This weekend, Exec Lifestyle brings to you some engaging stories from media executives who are also chefs in their own rights, and love to experiment in their kitchens. Here?s what?s cooking with our exec chefs

 By Papri Das

In today's fast-paced world filled with increasing demands and responsibilities, it's important to manage your stress level. Some people cope with stress by overeating or eating unhealthy food, smoking, drinking and other activities that raise the risk for high blood pressure, thereby becoming counter productive. On the other hand, there are many who prefer a quick weekend getaway or lounging back to read their favourite book.

Understanding the gravity of the situation, Indiantelevision.com's Exec Life caught up with several executives to find out how they manage stress, keep high blood pressure at bay, and unwind their otherwise knotted lives.

"Television is as stressful as any other profession really," declared Reliance Broadcast Network CEO Tarun Katial in an earlier interview with Exec Lifestyle when we asked him for his formula for staying stress free. "And what keeps me going through the day is that I take a very detached attitude towards life in general."

He further reveals, "I did a course in Vipassana, an ancient form of meditation a few years ago which sort of transformed my life in very many ways. Now, I not only practice it everyday but recommend it to many people within the television industry."

Inner peace isn?t the only thing executives vie for; after all a healthy mind resides within a healthy body. Thus Madison World executive director Lara Balsara prefers the ancient art of yoga to keep both her mind and body fit. ?It started with me attending a Iyengar yoga class in the colony I lived in before marriage. I found myself feeling good every time I practiced and so I started attending more regularly,? says the young executive, confessing that she hasn?t been as regular as she used to be. ?It helps you become flexible and improves your strength, apart from  keeping your blood pressure in check.?

Contrary to popular belief, relaxation is not just about meditating or doing something peaceful. Former HBO managing director Monica Tata believes in living life on the edge. A self-acclaimed adrenalin junkie, Tata?s idea of relaxation is to go on roller coaster rides.

?Bungee jumping, roller coaster rides, river rafting and paragliding are some of the things I like doing. I do ride a bike. My friends and I love going for motorcycle rides from Manali to Ladakh,? she says.

While quenching her adrenalin rush does it for Tata, Insync channel CEO Ratish Tagde harbours a passion for music. He is also an acclaimed violinist and claims music to be everything in his life. He says, ?It is music that is driving me, be it setting up the channel or any other work. If and when I get time, I am with my violin. Apart from that, I spend time with my family.?

On an average day Leo Burnett India CCO Rajdeepak Das manages his stress levels with his caffeine fix. ?I hang around a lot at coffee shops. It not only caters to my love for coffee, I also get to talk to  a number of strangers and that lifts up my mood,? says the ad man. But there are days when even coffee can?t salvage him. ?On my worst days, when nothing else works I turn to my wife. A good hearty talk with her calms me down and I quickly get over my stress and blues.?

Film critic and author Anupama Chopra loves to spend time with her children when she is not writing or reviewing films. Apart from that, she is also a self-confessed foodie. ?I love food and I love to eat. I love to go out and try different kinds of food though I am a vegetarian. I love Thai and Japanese food, as well as some Indian food,? she says.

Like Chopra, Sideways co-founder Abhijit Avasthi believes that kids are the best stress busters. ?They can be annoying as hell, no doubt about that, but they can de-stress you in 10 seconds,? jokes Avasthi, who is a doting father of two boys. While he asserts that nothing matches the time he spends with his boys, Avasthi also enjoys going on walks amidst greenery to unwind and relax.

Motorsport, spoiling oneself in a luxurious spa with a herbal massage, having a drink with close buddies or spending quality time with kids and family and of course yoga --  methods of de-stressing are countless. What matters is being aware of your increasing stress and blood pressure levels with routine check ups, and countering them with a healthy lifestyle.

On that note, Exec Life wishes you a  stress free weekend!

In a city like Mumbai, where there are countless number of dine out options for every cuisine, and the number of offers and suggestions from curating apps makes you further confused, it is hard to settle with one that you call your favourite. But our execs have successfully handpicked a few haunts that have never failed to please them. This week on Exec Life, watch these media execs speak about their favourite food haunts in the city

Exec Life is back again with another episode of Talking Point, where we give you a sneak peak into the lives of successful media executives.

This episode follows our host to the lively office of Leo Burnett in Mumbai to catch up with the dynamic Chief Creative Officer, Rajdeepak Das.

Hailed as one of the youngest in the industry to have climbed the corporate ladder in a short time, Das calls hard work as his success mantra. Watch out for his jokes and infectious energy!

By Papri Das

During the week, they put on their best Hugo Boss suits, Piaget watches, and Italian handcrafted shoes, during a typical day at the office. But come the weekend and late evening, you see them donning jeans, boots, bandanas, tight T-shirts, as they head for the bright lights of the stage, guitars or haversacks slung over their shoulders. Meet the modern day rocker CEOs.

