Even in this digital era, when storage is a matter of gigabytes and compressions, there is a different joy in collecting something physically tangible. Cherished over the years, collectibles offer a sense of fulfillment and nostalgia. From movie DVDs, whiskey bottles, stamps -- here is what some of the top media executives love collecting.

In this episode of Talking Point, our host Papri Das chats up the charismatic CEO of BBH India. At forty something, Subhash Kamath strikes a fine balance between work and play. And by play we mean his guitar. Lead singer in a blues and classics rock band which is aptly titled Wanted Yesterday Subhash kamath shares his own tale of how he started ?Rocking On?, from being a creative ad man.

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

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!

This week exec life gets close and personal with the pet lovers in the industry. To these executives, their furry pals are an extension of their family and thus can demand as much care and affection as theor own children do. And why not, after all, pets know how to give love, affection and loyalty like no other. Check out how executives spend their time with their four legged friends.

By Papri Das

There was a time when a good quality pen would symbolise knowledge, affluence and empowerment; when youngsters would be a ball of excitement on receiving their first fountain pen; when revolutionary ideas would be penned down to change history of nations. Now it would be safe to say that the ?once mightier than the sword? pen couldn?t survive the onslaught of the digital era and the keys on your device?s touchpad.

Or is it?

A recent report from The Economic Times read that more and more foreign luxury pen brands are finding India to be a booming market place for their products. While the use of regular pens may have gone down drastically, high-end luxury pens still continue to enjoy high esteem amongst the affluent and the well-established lot. Pens have evolved from being a practical necessity to a connoisseur?s luxury. Exec Lifestyle spoke to several eminent personalities from the media to explore their romance with pens.

Although a very clich? practice, but any discussion about writing instruments almost always starts with a writer, and so Exec Lifestyle caught up with television screenplay writer and author Gajra Kottary. ?Writing with pen has more of an emotional value to me these days. I used pen and paper till I was writing the script for Astitva, one of the daily television shows I have worked on,? says the charming author who has also penned the television show Ghar Ek Sapnaa. Admitting the difficulties she faced in switching to the digital platforms, Kottary says that things have changed drastically for her. ?I can't write the same amount of content with a pen, which I do digitally. Quite the irony, isn't it??

Kottary?s collection of luxury pens is in double digits now. ?I have gathered so many of them that these days I have to request people not to gift me pens anymore cause it is a shame to see them simply showcased in a shelf,? she says.

Amongst the collection, one that is close to her heart is classy ST Dupont pen. ?I have over ten luxury pens ranging between Montblancs, Cartier and more, but my favourite is a Shantung from ST Dupont. It has an amazing design and a beautiful blue color. What adds to my emotional connect to it is the fact that my husband gifted it to me on one of our anniversaries,? she reminisces.

Kottary isn?t the only own who invests special sentiments in a pen. Ogilvy and Mather executive creative director Sumanto Chattapadhyay shares how he cherished the Montblanc his parents gifted him. ?When I was in school, my parents gifted me a Montblanc pen. In those days, it was a big deal to be able to afford a branded pen like that so it was a memorable instance in my life. I remember holding it close to my heart through my college, until one fateful day it got stolen. I was really upset by its loss,? says the creative genius, who also made an appearance in the recently released Piku.

Perhaps it is this loss, or his habit of misplacing pens in general, that keeps him from using luxury pens on a day-to-day basis. Instead he invests in the cheaper ones and buys them in bulk, while preserving the special edition ones. ?Someone recently gifted me a calligraphy pen or a quill, which needs to be dipped in an ink pot to use,? gushes Chattopadhyay. ?But when it comes to writing on a day to day basis, I honestly prefer the use and throw dot pens.?

This formula resonates well with most executives. BBH India CEO Subhash Kamath admits that he too shies away from using his luxury pens and instead goes in the ?use and throw? direction. ?Yes I have quite a few Montblancs, Waterman and Sheaffer (courtesy gifts) but I hardly ever use them. I prefer using my regular Camlin or Add Gel pens for everyday use,? he says.

While many consider possessing a classy luxury pen as a sign of status, for many is gives a sense of empowerment. A fine example is Sonic and Nickelodeon India executive vice president Nina Jaipuria. ?A pen gives me a strange sense of empowerment. Compared to a digital signature, when it comes to signing to officialise a document, pens are the first and last choice. It gives you a certain sense of power. A single sign can make a huge difference in your or another's life,? says the lady.

Like any other established creative professional Jaipuria too had her fair share of luxury pens gifted to her on various occasions. However, the one that stands out is the very personalised gift she received a couple of years back. ?I am particularly fond of this pen, which was gifted to me by a close associate of mine a couple of years back. It is carved out of wood completely with a non-refillable gel ink in it. What makes it more special is that not just the case but the pen too bears my name,? she says adding further that she takes care not to use it too often. ?I make sure to use it judiciary, fearing that the pen will run out of the ink, at the same time not to keep it in the box too long as the ink may end up drying.?

These were a few anecdotes from India?s top media executives on their love for good luxury pens. What is your pen story? Do share with us on the comment box below.