BENGALURU:Tina Garg, the CEO and founder of Pink Lemonade, says that being an avid non-fiction reader, her favourite book maybe unconventional. Amongst other things, she also talks about wanting to meet David Ogilvy and have chat with him on how the industry has grown over the years. Excerpts:
Name and Designation: Tina Garg, CEO & Founder, Pink Lemonade
Your favourite book of all time and why? Could you quote a passage?
Well unlike many leisure readers, I read a lot of non-fiction, so I have an unusual favourite book, which is, brand leadership by David Aacker.
David Aaker is an expert in the field of marketing and this book completely changed the paradigms of branding for me. It taught me strategic brand leadership from an execution point of view and has been the stepping stone to learning for many of my proteges. My favourite quote from the book is:
“Branding adds spirit and a soul to what would otherwise be a robotic, automated, generic price-value proposition. If branding is ultimately about the creation of human meaning, it follows logically that it is the humans who must ultimately provide it.”
This statement is so critical to branding - if we were to stop and think through it. It also tells us that branding is common sense.
In the fiction genre, my all-time favorite would be Kite Runner and Bridges of Madison County – both for their stunning writing.
Your favourite fictional character and why?
It would have to be Darcy from Pride and Prejudice – for his fair ways, for being unapologetic about who he is, and daring to be different. Of course, he’s also every girl’s dream hero, and I am no exception to this!
Few lines you got from a book, which you would never forget?
“Not a word passes between us, not because we have nothing to say, but because we don’t have to say anything” – Khaled Hosseini
Five top books released in 2017, according to you
Well, I haven’t read too many books that released in 2017, but I will name three that I really loved - A Man Called Ove, Stuck like Lint, Consciousness speaking with consciousness
One book you would want a first edition of and why?
Certainly the one I am writing, on the creative industry and I hope others would want that first edition too!
Which author would you like to have tea with and what would you talk about?
David Oglivy. His insights on the creative industry are simply marvellous. I’d like to chat with him on how the industry has grown over the years, and where it is headed.
One advice you would give to your favourite author, and one you would give to terrible writers.
I would tell both genres of people to “Never stop writing”. Because the world needs more of the first and the second genre certainly needs more practice to get there.
Which books would you take with you on a solo holiday?
Probably one from the spiritual genre by Ramana Maharishi or my guru Mooji because the only time I would take a solo holiday is when I am in need of that kind of solace! I cherish silence and inner reflection with a book like this to guide me.
Your one guilty-pleasure read?
Has to be a romance novel but I don’t read too much of them anymore. So it can be any period romance with a strong female protagonist and a happy ending. Ah! Perfect way to start a romantic craving! And if it’s not that then it has to be as powerful as Bridges...
One fictional character you go to when you need a friend?
There’s a lot of Ove in me - soul and heart, and gumption to stand up for my beliefs. So I think it would have to be him for the moment, as I have just finished reading the book.
What is one quality of a book you wish people would have?
That they kept all my secrets safe.
That they celebrated life like books celebrate the story.
One book you wish was never written, and why?
Anything that plagiarises another’s work definitely doesn’t need to be written. An original author’s work takes creativity, observation and painstaking work. To copy that is nothing short of blasphemy!
What is the one thing you cannot tolerate when you are reading?
Too much physical distraction and thoughts that have been elaborated way more than necessary. If that happens and is written very colloquially, I start speed reading and losing some essence. Eventually I discard the book. Brevity and depth of thought is the key.
Your favourite reading nook?
Would have to be by a picturesque lake or a warm fire as in the movies. Ideally it’s my swing chair or snuggled in my comfy bed.
Do you remember to keep bookmarks?
Yes I had a large collection of them in my twenties, but as I am reading voraciously now, I pick a shopping receipt or a bill to quickly mark my pages. Of course that doesn’t mean I don’t love pretty bookmarks. In fact it heightens my entire reading experience because I am one who likes clean books and exquisite bookmarks.
