Shashi Sinha, gives a feeling of being very rooted when he says, "I would rather go in for Indian authors and seek inspiration from our own culture and tradition. Some time ago when I read Dr Radhakrishnan's work on the Bhagawad Gita; it sort of gave me a different direction in life. Compare this to the Antonio Silva mind control program which I happen to attend recently. One realises that it's all derived from our Indian yogic technique and method.

I have a huge library of books at my place where I have all the five versions of Upanishads and Gita. Though, I must confess it's all very difficult to read. I wish these books were a bit more simplified."

"Going back in time, I wasn't really so much into reading during my school or college days. My father was in the Army and while in Dehradun, I was more into sports like hockey and cricket. Later, during my college days at IIT Kanpur, the attitude of my generation was to appear really cool. And how did we do that? By not really studying and yet doing well at the exams. You were cool if you could get maximum output by putting in minimum input. So, I definitely didn't want to be seen reading books. Instead, I picked up Bridge which I would say is a real cerebral game and very addictive indeed.
It's only later in life that I took to reading books."

"Now, most of the times it's work really but I do make it a point to read while travelling. Books do remain a constant source of inspiration for me. I land up buying a lot of books at airports. It's mostly Indian fiction, self-help books, biographies and of course books on advertising. Some of the recent authors that I've bought are Anurag Mathur, Pankaj Mishra. But, I must confess I buy more books than I actually read."

My favourite books
Currently, I am reading the Amul India Story by Ruth Heredia. The book traces the co-operative movement in the state of Gujarat. It's a story of faith, empowerment and dream realization. A passionate and thrilling account of how under the vision of Sardar Vallabhai Patel, they brought in `rural renaissance', by knocking off the middlemen involved in the dairy business.

Then, there is another book which I've read more than seven times really. It's called - My Life in Advertising & Scientific Advertising by Claude C Hopkins. The author is one of the founding fathers of modern advertising. The beauty of the book is such that it can
make the whole business of advertising seem very simple. One thing that I've learned from the book is that even by observing simple consumer behaviour, one can achieve a lot. And even simple ideas can give big gains.

Then, compare it to another book that I've recently read - How to turn Advertising expenses into investments by John Philip Jones. The author has spent more than 25 years in the field of advertising and here the emphasis is on the management process and planning. I often compare both the books and find Claude C Hopkins' style more simplistic and even a lay person can understand the whole business of advertising from the book.

Another book,that I've been hooked on to is Being Digital by Nicholas Negroponte. The book explores the impact of digital technology on the new emerging world and it brings out the endless possibilities of the future into a sharper focus."

In conversation with R.D. Tailang, Script Writer

My growing up years
I was born and brought up in Mandla which is in Madhya Pradesh. A small village from where we had to walk 20 kms to reach the main road. Since, my father was in the service class we led a very simple life. So, basically, half of my life was spent in a place which did not bear roads, and the second half, in a place like Mumbai, among rushing vehicles, intelligent lights and sets of KBC. It's been 13 years since I've been in this city of dreams.

My big break with KBC
I used to make sketches during my childhood. So, once when I had come to Mumbai for a seven day vacation for the first time and got my sketches along. I decided to try my luck at a newspaper office. I went to an afternoon paper called Dopeher, just entered the editor's cabin to show my artistic work. Within no time he offered me a job, and I willingly took up the proposal. I joined them as a cartoonist and later shifted to hard core journalism. I worked on various beats like crime, sports, film reviewing and even interviewing celebrities.

Later, I joined Plus Channel with Mahesh Bhatt and Amit Khanna. And from then on, there was no looking back. I soon realized that writing was a good field and maybe I could carve a niche in it. My first big assignment came with Farida Jalal's Star Yaar Kalakar and then Shekhar Suman's Movers and Shakers happened.

The big break came with KBC. Writing for Bachchanji has been an awesome experience. I've worked for him for two years and have written 350 episodes for him. Writing for Bachchanji at the beginning of his career is the biggest award a writer can get. It gives me the same feeling an actor would get on receiving an Oscar.

