"The best executive is the one who has sense enough to pick good men to do what he wants done, and self-restraint to keep from meddling with them while they do it"-- Theodore Roosevelt.

Carlton D'silva, creative director, Hungama.com tells correspondent Nidhi Jain, how during his ten years in internet business and seven years in Hungama, the rules were made and reinvented in the effort to become a true leader while simultaneously preparing future ones too.

Lessons you learnt---I spent almost eight years in boarding. Though I enjoyed every moment but it was strictly disciplined ,while creating a new family in any given circumstances and also without any strings attached.

People that influenced ---It is very difficult to head towards your vision without deterring but it all seemed easy for my MD and CEO Mr.Neeraj Roy, whom I always look 'upto'.

Method of pacifying madness---Well! With us there is a session of gaming to relieve tension. In any industry people don't stick for long but I have binded my team for five years now, the difficulty of recruiting people keeps away madness.

Strategic alliance-With new upcoming technology it creates specific team pertaining hard core skills, when it comes to coordination, the team becomes closer. We always like to hire young minds with new ideas, and also work on the philosophy" lost on time, lost on opportunity". My strategy is to keep 'my team'.

Ensuring that team delivers----There is always a difference on how one direct

The creative gang (well some of them anyways)

people ,I still do hardcore job of putting up a website, now and then; though I earn respect among peers, I still make an effort to get in touch with people who are difficult. The work is always split depending on the core expertise delievery, in our work a project takes three hours with right hoarding, animation, designing and banners. That means one needs to get a good blend of people.

Fun part of your business---Come and experience a day with the creative team in our office, you will realize that there is no seriousness to the job, we have music playing 24*7,photo sessions are always ongoing process. That's the kind of environment we have created.

Changing rules of work---In today's work scenario one should realize for growth and opportunity that 'you don't work for company, you work with it.
Earlier it was clear cut want, but now it's about survival.

We take a peek into the mind of a self proclaimed "restless" man, workaholic, and knowledge seeker who learnt early on to handle ego. Ravi Kiran, CEO, South Asia, Starcom Mediavest Group, took some time out of his hectic schedule to talk to Correspondent Nidhi Jain.

Who me?
Highly principled and disciplined, Ravi has high BMR. He just sleeps for 4-5 hours on an average as he thinks that in the time he is sleeping, the best will pass away.

As a person, he has always been attracted to the underdog, he has been loyal to people and experimentative to things. He doesn't like to use brands but sometimes brands become people. His decisions have often worked against his growth. Can't stand one thing after a certain period. What changed him were a few books by author Robin Cook "Coma", "Fever" as well as Harold Robbins' "the Betsy", to name a few.

Initial days---
Books have always carved a way for Ravi for the kind of success he has had. He meant to be a doctor but studied engineering. A management book he picked up was 'Great Ideas in Management' by Northcote, Rustomji and Sapre made him join FMS, Delhi.Joined Lintas? After six years, got thoroughly bored so he chose to pursue media initiative.

As a person, he thinks he was pretty rough initially, rude and a just do his own work person or was simply called 'ectomorphic'. But now it's more about relating to people.

Strongly feels about---
The compound pet dog "Kaalu", who is also a family member.

Crazy about---
Books, movies, technology, music and gadgets (he thinks Palm is better engineered than Nokia, and I-river is better than Apple i-pod), he even writes his own blogs.

Rejuvenates---
Cycling, rock climbing, river rafting and walking for relaxation. Also, he follows tennis, F1. Given a choice he would like to go to the forest.

Love---
His wife Shalini with whom he shares the interest of watching movies on their home theatre system.

Food---
Eats vegetarian, can tolerate continental, cooks South Indian and likes north Indian food, which his wife prepares.

Movies---
Thrillers, court room dramas and mafia movies.

One look at Shaju Ignatius, executive producer, Perspectrum, Percept Holdings, and you realize that being happy is something we have to learn. You see him and say 'this is it, he's happy, he's got a home, career, wife, adorable kid, and is at peace with himself, and if there's something else to happiness, this Piscean will yearn for that too.' Correspondent Nidhi Jain really digs the pace of his life on the Fast Track.

