By: Raman Kumar
Partner, Director - Tracinema

I spent the early years of my life in Amritsar. As a child, my uncle, who was a Sanskrit scholar, left a deep impression on me. He had a huge collection of books and, in fact, he used to seek inspiration from books. Under his influence, I grew up to be a voracious reader.

As a child, I would visit all the bookstalls in Amritsar to find the right books to read. Sometimes, I would walk for a few kilometres or even for a few hours in search of the right books.

I grew up reading short stories, fiction and magazines. I have fond memories of reading my favourite Hindi magazine Parag. Since it was not easily available anywhere in Amritsar, I used to walk to the local railway station every month to grab it.

During my college days, I grew fond of a Hindi magazine called Sarika. Slowly, I graduated to poetry and as I got involved in the theatre scene I moved on to authors like Anton Chekhov. So, reading became a daily habit. After coming to Mumbai, I continued to read while commuting. Till date, I always carry a book and read whenever I can.
Earlier on, I could finish reading a book in three to four days as there were no other distractions like DVDs and television. But, now due to lack of time, I take a long time to finish a book.

My favourite books
Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte is my all-time favourite book. The character Heathcliff has stayed with me forever. I would say, it's not just a pretty love story but a tale of madness and revenge. I would love to make a film based on it one day.

An English novel,The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks has also inspired me immensely. Shekhar, Ek Jeevani by Ajneya is my favourite novel in Hindi as at different stages, it portrays the philosophy of life.

Some other authors who have caught my fancy are Amrita Pritam, Surendra Prakash, Rajendersingh Bedi and Narendra Maurya. I am also passionate about Hindi and Urdu poetry, which celebrates love, compassion and human equality. Kaifi Azmi, Nida Fazli and Rajesh Reddy from the new lot are my preferred poets. I also love ghazals by Gulzar.

Books that do not hold me
Self help and spiritual books do not hold me. The only self help book which I managed to finish was Who Moved My Cheese? An amazing way to deal with change in your work and life by Spencer Johnson. I like to read literature published by Osho Rajneesh whom I consider as one of the best scholars of this century. In fact, I subscribe to the Osho magazine and read it regularly.

Apart from this, I have a large collection of books at home but it's not really organised as a proper library. I have a person who delivers Hindi books to me at home. I also get a monthly catalogue to choose from all the new books in the market.

Currently, I am reading...
I've just finished reading Pukhtan, a collection of poems by Gulzar. Just started on with short stories titled Nine O Nine by Nandita Puri which is very good. I am a lot into reading short stories and fiction. Two of my films Saath Saath and Parbat Ke Us Paar have also been inspired by short stories published in magazines.

Browsing and E-reading.
I am also into E-reading. I think the concept of e-books is a wonderful concept. Recently I had ordered a book from firstandsecond.com, an interesting online book store. Also, another interesting concept is that of audio books which I've discovered on a site called audible.com.

Engeseth starts off by explaining the rather mysterious concept of Detective Marketing. The concept is basically an attempt to take the science of marketing to another level. The author says detective marketing is really an attempt to simplify the otherwise complicated marketing discipline. It's all about unlocking ones' own creativity, building bridges between people with different backgrounds for better communication.

The author says much of the noise you hear from the marketplace is the sound of money being flushed down the toilet. Not many brands manage to win a place in the mind of the consumer, inspite of the best marketing efforts. The reason being everyone involved in marketing knows very little about human behaviour. That's where detective marketing comes in.

It's all about following ones' own instincts in order to get the breakthrough. Also, it's all about building better communication. To quote the author - 'when you work to build bridges to other peoples' know-how, your understanding of the other side of the bridge increases.'

Here Engeseth brings in his '1+2=4' formula. The formula means that one and two factors come together to give birth to a third factor. Then, additionally, there is also a desired, unexpected and synergistic possibility of a fourth factor which makes 1+2=4.

The book cites various examples from companies such as CNN, Sony, Coca-Cola and Nokia to drive home the concept. From connecting people, Engeseth then moves on to the importance of actually being 'one' with the customer. The 'one' theory is all about increasing interaction between the manufacturer and the consumer by using a common platform such as the internet.

In the later chapters, Engeseth turns his attention to products and how product image can actually push up sales. In the chapter on Marketing The Product, the author introduces two innovative ideas which are actually derived from the product image and characteristics.

