Pix business head and AXN, Animax India country manager, Sunder Aaron tells Nidhi Jain on how he lives life in the fast lane.

 I? was in Madras few years back visiting family. They introduced me to a person who loved bikes. He had a beautiful Enfield Bullet 1966 model and I got it completely modified. A weekend spin around Bandra on a Bullet is simply great. All my friends team up and drive down to Lonavala. I really like antique vehicles. I would really like to get behind the wheel of a Jeep Classic, but I have still to find one.

 I? play lot of sports videogames. Play stations are my favorite but tend to break down in Mumbai's climate. I and my pals used to spend hours drinking and playing football videogames till 5 in the morning.

 I? have not seen the real North India like Shimla. I want to do a nature reserve? I got to do it and I will. Goa is so near that I go half a dozen times in a year. My family is in the south so I keep visiting Kerala. I have back-packed to Varanasi, Bodhgaya, Delhi, Agra and all through Rajasthan as well.

 I? love pets and have two German Shepherds.

 I? wish Mumbai had more theatre culture. Otherwise Mumbai does lot of activities culturally.

 I? like classic furniture; the furniture in my house is from Jodhpur.

 I? am very fond of art. Most of my art work has been done by artist Anu Aggarwal from Chennai. I have a famous    painting by her called BoneRed. I collect art because that is something that moves me. I take a lot of care of my paintings.

 I ?would like to go scubadiving in Lakshadweep. At some point of time I want to try paragliding too.

 I? play basketball with (actor-model) Dino Morea and (model) Kelly Dorjee during weekends.

 I? am a big fan of classic Indian cinema. Music and melody were so much more in that era, but today Hindi cinema is more about business. I like Mani Ratnam's school of thought in cinema.

Preet Dhupar, Director - Finance & Operations, BBC World India tells Nidhi Jain that books with an interesting story will hook her instantly.

Who introduced you to reading?
My mother initially, and then peer group at school. We read a lot at school and that's where the habit developed.

---Kind of book collection you have
Fairly varied - fiction, travelogues, biographies, poetry, philosophy....

---Taste in books
Anything that has an interesting story to tell will interest me. I keep searching for good books that can make me laugh, I like tongue in cheek humour. I like books that promote human values. Human emotions interest me, although romantic books are something I have never managed to sit through!

---On your favorite authors and well written books
One of my all time favorites is Somerset Maugham. His short stories are brilliant in the way that they deal with an entire range of human relationships and emotions. Coming to recent times, Shantaram is very well written, it's not just the story but the expression that captures one's imagination. There are bits in the book that stay with you. Other books that will remain in my memory - Rebecca, Anna Karenina, Crime and Punishment... but I think those are part of my growing up! I must mention that my favorite de-stresser is Dick Francis. It's crime fiction but I really like his characters and stories.

---Do you find interesting things in every book? How do you choose books you read?
Well, browse through the cover. Sometimes I pick up a book after I've read the review or if someone's recommended it to me.

---What do you think of self help books?
Used to despise them some time ago and then I picked up Stephen Covey's Seven Habits and that changed my mind, at least towards some of them. Sometimes I think it's good to read them. You may know the answers but they help reinforce your own thoughts.

---Money and time you spend on books
Quite a bit.

---Your reading pace
Depends on the book.

---Your first book
That's a tough one, Enid Blyton is what I remember, Wishing Chair, Magic Faraway Tree.

---Currently you are reading
Maximum City by Suketu Mehta.

---Books that do not hold you
The very mushy, sentimental variety and too much preaching.

There is no past, as long as books shall live. Books make the past our heritage and our home. - Edward Bulwer Lytton. The saying holds true as Aditya Shastri, CEO-Corporate, UFO moviez Ltd., tells Nidhi Jain.

----Who introduced you to reading?
My eldest brother, Dr Satyendra Shastri, introduced me to reading. During my growing up years, he introduced me to almost everything that I know now. He used to read a lot and that's how I was introduced to reading.

---Kind of book collection you have
The first ever book collection I had was the children's encyclopedia which all my three brothers read while growing up .My father had a book library at Mahim which did not run well because it had all the classics and non fiction. That is what I buy, a lot of non fiction.

---On your favorite authors and well written books

Bill Bryson, A Short History of Nearly Everything is one of the best books I have read last year. I also liked Hitler's General. I don't really go by the pedigree of the author but rather by the quality of the book. The finest books that I have read are The World is Flat, Undercover Economist and Freakonomics are some of the books I really liked.

