 "Be kind, be gracious, be generous: Pranay Gupte")
Best work moment
Any time. I am able to start writing at will because of the discipline that journalism has injected in me. That said, I find mornings most conducive for work.
Books on your bedside
Freedom at Midnight by Larry Collins and Dominique Lapierre, A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway, and In Cold Blood by Truman Capote - enduring classics that I always keep with me. I am currently reading Calcutta by Amit Chaudhuri, A Delicate Truth by John le Carre, and Durbar by Tavleen Singh (in which she graciously mentions me).
Massage or workout to de-stress?
Reflexology. Nothing like a great foot massage to get the circulation going. I highly recommend Singapore for such massages. Also the Espa at The Leela in New Delhi, and the spa at the Radisson Blu in downtown Chennai.
Favourite spirit
I don't consume hard liquor. But I occasionally partake of a really fine cognac (Martell, of course), or a very old Port, after dinner.
Favourite wine
Bordeaux reds, Australian Shiraz, and Chilean reds.
Your sleeping ritual
I have the ability to sleep at any time, anywhere, on account of years of filing stories for publications (such as The New York Times, Forbes, and Newsweek International) from different time zones. But I always try and get a 30-minute 'power nap' in the afternoon; it's very refreshing.
Favourite TV show
Law & Order franchise for thrillers. Rajdeep Sardesai, Sagarika Ghose, Barkha Dutt and Arnab Goswami for political entertainment.
Best gift received
I get embarrassed when I receive gifts. But the best gift I ever received was a lovely gold chain that my late father, Balkrishna Gupte, gave me in 1967 when I was leaving Mumbai to go to Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts. I have worn that chain since then; it is attached to a small gold Ganesh, and a talisman from a Shirdi Sai Baba temple.
Best gift given
Dedicating my very first book, The Crowded Earth to my journalistic mentor, the late A M Rosenthal, executive editor of The New York Times; and dedicating Mother India: A Political Biography of Indira Gandhi to my friends Jyotsna Varma and her father, Ram S Varma, both of the IAS, and to Jyotsna's teenage daughter, Trishala Ray.
Favourite cuisine
Indian, especially Maharastrian CKP fish and prawn curries. Japanese sashimi, too.
Food items that you shop for
Being divorced and single, I shop mainly for fruit, yogurt, home supplies, bottled water, and very high-class chocolates. I strongly recommend French chocolates from Maison du Chocolat in Paris and New York.
Favourite city
New York. Dubai and Delhi come close seconds
You get your work clothes from
Anderson & Sheppard, and Henry Poole on Savile Row, London.
The gels, oils and lotions that you swear by
I only use products by Forest Essentials, Delhi. My particular favourite is the rose facial mist.
Favourite evening wear
Dark blue suit, light blue shirt, and a red, blue or green tie from Salvatore Ferragamo, preferably with elephant figurines.
Your current set of wheels
I don't own a car right now. But when I lived in Dubai for six years, I drove a Mercedes SLK 350. Fantastic to drive on desert roads. Great de-stresser, especially with the top down.
Favourite cafe
Cafe de Paris, Geneva.
Favourite restaurant
The Four Seasons restaurant in New York. Absolutely the best in the world.
Alpha males you know
Prathap Chandra Reddy, founder of Apollo Hospitals (I've just completed his biography for Penguin), Capt C P Krishnan Nair, founder of The Leela Group, Shashi Tharoor, Kamal Nath, David Davidar, Siddharth Varadarajan, Udayan Mitra, and N Ram.
Favourite motto
"Be kind, be gracious, be generous. And live in the present."
Pranay Gupte
Award-winning author, journalist, political commentator, documentary producer, biographer and historian
Any time. I am able to start writing at will because of the discipline that journalism has injected in me. That said, I find mornings most conducive for work.
Books on your bedside
Freedom at Midnight by Larry Collins and Dominique Lapierre, A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway, and In Cold Blood by Truman Capote - enduring classics that I always keep with me. I am currently reading Calcutta by Amit Chaudhuri, A Delicate Truth by John le Carre, and Durbar by Tavleen Singh (in which she graciously mentions me).
Massage or workout to de-stress?
Reflexology. Nothing like a great foot massage to get the circulation going. I highly recommend Singapore for such massages. Also the Espa at The Leela in New Delhi, and the spa at the Radisson Blu in downtown Chennai.
Favourite spirit
I don't consume hard liquor. But I occasionally partake of a really fine cognac (Martell, of course), or a very old Port, after dinner.
Favourite wine
Bordeaux reds, Australian Shiraz, and Chilean reds.
Your sleeping ritual
I have the ability to sleep at any time, anywhere, on account of years of filing stories for publications (such as The New York Times, Forbes, and Newsweek International) from different time zones. But I always try and get a 30-minute 'power nap' in the afternoon; it's very refreshing.
Favourite TV show
Law & Order franchise for thrillers. Rajdeep Sardesai, Sagarika Ghose, Barkha Dutt and Arnab Goswami for political entertainment.
Best gift received
I get embarrassed when I receive gifts. But the best gift I ever received was a lovely gold chain that my late father, Balkrishna Gupte, gave me in 1967 when I was leaving Mumbai to go to Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts. I have worn that chain since then; it is attached to a small gold Ganesh, and a talisman from a Shirdi Sai Baba temple.
Best gift given
Dedicating my very first book, The Crowded Earth to my journalistic mentor, the late A M Rosenthal, executive editor of The New York Times; and dedicating Mother India: A Political Biography of Indira Gandhi to my friends Jyotsna Varma and her father, Ram S Varma, both of the IAS, and to Jyotsna's teenage daughter, Trishala Ray.
Favourite cuisine
Indian, especially Maharastrian CKP fish and prawn curries. Japanese sashimi, too.
Food items that you shop for
Being divorced and single, I shop mainly for fruit, yogurt, home supplies, bottled water, and very high-class chocolates. I strongly recommend French chocolates from Maison du Chocolat in Paris and New York.
Favourite city
New York. Dubai and Delhi come close seconds
You get your work clothes from
Anderson & Sheppard, and Henry Poole on Savile Row, London.
The gels, oils and lotions that you swear by
I only use products by Forest Essentials, Delhi. My particular favourite is the rose facial mist.
Favourite evening wear
Dark blue suit, light blue shirt, and a red, blue or green tie from Salvatore Ferragamo, preferably with elephant figurines.
Your current set of wheels
I don't own a car right now. But when I lived in Dubai for six years, I drove a Mercedes SLK 350. Fantastic to drive on desert roads. Great de-stresser, especially with the top down.
Favourite cafe
Cafe de Paris, Geneva.
Favourite restaurant
The Four Seasons restaurant in New York. Absolutely the best in the world.
Alpha males you know
Prathap Chandra Reddy, founder of Apollo Hospitals (I've just completed his biography for Penguin), Capt C P Krishnan Nair, founder of The Leela Group, Shashi Tharoor, Kamal Nath, David Davidar, Siddharth Varadarajan, Udayan Mitra, and N Ram.
Favourite motto
"Be kind, be gracious, be generous. And live in the present."
Pranay Gupte
Award-winning author, journalist, political commentator, documentary producer, biographer and historian