We take a peek into the mind of a self proclaimed "restless" man, workaholic, and knowledge seeker who learnt early on to handle ego. Ravi Kiran, CEO, South Asia, Starcom Mediavest Group, took some time out of his hectic schedule to talk to Correspondent Nidhi Jain.

Who me?
Highly principled and disciplined, Ravi has high BMR. He just sleeps for 4-5 hours on an average as he thinks that in the time he is sleeping, the best will pass away.

As a person, he has always been attracted to the underdog, he has been loyal to people and experimentative to things. He doesn't like to use brands but sometimes brands become people. His decisions have often worked against his growth. Can't stand one thing after a certain period. What changed him were a few books by author Robin Cook "Coma", "Fever" as well as Harold Robbins' "the Betsy", to name a few.

Initial days---
Books have always carved a way for Ravi for the kind of success he has had. He meant to be a doctor but studied engineering. A management book he picked up was 'Great Ideas in Management' by Northcote, Rustomji and Sapre made him join FMS, Delhi.Joined Lintas? After six years, got thoroughly bored so he chose to pursue media initiative.

As a person, he thinks he was pretty rough initially, rude and a just do his own work person or was simply called 'ectomorphic'. But now it's more about relating to people.

Strongly feels about---
The compound pet dog "Kaalu", who is also a family member.

Crazy about---
Books, movies, technology, music and gadgets (he thinks Palm is better engineered than Nokia, and I-river is better than Apple i-pod), he even writes his own blogs.

Rejuvenates---
Cycling, rock climbing, river rafting and walking for relaxation. Also, he follows tennis, F1. Given a choice he would like to go to the forest.

Love---
His wife Shalini with whom he shares the interest of watching movies on their home theatre system.

Food---
Eats vegetarian, can tolerate continental, cooks South Indian and likes north Indian food, which his wife prepares.

Movies---
Thrillers, court room dramas and mafia movies.

One look at Shaju Ignatius, executive producer, Perspectrum, Percept Holdings, and you realize that being happy is something we have to learn. You see him and say 'this is it, he's happy, he's got a home, career, wife, adorable kid, and is at peace with himself, and if there's something else to happiness, this Piscean will yearn for that too.' Correspondent Nidhi Jain really digs the pace of his life on the Fast Track.

Work - my big great canvas -
I have never planned my moves. I wished to be a pilot or atleast get to fly as cabin crew but then my exploring mind led me to Eureka Forbes,after which i moved on to Damania Airways.Looking further I got into advertising,and did a small stint in Advertising Forecast in which I happened to do the promotion for the film 'Speed'. From that experience I started liking the concept. In the summer of '95, when event management was not a regular word/career, an ad by 'Wizcraft' caught my attention - "Join us and work will be a party".As part of India's premier Event management firm, created & managed many prestigious projects : The Michael Jackson India Tour, concerts by Shaggy, Deep Purple, UB40, Lou Bega among many others, first ever Television concerts by Lata Mangeshkar & Asha Bhosle, multiple international events across London, New York, Mauritius, South Africa, Dubai.Got tagged as the 'Awards specialist' in the industry, as I managed almost all the film & music awards held in the country, viz, Filmfare Awards, Zee Cine, Zee Sangeet, Bollywood Awards, IIFA Awards, Screen Awards, Hero Sports Awards, Sangeet Awards, Economic Times Awards, Filmfare South Awards, Mata Sanman Awards, Ceat Cricket Rating Awards, Castrol Cricket Awards, etc. Closest to my heart being the Annual Filmfare Awards, which I have been associated with for atleast 8 years of my career.

It was great to be associated with fresh ideas and events. What attracted me towards it was that it was not regular mundane work. Then, it was time move again and learn new things. Along with my close buddies based across the metros, we set up the event management business for the Times of India, called 360 Degrees.

In 2004, Percept D'Mark became my focus for the next 2 and half years. This was a great wide platform, and we truly created some memorable projects & campaigns. Now my next step to learning has led me to join Perspectrum, the IMC (integrated marketing communication) consultancy arm of Percept Holdings. My work mantra is to always have a backup plan to any element or idea.

Trip over love, you can get up; Fall in love and you fall forever. What's the use of worrying? It never was worthwhile, so pack up your troubles in your old kit-bag. And smile, smile, smile. This poem is dedicated to the love of my life.

