi via Agra. The total distance was about 1700 kilometers.

Driving gives me a thrill

My wife too loves to go on drives so there are times when we take off on Sunday mornings and go to Pune for lunch. Once we drove from Mahabaleshwar to Mumbai in just about six hours. It gives me a thrill.

Dad told me never to mess around on two wheelers

I have always been a responsible driver and I know when it is ok to drive fast and when it's not. My parents were never scared of my driving but my dad always told me to be careful while riding a two wheeler. I've had bad accidents on two wheelers when I was young and I was forced to leave riding.

I wish to have a sportier version of Ferrari

I drive an Innova but eventually I would love to possess a slightly sportier version of a Ferrari.

"Sports was an integral part of my daily routine when I was young. I used to spend six hours a day playing hockey and basketball; I went diving and was also involved in gymnastics. In fact, it was with my sheer determination and hard work that I was able to become India's second best diver. I also played hockey for the state of Delhi. I put in my best and when you do that, you are bound to excel. On the other hand, while I was actively involved in sports, studies never took a back seat and I always excelled in school. In the 12th standard, I decided to stick to my priority as I was interested in taking up sports as a career. I started devoting a couple of hours to sports everyday, but looking at the future prospects in the field at that point in time, I later decided to do engineering," says One Alliance senior vice president sales and marketing Gurjeev Singh Kapoor.

Set Discovery is doing very well

After completing my engineering, I worked in Mirrlees Blackstone for two years and then did a two year management course from FMS. In 1995, I joined ESPN where I was the head of sales for the northern region. At that time, I got an offer to join Zee International in South Africa for a brief six months project. But, I ended up working with them for a year. I quit as I didn't see further growth in my career by shifting base from India to South Africa. Also, I was very keen on moving to London as I thought it have better growth prospects but things with Zee did not materialise.

In 1999, I joined Discovery, where I was handling sales for the north region for the first six months and within a year, I was heading all India sales.

In 2002, Set Discovery was formed and I was absorbed there. By God's grace, the company is doing extremely well and our revenues are five times than what Sony and Discovery would generate as separate companies.

My parents are my mentors
My folks are very simple. My dad used to guide me constantly at every step in my life. He always showed the two sides of a coin -- the good and the bad. It was he, who told me how important studies were and whatever I am today, I owe it to him. Since sports doesn't have a lot of prospects in our country, I thank my dad for pushing me to study harder. It was with his guidance that I was able to choose a career.

My school, Modern School in Delhi, has taught me a lot. I believe that overall development is very important for a child's holistic growth. I am also proud to be a product of the Delhi College of Engineering and FMS.

Gunpraveen and I started dating each other in 1990

My wife, Gunpraveen was my junior in school. We started dating in 1990, when I was in college. She became an air hostess and her job took her all around the world. We tied the knot in 1995. We have a six year old son Dev and a two and half year old daughter Bani.

I am a pucca Punjabi at heart

I love to eat anything that tastes good. The list of my favourite cuisine is endless -- South Indian, Thai, Chinese, Continental... I can go on! Before I settled in Mumbai, I never really had a palate for fish but now I have acquired a taste for pomfret cooked by my wife. I also love mussels.

There are a few restaurants which I frequently visit. Some of them are - Mangi Ferra, Mainland China, Lemon Grass, Urban Tadka, Myst and Papa Pancho. Nando's, which is a chain of restaurants from South Africa is also one of my favourites. The spicy chicken there is just fabulous and out of the world.

I've heard that those who like eating, can cook well. Though I've never tried my hand at cooking, I'm sure I will be able to cook well some day.

Gymming Session

As I have a healthy appetite, I need to work out strenuously. I am at the gym daily for at least an hour and a half. I work out at the Nautilus gym, which is a hop away from my house. It has all the facilities along with a good set of trainers and dieticians. But, I hardly listen to them!