I begin my day
Sleep is a must for me. It's like; if possible, I can sleep for 12 hours at a stretch. Normally I get up at around 10 or sometimes even 11. Then, I literally lick the newspaper for say 3 odd hours. It is a must for me. Now there is no time for breakfast so I land up eating my lunch. I am very lazy at times so I prefer to rest for a while after that.

Exercise mantra
Sleeping is really my passion. Even if I try I just cannot get up early in the morning.. Some of my friends do try to influence me to stick to a regime, but then after a few days it's back to square one. So, it's me and my dear bed again.

Diet Mantra
I am a strict vegetarian; no eggs, no onion and in fact at my mother's place, we are not even allowed to bring garlic. I am not a real foodie. I don't follow any kind of diet mantra, at any point in time. It's just not my cup of tea. Instead, whenever am upset or annoyed, my wife knows which string to pull. It's rice with tomato sabzi.

To dine out we love going to Yokos, or grab a pizza at Pizza Hut. And though I am not a Gujarati , I love the Gujarati thali at Rajdhani.

Shopping
I hate shopping but my wife loves it. It's like if I have to purchase a shirt and if I happen to like a belt too, I will return home with the shirt and go for the belt the next time. I hate window shopping. I am not at all brand conscious but I am definitely quality conscious. We normally shop at Inorbit, as it is very close to our place or else from Infinity in Andheri (W).

Gizmos and Gadgets
I won't call myself a gizmo freak, but yes, I can call myself as an extremely advanced writer.I am technically very sound. I have a blue tooth attached to my computer, my printer and my mobile phone. I do all my editing work on my advanced computer; right from editing clips to making my own ring tones.

I possess a Nokia 6062 and an Ipod, and very shortly I plan to buy a plasma for myself. My car is fully equipped with a DVD player and a monitor.

Religion
I have been very lucky in my life. It's like, if my life is a journey by car then I am sure that God is on the driving seat. I believe in the almighty. He has always been on my side right from the very beginning. Everything happened in my life rather unexpectedly. I thank God for all this..

Favourite car
I drive a Scorpio. I just love my car. It's spacious and we love going for long drives in it.

Reading
To be very frank, I hate reading thick books and novels. Just a look at them makes me perspire. I am happy being a script writer and I don't think I have any qualities of a writer. But I make it a point to religiously read all regional newspapers. It's an essential part of my schedule and helps me connect things better while I am scripting.

Zee Telefilms senior vice president, network marketing, Sita Laxmi Narayan Swamy, in a candid conversation with Indian Television.com's Nidhi Jain.

Top Leadership Mantras

Be good at your work and committed. Integrity and a never say die attitude is a must as well. Being caught up in the circle of whether I am a man or a woman, we tend to spread prejudices that don't exist, and start creating barriers which are not there. I would say to any woman as I did at LSE, that as a woman you have to first learn to dream and then believe in those dreams. Once you do that, it is very easy to overcome obstacles. These glass ceilings do exist the world over. 11 percent of the Fortune 500 companies constitute women entrepreneurs who are millionaires today.

Do Looks Count

Personally I believe that one should not go by precedence. A woman has to learn to be her own example. I may be petite. There is no mistaking the fact that I enjoy being feminine, enjoy my looks and what I wear. The truth of the matter is that the world and especially in the corporate domain, they look at you first and later check what you do. But that would only happen the first time round. Once you earn their respect, it really doesn't matter. There is still a chance for biases. I can't pretend that it doesn't exist. The idea should be for every capable woman to say that "I am a shining light" and not use gender as an excuse but rather as a motto to reshape.

A Method to the Madness

Firstly, I believe that there should be a method to the madness. Some amount of chaos is good because we live in a very dynamic world. A decade ago things were different.

Today change is a constant. It may be a clich? but we have to reinvent ourselves as individuals, organizations and brands. That is the only way to make sure consumer loyalty is maintained.

