I start my day with
Mornings begin with some good music. Music sort of adds spice to my morning routine. Then I wish my four year old son good morning with a peck on his cheeks which is like a ritual. I am not very particular about my breakfast; so I just grab something and I am off to work.

My fitness mantra
I don't exercise at all. It's not that I don't believe in it. By God's grace I'm quite fit at the moment and I don't need to exercise. But, this year my new year resolution is to start with a brisk walking regime.

My diet
Basically, I eat anything I can digest. I am pure vegetarian. I also try to avoid high calorie food but I just can't resist chaats and samosas. I freak on South Indian food. Some of my favourite eating joints are Woodland (Juhu), Papa Pancho (owned by Prahlad Kakkar) and Poptates (Versova).

Travel destinations.
My work has taken me around the world in the last few years to places like Europe, South East Asia and US. I have fond memories of Greece, Switzerland, Egypt amongst other countries. At least once a year, we plan out a family holiday. I love traveling in India, especially up North. While in college I used to go trekking to places like Sikkim, Manali and Dharamshalla. Goa is another destination I love to frequent. I have yet to visit places down South.

Shopping destination
I am a value for money shopper. I generally shop at malls like Phoenix mills or the Inorbit (which is quite close to where I stay). In India, cities like Delhi and Bangalore also offer quality wear.

My favourite brands
I am not all that brand conscious. But for my for formal wear I prefer brands like Allen Solly, Reid & Taylor and Louis Phillipe.

Movies for me are
I am crazy about movies. As far as Hollywood films go, I like action and thriller movies. As far as Bollywood goes, I love all Amitabh Bachchan films. From Don to Agnipath to Sarkar. Some of my favourite films are Munna Bhai MBBS, Dil Chahta Hai and Sarfarosh. I even like all Govinda films and some of Shahrukh Khan movies.

Music is my life
Music has been my life. I hear everything; from retro to rock to emotional to hip hop. Be it Pink Flyod,Dire Straits,Britney Spears, Madonna, Kishore Kumar to Sonu Nigam.

Gizmos and gadgets
I am a complete gizmo and gadget freak. I always want to know more about new technological innovations.

My favourite car
I drive the Corrola. I think it's one of the best cars around. I also love the Honda Accord. On roads abroad, Hummer looks the best.

Stress busters
My kids and music are great stress busters. These revitalize me, and help me get ready to face further challenges of life.

"The reading habit was inculcated in me by my school teachers and parents.The kind of books I choose to read have always inspired me in all walks of life whether it's in my business dealings, running a company or understanding people. In all, books really determine my spiritual quotient in life, so-to- speak.

I grew up reading Gujarati authors like Bakur Patel and Zaverchand Meghani. Later, I continued to experiment with authors like Kaka Kalelkar who specialize in writing essays. While doing my graduation at the college of commerce, I was thinking of carving out a career at the stock market or as a CA. But then as I continued to read, write and then eventually got into dramatics. That's when I discovered my passion for the creative field.

My favourite books
My family is a lot into reading religious scriptures. As for me, it's not about religious reading but about seeking spiritual inspiration from whatever I read. Ravindranath Tagore remains one of my all-time favourite author. I love going back to his song offerings in Gitanjali which are pretty awe-inspiring.

I also love going back to books by Swami Vivekananda. His writings have the message of Vedanta and spiritual teachings that have saved the country during periods of decline and crisis. A lot of the writings are about the concept of dharma, values which add on to our everyday life and existence. I also love reading books by Osho Rajneesh . Currently, I am trying to get into reading our scriptures. I am currently on the Atharva Veda which helps me handle my finances and business properly.

How books inspire me
My spiritual quotient has been inspired by whatever I read. Books help me introspect, and understand life. I don't look at religion rigidly. I am also very flexible and open to ideas and people in life. With time, people change and so does their perspective in life.

After days of pursuing, we finally meet Rajiv Mehra on the sets of Shanno ki Shaadi. Taking a short break from his hectic shooting schedule, Mehra lights up a cigarette as we settle down for a brief tete-e-tete. After chatting up the salt-n-pepper producer/director about his soon to be launched show 'Kasme Vaade' and his other on-air projects like Shararat we slowly dicover a rather sporty side to this ace producer.

He reveals, "I am very passionate about the game of Polo and I've been pursuing it for almost two decades now. I love cricket too, but I just watch the game." Taking a nostalgic trip from his earlier days, he goes on, " while in school I got fond of horse riding. My maternal uncle who used to stay at Napeansea road would accompany me to the race course at the Mahalaxmi race course. As my love for riding grew and then later I got totally hooked on to the game of Polo."

