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