There's a great hustle bustle of activity at the Times Now office. It looks like, it's been a day of hectic meetings and amazing news breaks for Editor-in-Chief, Arnab Goswami. As I enter his cabin, his cell phone keeps beeping incessantly and the sms' keep pouring in; yet Arnab looks all charged and raring to go.

For the first time ever, Goswami gets candid on his exciting journey as an editor-in-chief.

My initial years ?
Since my father was in the army, I changed various schools around the country. Also, I grew up in a family of lawyers and politicians. After doing my BA from the Hindu college in Delhi, I went through a period of uncertainity in my life. I was not too sure what I wanted to do in life. But somewhere along with the way, I figured out that I had a very strong connection with England. I had a strong desire to study law at Oxford. Though, I didn't get a chance to do law but I went on to do Social Anthropology at Oxford.

My Oxford days
I didn't really enjoy studying Social Anthropology or didn't quite like the `Oxonion' circuit so-to-speak. Later, I had an opportunity to do a PH D, but somehow I came back to India and joined the Telegraph in Calcutta. For about an year, I worked on the Edit pages of the newspaper. Later, I had an offer to join Outlook magazine, but somehow as luck would have it I went on to join NDTV.

My days with NDTV
At NDTV, I started off with doing some small stories, but being a quick learner I soon graduated to important stories. I was fortunate enough to cover three general elections, the Jain Hawala case and many other important stories. Working with Prannoy Roy was an excellent opportunity. I also owe a lot to my News Editor Appan Menon (who is unfortunately nomore).

After spending a good nine and a half years at NDTV, I had made up my mind to move on in life. I was scared of getting too comfortable at my job and was itching to take on a risk. I wanted to take on something that would challenge me. There were offers to head existing news channels but the offer to launch a new channel from scratch was a great opportunity.

Launching Times Now
My initial meetings with Mr Arun Arora and later with Mr Vineet Jain convinced me that this was the biggest risk and challenge that I was waiting for. On a personal level, launching the channel has been a great learning curve in terms hiring people, handling production, programming and deciding the overall look and feel of the channel.

Restless and raring to go
I always want to try out new things in life. After the launch of the channel, we are now in the process of experimenting with newer formats and forms. Now, our aim is to take the channel to the top.

I try to remain level headed
This profession can sometimes give you an exaggerated sense of self importance. My aim is to try and remain level headed all the time. I've seen people change a lot after getting into this profession. I try to keep a low profile and be one amongst the team.

My mind is always at work
Sometimes there are abnormal levels of stress in our profession. Also, the news business can really get a bit obsessive as one can't afford to miss out on a single news break. Somehow, my mind is always at work and it's part of my nature. I find it difficult to cut off. Also, it's hugely competitive. Initially, I didn't want to be in the rat race but now somehow being in the race, now I want to be the fastest rat.

Relaxing Mantra
I keep shuffling between Delhi and Mumbai. Whenever, possible we take off on a holiday, or go for long drives. I don't really like to party much or network. I try to spend a lot of quality time with my five year old son, who loves to watch me on television and imitate me all the time.

I start my day with
Mornings begin with some good music. Music sort of adds spice to my morning routine. Then I wish my four year old son good morning with a peck on his cheeks which is like a ritual. I am not very particular about my breakfast; so I just grab something and I am off to work.

My fitness mantra
I don't exercise at all. It's not that I don't believe in it. By God's grace I'm quite fit at the moment and I don't need to exercise. But, this year my new year resolution is to start with a brisk walking regime.

My diet
Basically, I eat anything I can digest. I am pure vegetarian. I also try to avoid high calorie food but I just can't resist chaats and samosas. I freak on South Indian food. Some of my favourite eating joints are Woodland (Juhu), Papa Pancho (owned by Prahlad Kakkar) and Poptates (Versova).

Travel destinations.
My work has taken me around the world in the last few years to places like Europe, South East Asia and US. I have fond memories of Greece, Switzerland, Egypt amongst other countries. At least once a year, we plan out a family holiday. I love traveling in India, especially up North. While in college I used to go trekking to places like Sikkim, Manali and Dharamshalla. Goa is another destination I love to frequent. I have yet to visit places down South.

Shopping destination
I am a value for money shopper. I generally shop at malls like Phoenix mills or the Inorbit (which is quite close to where I stay). In India, cities like Delhi and Bangalore also offer quality wear.

My favourite brands
I am not all that brand conscious. But for my for formal wear I prefer brands like Allen Solly, Reid & Taylor and Louis Phillipe.

Movies for me are
I am crazy about movies. As far as Hollywood films go, I like action and thriller movies. As far as Bollywood goes, I love all Amitabh Bachchan films. From Don to Agnipath to Sarkar. Some of my favourite films are Munna Bhai MBBS, Dil Chahta Hai and Sarfarosh. I even like all Govinda films and some of Shahrukh Khan movies.

Music is my life
Music has been my life. I hear everything; from retro to rock to emotional to hip hop. Be it Pink Flyod,Dire Straits,Britney Spears, Madonna, Kishore Kumar to Sonu Nigam.

Gizmos and gadgets
I am a complete gizmo and gadget freak. I always want to know more about new technological innovations.

My favourite car
I drive the Corrola. I think it's one of the best cars around. I also love the Honda Accord. On roads abroad, Hummer looks the best.

Stress busters
My kids and music are great stress busters. These revitalize me, and help me get ready to face further challenges of life.