When I was in charge of the Michael Jackson event, not only did it (the MJ concert) redefine the business of event management, but it also got me closer to my then beloved and now wife Neelu, a Sardarni, with whom I kept my vows for five years (anniversary -- 16th September).

My marriage remains the most cherished event as I was the event manager for my own wedding. With just two weeks in hand I had very little time to do a Punjabi and Church wedding, both on the same day. It was tough yet a lot of fun.And then the reception party, which turned from a formal gathering into a wild discotheque, we partied till 3 in the morning !

Now there is my new love and an addition to our family in my 8-month old daughter Anysa, meaning Greek Goddess.The best part of our marriage is the mixing and adjusting of two diverse cultures cultures & religions. What impressed me most is that Neelu happened to pick up my mother tongue (Malayalam) inspite of being a hardcore Punjabi, while I just about manage to speak the language myself..

You would think a loner child is a negative sign in the growing years but in the case of Ravi Kiran, CEO, South Asia, Starcom Mediavest Group, it helped him come close to books and develop an immense love for them. Kiran managed to take some time out of his busy schedule to talk to Correspondent Nidhi Jain about books, books and more books?

Can John Grisham make you so pensive?

Who introduced you to reading?
I guess my dad. Or perhaps my elder brother. Don't really remember. Our home was full of books and you just couldn't have avoided them, unless you had a strong ability of pretension.

Kind of book collection you have
I started buying my own books when I was in junior school. Some of the early ones were Marxist theories sold on the street really cheap, published by Mir Publications in Moscow. I later learnt that most of them were subsidized by the USSR government to propagate Soviet beliefs. I also bought a lot of books when I went to engineering college in Kashmir. I spent almost 80 per cent of my pocket money on books then - classic literature by Aldous Huxley, Charlotte Bronte, books on behavioral sciences, philosophy, and satire. Since it took me a couple of years to get a room with a book rack, my room used to have books everywhere, and some of my room mates used to make a mockery of that.

Taste in books
I like most kinds. My choice at a point depends on my mood. I like philosophy, psychology, psychiatry, marketing, organizational behaviour, human relations, technology, thrillers, war stories, human history. I haven't developed a taste for stuff like culture, geography etc. I have read a few books on science fiction, but not of late. In general, I do not like 'how to' books.

Browsing in the FMS Library - Delhi

On favourite authors and well written books
Dr Eric Berne, Jiddu Krishnamurthy, Jean-Paul Sartre, Aldous Huxley, Antoine de Saint Exup?ry, Seth Godin, Alvin Toffler, Malcom Gladwell, Harry Beckwith, Tom Friedman, Amartya Sen, Sumantra Ghosal, Edward de Bono, John Grisham, Jeffery Archer, Alistair McLean, Robert Ludlum. I have been lucky to have read very few poorly written books. I like The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint Exup?ry, Being and Nothingness by Sartre and The Mirror Makers by Stephen Fox, Heart at Work by Jack Canfield and Jacqueline Miller, Purple Cow by Seth Godin, First Break All Rules by Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman, What do you say after you say Hello by Dr. Eric Berne, The Mechanism of Mind by de Bono, The Mind's I by Douglas Hoffstader, The Textures of Silence by Gordon Vorster, Zorba the Greek by Nikos Kazantzakis, Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. These are some of the books that have had a life and behaviour changing effect on me.

Do you find interesting things in every book, how do you choose books you read?
Before the internet, I used to decide by reading back-of-the-book. I am also sure many of my friends have had an influence on my choice of books. Now I browse for books online and often spend time in bookstores browsing. I am not a speed reader; my reading speed is really low. I go through every word, every page, and some times I read the same page or section many times over. There are books I have been reading for years. There are books I have read several times. Every time I read a book, I get new meanings. I guess the meaning has something to do with what I am doing at that point in time or what I am going through in my life.

The early student collection - Kashmir

What do you think of self help books?
I don't particularly fancy them now, although when I was in college, I liked a few of them. I guess it all depends on how sure you are of yourself and who has written a self help book. Most of them are too preachy.

Money and time you spend on books
The time I spend on books has come down a lot in recent times, since life's so hectic. But of late, I have been listening to audio books or reading them off my Palm Treo handheld, when I am traveling. It's not as enjoyable as a book in your hand, but it's convenient.

