Redefining Indian advertising by curing its colonial hangover and reaching out to the 1 billion strong Indian masses, by speaking to them in their own language. Piyush Pandey, Executive Chairman and National creative director, Ogilvy & Mather, talks to Nidhi Jain about the changing environment of work for leaders.

Lesson you have learnt so far...

Lessons that are more applicable and not lessons that were discovered afresh.
These lessons come from my sporting days, which got reconfirmed in my business days. I used to play cricket. Unlike cricket over here, we are only one member of the team and that included the captain also. The role of the captain is to get the best out of the team at one level and at the other level to perform well enough to justify your place in the team. Otherwise, no one will remain captain anymore.

So, in any organization where many people work, what is important is to work well yourself as well as get good results from others. So this is one lesson that got reconfirmed from my cricket days.

In a cricket team we have nothing to manufacture and in industry we only have people around with talent. So our job is to encourage these people and make them perform at the highest level. There are ups and down but we have to keep them motivated.

How do you pacify madness around you...

If madness had a method then it will not be mad anymore. Then we would know what to do tomorrow and would get the same results. The idea is not to kill anything just because we are the head. We have to encourage new thing without sacrificing discipline, of course. We very well know when it is out of context but that does not mean it cannot sell. In advertising, good ideas sell and we have to make others understand this.

People who have influenced you so far...

Many different kinds of people and not necessarily from advertising. I am very much influenced by Vivian Richards. He changed the rules of batting by playing different shots in different ways and challenged everybody. Similarly I cannot lead a stereotypical life. Experiment with new things and follow the one that suits me.

I also got influenced by my mother who did not believe that lack of formal education was a deterrent to her being knowledgeable. So she acquired a lot by reading books.

I also got influenced by my late cook who challenged every theory of cooking. Arun Lal, who is a commentator now, has also influenced me a lot because he is not at all scared of speaking his mind, no matter what. There is no one single person who influenced me in total. I have been influenced by life. There is a certain trait in every human which needs to be respected.

What according to you are changing rules of work...

Rules are challenged when they become monotonous. Self proven rules don't work everytime. So the idea is to question and challenge and adapt to something else. Have an open mind and be willing to accept everything. The older days had an assembly line in advertising where the client used to brief up everything to the client server and then client server used to brief up everything to the creative guy and vice versa but now we all work together and things have changed, so one should not follow just what is written in books. Rather, they should apply new ideas to the same thing.

How do you ensure that your team delivers...

There is nothing to ensure. They are all good people. We hired them because they are good and can perform. I have never been under pressure thinking whether they will do well or not. I am myself not sure whether each time I touch anything will come out well since I am not superhuman and neither are they. As long as we win more number of times, we are a good team. We are commercial artists and cannot be self indulgent about in it. I make them understand to respect others and have respect for themselves too.

Fun part of your business....

Fun part is meeting different people. I meet so many of them. Some seem bizarre at times and a few interesting. A lot of excitement of our business is that we are addressing 50 different problems so there is no monotony. Taking quick decisions and watching quick results is the fun here. Unlike in movies, in our case I come to know what I did in 20 days. Maybe I am impatient but that is what I like.

Piyush Pandey's leadership mantra - "A leader should never state that he is a leader. Others should know that you are a leader."

Sitting in his exquisitely done up plush apartment in Goregaon ( a suburb in Mumbai), dressed comfortably in a grey T shirt and track pants, Aatish Kapadia looks totally calm and composed. I sense a certain aloofness about the man as he tells me, "Actually I've taken a day off from my shooting today to write my next episode for Sarabhai Vs Sarabhai."

After discussing a few nitti gritties the fresh pineapple juice arrives, Kapadia opens up a bit and gets talking about himself, "at times I can be very aloof but then I can also very gregarious with people I know well."