Work - my big great canvas -
I have never planned my moves. I wished to be a pilot or atleast get to fly as cabin crew but then my exploring mind led me to Eureka Forbes,after which i moved on to Damania Airways.Looking further I got into advertising,and did a small stint in Advertising Forecast in which I happened to do the promotion for the film 'Speed'. From that experience I started liking the concept. In the summer of '95, when event management was not a regular word/career, an ad by 'Wizcraft' caught my attention - "Join us and work will be a party".As part of India's premier Event management firm, created & managed many prestigious projects : The Michael Jackson India Tour, concerts by Shaggy, Deep Purple, UB40, Lou Bega among many others, first ever Television concerts by Lata Mangeshkar & Asha Bhosle, multiple international events across London, New York, Mauritius, South Africa, Dubai.Got tagged as the 'Awards specialist' in the industry, as I managed almost all the film & music awards held in the country, viz, Filmfare Awards, Zee Cine, Zee Sangeet, Bollywood Awards, IIFA Awards, Screen Awards, Hero Sports Awards, Sangeet Awards, Economic Times Awards, Filmfare South Awards, Mata Sanman Awards, Ceat Cricket Rating Awards, Castrol Cricket Awards, etc. Closest to my heart being the Annual Filmfare Awards, which I have been associated with for atleast 8 years of my career.

It was great to be associated with fresh ideas and events. What attracted me towards it was that it was not regular mundane work. Then, it was time move again and learn new things. Along with my close buddies based across the metros, we set up the event management business for the Times of India, called 360 Degrees.

In 2004, Percept D'Mark became my focus for the next 2 and half years. This was a great wide platform, and we truly created some memorable projects & campaigns. Now my next step to learning has led me to join Perspectrum, the IMC (integrated marketing communication) consultancy arm of Percept Holdings. My work mantra is to always have a backup plan to any element or idea.

Trip over love, you can get up; Fall in love and you fall forever. What's the use of worrying? It never was worthwhile, so pack up your troubles in your old kit-bag. And smile, smile, smile. This poem is dedicated to the love of my life.

When I was in charge of the Michael Jackson event, not only did it (the MJ concert) redefine the business of event management, but it also got me closer to my then beloved and now wife Neelu, a Sardarni, with whom I kept my vows for five years (anniversary -- 16th September).

My marriage remains the most cherished event as I was the event manager for my own wedding. With just two weeks in hand I had very little time to do a Punjabi and Church wedding, both on the same day. It was tough yet a lot of fun.And then the reception party, which turned from a formal gathering into a wild discotheque, we partied till 3 in the morning !

Now there is my new love and an addition to our family in my 8-month old daughter Anysa, meaning Greek Goddess.The best part of our marriage is the mixing and adjusting of two diverse cultures cultures & religions. What impressed me most is that Neelu happened to pick up my mother tongue (Malayalam) inspite of being a hardcore Punjabi, while I just about manage to speak the language myself..

In Conversation with Upen Roop Rai:

I begin my day with

With some green tea and later I hit the gym. About thrice a week for about half an hour, I do cross-training and weights. Of course, I do it under proper guidance and have a personal trainer who sort of takes me through the routine.

I am a very sporty person
Not many people know but I used to play cricket and represented the State of Rajasthan during the early 80s in the Ranji Trophy tournament. I love the game, though now I don't really find the time to pursue it.

My diet mantra
I don't follow any strict diet regime but I make it a point to eat everything in moderation. I avoid oily food and freak out on Chinese and Continental food. In Mumbai, I prefer dining out at the Olive Bar and Salt Water Grill. I also love the food at Royal China.

Shopping
I love to shop and prefer shopping for myself instead of someone else buying stuff for me. I mostly pick up stuff while travelling abroad. One of my favourite shopping destinations internationally is Oxford Street in London.

My Stress Buster
My work keeps me shuffling between Delhi and Mumbai. Over weekends, I play golf with a group of friends at the DLF country club in Delhi. That's an amazing stress buster for me and so is spending time with my thirteen year old son. I am still an amateur at the game of golf and currently I am training under someone.