"I joined the Amateur Riders' Club at Mahalaxmi and started participating in sports like Show Jumping [going over an obstacle while riding] Tent Pegging, [unearthing the peg with a lance while riding a galloping horse] Dressage rider doing various moves in co-ordination with the horse]," says the student of Scholar High School and H. R. College who won the championship in Tent Pegging at an individual as well as at a National level playing for Western India

Now Polo is only a leisure activity
"I have been pursuing the game seriously for almost two decades now. But now I don't really have the time for serious tournaments, it's only a leisure game.The reason being that the game requires tremendous fitness levels, a lot of time and a string of Polo ponies. I used to get away to places like Delhi and Jaipur for a month or so to participate in all the tournaments. The fitness levels of a Polo player should be almost at par with that of a Squash player or an American Football player," says Mehra who in his younger days used to ride for an hour in the mornings and evenings to keep fit.

On a lighter vein, he continues,"it was not as if the horse was doing all the work but that was not the case. To take the ball to make a goal on a galloping horse with a rough stick (read Mallet) over the pitch [spanning over 300 by 200 square yards] requires utmost physical and mental agility

Polo Ponies

As the sugarless coffee arrives,we ask him about how many horses he maintains? " earlier between me and a friend we used to maintain about 3 to 4 horses. Now as the chairman of the Amateurs Riders Club at Mahalaxmi, I urge the television fraternity to avail of all the advantages of this sport in Mumbai. We encourage women too to pursue the game."

Rajiv's tips to aspiring polo players:

• Be ready to maintain several polo ponies. A Polo player needs to change at least four ponies for one game per day. That is because 1 polo chakkar offers seven and a half minute of playtime that is bound to tire the horse. Since one game of Polo consists of six chakkars one needs to maintain a string of ponies as they could get injured or ill too.
• Become the member of Amateur Rider's Club at Mahalaxmi as it offers the cheapest facilities in the world where it buys and maintains the horses. It also charges minimum for playing one chakkar. The upkeep of the horse is cheap at Rs 1000 per horse per month against a Singapore Club that charges 3.5 lacs for the upkeep of a horse which is really steep.

Varun Kohli, VP revenue, Sieger Solutions, a staunch believer in the Almighty, tells Richa Dubey that God means the world to him.

By Birth you are?
I am from a broadminded Hindu family.

Religion you follow?
There are certain ideals and principles which we thrive on. For me God is in everybody. In fact, for me I see God in my parents. My dad is no more but my mom is still alive.

Your beliefs and places of pilgrimage?
I believe in Vaishnodevi a lot. That does not mean that I do not worship any other God. The other Gods are always there in my mind. I firmly believe that the best thing that God gave me is my family. I do speak to God when I am down and tensed due to pressure. It is religious belief that keeps me going.

Values that you carry?
For me, values of a person are very important. Values come if one fears life, fears God. Fear makes you value everything. I am very honest about it. According to me, God wants one to value before it is given to them. There is a time when he teaches you and he has his own way.

When we are in a trouble we know God will take care of us. Somewhere down the line that prevents you from taking wrong decisions. I think I have a strong bond with the Almighty and I certainly believe that that people who do not believe in God do not understand life. Ultimately he is the Creator.

Positive thinking...
For me Positive thinking comes from God because I know that if I do wrong someday I will have to give answers to somebody, maybe after death.

Karmology...
I believe in Karma. If one does anything wrong it comes back to us. So based on that I am very clear on what I have to do. My only idea is that I intentionally never tried to hurt anybody. This is the biggest gift because that fear of God and interaction with him keeps me going and away from bad things.
To be very honest, I am very blunt and that has landed me into a lot of trouble at times. This is how I am, accept me or reject me.

Are you Destiny's child?
When I am doing great I say wow! I am a destiny's child. At times I say I am not. It's a mixed feeling. So in a way no one is destiny's child. It's like a graph, going up and coming down.
I am a very strong believer of karma and strongly believe in life after death. God is the master, he is playing a game and we all are participants. We have to just play our parts to our best. I still remember once in my class, I planned with my friends to bunk and go to the field to play and as soon as we entered the field something in me dissuaded me from going onto the field. I don't know what it was. Love or fear but that was strange. I had not completed my homework and I knew I was going to get a good bashing from my teacher. That was the first time I realised what happens to you when you do anything wrong. After that I never bunked college.
At the same time my family has always stopped me from doing anything wrong though they have given me freedom. Yet I never touched alcohol or smoked. I have always believed in Karma and it is still attached to me. It is not that I wished to but I did it out of choice.My idea is clear that I should not play around with other's sentiments. I can tell anybody on the face if I like or dislike them. This is the influence that God has.

My mom has always taught me that God exists everywhere. After my college, I was struggling to get a break but I was unable to and then suddenly I met someone at a party who called me the next morning. I met him and as the saying goes, the rest is history.

"I've been a voracious reader since my childhood. Always had a book in hand, even while watching TV. I recall my friends reading stuff like Mills & Boons whereas I loved reading Russian and Hindi classics. I remember reading Crime and Punishment by Fyodor M. Dostoevsky while in school. Later, I shifted on to bestsellers.