That perhaps sets the whole tone of the conversation, as we settle down for a brief t?te-?-t?te on his life and times. I ask him about his rise from a writer to a successful producer, and he goes "somehow, life hasn't been a struggle but things have just fallen in place for me. I am a product of meeting the right people at the right time. I strongly believe life is a journey and not a race." And this, coming from a producer and the brain behind the immensely successful shows like Khichdi, Sarabhai vs Sarabhai and Ba bahu aur babli. I wait for more, as Kapadia reveals it all about his life and times.

My early days
My family's been into the textiles business for years, but somehow I knew that I could never fit into it. And that's why the surname `Kapadia'. One best thing that I picked up from my father was the habit of reading. And along with reading voraciously I tried my hand at different things in life - acting, writing and theatre.

I started off doing Gujarati theatre and later scripting for Gujarati soaps. Somehow, God has been kind to me and life has not been a struggle but things have just fallen in place for me. I am a product of meeting the right people at the right time. My big break in the Hindi television space happened with Alpaviram. Later, Ek mahal ho sapno ka happened, which I thoroughly enjoyed writing.

I believe, life is not a race, it's a journey cause if it's a race then what do I do when the race ends? I want to walk at my own pace and compete with myself.

I seek inspiration from
I seek inspiration from people I meet on the road, on the sets and when I travel. They could even be complete strangers to me. I try to understand people, their real selves and their three dimensional lives. Life is not about being either completely white or black. So, people are my fodder for thought.

I keep the child in me alive by watching children play. Children are an amazing gift from God, as they enjoy the simple joys of life almost mesmerized by life. It's we adults who put in ideas of competition and racing against time for them.

On the television business
The television business is getting crazier by the day. We are obsessed with glamour, gossip and everyone's trying to fit into the same slot. So, if one guy is creating unnecessary drama and getting TRP's everyone's trying to imitate. As a result, the whole landscape looks the same. I think, success is a relative term and TRP's have to be seen in the right context. Even newspapers are all intellectually crap, full of parties, gossip and weddings. There is nothing intellectually stimulating to read.

On Page 3 parties
I feel totally out of place at parties especially, filmi parties. I try to avoid all parties as far as possible.

Success means
Success is being allowed to do the kind of creative work that I want to. And not having to do what the channel or the audiences want. There are people in the market who think they are successful but I think they have succumbed to pressure.

I am failing every single day.
I experience failure every single day as I try to write and pull off every episode successfully. To fill a blank piece of paper every single day is a great challege. Since, I am not a genius, words don't flow out but I've to work very hard at my craft.

Stress busters
I don't believe in getting stressed. If something is not working out or shaping up as per my wishes - then my attitude, So what? I take it very cool in life. I used to practice Yoga earlier but now I prefer going to the gym. I mix a workout of cardio and weights. I also love traveling because of the hectic schedules. I love traveling and have traveled across the world along with my theatre group.

Cartoon Network Enterprises India and South Asia director Jiggy George's think reading is greatest investment mind. An avid book reader tells Nidhi Jain it would allow writers to make a living and would keep India's smartness quotient in tact.

Who introduced you to reading?
Books are an enduring love. My parents fueled my interest for general knowledge by buying me volumes of the "Tell me why series" and encyclopedias. The idea was to balance/supplement academics and learning by rote. These books along with the Bible were introduced at a very early age. The progression in school saw phases?from the Hardy boys, Alfred Hitchcock adventures to a lot of abridged classics like Tom Sawyer, Huckleberry Fin, Moby Dick, Robinson Crusoe etc. I remember a phase of obsession with Sherlock Holmes and his myriad adventures. I wrote a letter to Baker street asking him as to why he came as close as Nepal and never visited India. I was thrilled to get a letter back explaining as to how he would love to come to India and some mystery soon would see him and Watson there. Though precocious; I did not see this as marketing. This letter made an indelible mark and now working in a job that markets dreams to kids; the letter from Sherlock keeps reminding me of how simple ideas can fuel imagination and bring unbridled joy in a kid's life!
The one person who I believe has molded my life is my maternal uncle. He played cupid to my love for books. Bose uncle introduced me to the world of Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Milan Kundera, Salman Rushdie, and Amitav Ghosh. Though he was struggling to make a living in Mumbai; he ensured that he invest in buying me books every month. It was his investment into me and it changed my world! I started my love affair with books. It got me traveling vicariously to different parts of the world and activated the theatre of my mind.

