showing how Sloan executed
his ideas successfully.
He was a visionary who
saw to it that General
Motors became a leading
automobile company.
—As told to Sayan Chakraborty
RS Goenka
Founder and whole-
time direCtor, emamI
The teachings of the
Bhagavad Gita have greatly
influenced me in viewing
life and its ups and downs
from the correct perspective.
I have found the Bhagavad
Gita’s call for selfless action
and to do what is right
very inspiring. It has a
deep-rooted significance
and is extremely relevant
to our lives. It has helped
me develop the right
physician and oncologist
Siddhartha Mukherjee is a
must-read for everyone. I
read this Pulitzer-winning
book in 2011 and it has
remained with me because
of the clarity and precisionattitude towards life, work,
family and others, and
helped bring clarity to my
thoughts and actions.
I am currently reading
Foundations of Corporate
Success by John Kay. This
book lucidly explains the
sources and sustainability
of the competitive
advantage of businesses.
—As told to Sayan Chakraborty
with which the author
writes about a complex
disease like cancer.
I am currently reading a
fascinating book called
Sapiens by a brilliant
Israeli author, Yuval
Noah Harari. It was
recommended to me by my
niece and it is riveting.
It is an exceptional piece
of anthropological writing
that is a must-read for
anyone who wants to
understand why we are
humans. It provides deep
insight into how we have
evolved from hunters into
sophisticated thinkers. It’s
so wonderfully written
that you don’t need to be
a biologist to understand
what human evolution is all
about. It is truly impactful
in every way as it helps you
understand why we emote
in certain ways, how we
respond to threats and what
induces us to be caring.
—As told to
Harichandan Arakaliimpression on me because
I am very nation-minded
as well. Many of the things
I have tried to do, even at
Cipla (which was set up by
my father Khwaja Abdul
Hamied to make India self-
reliant in health care), have
been with keeping national
interests in mind. In fact,
I think the book is worth
reading again for youngsters.
—As told to Aveek DattaYK Hamied
non-exeCutive Chairman,
CIpla
One of the books I had read
early on in life, and which
had a lasting impact on me,
was Our India by Minoo
Masani, an Indian politician
and freedom fighter who
wrote the book in 1940. I
had read the book during
the Partition in 1946-47,
when I was 11 years old. The
book was all about India
and the problems it faced,
and it suggested measures
by which those challenges
could be overcome. I still
remember what was written
and even have a copy of
the book somewhere in
my office. It had a lastingand psychoanalyst
Norman Doidge.
I am currently reading
Homo Deus: A Brief History
of Tomorrow by Yuval
Noah Harari. I am reading
it since I read and liked his
previous book Sapiens: A
Brief History of Humankind.
—As told to Sayan ChakrabortyKiran
Mazumdar-ShawChairperson and md,
BIoCon
The Emperor of All Maladies:
A Biography of Cancer
by India-born AmericanSenapathy
GopalakrishnanCo-Founder, Infosys
Many books have influenced
me. One book recently
prompted me to delve
deeper into understanding
the brain and invest in
brain research. The book
is The Brain that Changes
Itself: Stories of Personal
Triumph from the Frontiers
of Brain Science. It is a
book on neuroplasticity
by psychiatristdecember 29, 2017 forbes india | 103