Take a look at the biggest brands we have today - whether it's the technology brands like Google, Myspace or Vertu; not only are they generating revenue but they also make sure that consumers keep coming back for more. Brands which have unwiring attachments and engagement with consumers are dynamic brands. The consumer is living in a dynamic world and the market is dynamic as well. As a result we need to have dynamic organizations which are a challenge. It maybe chaotic, but if we set a basic system in place firmly and have a brand parameter, not just as an old fashioned word but as a live example, it is possible. Words can be reinvented with passing time. Essential cores though do not change; brands with value and virtue can redefine product performance .So every madness has a method. It may sound erratic but if madness and chaos don't exist, there is a big danger that my world will become stagnant. Also, the feeling that you are in the thick of all the action gives me a huge high.

Inspiration to succeed

A question with a kick? I will not lie, since I am a blunt person, that I was very fortunate to have a woman as my first boss. She is no longer in advertising though. She made sure that I started out as a very strong personality. I think that a woman boss who is good at her work has a very fine mind and has no gender compunctions. Again, there is no such thing as nice or bad boss. That I think is a standard amateur definition. I think there are bosses that you can learn from and bosses that don't teach you anything. I am willing to deal with them no matter what. But I would rather deal with people who are themselves rather than people who pretend.

I have no problems with people who are difficult, though as long as they are who they are and earn respect through their work and can bring something to the organization. My boss was very good at her job, she influenced the part of a leader in me. She was my mentor in that respect.

All my men bosses that I worked with respected women when it came to work. They expected the world of me, they gave me the world of trust. Both men and women I worked with have shaped me.

The other parts of my life like painting fortunately, have not had to take a backseat either. I never had a compartmentalised life. The fortunate part is when you work in advertising /media/entertainment field you are surrounded by creative people. So far it's been very encouraging.

A Way of Life

Work has always been a huge part of my life. I am aware of the fact that I go to work every morning and it consumes a lot of my life. But it also ensures we develop bonds beyond work. In terms of work I believe to get the basic hygiene out, system functioning (laughs?). We need to focus on time for adding value. I am not a happy shiny person in a sense that I can't crack jokes in 10 minutes. Though I always have a song in my heart, wake up listening to songs and take time out to listen to my inner voice. I believe that this lifetime is a gift and failures and depression will be constantly encountered here. To me it's always about having another chance. If you believe that every failure or shortcoming has a gift for you in hand, you won't look back. Courage can be given to people when you don't forget the bad times. According to my dad, who was an army man, one must take defeat as a badge of honor because it will give you courage to go forward.

Likewise when I paint there is no depression.

The Changing rules of work

With the changing rules of work, perhaps it's very scary thing for work and organizations themselves. We are moving from the age of information to the age of ideas. Today, at the age of information and outsourcing, if we have great ideas we don't need 100 people, just a couple of people who believe in that idea. Its not the era of talking, it's the era of doing. It's important to believe in your dreams. Talent management becomes important. Rules are changing quickly, there are no fixed ones. It's the age of instinct, bravery and courage.

Ensuring the team delivers

You need to have a set of bright individuals to begin with. I grew up the ranks to become a leader. It is to be remembered that a team is not a wall with whitewash. Allow people to play to their strengths. Don't expect everything to be the same. This should be recognized to get incremental growth and happy individuals. Do encourage studies and get scholarships. Challenges will keep them constantly excited to outperform themselves.

Lessons Learnt

Now I have worked for 20 years, there have been lots of lessons learnt along the way. But the most important one - Being a woman, I can say gender doesn't really matter in the long run.

Business is fun

Every day is full of surprises. There is no script we are playing to, there are no rehearsals. Today, media is constantly changing, you can't over intellectualize, meet success and failure in the eye, don't brush it away.

A good state of Mind is what matters to stay connected to God everywhere. Priya Mishra, Vice President, Programming, Sony Entertainment Television speaks about her spirituality to Richa Dubey.

By Birth?

I am from a north Indian Brahmin family.

Religion?