No matter how much I try, I can never go on a diet as it's just not my cup of tea. Gymming is fine with me but, yoga is something that I've never got into. Even after knowing its advantages, I feel that as long as one is fit and can afford going to the gym, one should. I prefer involving myself in sporting activities rather than meditating.

Even today, whenever I get a chance I play basketball. I am also considered a good batsman in our One Alliance cricket team, though I only played galli cricket as a child!

'God Father' was a very gripping book

I don't really get the time to read anything apart from business magazines. The last book I remember reading was Mario Puzo's God Father. It is a gripping book and has been my best read ever. I do try and grab some management books like those by Shiv Khera.

Annual vacation with my family is a must

I travel a lot... both for work and leisure. I've been to a whole lot of places spanning most continents except South America, which I would like to visit someday.

Apart from work related trips, I make it a point to take a 10 day break with my family to an exotic location. My last holiday was in London and it was the most memorable vacation I have ever had with my entire family, including my parents. London is a beautiful place and the people there are extremely warm and helpful.

Another holiday that is fresh in my mind was the one I had in Australia, where we had stayed in a beach house. The Gold Coast bike ride Down Under was one of the most exciting rides. For me, Australia was an awesome place to be in as I love driving. We had rented a car and drove all around.

Sikkim and Gangtok are nice places to visit too because of their scenic beauty. Apart from that, South Africa is also one of the most exotic and beautiful place I've been to.

Kasauli is another favourite place as it is very quiet and beautiful, one that is commercially untouched.

In December, Goa beckons. My kids and I love beaches and therefore freak out in water. The moment my daughter touches water, it's impossible to pull her out.

I am an impulsive shopper

I don't shop frequently but whenever I do, I splurge. I am a bit brand conscious... by that I mean I don't really compromise on quality. My favourite brands are Marks & Spencer, Provogue and Allen Solly.

I love gizmos and I would love to buy the latest technology. Even if that's not possible all the time, I try and keep abreast with the latest. My cell is the latest model from Sony Ericsson and I use a Sony Vaio laptop.

I love driving and while I drive a Corolla at present, I do wish to buy a BMW some day.

We miss our Delhi friends

My wife and I used to be regulars on the party circuit in Delhi but now that craze has waned. We miss our Delhi friends and more over, in Mumbai, one hardly gets time to make new friends.

My beliefs

I believe that God is within us and is the supreme power. There is nothing in this world that can stand in front of him. I visit the Gurudwara every Sunday without fail.

I am always ready to take up challenges and don't give up until it is done. I believe if you work hard, are true and put in your best, things will happen. Moreover, if you're determined and think you can; you can!

Zubin Driver, Head - Creative and Promos, TV18 Group tells us that his dad was an avid reader and he was the one who introduced Zubin to reading at a very early age.

"We have a big library at our ancestral home and our tastes in books are very similar. He had a huge collection of books in literature, fiction including many American and British authors, and even some on anthropology. My taste in books is very eclectic and I have a number of favourites."

Jorge Luis Borges is a great writer

My favourite author is a South American author Jorge Luis Borges. He worked as a librarian and specialises in short stories. Among my other favourites are French author and philosopher Albert Camus and Milan Kundera.

Camus' The Plague is a well written book on a plague epidemic in the Algerian city of Oran. It is a deep metaphor about the way we live and about people losing and gaining hope.

I find something interesting in every book

Personally, I've hardly found a book that does not interest me except for a stray few that might have put me off as the author made no effort to hold the reader's interest.

Self-help books are ridiculous

Self-help books are in itself a huge con deal. I find the concept very funny. Firstly, they are constantly trying to sell the idea that people are not good enough, so there is a huge pressure on people to buy their books.

According to me, it is bull shit! I don't read them at all and do not recommend them to anybody. In fact, I consider these books dangerous as they taint people's minds. For example, people with psychological problems should visit a doctor rather than reading self help books which end up making them feel even worse.