Kind of book collection you have
I am promiscuous when it comes to books and my collection is eclectic and reflects the obsessions and different phases of my life. From Classics, to travelogues, from humor to contemporary literature, from graphic books, screenplays, comics to biographies. A lot of music related books and of course corporate stuff. I am not very fond of Indian authors except for my complete love and respect for the works of Amitav Ghosh, Vikram Seth and Khushwant Singh.
I love humor and favorites include Kingsley Amis, Dave Barry, Bill Bryson and Douglas Adams.
Comics ?I love and have the complete Tin Tin's, Asterix, Amar Chitra Katha's, Calvin and Hobbes, Gary Larson , Scott Adams (most of them?)and Mad (all of them until 2005)
I recently got gifted a subscription to the Economist by a worthy friend. I love it and this again is now staple diet.

On favorite authors and well written books
This could take very long but?My current favorite is Nick Hornby and this genre of writing would so appeal to the youth of our country. Its not "high art" and pretentious and this genre of writing does not exist in India. "High Fidelity", "A long way down" and "About a boy" are all superb books!

Salinger's Catcher in the Rye, Gabriel Garcia Marquez- love in the time of Cholera, Hundred years of solitude and Chronicles of a death foretold. John Irving's "World according to Garp", " Zorba the greek " byNikos Kazantzakis, Michael Ondaatje's "The English Patient" and Ian McEwan's " Amsterdam", "To kill a mocking bird" by Harper Lee and even Stephen King's "Shawshank redemption"
"The Hitchhiker" series by Douglas Adams, Vikram Seth's complete works from "Golden gate" and "Equal music" to the "Suitable boy" and the wonderful travelogue "From Heaven's lake"

"The Hitchhiker" series by Douglas Adams, Vikram Seth's complete works from "Golden gate" and "Equal music" to the "Suitable boy" and the wonderful travelogue "From Heaven's lake"?

Every corpo type should read Seth's Hare and tortoise in his book "Beastley Tales". It is the signs of our times!

Amitav Ghosh's "Shadow lines", Rushdie are "Shame" and "Haroun and the sea of stories." The classics like "The Great Gatsby "by Scott Fitzgerald, "The Alexandra quartet" by Lawrence Durrell, "Brighton Rock" by Graham Greene, "The adventures of Tom Sawyer" by Dickens and "Don Quixote "by Cervantes.
I also liked "God of small things'?
As for business related books; I am partial to biographies and loved Richard Branson's Steve Job's and J R D Tata's stories.

I love Sidney Lumet's" making movies" and in recent times, Stephen Levitt's Freakanomics, Malcolm Gladwell's Blink and Lexus and the olive tree by Friedman were very interesting.

Do you find interesting things in every book, how do you choose books you read?
Most of my friends read and I trust their judgment of books. Besides, I check amazon.com, reviews of books and by browsing at bookstores. The people I love most have to live with my obsession with books- they get the same predictable gifts (a book again!) and have to live with being forced to read.

What do you think of self help books?
I don't think of them! I know it sells a lot of copies because all of us need help. I could not "awaken the giant within" even after trying to read Anthony Robbin's book a hundred times. I loved the Alchemist (if you put this in genre of self help) and I am an unashamed fan of some of the dummies series of books. I greatly benefited by the dummy's guide to Classical music, wines and yoga. I though Stephen Covey's seven habits was great when I read it n MBA School.

Money and time you spend on books
Money in this case can buy love! I spend too much money and rationalize it each time. In fact, I have been forbidden by the Home minister to buy any more books as it is impairing our social life. Fewer friends come home as there is no place to accommodate them!

Books-an investment
The art scene has got fashionable as its now a currency like the stock exchange. It's now cool to say you collect art. I wish this coolness quotient would translate to books. It would keep our writers and publishing industry in business. It would allow writers to make a living and it would keep India's smartness quotient in tact.
I think reading has been my greatest investment. The returns payout greatly at work as it has helped the process of being lateral, communicating better, dreaming up the road ahead, selling a dream!