After days of pursuing, we finally meet Rajiv Mehra on the sets of Shanno ki Shaadi. Taking a short break from his hectic shooting schedule, Mehra lights up a cigarette as we settle down for a brief tete-e-tete. After chatting up the salt-n-pepper producer/director about his soon to be launched show 'Kasme Vaade' and his other on-air projects like Shararat we slowly dicover a rather sporty side to this ace producer.

He reveals, "I am very passionate about the game of Polo and I've been pursuing it for almost two decades now. I love cricket too, but I just watch the game." Taking a nostalgic trip from his earlier days, he goes on, " while in school I got fond of horse riding. My maternal uncle who used to stay at Napeansea road would accompany me to the race course at the Mahalaxmi race course. As my love for riding grew and then later I got totally hooked on to the game of Polo."

"I joined the Amateur Riders' Club at Mahalaxmi and started participating in sports like Show Jumping [going over an obstacle while riding] Tent Pegging, [unearthing the peg with a lance while riding a galloping horse] Dressage rider doing various moves in co-ordination with the horse]," says the student of Scholar High School and H. R. College who won the championship in Tent Pegging at an individual as well as at a National level playing for Western India

Now Polo is only a leisure activity
"I have been pursuing the game seriously for almost two decades now. But now I don't really have the time for serious tournaments, it's only a leisure game.The reason being that the game requires tremendous fitness levels, a lot of time and a string of Polo ponies. I used to get away to places like Delhi and Jaipur for a month or so to participate in all the tournaments. The fitness levels of a Polo player should be almost at par with that of a Squash player or an American Football player," says Mehra who in his younger days used to ride for an hour in the mornings and evenings to keep fit.

On a lighter vein, he continues,"it was not as if the horse was doing all the work but that was not the case. To take the ball to make a goal on a galloping horse with a rough stick (read Mallet) over the pitch [spanning over 300 by 200 square yards] requires utmost physical and mental agility

Polo Ponies

As the sugarless coffee arrives,we ask him about how many horses he maintains? " earlier between me and a friend we used to maintain about 3 to 4 horses. Now as the chairman of the Amateurs Riders Club at Mahalaxmi, I urge the television fraternity to avail of all the advantages of this sport in Mumbai. We encourage women too to pursue the game."

Rajiv's tips to aspiring polo players:

• Be ready to maintain several polo ponies. A Polo player needs to change at least four ponies for one game per day. That is because 1 polo chakkar offers seven and a half minute of playtime that is bound to tire the horse. Since one game of Polo consists of six chakkars one needs to maintain a string of ponies as they could get injured or ill too.
• Become the member of Amateur Rider's Club at Mahalaxmi as it offers the cheapest facilities in the world where it buys and maintains the horses. It also charges minimum for playing one chakkar. The upkeep of the horse is cheap at Rs 1000 per horse per month against a Singapore Club that charges 3.5 lacs for the upkeep of a horse which is really steep.

"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.

Varun Kohli, VP revenue, Sieger Solutions, a staunch believer in the Almighty, tells Richa Dubey that God means the world to him.

By Birth you are?
I am from a broadminded Hindu family.

Religion you follow?
There are certain ideals and principles which we thrive on. For me God is in everybody. In fact, for me I see God in my parents. My dad is no more but my mom is still alive.

Your beliefs and places of pilgrimage?
I believe in Vaishnodevi a lot. That does not mean that I do not worship any other God. The other Gods are always there in my mind. I firmly believe that the best thing that God gave me is my family. I do speak to God when I am down and tensed due to pressure. It is religious belief that keeps me going.

Values that you carry?
For me, values of a person are very important. Values come if one fears life, fears God. Fear makes you value everything. I am very honest about it. According to me, God wants one to value before it is given to them. There is a time when he teaches you and he has his own way.

When we are in a trouble we know God will take care of us. Somewhere down the line that prevents you from taking wrong decisions. I think I have a strong bond with the Almighty and I certainly believe that that people who do not believe in God do not understand life. Ultimately he is the Creator.

Positive thinking...
For me Positive thinking comes from God because I know that if I do wrong someday I will have to give answers to somebody, maybe after death.

Karmology...
I believe in Karma. If one does anything wrong it comes back to us. So based on that I am very clear on what I have to do. My only idea is that I intentionally never tried to hurt anybody. This is the biggest gift because that fear of God and interaction with him keeps me going and away from bad things.
To be very honest, I am very blunt and that has landed me into a lot of trouble at times. This is how I am, accept me or reject me.

Are you Destiny's child?
When I am doing great I say wow! I am a destiny's child. At times I say I am not. It's a mixed feeling. So in a way no one is destiny's child. It's like a graph, going up and coming down.
I am a very strong believer of karma and strongly believe in life after death. God is the master, he is playing a game and we all are participants. We have to just play our parts to our best. I still remember once in my class, I planned with my friends to bunk and go to the field to play and as soon as we entered the field something in me dissuaded me from going onto the field. I don't know what it was. Love or fear but that was strange. I had not completed my homework and I knew I was going to get a good bashing from my teacher. That was the first time I realised what happens to you when you do anything wrong. After that I never bunked college.
At the same time my family has always stopped me from doing anything wrong though they have given me freedom. Yet I never touched alcohol or smoked. I have always believed in Karma and it is still attached to me. It is not that I wished to but I did it out of choice.My idea is clear that I should not play around with other's sentiments. I can tell anybody on the face if I like or dislike them. This is the influence that God has.

My mom has always taught me that God exists everywhere. After my college, I was struggling to get a break but I was unable to and then suddenly I met someone at a party who called me the next morning. I met him and as the saying goes, the rest is history.