I don't belong to a family which is overtly religious. They are not into a lot of worshipping and Puja. I was not aware of God until I grew up. My awareness about existence of God happened much later. I was not brought up with the whole thought that there is a God. I saw my parents praying but I never did.

I pray when things go wrong. Sometimes those prayers are for me and sometimes for others. When my beloved ones are in trouble then I pray for them. I do not do idol worship. Sometimes you pray for the world also. For me there is no definite time to pray.

I am not a very religious person so I don't know what it is. For my parents God was a very personal thing. We were never taken to Kirten or Satsang and even if they went I don't know about it. At a very early age I went to the hostel so probably because of that also I was not much aware of all these things. I think Religion is something that disciplines you. It teaches you to speak the truth, do good.
Like Hinduism teaches you that what goes around comes around and reincarnation. So in a way it disciplines us so that we do no harm to others. Similarly, other religions have there own theories that prevent people from sinning. So religion is meant to make us lead the right path. It does not always mean bhajan kirten because I have hardly seen that side of religion.

Values?

Basic values are very important and they also come from religion, which are inculcated in us by our elders and over a period of time we learn and understand it.

Be honest, don't cheat are things that you acquire in your upbringing. My parents got influenced by these thoughts so they want me to learn them. This is how basic values come to us. Humanity gave a code of conduct which came to be known as religion. These are all values which are very important.

Belief?
I have not seen God. For me my parents are the representation of God. They are the ones who got me into this world. So my strongest belief is that my parents are God to me. I lost my father when I was very young and I strongly believe that he is up there acting like a protective shield to me. When things go wrong I close my eyes and I see him.

Rituals you follow?

I don't follow any rituals. I do not fast on any occasion. I do nothing because my childhood was such. It is not very important for me.

Spiritual guidance?

If you do good things then you are automatically guided by God. He is connected to you only if you do good things and don't harm others. The kind of profession we are in, one should ideally get mad after reaching home but that does not happen because I think good thoughts. As a nation also we are very spiritual. We have never cracked under pressure like many other countries. That also helps to overcome any trauma. We have a spiritual reason to justify everything. Materialism never broke us down. A good state of mind is not made overnight.

Divine visit?

As a child I visited Vaishno Devi with my father. Since my childhood was entirely in Uttar Pradesh, I visited a lot of religious places like Banares and Allahabad. We were never forced or asked to pray. Also I was too young for it.

You can pray anytime of the day and need not go somewhere specifically for that. As a kid it was more like a picnic for me because we went as family get togethers. But I have been to many such places and enjoyed the experience.

Positive thinking?

Optimism is very important in life. The eagerness to live life and be optimistic about everything is the core of our survival. Even the richest cannot be happy if they are not optimistic about life. Earlier, I was not a very optimistic person. As a teenager I had a tough time facing my mood swings and I used to feel low very often but my elder brother inculcated in me the spirit of never say die. He taught me to get up every morning and tell myself that today is a great day. Eventually it worked for me and now I am happy go lucky.
There can be no set date to be happy. You cannot say that The day I buy a car I will be happy. We cannot demarcate it but we can try to be happy most of the time. We should be happy, come what may. This is optimism and this changed me. I have seen many celebrities who are not happy, even if they have everything they desired they are not happy. It is because of lack of optimism.

Destiny?

Everything is destined. I was completely unaware of destiny until my father's death. His death made me believe in destiny. From that day onward I started believing that few things are just destined and one cannot change them, no matter what. Had it not been pre-destined then it would not have happened the way it happened. He was too young to die. A few people say that there is no need to work because everything is pre-destined but I feel hard work is also a part of destiny. Destiny is an unknown path and we have to move forward to find our goals. I strongly believe in destiny.

A few people get things easily but I always worked hard to achieve everything. It was destined to happen that way so I worked hard. But we cannot do anything when it comes to emotional matters like birth, death. In such cases everything is controlled by destiny.

Karmology?

Karma is a part of destiny.

Relaxing Spiritually?

