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.

From flat beds to foie gras, the best for the high flying corporate. Let's check out all the goodies that the domestic sector offers to Club Class passenger

Air Sahara
Air Sahara's Sahara Royale and Sahara special classes both offer increased leg room to provide total seating comfort on board. As a business class passenger, one gets to choose from five customized cuisines - Thai, Italian, French, Chinese and Indian. The choices are spread over a variety of 75 menus and are available on all lunch and dinner flights. If one is flying on the afternoon flight, one can get sandwiches custom made to taste. And this is the only domestic carrier that serves ice cream (during the summer). Apart from this, one can also specify preferences at the time of booking and partake of anything from Jain, diabetic, low cal, fruit platter, sea food or Asian fare. In-flight entertainment includes individual four channel music, and a personalized reading kit that includes at least two daily newspapers and two general interest magazines. Although the airline has designated two cabin crew members for 16 business class passengers, just in case one finds the cabin crew a little too busy serving the meal or carrying out other routine chores, one can always call on the special on-board executives who are specially posted to give that extra personal touch.

Jet Airways

Club Premiere is the exclusive business class and the preferred mode of travel for businessman and senior personnel in the corporate world. As a Club Premiere passenger, one has the privilege of selecting a seat at the time of reservation; tele check-in facility up to 45 minutes before departure and dedicated check-in counters at most airports.

One can also get the privilege of relaxing and enjoying complimentary beverages and snacks at their plush airport lounges in Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Bangalore, and Hyderabad and enjoy priority baggage delivery which means your baggage is offloaded at the carousel first so that one can disembark and collect bags without having to wait at the baggage retrieval area. A course-by-course personalized meal starting from refreshing soups to a variety of rich desserts for longer flights or a delicious selection of snacks. And the luxury doesn't just stop there. The meals are served on the finest bone china, which has been designed exclusively for Jet Airways by Nritake. Crisp, fresh linen completes the pleasant experience.

Kingfisher Airlines
King of good times Kingfisher Airlines, with its spanking new environment friendly Airbus is an experience in itself. From a personal valet at the airport, baggage handling to boarding, exclusive lounges with private space, accompanied with refreshments and music. Kingfisher puts on quite a show for your in-flight entertainment.

Rest your head on fully-adjustable headrests, stretch out on a 48" seat pitch, put your feet up on extendable foot-rests and lean back on a 125? recline. It's not food that's served on board Kingfisher, it's works of art. The menu offers three courses. All highlighted by the piece de resistance - chilled caviar or Norwegian smoked salmon and ending with sinfully tempting Signature Dessert. To add to dining experience, the table is set with bone china crockery and silver cutlery.

A welcome pack that boasts the finest premium personal care essentials, exclusive Kingfisher stationery, national and international news, business & lifestyle magazines and newspapers are just the extraa toppings that add to the rich experience.

Go on feel like a king!

Boom!

Bust.

Boom!

That's the way the internet business has been in its journey so far.

Right since the early days, the internet has always held a great promise; its potential never a subject of debate. However, even the most optimistic internet enthusiast must not have imagined in his wildest dreams that a day would come when an upstart dotcom company would grow so mighty as to merge with one of the biggest traditional media giants and that too with an upper hand.

The book under review is all about the AOL Time Warner merger, which managed to take the entire traditional media world by storm. Alas the frenzy did not last for long. The storm was followed by a lull whose silence deafened the media industry.

Kara Swishers' There must be a pony in here somewhere is a remarkable book about an even more remarkable story... the AOL Time Warner debacle. We all have our lessons to learn from history and the book narrates the story of one of the biggest media booms that went bust faster than the speed of sound.

The biggest focus of There must be?..is on the culture misfit that had executives from both sides gunning for each other rather than partnering. A lot of envisaged synergies between AOL & Time Warner too did not materialise and a lot of times successful properties were either subsidised or bartered cheaply so as to help the weaker ones survive adding to the lowering morale at the newly formed media giant.

Swisher who has also authored the book aol.com had first hand access to the top executives at AOL and Time Warner; which helps her narrate the inside tale of the merger. Her peppered style of writing coupled with insightful reportage, adds to the engaging yet sometimes depressing content of the book.

There are simple morals even in complex patterns. Kara's narrative makes many proverbs spring forth from the subconscious.

Too many cooks spoil the broth.... and what a spoil it was.

Look before you leap... and what a leap it was.

the list can go on...

The book transports one to the booming dotcom days serving large dollops on the Silicon Valley scenario then, the big celebrations, the hype, the anticipation and of course real world problems like downtime and bandwidth.

Definitely recommended for those interested in the internet business as well as for media watchers.

Warning : may get a bit depressing if read at one single stretch.

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