I find something interesting in every book. Sometimes when my wife gets a fiction book at home, I read it. I know people like the thrill, romance in such books but what I look for is an idea that strikes me - somewhere. This thought actually drives me to buy a particular book. If I go out shopping, I would buy more books than anything else.

---What do you think of self help books?
I think they help well. I have a collection of Osho books. As long as something lets you do better. The Power of Now was a good book and it helped. Self help books are helpful only if we are willing to help our self. They can show us the path but we have to travel through it.

---Money and time you spend on books
I spend most of my traveling time with a book. I travel twice a week and all my journeys are accompanied by a book. I don't read while I am in a car though. My most frequent purchases have to be books. In terms of cost though it is low because books are not very expensive.

---Your reading pace
I read very quickly. I can finish an interesting book in two or three days.

---Your first book
I think it was Hardy Boys.

---Currently you are reading
The End of Cinema As We Know It: American Film in the Nineties by Jon Lewis.

---Books that do not hold you
I don't think I have come across any book that does not hold me. I may not go through the book from start to end. I do refer back to a few books often and there are a few books which I read again and again.

Compassion and building teamwork will be two of the most important characteristics business leaders will need for success a decade from now, believes Walt Disney Television International (India) head of programming and production, Nachiket Pantvaidya, who tells Nidhi Jain that he follows these guidelines in his professional life.

Lessons you learnt

As far as TV goes, we have to listen to the viewer and the best way to do that is through ratings. Through the years we have found out that data tells us if a certain program is watched, without understanding why it's popular. The big lesson is that especially with the viewers and need to have the openness to the idea that what we don't like may or may not be accepted by the viewers. The lesson is to get into the minds of viewers, appreciate and listen to them.

Method of pacifying madness

Given the fact that we are in the fast changing industry, the madness in the office should be used productively. That energy needs to be utilized in the right direction. For eg. we can't have confusion and chaos together. It's a changing environment, not only in TV, but also in the socioeconomic sphere where we are changing fast. I like the fact there is madnes

People that influenced

Most of my bosses over the years like Ravina Raj kohli or now Rajat Jain have had influenced me partly or wholly in different areas. From some I have learnt business skills, from some ideologies, some listening skills, but I have learnt a lot.
 

Strategic alliance
First thing is to get an understanding of the market, looking at qualitative data research to understand viewers. I understood if we don't talk to people in their language it's not going to help. Lastly, we should always be profitable.

Changing rules of work

TV is only a platform; real money is content, merchandising or books, whatever, it should have should have 360 degree effect. By 2010 TV is going to be an advertising medium for selling toys.

As for the team, it's important to have idea generation. In 1995, operational strength was looked upon as good in a TV Company. That's not enough today.

Ensuring that team delivers

Different people have different hot buttons, and it's just about pressing the right one but the key to delivery is to define what to deliver. For TV programmes you know what you want and everybody work towards it. Set a target, sometimes there are micro targets though those targets are not broken down at micro level.

Fun part of your business

Its semi human, semi creative, semi business each divided into 33%. There is a fair bit of self expression that needs to be there in terms of personality for the business of making programmes. Channel becomes a reflection of personality whoever is a part of it. It might not happen in steel, cement or a car company but it does in a TV company because it involves human emotions. There is a point of self expression. We need to continuously self adapt to our target groups.

ambler.

In between goals is a thing called life, which has to be lived and enjoyed.
Sid Caesar

Believe that, to apply in a real life ,is not just difficult but requires practice through years, realized Nidhi Jain as she peeped into one more life, life of Director and COO of Graphiti Multimedia Pvt.Ltd., Munjal Shroff .

Life on the fast roads ?literally to Munjal it is all about enjoying driving fast cars which is part of his passion, and the best one till date that he had laid his hands on is car bought by his friend after Bond movie which featured Pierce Brosnan is BMW z3.
He used to be an outdoor person in college and used to do trekking, hiking, camping but now the way things have taken a turn he spent lot of my time indoors. Before its too late, on the agenda of to-do list to go to Himalaya with Rally of cars, so strong is the urge that it has become must do in his life, he is hopeful to do by next year.

Munjal really enjoys live music, he even had privilege to listen to brilliant singers, have gone to very distinct concert which played fusion music. On his wish list he would like to learn flute.

Another passion is photography. He loves shooting and likes to capture bizarre things in his camera. "There is a certain thrill in capturing a moment that is out of the ordinary and to be able to capture and share it with other is a great joy".