I used to do yoga since my childhood but these days due to work I have not been able to do it. Other than that, when I have to relax I listen to music. I have not been for vacations for long. For me, every day is a vacation as long as you enjoy your work. I do not think that I will be happy when I go to London for vacation, no. For me going for a movie or to a mall with family and friends is also a vacation because I enjoy that and I am happy doing that.

Otherwise, Yoga is the best. It is scientific and has a very good effect on the body and mind. The best way to relax spiritually is to think good of others and be fair to them. You get disturbed only when you do bad to others and when people do bad to you. Such situations should be avoided. Sanity should prevail.
Seek to cultivate a buoyant, joyous sense of the crowded kindnesses of God in your daily life. Alexander MacLaren

The main characteristics of effective leadership are intelligence, integrity or loyalty, mystique, humor, discipline, courage, self sufficiency and confidence.-James L. Fisher. Fits perfectly into the bill is Shailendra Singh's, Joint managing director, Percept Holdings. Making of leader unfolds his experiences to Nidhi Jain.

Lessons learnt so far

The ultimate lesson I learnt,when I plunged into business was not to trust anybody, but the only way I want to do business is by trusting people, the only way I get satisfied is when one loose. I trust everybody blindly and have great time doing and that also means, one should use skills to safeguard interest.
Secondly, the most crucial thing is never say die spirit, everybody has that but I think in Harry and me both brothers have in the blood stream, courtesy our lifestyles, we are very sporting people ,and in a sport one always have a spirit when it's known that in the last ball the game can turn, even if its four sets down or three, in a big game one can come to five set tie breaker if one is an athlete and the mind is also used like one ,in that case one fight that last minute helps in business. If one loose one is sporting instead of brooding and crying is a fantastic lesson to learn in business.
Third thing is a strategy of being an underdog. I like to strike from the back. People most least except is when one should succeed. It's focus more on the product and realities than the packaging.

Method of pacifying madness

I try and most of the time-manage to have a good time of what I am doing. My entire thought process is the journey we are living, one must enjoy because destination is unknown we all might land up in ICU.People around me like wannabes, achievers all seem to be running towards some destination, they don't have a clue where it is .We must give it our best and use all the skills! Try having a good time doing it and that mountain of a task look like nothing. If it goes with the flow, we don't realize what we have pulled off. That's what I do in anything I lay my hands on. There's no task which is impossible, there is no agenda which is boring, there is no meeting with a pressure therefore I don't come to work. Live life in a manner it's meant to be lived .I am not here to survive I see 99% people surviving in Mumbai?we should live it.

People that influenced

My dad for his discipline, never say die spirit, my brother for his wisdom. I have looked up to athletes like Kapil Dev, my best friend, a great opportunity to look up to an athlete to be your friend. I look up to Michael Douglas as an actor, for his entire persona, his personality, he is a fantastic orator. A person like Sylvester Stallone was very high level of inspiration to me for his movie, Rocky. We aware that he is going out win in round 13 but we watch all 13 rounds, to know what's going to happen next .I haven't found an icon who gets me going because most of the people I have seen are not complete achievers if the business is very rich, they are unhappy. An athlete like Borris Becker is whom I turned on by. They are business models; one man show conduct in industry. I try translating that into business.

Strategic alliance

Everything is a game. Both I and Harry who runs the business have different perspective and whole thing is a game .Game means strategy, game, passion, plan and the end should be victory. That's how I plan my moves .Ingredients, which is same in business and sports is- passion. If we don't have the passion, it's better don't do it .I try bring all that strategy of sports into business that helps our organization to be healthy, sporting and fun loving.

Changing rules of work
The philosophy of Percept is -the only constant is change, we should listen, understand with a difference, what entire country is witnessing in an accelerated manner now. Every moment of our life, lifestyles, TV, technology, sexual/physical habits, food have changed, that's life. We mark a change.