Browsing and e-reading
Inspite of the fact that I like technology I have still not got used to the idea of e-reading. I guess I am a tactile person. I need to touch and feel books! I guess this explains my obsession with my job?I set up new businesses with brand Pogo and Cartoon Network- the vision being that kids can touch and feel the brands beyond the realm of TV.

Currently reading
Thunderbolt kid by Bill Bryson, TV Nation by Michael Moore, SRK's biography and my daily dose of comics and magazines.

Director and COO of Graphiti Multimedia, Munjal Shroff tells Nidhi Jain, how a person grows with changing times without changing the basic nature incorporated in the beginning.

By Birth
My belief in GOD has not really changed much, though I have been through tough circumstances, desperate situations. I knew that it was part of learning personally and professionally and knew things would work out.

Values & Belief
I have been fortunate to be born in a family which is culturally very strong. Our family tradition is 120 years old. The customs, traditions I grew up enjoying was a great way of bonding. Belief is a personal choice, though I don't personally don't exercise it and some make it a big issue, values shouldn't change. To a large extent, mine have remained the same. I guess it has a lot to do with upbringing, though there are values which change with personal experiences. Extreme conditions do question our values. I don't have any regrets on the decisions I have made.
Rituals
I believe in Lord Ganesha. Trained by my grandfather, Navin Shroff, I know my customs/rituals better than my father and my father acknowledges that. Our rituals give us identity. We have antique toys, chariots, which I want to and pass on to my kids and I want this tradition to continue forever.

Divine visit
I go to Mahalaxmi temple in Mumbai. My main deity is in a temple in Udaipur.

Spiritual guidance
My grandfather, to an extent, who was always detached from worries, and took life in his stride and is a very calm, composed, spiritual person.

Positive thinking
I believe in light at the end of the tunnel as things have a mysterious ways of coming back to us.

Relaxing spiritually
With wife and kids and also the latter are a huge source of entertainment.

Are you Destiny's child?
It wasn't a smooth ride after having close calls but I know deep down that things will work out.

A complete gadget freak - That is Hiren Gada,Vice President Shemaroo Entertainment Pvt. Ltd for you. His likes life on the fast lane, is how he describes it to Richa Dubey.

I keep myself updated about the gadgets that I use. I read magazines, books and watch TV. I own a mobile, MP3 player and a laptop which I carry wherever I travel for official purposes. I prefer the latest configuration on my laptop. The latest one which I am using has got a screen size of 12 inches and is very small and weighs less. I find it very convenient to carry while traveling. It also has different software and a DVD writer. We are a home DVD company so I have a vast DVD collection ranging from classics to newer ones.

I like watching movies in multiplexes as well as at home. Watching a movie in multiplexes is a family experience. I make it a point to watch movies with the family at least once or twice in two weeks.

Being from the entertainment industry I like to watch movies with leisure therefore I have installed home theater in each and every room. I watch movies a lot. I am a big techno freak when it comes to movies. In my hall I have a mini theatre. There is a Panasonic projector at one end and a large screen at the other, which gives a proper theater feel.

One of it is movable, such that I can watch it while having meals. I have a set top box, a DVD player and amplifier. All of these are attached to the projector and speakers around the room. I use 5 remote controls for them but it pays well. The experience of watching and listening to music in such an environment is amazing. I own all the original DVDs and depending on the mood I watch them.

My collection of movies range from Lawrence of Arabia, Da Vinci Code, Anand etc.

In mobile phones I have kind of stabilized on Nokia 9300 since two years. It is a communicator and I never found any cell as good. This is the one which has everything in one and suits my profession. I have a blackberry installed so I get mail alerts on it when I am not carrying my laptop. Communicator is a holistic device in its own right. But I do keep a track of every new mobile in the market.