Your reading pace
As I said before, very slow. I take three times as much time to read a book as my wife does. One reason behind that is my mind's temptation to drift away on a tangential thought chain. I have never felt the pressure to finish a book.

Your first book
Not sure, but I think it must have been a story from the Panch Tantra.

Browsing and e-reading
A lot of late. On my PC screen, on my hand held and through the audible software. I also browse the net at least 2-3 hours every day and love reading stuff on my feed reader.

Currently you are reading
I think about eight books simultaneously. Here are the ones I remember: Guns, Germs and Steel by Jared M. Diamond, The Lincoln Lawyer by Michael Connelly, The World is Flat by Tom Friedman, A Prison Diary by Jeffrey Archer, The Argumentative Indian by Dr Amartya Sen.

Books that do not hold you
Cannot remember.

In Conversation with Upen Roop Rai:

I begin my day with

With some green tea and later I hit the gym. About thrice a week for about half an hour, I do cross-training and weights. Of course, I do it under proper guidance and have a personal trainer who sort of takes me through the routine.

I am a very sporty person
Not many people know but I used to play cricket and represented the State of Rajasthan during the early 80s in the Ranji Trophy tournament. I love the game, though now I don't really find the time to pursue it.

My diet mantra
I don't follow any strict diet regime but I make it a point to eat everything in moderation. I avoid oily food and freak out on Chinese and Continental food. In Mumbai, I prefer dining out at the Olive Bar and Salt Water Grill. I also love the food at Royal China.

Shopping
I love to shop and prefer shopping for myself instead of someone else buying stuff for me. I mostly pick up stuff while travelling abroad. One of my favourite shopping destinations internationally is Oxford Street in London.

My Stress Buster
My work keeps me shuffling between Delhi and Mumbai. Over weekends, I play golf with a group of friends at the DLF country club in Delhi. That's an amazing stress buster for me and so is spending time with my thirteen year old son. I am still an amateur at the game of golf and currently I am training under someone.

I have a fetish for
Movies and Music. I prefer thrillers and James Bond sort of movies. Recently, I quite enjoyed the animated film Madagascar. Though I am not really into the Bollywood bandwagon I recently quite enjoyed watching - Mangal Pandey:The Rising. As far as music goes, I listen to Eagles, Rod Stewart and Led Zeppelin

On Books
I love reading fiction. Also stuff which is racy and which gives me a whole lot of ideas. I am currently reading The Broker by John Grisham which is racy and pacy. It follows the story of Joel Backman, a newly pardoned man who tries to broker a deal to give the world's most powerful surveillance system to the highest bidder.

Travel Destination
Everyyear, I along with my family make it a point to travel to one destination. This year we travelled to South Africa and Egypt. Egypt was quite a disappointment because of the bureaucracy prevalent in the country. On the other hand, South Africa was out of this world really. I still carry memories of Captetown and Port Elizabeth.

Favourite Car Brands
I drive the Mitubushi Lancer which is spacious and functional.

Gadgets & Gizmos
I am really hooked on to my Cellphone -O2 XDA PDA. This gadget is really like a friend and a constant companion. It's also like a virtual office, which keeps me in touch with the world while shuttling between Delhi and Mumbai.ZING STRESS BUSTER FOR ME

Shashi Sinha -- President, Lodestar and regional media director, FCB Asia-pacific has a clear mindset, maintains lowest common denominator and yet is cutting edge.

Is that all you need to be a leader? Know more from the very intelligent, simple and subtle Shashi in a short and crispy conversation with Nidhi Jain.

@Words that describe you best?.
Transparent and fair.

@How do you perceive life?
Happy, positive, adjusting quickly, independent.

@Journey till Lodestar?Greatly influenced by the outspoken Kurien Varghese at FCB.

@Turning point?
In FCB for 21 years, was not very calculative but worked best on Brands like Amul.

@Philosophies?
Live and let live.

@How do you make the team aggressive /get the best out of people?
I let people put their point of view across.

@Personal strength /weakness?
Strengths - family friends and networking (can't be alone).
Weakness - transparent, with no agendas.

@Handle stress?
Playing sport and watching TV.

@Biz Mantra?
"Value driven"

@Favourite book?
Bhagwada Gita; books by Indian authors.

@Movies?
Of late "Lage Raho Munnabhai".

@Brands you like?
Amul.

@Fitness mantra?
Walk.