Earlier I used to spend a handsome amount on books

My passion for books have led me to build my collection. I have a thousand odd books at home. Earlier, I used to spend a handsome amount on books, but now I have cut down on it. I literally have to be pulled out of a book or music store to resist the urge to pick up more. However, I do pick up books when I travel and manage to finish them in a day.

I read four to five books at a time

At present, I am reading a really weird book called, Die Blendung (Auto-da-F?) by a Bulgarian author - Canetti. Though bizarre, it has been written quite well by this unknown writer.

I read at least four to five books at a time. I keep jumping from one book to another and a serious book takes ages for me to complete. Paperbacks, on the other hand, are a fast read. I'm like an owl as I mostly read at night after 10:30 pm.

It took me almost two years to complete my first book

Currently, I am occupied putting together a book of short stories. The book is all about what happens in people's minds, their thought processes and dreams. It is more on the psychological side and not quite a narrative.

The title of the book is still undecided. I have been working on this book for the last two years and haven't spoken much about it. Hoping to publish it soon, the book is extremely important and close to my heart.

For Anita Kaul Basu, director of Synergy Communications and wife of ace quiz master Siddhartha Basu, life has been full of surprises - some good, some bad... but nonetheless amazingly colorful.

Born in Kashmir, Anita subsequently migrated to Surrey, England where the world seemed to be her oyster.

"The exposure levels were amazing and my parents were adamant that we (my two brothers and I) got the best of that world. However, they made sure we never lost our identities and were Indians first. The growing up years can be fraught with confusion and we had our share of being in that state, but my mother ensured we got huge doses of our Kashmiri rituals, food, Indian film, music etc," says Anita.

Those were the best days of my life...
I have lots of fond memories of my childhood days... from changing two trains and a bus to get to school in the cold winter mornings of London and picking up stacks of Mars bars and lip-smacking pastries along the way... I've done it all.

It was a dilemma everyday for me whether to catch the bus or spend that money on fresh cream puffs and walk three kilometers to school. I was crowned Miss Beautiful and was taken all over London in a open van with a ridiculous crown and ballroom type of dress, wherein I pretended to be Queen of England! In retrospect, all this seems hilarious. Theatre is something that left me spell bound in Britain, where I watched some of the greatest actors perform. I can never forget the mad 70s when I used to stitch my own clothes and crochet my own long fringed jackets.

I was a sportsperson throughout my school and college days. I was the best in my school for the 100 meter hurdles and even now I dream of having the time to run. I was also the captain of the school hockey team.

Life's journey so far...
Most of us think we can circumvent destiny or at least have the power to control it. I am afraid the writing has been done a long time back and one just has to be receptive to the twists and turns of the plot and story and not let the foul patches dictate our entire course.

I graduated and joined the Indian Institute of Mass Communications for a journalism course. Subsequently I joined India Today on the editorial team. I was there for five years before I resigned to look after my first child. I never went back to a full time job, because by 1987, we set up our own company. It's been like that ever since and has been the most amazing learning curve.

For Siddhartha, it was love at first sight...
I came back from England to do my graduation at Miranda House, Delhi University. There I met Mira Nair, who was a year senior to me. She introduced me to Siddhartha. At that time, he was doing a play for the Shakespeare Society of St. Stephen's College where he took me for audition. It was love at first sight for him. We began dating a couple of months later and got married a full eight years after our first meeting. My parents were very apprehensive about this marriage and it took them a long time to accept it. But it's been 24 years and we are still together!

Marriage is a commitment and a responsibility towards each other and to our children, Aditya (21) and Medha (17).

Read, read, read till I sleep...
I'm into the habit of reading at least three books at the same time! It all depends on my mood and how tired I am. But I have to read before my eyes automatically droop. I have had so many favorites - Vikram Seth's An Equal Music; The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari; Sue Townsend's series of Adrian Mole; Shantaram and books authored by Bill Cosby.

No time to travel...
I have not traveled as much as I would have liked to, primarily because of my children, their school schedules and my immovable work schedules. My favorite holiday places are The Glass House on the Ganges, Rishikesh, Paris and Cornwall in England.

