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.

Zubin Driver, national creative director, The cell, TV 18 Group, is putting together a book of short stories. He tells Nidhi Jain that the book is extremely close to his heart.

What made you write this book?
I am a writer, and have written a number of plays while I was a part of NCPA and Prithvi theatre group .I always wanted to have a short way of looking and going through a book.

Book and Character
The book is a compilation of short characters. It's all about what happens in peoples' minds, their thought processes and dreams. There are characters, no-characters, dream characters and also post modern kind of characters. In total, it's a compilation of 35 short stories, 2-3 of them are shorter than a page.

It highlights the darker side. They are not at all happy stories since I have grown up observing suffering around me like watching people going through graphs, chronicling relationships. I have personally gone through a cultural transition .Middle class life is tough when it comes to making ends meet. And I've also seen lots of fractured relationships.

Crux of the book
It's an examination of physical and mental struggle.

Cover page
I have decided that it's going to be a painting because I love them. They are evokable, since we have to make an effort to interpret them and finally we get engaged in them.

Book that captured attention
The plague.

Name: Zubin Driver

Designation: Creative Director, Cell Communications

Sun Sign: 19 February 1970 half Pisces, full Aquarius

Educational Experience
I did my Bachelor of Arts in Economics from St. Xavier's College, Mumbai. Then I pursued post graduation in Literature from Mumbai University.

Professional Experience
I have been in a number of MNC agencies in India. Each of them were great learning experiences. Lowe, TBWA, O&M and Madison are a few of the agencies I have worked with.

My last Advertising agency assignment was with TBWA Mumbai as a creative director. I left TBWA to form Cell Communications in September 2002.

As a creative director at the Cell, the task that I was assigned to involved handling all of CNBC TV18's communication needs: advertising, DM, branding and internal communication. The aim was to achieve focused, hard-working and clutter-breaking advertising that would actively move a brand.

In the last few months, Cell Communications has evolved into an independent brand and design consultancy that now handles large brands outside the CNBC -TV 18 family. Our list of clients include CNBC TV18, a New York based magazine Mantram, business & financial services portal based in India - Moneycontrol.com, all the products in the IL&FS portfolio, IL&FS Mutual Funds and Beauty Without Cruelty - BWC.

The field record

In May 2003, Cell Communications decided to pitch in the open market as an independent brand and design consultancy. We pitched for IL&FS Mutual Fund and bagged the account after a two week long process. We have launched the IL&FS Growth and Value Fund campaign in June 2003. It is a multi-city and multi-media campaign including Press, Hoardings, TVC and Email.

Meanwhile, in May 2003, Cell Communications was also approached by the Reliance Corporate office to do a re-design project for their corporate communication brochures. We delivered in record time and the brochures are in print.

In keeping with our unique approach to work, we decided to offer our services to an NGO. We now handle BWC, Beauty Without Cruelty, a well-respected NGO working in the area of prevention of cruelty to animals and the promotion of vegetarianism.

Television as career choice
Television has exciting possibilities. It is an evolving category in India. The idea of starting an in-house creative and brand consultancy was very challenging.

Current Television scenario
It is very fascinating. Increased segmentation, fierce competition... the most interesting phenomena being the emergence of so many news channels. It will be great fun tracking their progress.

On the television software front, specially soaps etc, we've seen not too much progess on original ideas and great scripts but the industry is picking up...of course and how CAS will change everyone's lives...another big question is how will the mass entertainment channels build differentiators over time, will individual programmes compete on conflicting time bands, where will the brand war be played out, how is the consumer going to react to proliferation and over selling from channels....will inherent brand values of a channel make any difference or will increased commodification make the whole game even more ruthless and fickle.

Right and wrong about current marketing scenario
Simply put, what is right is the freedom that channels have been given and what's wanting is quality, delivery and responsible reporting. We still have some work to do.

Some news channels are still in the 'sensationalist' phase, they need to evolve into deeper analysis and quality perspective, while others are just mirroring the lowest common denominator for mass viewership. Such channels generally compromise on the holistic perspective. Training of personnel in the industry is a huge issue. Channels need to invest in their intellectual capital, rather than physical capital. That's where we lack as compared to some of the older foreign channels. On the other hand, a lot of India based channels have found their own unique voice and are bonding strongly with their viewers. It's a dynamic and fascinating scenario.

Five years from now
On a six month cruise somewhere in the middle of the Pacific....

Hobbies
Writing, theatre, reading, walking and watching people.

Idea of enjoyment
Chilling with a lovely book on a rainy day.