While traveling, schedules are tight so I hardly get time to shop or check out for small electronic gadgets but in duty free I do check out the price and new features. I also carry my MP3 player while traveling. It also has a radio in it. I have never bought an Ipod because I feel it is as good as having an MP3 player. If they come out with an Ipod cum radio I will surely buy one. I am looking for different features in an Ipod like video.

I begin my day
Mornings are usually very rushed. I live at Andheri (a suburb in Mumbai) Lokhandwala Complex which is pretty far from my office. Since I spent the whole day at work; in the mornings I try to play with my four year old daughter Mahek. Me and my wife get Mahek ready for school, after which we go for a walk at the nearby park.
After brisk walking I practice a little bit of kriya yoga, which I've picked up from my mother. But I must confess, I am trying to be more regular with my routines.

My diet mantra
I don't follow a strict diet. It's a very simple diet mantra and that is eat healthy and avoid all spicy Indian food. My breakfast is mostly some fruits and milk and I don't carry my lunch. I just grab something at the office canteen which is pretty palatable. To dine out I prefer either Mahesh Lunch Home in Juhu/ South Mumbai or Mainland China.

Shopping
I don't really shop much. And whenever I go shopping, I make it a point never to go alone. Because it's all about getting a nod from my wife. Most of the time I stick to what my wife selects for me. We mostly shop at the malls and I amongst all the brands I stick to Allen Solly which is pretty good.

Travel Destination
I think India is a beautiful country. And each time we go for a holiday it's like rediscovering our country all over again. I had gone to Kerala recently and I still can't forget the breathtaking sights of the backwater expanse consisting of canals and coconut groves.

I like to visit hills, archeological places and beaches. I hate going to sanctuaries, especially in Orissa, that's where I belong. Weekend traveling is also fun. I often refer to the weekend destination books to plan my weekend getaways. We love going to Lonavala, Igatpuri and Matheran.

Traveling abroad doesn't happen too often. Had traveled to Singapore recently.

Relaxing Mantra
Broadly speaking, our work is not as stressful as people make it out to be. It's as stressful as any other profession. Spending time with my family is always a great stress buster.

Gadgets and Gizmos
Love the latest in mobile phones, stereos (especially like the ones which are assembled with the best of components from different manufacturers), digital cameras and camcorders.
Recently bought a Nokia 6670 and a Kodak 5 Megapixels, 10X Zoom camera that also shoots motion.

On Books
Have the urge to catch up on a lot of reading, though time seems to be in short supply always. Beyond catching up with the everyday newspapers and some favourite columns in the Sunday newspapers, I recently read a book 'The Tipping Point' by Malcolm Gladwell. The book takes everyday life instances to illustrate concepts that can benefit all of us, especially marketing professionals like us. I also quite liked reading Robin Sharma's The Monk who sold his Ferrrari. Though I don't quite like the self-help category of books, this one is different. It sort of sets you thinking and motivates you to rediscover things about yourself.

Was browsing through the 1970s classic Future Shock by Alvin Toffler to see how we saw the future then and what really has transpired in the intervening 35 years.

My idea of entertainment
Weekends are usually fun and reserved totally for my family. Since, there are more than four multiplexes just near to where I stay, so for entertainment and relaxation it's movies all the way. Either I like to watch something that is sensible or an out-and-out comedy - nothing of the middle order. Some of the recent films which I enjoyed watching were Salaam Namaste, Hanuman and Bunty aur Babli. And yes, I didn't miss the latest Salman Khan films - No Entry and Maine Pyaar Kyun kiya.

My favourite car
When I was a kid, my dad had a Black Hindustan 14 - an Indianised Ford Austin made by Hindustan Motors (HM), the makers of our good old Ambassador. That really was my first impression of what a car could be and should be - sturdy, mobile, majestic and BLACK.

Things changed and we bought a Premier Padmini, then a Maruti 800 and now I own a Baleno. I feel a car has to be technically good and give you the comfort you deserve. Of course looks matter, but that's not everything.

My favourite car is the stately Mercedes Benz that rules the road. As for now, my Baleno is no less though....