Reading on the go

GIZMOPHILE

Some people go great lengths to take a breather from fast-paced living. Take Captain Raghu Raman for instance. On weekends he is known to bicycle 21 km away from work, stress and everyday life. He believes in "not being connected on weekends". Yes, he is reachable on SMS but, "the world can survive without me on weekends," he states frankly.

Having served in the Indian army for over 10 years, during which Raman was a part of the elite mechanised forces, he shifted gears in life when he joined the corporate world as the chief executive officer of Mahindra Special Services Group. "You can leave the army, but army habits don't leave you easily," he quips while describing his passion to go cruising on his bicycle. On weekdays he sticks to short biking sojourns but Sundays are special. "I am up by 5.30 in the morning and go on a 21-25 km route, and soak in the silence of Mumbai," he says. An athlete, Raman is planning to run a full marathon.

Music is not what he carries on his iPod, instead audio books like Kite Runner or Blink is what Raman prefers on his playlist. "I frequent only a couple of sites online, and www.audible.com is one of them. I subscribe online and download my favourite book titles in my iPod, as reading books is not possible in today's fast-paced corporate schedules," he presents a logical reason.

An accomplished student from the Military College of Telecommunication Engineering, an instructor's grading in missile guidance systems, weapons and information technology amongst others, Raman is trained in the field of hacking and is a member of the Society of Competitive Intelligence Professionals.

Raman agrees that golf, swimming, snooker, playing bridge are far more fashionable hobbies than biking, "but I have been in the army where golf courses are the size of mini-cities ... I have been there and done that. I feel no need to be associated with the elite group that a golf course guarantees." Yes, some people like to be different.