Books: Aditya Shastri

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.