I inculcated the reading habit from my school teachers and my parents. And now reading helps me in my profession as story telling comes naturally to me.

Now, I am lucky as my husband too loves to read, so we have a good collection of books at home. Even my kids like to read. I have a huge collection of books on script writing and other aspects of the television industry. Book buying is a regular activity which is based on book reviews appearing across the media.

I like to keep abreast the recent bestsellers, and reviews as they help me to pick up the right books. Unfortunately, with our hectic working schedule, I don't find too much time to read. But, I do try to read at nights, or generally browse through some of my all time favourite books.
My favourite books
Some of my favourite books are Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell and Roots by Alex Haley. Both the books have characters with a great depth and range. I keep going back to these books after a gap of few years. As a matter of fact, Gone with the wind is one of the very few books that has turned out very well as the movie. Otherwise, movies do not do much justice to books.

I recently read The Bridges of Madison County by Robert Waller which has left a deep impression on my mind. It's an understated love story told with an utmost simplicity. The story is going to stay with me for a long time.

In Hindi, I have liked the work of Maitrai Pushpa, a Delhi based writer who has also won an academy award. Her work consists of stories about women by women that are amazingly poignant. One day I would like to adapt these stories on the idiot box. Sholay, the Making of a Classic by Anupama Chopra was one hell of a fun book. I also enjoyed reading My Autobiography by Charles Chaplin, which is an extremely well written book.

Books that do not hold me--
A Suitable boy by Vikram Seth did not hold me. I like to read books that leave a lot to imagination. The self-help, spiritual or management books are not for me. I have read murder mysteries written by Alfred Hitchcock and Perry Mason. Also, read The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown recently.

Ashok Pandit, Producer, Sarrika Images was born in Kashmir and brought up in an highly spiritual environment. He tells us why he believes a lot in destiny. 

My parents migrated to Mumbai at the time of the exodus. Later I studied at the N.M.College in Mumbai. But Kashmir surely has remained a part of my sensibilities. I had no clue that one day I will become a producer, director, a social activist and earn fame. That is why I believe in destiny a lot.

I begin my day with
Whatever time I might sleep, I always get up between 6 and 7. I begin my day with Kashmiri tea called Kehwa. It's a ready mix that I get from Kashmir. There's no milk or sugar in this kind of tea. Instead we grate some almonds in it. After that I go for a walk on the Juhu beach as it's very close to where I stay. I have never liked going to a gym. I feel as if I am confined to boundaries there.

My diet
For breakfast its mostly porridge or fruits. I do not have lunch. My evening meal is roti, sabzi, dal and salad. Sometimes, it's also also just boiled vegetables and salads as I am trying to reduce weight.

Eating out
I don't fancy eating out much. One thing I hate is to wait for your meal. That's why I prefer going to Urban Tadka and Pappilon as they belong to friends. I call them up before reaching so that I get the table. I am a khichdi freak and love to order it even at a five star hotel. Often me and Mahesh Bhandarkar, who happens to be a good friend get together for our Khichdi sessions. I love going to Pritam da Dhaba at Oshiwara as they make excellent Khichdi.

On Page 3 parties
I love socializing and meeting new people. Talking about page 3 culture, I would say that it's changing. Now- a -days one does not have to be dressed- to- the- hilt or be a socialite to appear on page 3. In fact, all the happening parties around town have business tycoons as well as simple achievers. But what gives me a lot of happiness is socializing of a different kind. I like to meet aggrieved people, maybe at a police station or just on the road. I believe that just talking or interacting with people in distress helps them ease their pain.

My balancing act
Sometimes the media portrays a larger than life image of celebs; so success can go to ones' head easily. My family keeps me rooted all the time. I do not let my ego rule me. Good times do not always last. Many a times, just to keep in touch with reality I travel by train or even have a vada pau when hungry. I also make it a point to react to unjust and unfair situations.

Spirituality
My grandmother was a great spiritual writer. Even my mother is a spiritual leader. I have always got a lot of my positive energy from them. They give me a sense of security, along with a strong sense of belief in life. Theirs is the only unconditional love in this world.

Gizmos & gadgets
I use a functional mobile. Besides this, I have not enslaved myself to other electronic trappings.

Cars
I drive a Tavera. It's a functional as well a spacious car. Otherwise, I am not fond of cars.

Clothes
I don't believe in brands. Ones' personality should be ones brand. I love to shop kurtas from Fab India.

Travel destination
I do not like to travel much. I avoid holidays which really irks my family. Once I was to accompany my wife Nirja to the US for her show [she is a singer] but at the last minute the thought of a day long journey in the aircraft made me cancel the trip. We went for a holiday to Kashmir last year.

Reading
I read only newspapers. I get them from all over the world. I also browse on the net for more news. I feel it's very important to read the newspapers to keep abreast of the changing times and happenings. I would love to read more but time does not permit it. I have read a lot of Hindi literature and have enjoyed Premchand's work immensely.