"As a child, I loved reading Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys and Enid Blyton. When I joined college, I started with Mills & Boons but the books didn't really fascinate me. As a matter of fact, I found them to be trash. So, I switched over to Sidney Sheldon and never regretted it.

Those were the days when I had all the time in the world and I could settle down with a book anywhere, anytime. Now, my priority is marriage, motherhood and of course work which leaves me very little leisure time. However, I try to catch up on my reading, either in between shoots or while going through files in office or sometimes even before going to sleep.Holidays are the best time to catch up on my reading, but then I would rather spend some time with my family.
In fiction, I like to read mushy stuff and so pick up novels written by Sandra Brown and Danielle Steel. I am not really cut out for hardcore stuff, and authors like John Grisham don't excite me. Science fiction or spiritual books are again not for me. I like to read only self-help books which sort of give me some direction in life.My favourite books
I have just finished reading Focus by Jack Canfield. The book is all about focusing on a goal. The author emphasises that `goal achieving is a process.' Nothing should come in between one's focused efforts and the goal one has set for oneself. It might take one years to reach our goals, but one has to continue to fight failure and not give up or lose focus.
This book has really inspired me a lot. It has helped me focus on my goal of having more television shows. Eventually, my goal is to make a feature film that would get me international acclaim.

I try to read books which help me with new ideas and that doesn't necessarily mean books in English. Sometime back, I read a Gujarati novel Maare pan ek ghar hoi by Varsha Adalja, based on which we made the serial Mujhe Dor Koi Khinche. I also read Trijo Kinaro by Harkishan Mehta. I love reading all his books. I wish, I had the time to read Hindi and Marathi literature which is equally rich.

Another book which has helped me in my profession is, How to win friends and Influence people by Dale Carnegie. This book was recommended to me by my father-in-law Pranlal Mehta. It was nothing less than a Bible for him. He used to say, 'You must read this book, otherwise you will never be a successful producer. And truly the book has helped me handle people effectively as a producer. In the self- help series, I have also enjoyed reading Success Principles by Norman Vincent Peale."

Sitting in his exquisitely done up plush apartment in Goregaon ( a suburb in Mumbai), dressed comfortably in a grey T shirt and track pants, Aatish Kapadia looks totally calm and composed. I sense a certain aloofness about the man as he tells me, "Actually I've taken a day off from my shooting today to write my next episode for Sarabhai Vs Sarabhai."

After discussing a few nitti gritties the fresh pineapple juice arrives, Kapadia opens up a bit and gets talking about himself, "at times I can be very aloof but then I can also very gregarious with people I know well."

That perhaps sets the whole tone of the conversation, as we settle down for a brief t?te-?-t?te on his life and times. I ask him about his rise from a writer to a successful producer, and he goes "somehow, life hasn't been a struggle but things have just fallen in place for me. I am a product of meeting the right people at the right time. I strongly believe life is a journey and not a race." And this, coming from a producer and the brain behind the immensely successful shows like Khichdi, Sarabhai vs Sarabhai and Ba bahu aur babli. I wait for more, as Kapadia reveals it all about his life and times.

My early days
My family's been into the textiles business for years, but somehow I knew that I could never fit into it. And that's why the surname `Kapadia'. One best thing that I picked up from my father was the habit of reading. And along with reading voraciously I tried my hand at different things in life - acting, writing and theatre.

I started off doing Gujarati theatre and later scripting for Gujarati soaps. Somehow, God has been kind to me and life has not been a struggle but things have just fallen in place for me. I am a product of meeting the right people at the right time. My big break in the Hindi television space happened with Alpaviram. Later, Ek mahal ho sapno ka happened, which I thoroughly enjoyed writing.

I believe, life is not a race, it's a journey cause if it's a race then what do I do when the race ends? I want to walk at my own pace and compete with myself.

I seek inspiration from
I seek inspiration from people I meet on the road, on the sets and when I travel. They could even be complete strangers to me. I try to understand people, their real selves and their three dimensional lives. Life is not about being either completely white or black. So, people are my fodder for thought.

I keep the child in me alive by watching children play. Children are an amazing gift from God, as they enjoy the simple joys of life almost mesmerized by life. It's we adults who put in ideas of competition and racing against time for them.

On the television business
The television business is getting crazier by the day. We are obsessed with glamour, gossip and everyone's trying to fit into the same slot. So, if one guy is creating unnecessary drama and getting TRP's everyone's trying to imitate. As a result, the whole landscape looks the same. I think, success is a relative term and TRP's have to be seen in the right context. Even newspapers are all intellectually crap, full of parties, gossip and weddings. There is nothing intellectually stimulating to read.

On Page 3 parties
I feel totally out of place at parties especially, filmi parties. I try to avoid all parties as far as possible.

Success means
Success is being allowed to do the kind of creative work that I want to. And not having to do what the channel or the audiences want. There are people in the market who think they are successful but I think they have succumbed to pressure.

I am failing every single day.
I experience failure every single day as I try to write and pull off every episode successfully. To fill a blank piece of paper every single day is a great challege. Since, I am not a genius, words don't flow out but I've to work very hard at my craft.

Stress busters
I don't believe in getting stressed. If something is not working out or shaping up as per my wishes - then my attitude, So what? I take it very cool in life. I used to practice Yoga earlier but now I prefer going to the gym. I mix a workout of cardio and weights. I also love traveling because of the hectic schedules. I love traveling and have traveled across the world along with my theatre group.