It is not length of life, but depth of life. Ralph Waldo Emerson

On the run to achieve professional goal, Munjal always felt that his personal front took a back seat, slowly he realized that his daughter share the same passion with him of that of music, dance.Munjal believes that he always had an inner skill for animation without agenda, and was fortunate that his personal and professional interest had a strong overlap, like always being a movie buff from school days, continued to be one now also since his profession demands him to watch religiously, He thinks, he is lucky to be a film maker.

Life consists not in holding good cards but in playing those you hold well.

Josh Billings

Size does matter?Size apparently tells how big foodie Munjal is as he loves to experiment with food. Wherever or whenever he traveling he likes tasting local cuisine, though it's difficult since he is a vegetarian, now he is considering trying sea food. When it comes to drinks he love wine, scotch, collect single malt from different parts of the world, he apparently loves to try wine from different countries. His wife Mona loves to cook and he loves to eat. Perfect Match.
Mona is amazing cook and she loves to experiment and I am the perfect guinea pig.
Difficult to believe but this foodie is a great cook too and likes cook at times, he thinks he can cook better Pasta then his wife, Mona.

Difficult times have helped me to understand better than before, how infinitely rich and beautiful life is in every way, and that so many things that one goes worrying about are of no importance whatsoever..

Isak Dinesen

Munjal want to make up for all these years and just? soak up the sun. He wants to travel for leisure not business, and want to take a trip to Europe with his wife; he believes that our country has to lot to offer, and also wants to drive to Rajasthan and take a trek through the Valley of Flowers in the Himalayas.
To him Life is all about movies and masti, and animation is a perfect blend of the two.

His ambition is to create the most successful animation properties and firmly believes that the next big thing in animation will be an animation property from India.

When we talk about fun he agrees it exist more on the professional front, now he wants to shift focus to personal front, he credits his supportive wife Mona for all the understanding she carries through, and wonderful kids Yohann and Vanshika...
To him--It's about living moment through their eyes. One strong critic and one growing critic.

"Collecting is like eating peanuts. You just can't stop". True to the saying, no matter how much top level executives are burdened by work, or meetings, they master the art of time management. Anyhow, they find the time to get back to things they want to pursue.

Nidhi Jain chatted up director and COO of Graphiti Multimedia Pvt Ltd, Munjal Shroff, a person whose brain is forever floating around fantasies of ideas in animation.

Our motivation... must always be to please yourself. Follow your intuition and buy what sings to you. The objects you acquire should give you pleasure and fellowship. -Richard Faletti

As a kid I had a lot of pen friends from all over the world and I was quite fascinated by the different stamps that I used to get from different countries. This is what got me started with my first collection - Stamps.

But my biggest fascination was comics. It was an addiction. I possessed lots of comics, collections which I preserved as bound volumes. Volumes of Mandrake, Phantom, Tintin, Archies and even Jetsons. Though now I have donated most of them to an orphanage.

Now I have collectibles from movies such as Matrix. My prized possession is The Matrix - Platinum Limited Edition DVD Collector's Set which includes an actual frame Senitype 35 mm film strip from the movie and 8 original limited edition lobby card prints. I collect limited edition DVDs of animated films as well.
I also have a lot of 'making-of' books related to my work such as Making of Toy Story, Jurassic park, Bug's Life. I also have many wonderful books called Illusion of life.

Collectors become obsessive and then addicted. You become addicted to art and you can't live without it. - Eli Broad

I like to collect paintings from different painters, especially unique folk paintings. I am an impulsive collector. Since now the biggest constraint is space, purchasing has slowed down, and also all collectors items require good care. I travel extensively to the countries that are rich culturally. I like buying favourites from street painters & underground music from street musicians in countries like France.

Recently I incorporated a collection of music by a streetband from Paris called 'Cenizas'. I have a vast and eclectic collection of music, especially instrumental. The collection ranges from Masai Drums from Africa to Uilleann pipes - from the Celtic region.

The cornerstone of great art for me is a work that makes one person exclaim "That's fabulous!" and another ask, "How can you have that hanging in your house?" - Gordon Sondland

I like my collected stuff to have personality and am very choosy and fussy. I always have had a love for art. During one of my visits to Cannes I had a day to myself. Some locals told me about a small town called Antibes and the Picasso museum there. Since the museum was to open after a couple of hours I decided to walk around this picturesque town. I came across an antique shop run by an old British gentleman. He had an amazing collection of antique maps and lithographs from the 18th century. These lithographs had an amazing amount of detail and were painstakingly hand painted using delicate water colors. The 4" x 6" artworks were stunning. I picked a couple and then the gentlemen gifted me one beautiful rendition of Hotel de Ville - Paris.

"Its not that collecting is more noble than the other pursuits of man, its just a lot more fun". - Norman McClean