For better results, the book recommends the use of Information Technology and the World Wide Web extensively as platforms to catch on the pulse of the consumer.
The author brings in industry examples from CNN and Napster's online community of music lovers to drive home the point.

Thinking realistically, one would wonder how such ideas would survive the boardroom heat?

Well, in all, the book doesn't offer too many original concepts or ideas. But, somehow his ideas can be used like an detective's endless search for clues and answers in the business world.

"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.

About the Author

The author Dinesh Kumar is a consultant and a visiting faculty at various business schools in the country. Apart from specializing in areas like total quality management he teaches on leadership, executive emotional intelligence, business communications and public speaking.

Book Review - By Yati Doshi

The book is a classic treatise on what they don't teach you in management schools but what you really need to know in the practical business world. On a rather chatty note, Corporate Capers deals with those aspects of the corporate world that are normally never spoken - about boardroom politics to the real truth behind the meaningful glances. Nothing is sacred or sacrosanct here, from the boardroom to the dining room to the allusions of ever-obliging personal secretaries. There are references to Sherlock Holmes, Shakespeare, C. K. Prahlad and others; as also apt quotations from various management gurus.

With chapters like Balance sheet botoxing, Seven habits of highly perfidious people, A deadly disease called founderitis or Fear is not the key - in all it the book makes for a highly interesting read. It is understandable, under these circumstances that no names can be mentioned either of the people or of the companies dealt with.

One wishes though at least some names could've been mentioned, as at times the books read more like an expos?. The author's style is a bit reminiscent of the way Khushwant Singh writes. What stands out is the light hearted earthiness and self-deprecating humour in the entire book on certain important and ethical issues.

A well-rounded book, Kumar scores points without sounding as if he is speaking from a pulpit. In fact, the chapters on dining etiquette and corporate dressing are interspersed with biting British humour. Then, on a philosophical note there are chapters on the Karma of Business and the Business of Karma. Without sounding too preachy at all, the author poses a question on can whether profit-making organizations be spiritual. They get you thinking about what is and what should be.

The last section of the book veers away and tells us how things should be, busting popular management myths and bringing home rarely mentioned facts. It's in this section that the author supplies the healing balm for all the rot that has been exposed in the other chapters.

Insightful, funny, hilarious, philosophical, realistic and thought provoking. In all, this book makes for a good read and caters to a wide cross-section of people from businessmen to middle-level managers from students to professors.

"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.

About the Author - Asha Kaul is Associate Professor, Communications Area, Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad. She has previously been a communications consultant to several public and private sector organizations. Dr Kaul has designed and developed workshops on training material in communication and presentation skills for various corporate houses in India. She has earlier on authored two books - Business Communication and Effective Business Communication.

Book Review

All of us at some time or the other have been asked to make presentations. And almost all of us have experienced a rather uncanny feeling after having gone through the ardous process of researching, writing and then finally presenting. The obvious thoughts- did I communicate my thoughts successfully? Could I have done better?
How can I make my presentations more effective?

Designed to respond to the growing needs of professional and those in academia, the book is a comprehensive guide to make effective presentations. Written in a clear and accessible style, Kaul provides a very friendly approach to a process that is often a nerve-wracking task for many.

With a multi-level step-by-step approach the book explains us how to plan a presentation across disciplines, the delivery along with visual aids design and aesthetics, with helpful tips throughout. Over the chapters, the author gives us various points for planning a better presentation - How do you go about collating and then the sequential logical arrangement for maximum impact.

Before getting on the actual research, the author suggests an audience analysis first which gives one the size of the audience, their level of understanding and knowledge base. The presentation styles should not just be informative but even persuasive.

Strategies to avoid common pitfalls. Apart from this, the author gives tips on how to use our body language effectively, adopting positive gestures, bonding with the audience

In all, the author feels it all boils down to communication skills which are so important to climb up the corporate ladder. Talking or presenting is one sure way of scaling great heights. So, the guru mantra is honing your communication skills which will help in better understanding. The book offers a scientific and objective understanding of the skill helps in acquiring, polishing and honing already existing capabilities.

The book is essential reading for anyone interested in making the most of their presentations. Highly practical, and with illustrative examples, it will be invaluable to professionals in the corporate world, as well as to scholars and students.