Ensuring that team delivers
We have got in our old set of rules. I am very lunatic, if we don't challenge ourselves how can we challenge the system, if push comes to me I make sure I do it. I get inspired by Lance Armstrong, a simple person with normal body and great work .It's all about making mind. I add every new thing to my life which excites me. I set targets for my team that they can deliver, it's important you set a reasonable target. It's no point asking Harbajan Singh to bat, he is a good baler, should only ball .Likewise, it's important to know the potential of the executive. Get the best within his means and set a target, also show him the path. One has to stop being a dictator and demand Rome. Give him an army of half a billion soldiers with arms and ammunition.
With credentials of Percept, we show executive the path to achieve target then we let them be independent, interference is not fair way. We supervise that path periodically to ensure that we are running the right direction.

Fun part of your business
Fun part are relationships, we are fortunate that to be in the business were in any point of time have 6000 global relationships we maintain, that's the key factor. My business arouse me to meet people, talk to them exchange views and have fun.

I am never short of energy, without gas we can't drive a car, by God's grace I maintain a decent health, a routine where I don't like to sleep more than four hours. The focus, if energy is distributed in wrong directions it's wasted. I know where I am heading, I have 40 odd different meetings in a day, but I still put energy and focus into each meeting the way its required. I know what I want.

For Adlabs Chairman, Manmohan Shetty, that clients and customer satisfaction are topmost priorities underpins some of the experiences from a long span of 30 years that he shares with Nidhi Jain.

Lessons you learnt
The main thing that I feel personally is that customer satisfaction is very important for the growth of the industry. One should not compromise on any kind of service provided. In every area of business I worked in these past years, only good work is appreciated. Don't compromise on services. I will not compromise on any service and would not allow my company to do so.

I have been lucky in some ways. I have been working in the same company since the last 30 years and most of the people are still the same. After Reliance came in 2005 July, new people came in management. It has been a blessing in disguise for the company because with Reliance came a lot of money and Brand value and our visibility became larger.

It has helped us grow very fast since they came on board in 2005. Our perspective has also changed, all of which has added a lot values in the work of the company. I don't think of any competition as of now. In today's fierce competitive environment, if a job is done really well, then there will be no competition to face. Today, most people are trying to cut corners and make money. For us it is all about providing a good service; be it quality popcorn or quality parking, it's all about giving good service.

Chaos Theory
Well I haven't had any kind of chaos yet. We are all in the job of growing bigger and working faster because we all are under pressure.

People that influenced
I have seen people telling me that I am the role model but I have never seen myself like that and am not influenced by anyone personally. Because I have had very different kinds of growth in my personal life. I come from a very remote village and success did not happen to me overnight.

Strategies
If anyone is just specialized it limits the capacity to do something. We must look around to experiment or try new things. If someone has blinkers for 15 years, suddenly remove it then think there are so many other things one you can do. I think that is how we picked up in Cinema and other productions.

Even if I had opened a blinker earlier, there was always a restriction on funds. In July when Reliance came we innovated. So the vision was always there, only the right kind of strategy and input was required. But there is a limit as to when, what should be done. So we thought we should have the right people at the right time to implement the vision. We had money but we just required the right management. That's why we took a lot of time.

Changing rules
I don't think we have changed. Reform but don't change. Actually we are in a learning process.

Ensuring that your team delivers
We have targets. We have 4 - 5 divisions like production, distribution, multiplexes and so on. Each one is given a target based on their performances. How much investment we can do and what numbers they have to give. So we ensure that every quarter they come up with new targets and perform well. That delivers the cause.

Fun part of your business
I enjoy when we process a good film and if the results are good. I think I enjoy all my work. I am very happy the way I work and how it's going. A lot of people may not be as lucky as me.

I, Manmohan Shetty leader of today?
Leaders are chosen by someone else - my employees, my companies or the shareholders. I can't say that I am the king. How they define leadership is more important, whether I am a good leader, average or poor. As per performances I think we have grown all the time. I would not have grown well today if the market conditions were not good. There is no yardstick. I could have done it 5 years earlier maybe I would have never done it. So is it correct? I don't know?