I have fond memories of rafting on the Ganges. It was phenomenally exhilarating, life giving and exciting. The Caravan holidays with friends and cousins in England and beach holidays in Goa were also memorable.

It's ridiculous to buy something just for the sake of the brand
I am not a compulsive shopper, although I love the exercise! I have a keen eye and can get the best bargains. I am not a person who will shop at will.

I do not subscribe to brands and I find it ridiculous catering to people who have more money than they can handle and are up against the Joneses. I refuse to buy something just because it's a big brand name. I can understand buying branded electronics or even watches, but clothes and accessories; sorry I stay unmoved by it all!

I am neither the types who gets easily impressed, nor the type who fawns and drops brand names. I do go for quality in some things but I don't think that brands necessarily equate quality. I pick a lot of my clothes from the streets of Delhi, Mumbai, Bangkok or London. If I like something, I will buy it and not not because I must have it to impress others.

One thing that I am careful about while purchasing is perfumes. My current favorites are Flower by Kenzo and Hypnotic Poison. I stay as faithful as possible to my favorites for a long time. On the shoes front, the best one I have are picked up from London. Again no big brands, but they are comfortable yet stylish. All my summer chappals are from Delhi's Greater Kailash Market or from Bangkok.

Eclectic taste for movies and music...
I love movies and music and have a pretty eclectic taste in both. However, I do not watch science fiction movies and absolutely detest heavy metal and trance music. The movies that have been etched in my mind are, The Shawshank Redemption, all of Audrey Hepburn's films, Kazaz ke Phool, Satya, Bunty Aur Babli and Being Cyrus amongst many others.

Music is my life. I just can't live without rock and roll! I love old Hindi film songs, uplifting classical Indian music as well as western music. Elton John, Phil Collins, Celine Dion are some of my favourite singers.

No discos for me please...
I like to party with friends but either at their home or mine. I don't like discos too much, partly because the music is invariably loud, metallic and staccato. After a while your ears are torn apart and your legs spent dancing on the same spot, since space is always at a premium.

Perceptions change when you allow yourself to see things from a higher plain...
I must admit, I was a non-believer early on in life. Miraculously along the way all that changed. I began to search for answers, look for inner strength and seek certain calmness. I have a high adrenaline rush and am on the go most of the time. I needed to center my restless energy as I was very stressed out.

I have found that the only person who can help you is you! Yes, you need a little bit of help to find the YOU to begin with. I took to Reiki and meditation. This has helped me tremendously. It's an instant de-stressor. I can see now how we exaggerate our problems in our minds. The solutions are simpler than we think. Your perceptions change when you allow yourself to see things from a higher plain. It minimises the problems and makes them easy to tackle.

I meditate everyday without fail. It's my soul curry! Otherwise I stay active running around as I am not prone to just lying around doing nothing. I have to spend the excess energy I have.

I am a 'kattar' meat-eating cannibal
I am not an orgiastic foodie. I need it as fuel. However, I don't mind trying out different cuisine. I am a 'kattar' meat-eating cannibal - Kashmiris cannot live without their one kilo of meat a day! I love Kashmir "tabakmaaz," a fried spare rib delicacy. I love fish and chips made the English way and wrapped in newspaper! And Italian food - all of it!

I do cook but I am a person who hates to spend too much time in the kitchen. I am a karate chop cook - quick cutting, fast cooking and swift clean up. I cook all Kashmiri dishes, bit of Italian and my own Indian food recipes; and when I have time, roast dishes.

Most gizmos leave me completely cold
I am not at all a gizmo freak. It's beyond me to understand and make time to figure out the workings of any gizmo - whether a phone or a computer or the latest technology system. I use gizmos for purely practical purposes.

I love driving and the smaller the car the better. A Ferrari or Lamborghini won't hurt! But, even a Santro is good enough for the Indian roads and great for parking and a zippy drive!