These are the guys who continue to pursue their musical gifts, even as they drive their corporate charges to new financial and growth milestones. They spend their time rehearsing and getting into the groove with their band mates before a performance at either a Blue Frog or an NH7 Weekender. And when they really let it all out, just playing to the thousands in the audience, nobody would guess they are the corporate types.

Take Universal Music India CEO Devraj Sanyal. He has gained a reputation as a CEO who is re-imagining and recreating his recording company into a new organization ready and fit for the fast evolving music ecosystem. But Devraj is also famous amongst the metal heads in India for his band Brahma, one of the forerunners of India?s metal scene from 1994 to 2005.

?We got our first big break through the IRock festival which used be very huge. After 10 years of active presence in iRock opening most major rock festivals in India we saw ourselves doing two hour and three hour long sets,? shares Sanyal crediting the success to they have achieved to their diversion free focus. ?Unlike most rock bands, none of us had any addiction to drugs or the like. It made us tighter as a band and extremely focused on what we wanted to achieve,? he reveals. 

Of the thousand plus gigs that Brahma has played, Devraj says their act at Manipal in --- is a standout.  ?Mad  monstrous crowd! They didn't let us leave the stage for 30 minutes more than the rehearsed set. At some point we were playing the metal version of ?Smoke on the Water? by Deep Purple and the fans set the side walls on fire as we sang the chorus ?fire in the sky?,? narrates Sanyal. ?At that time it seemed the ultimate show of love by ours fan but on hindsight it was a scary experience.?

Leo Burnett India CC, Rajdeepak Das reveals he has taken a shot a deejaying and hangs out with a lot of deejays. ?Being a deejay is the coolest thing,? he confesses, with his top DJ being David Guetta. These days however he is busy building up his music playlist. ?I am massive on Bob Dylan. I also like Rodrigues. I have all his released and unreleased work as well,? he says.

 Mumbai-based digital content and distribution company 120 Media Collective CEO Roopak Saluja used to do night shifts as a trance deejay. And he even has a record label Procyon Records, which signed on and released other artistes in the past.

 He recollects zipping from airport to hotel across different countries while at ad agency Young & Rubicam. But the hectic schedule could not get the deejay out of him. He would continue spinning records and getting trance fans to get into the groove in the EDM capitals in Europe. 

He shares: ?I was literally living my life out of a suitcase. There would be times when I would fly in from Singapore airport and not even go home, catch another flight to some place like Portugal or Amsterdam over the weekend. I would then play a gig  or gigs and come back to Mumbai  airport on Monday and directly go to office.?

 Roopak rubbishes all claims that deejaying is relatively easy and can be done even when holding a day and week job. ?People believe that you simply need a playlist of two or three hours of the popular tracks but they don't get the hard work  which goes into creating that music set of two or three hours. As a deejay you need to be constantly listening and exploring new music and keeping up with the world?s trends While the three hour play happens once a week or so, you spend the entire week and you burn the midnight oil listening and researching. So yes, it is hard work indeed, but the people I met and parties I had made it worth it,? says Roopak.

 Apart from running a creative ad agency, Bartle Boge and Hegarty CEO and managing partner  Subhash Kamath has built up a fan following for his music being a regular performer at advertising industry awards functions and dos.  ?I used to sing in a band when I was in college but it was short lived after I started work years later I found myself jamming with friends in parties or office gatherings, and at one time I was asked to form a  band to perform at an advertising event,? says Kamath. ?I was surprised to see how well we were received. Soon after a few more people (some from advertising and some professional musicians) got on board we formed the band Wanted Yesterday.?The name reflects the ad industry?s plight of short deadlines for creative as well as his love for the classic rock and blues era.

 There are others in the south east Asian region who mix their music with work. And that too pretty well. Consider the band Uranus which has some media heavweights as its members.

 Among them: event and conference company Branded CEO Jasper Donat, TigerGate boss William Pfeiffer, ad and documentary film maker Ocean Vista Films CEO Craig Leeason, Siren Films founder Ed Bean and former Channel V VJ Dominic Lau. The motely crue has been performing for quite a few years now and they even have a booking agent and play in clubs and bars in Hong Kong and at industry events.

 However, most of the corporate chieftains we spoke to, confessed that their musical careers are important ? but they rank lower on the priority list after their day jobs and family. Says Sanyal: ?My job as an MD and CEO always comes first and the band second. It?s a conscious decision I have taken a long time ago and the boys have been very respectful of it.? However, the band is fiddling with the idea of releasing their third album.

 Kamath finds the time to rehearse and jam but he finds the coordination piece between all his mates a major challenge, because each one of them is pre-occupied. Gigs therefore are limited.

 Ditto with Uranus. The rockers have regaled their fans ? especially in the industry ? over the years, but play only at select venues. ?Music is in our blood,? says Donat. ?And we will continue to play as long as we can.?

Rock on!