Reading Room: "I read several books simultaneously": Sourabh Mishra

Sourabh Mishra, erstwhile chief strategy officer, Saatchi & Saatchi India, talks to afaqs! about Kevin Roberts' literary offering 'Lovemarks', books that make him look inwards and why he loves fiction.

I often end up reading multiple books simultaneously. Currently, I am reading Lovemarks - The Future Beyond Brands by Kevin Roberts, This Is All I Have To Say by Swapan Seth, Words To Live By by Eknath Easwaran and Data-driven Marketing: The 15 Metrics Everyone In Marketing Should Know by Mark Jeffery.

Lovemarks is all about the next level of evolution of brands written by the CEO of Saatchi & Saatchi. It forces one to revisit the basics of one's business. This Is All I Have To Say is written by a father for his children, encapsulating his take on life; it has a simple, from-the-heart quality to its writing. Words To Live By is a collection of 365 passages, each one meant for a day of the year. It is like a stimulus to have a small spiritual conversation with oneself and introspect every day. I'm not sure if I am enjoying Data Driven Marketing, but it is a nice-to-know thing in my business.

My preferred genre is fiction; good fiction is evocative, insightful and interesting. Some of my all-time favourite books are Kahlil Gibran's The Prophet, Ayn Rand's books, Sun Tzu's The Art Of War, and Shrilal Shukla's Raag Darbari (this should be essential reading for account planners in Indian agencies).