I have a fetish for
Movies and Music. I prefer thrillers and James Bond sort of movies. Recently, I quite enjoyed the animated film Madagascar. Though I am not really into the Bollywood bandwagon I recently quite enjoyed watching - Mangal Pandey:The Rising. As far as music goes, I listen to Eagles, Rod Stewart and Led Zeppelin

On Books
I love reading fiction. Also stuff which is racy and which gives me a whole lot of ideas. I am currently reading The Broker by John Grisham which is racy and pacy. It follows the story of Joel Backman, a newly pardoned man who tries to broker a deal to give the world's most powerful surveillance system to the highest bidder.

Travel Destination
Everyyear, I along with my family make it a point to travel to one destination. This year we travelled to South Africa and Egypt. Egypt was quite a disappointment because of the bureaucracy prevalent in the country. On the other hand, South Africa was out of this world really. I still carry memories of Captetown and Port Elizabeth.

Favourite Car Brands
I drive the Mitubushi Lancer which is spacious and functional.

Gadgets & Gizmos
I am really hooked on to my Cellphone -O2 XDA PDA. This gadget is really like a friend and a constant companion. It's also like a virtual office, which keeps me in touch with the world while shuttling between Delhi and Mumbai.ZING STRESS BUSTER FOR ME

Prahlad, who was called Robin in his younger days, was born in 1948 (24 March). His journey has been filled with infinite variety and innovation. So one would expect nary a dull moment when sitting down for a chat session with him. That's just what correspondent Nidhi Jain experienced as he tickled the funny bone with his punch lines/one liners and his cheeky smile.

FAST TRACK?.NOW AND THEN? From the beginning, everything in Prahlad's life revolved around his fascination with and for women. The first was his grandmother who wanted this cheeky chit of a fellow, otherwise from an illustrious family of doctors, engineers, and his dad being an army officer, to join the Indian Foreign Services. Instead, Prahlad landed up doing an honours degree in economics and later went on to complete a film appreciation course. With academics done and dusted, he joined an advertising agency in Jor Bagh, Delhi, merely because of a beautiful girl name Farida Pandey?

Fast Forward >> He has managed to diversify his passions, and reached a stage in his life where he can freely set the pace.

THE OTHER SEX?"Don't understand them, just love them unconditionally," says Prahlad on women. His hectic schedule doesn't deprive him of not enjoying the company of PYTs. The long locks of hair trying desperately to hide under the trademark hat, the thick beard and that mischievous glint in his eyes. This ace ad guy doesn't go unnoticed with his female friends. Prahlad's greatest motivation has been women who are not second best to anybody, have substantial character, and are stimulating and interesting too. He absolutely detests incapable women conditionally bound to men. Therefore, he thinks that if he had a daughter she would have been hell on wheels (he's managed three very different in character sons though).

LIGHT ME BABY ONE MORE TIME? Prahlad is a big Cigar person. The only Indian to have his signature line in cigars named PK series which has two varieties, a Churchill size one of about seven inches and a smaller Robusta cigar called the Shergar. The leaves of his cigars, the filler and wrapper, are from the Dominican Republic and from Cameroon and Ecuador respectively.

MISTER OF SPICES? His restaurant business stems from his 'instinctive flair for cooking'. And according to Prahlad, he has a great sense of Andaaz, has always been a fish and meat person. (Laughs) Another reason for access to beautiful young women was cooking as his face was his misfortune which wouldn't have gotten him anywhere. Food fascinates him; the reason that his office sports a full fledged kitchen. An impassioned foodie, Prahlad is experimental with his cuisine and he detests the word boring when attached to food. It all started with a request from Shashi Kapoor's wife Jennifer to open Prithvi Caf?. His Irish Caf? was a great hit with a secret formula 'pouring cream from behind the spoon'. Being a typical Punjabi, good sumptuous food can't go out of his blood for both to eat and to deliver, that is resulting in plans to deliver home cooked Punjabi food and Chapattis (phulkas) --- Prahlad Kakkar's 'PAPA PANCHO'.

DEEP BLUE WATER?Prahlad's first tryst with diving was at Mauritius, and he believed that no knowledge is complete if it's not shared. He used to take the Konkan Express to Cochin enroute to Lacadives (old name of Lakshadweep) where he owns two scuba diving schools along with his wife Mitali. He is always amazed with its pristine, natural beauty and quality of diving.

JAZZ AND BLUES?Since Mumbai city didn't have any club for Jazz, he introduced one, for which the membership is only available for musicians. They play for themselves, but not by choice.