Magazines
Cancel
PanachePanacheView in App

Amitav Ghosh’s ‘Gun Island’, Garcia’s ‘Ikigai’ find space on Sabyasachi, Harsh Mariwala’s reading list

A few books that top bosses are turning to during the lockdown.

By , ET Bureau |
Agencies
Here are the books you can read when in quarantine.
Many of us have extra time on our hands right now while working from home and practicing social distancing. Some might want to use this time for learning while others may need an escape from the tedium of their days all blending together.

If you’re looking for a good book to read while social distancing, here are a few that top bosses are turning to during the lockdown.

Shoe Dog - Phil Knight

Xiaomi India MD Manu Kumar Jain celebrated World Book Day recently, by delving into a copy of Phil Knight’s ‘Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of NIKE’. Sharing a glimpse on Twitter, he tweeted: “Best thing during lockdown: reading books. As a kid, my mom encouraged (me) to read everything - course books, comics, novels! Do encourage kids to read a book every day.”


Gun Island - Amitav Ghosh
Aditya Ghosh, board member at OYO Homes and Hotels is an avid fiction reader and a fan of Amitav Ghosh’s works. He recently shared with his Instagram followers a passage from Ghosh’s ‘Gun Island’ that he felt had meaning for the ‘times we are living in now’.

ADVERTISEMENT

Oliver’s Story - Erich Segal
Designer Sabyasachi believes the lockdown is the perfect opportunity to read more books. In a recent Instagram video, he said, “Read more books during this lockdown; read books on humanity so that they can inspire you to become better versions of yourself.”

Earlier this month, he also shared a quote from two books that shaped his universe - Erich Segal's ‘Love Story’ and its sequel ‘Oliver’s Story’. “I read Erich Segal's 'Oliver's Story' a week after I read its prequel 'Love Story'. To a lot of people, 'Love Story' was a phenomenon. But for me, it was 'Oliver's Story' that was far more profound. It was about continuity of life. After loss.”


Man’s Search for Meaning - Viktor Frankl
ADVERTISEMENT
Being confined indoors during a lockdown can be very isolating, especially for those who live alone. Earlier this month, Marico chairman Harsh Mariwala tweeted a reading recommendation that might help people weather these socially-isolating times. “Have you heard of a book called "Man's Search for Meaning"?” he tweeted. “Very relevant in today's times. Find a purpose to feel positive about and imagine the outcome.”

Vedanta Treatise - Swami Parthasarathy
Designer Anita Dongre is turning to the works of Swami Parthasarathy for comfort and guidance. “As an avid reader, there is nothing I enjoy more than delving into a book’s pages,” she posted on Instagram earlier this month. “Among the ones I have bookmarked the most, and gained the most from are the works of Swami Parthasarathy. A personal favourite of mine is his Vedanta Treatise.”
ADVERTISEMENT

“Having underlined so many pages, and having typed out many of his teachings on my phone for quick reference, his books are my go-to’s for reading and gifting. Not only do I highly recommend his work, (but) I also think they should be included as essential reading in all schools.”

Good to Great - Jim Collins
Even when working from home, Realme India CEO Madhav Sheth’s desk always has a couple of books stacked on it for easy reference.

“Each book that rests on my desk has a different reason attached to it,” he told ET Panache. One of the books (currently) present is ‘Life's Amazing Secrets’ by Gaur Gopal Das. I got this one to attain some spiritual wisdom. The other books (on my desk) are ‘Good to Great’ by Jim Collins and HBR’s 2020:definitive management ideas. I like keeping myself up to date with the latest management ideas, and the youth at Harvard Business School develop some great ones.”


Ikigai by Hector Garcia and Francesc Miralles
Perfetti Van Melle India MD Rajesh Ramakrishnan shared a glimpse of his lockdown reading list in a recent interview. “I just finished reading ‘Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life’ by Francesc Miralles and Hector Garcia. It talks about the secret to a happy life in very simple and practical terms. I found it useful and could relate to it.”

The India MD is also reading ‘Poor Economics’ by Abhijit Banerjee and Esther Duflo.

Predictive Text: 'Frankenstein', '1984' And Other Books That Foretold The Future
1/6

A look back at the different times when authors unleashed the Nostradamus in them and came up with something that was years ahead of its time.

A look back at the different times when authors unleashed the Nostradamus in them and came up with something that was years ahead of its time.

Vision: Virus outbreak

In 1981, Dean Koontz wrote a novel titled 'The Eyes of Darkness'. In the book, Koontz mentions a fictional biological weapon Wuhan-400, nearly 40 years before the coronavirus outbreak occurred.

'The Eyes of Darkness' is a story about a mother who discovers her son Danny is being kept in a military facility after being infected with a man-made microorganism called ‘Wuhan-400’. While Twitter went into a little bit of tizzy, that’s where the similarity ends. Unlike the book’s virus, which has a 100 per cent fatality rate, the real world covid-40 has a fatality rate that ranges between two per cent and 14 per cent, depending on several factors.

(Image: Amazon)

Vision: Virus outbreakIn 1981, Dean Koontz wrote a novel titled 'The Eyes of Darkness'. In the book, Koontz mentions a fictional biological weapon Wuhan-400, nearly 40 years before the coronavirus ou..
Read More

Vision: Electric submarines

Jules Verne is considered one of the most forward thinking authors of the 19th century and has predicted numerous things in his most famous book, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea, which was published in 1870. Verne not only predicted electric submarines 90 years before they were invented, he also imagined them just as they turned out — long and cylindrical. Verne’s submarine called Nautilus also included a main cabin, navigational devices, a dining room, and barometer.

(Image: barnesandnoble.com)

Vision: Electric submarinesJules Verne is considered one of the most forward thinking authors of the 19th century and has predicted numerous things in his most famous book, Twenty Thousand Leagues Un..
Read More

Vision: Mass surveillance

Orwell’s book focuses on topics we are all too familiar with today: Censorship, propaganda, surveillance, and oppressive governments. It was written nearly 70 years ago. In the book, Orwell predicted mass surveillance and police helicopters. Much of what the British author imagined has come true, including facial recognition, speech to text conversion, music made by artificial intelligence, and, of course, the concept of ‘Big Brother’ watching your every move.

(Image: Amazon)

Vision: Mass surveillanceOrwell’s book focuses on topics we are all too familiar with today: Censorship, propaganda, surveillance, and oppressive governments. It was written nearly 70 years ago. In t..
Read More

Vision: Mars has two moons

This all-time favourite book follows a man named Gulliver as he stops at different worlds, those occupied by giants, another by little humans, and one of the most interesting, the island of Laputa. Laputa, in the book, is a floating world filled with scientists. Swift writes about how Gulliver and Laputian astronomers noted that Mars has two moons in its orbit. Today we know this claim to be true, that Mars indeed does have two moons. But Swift wrote 'Gulliver’s Travels' in 1726, nearly 150 years before Phobos and Deimos — the two moons of Mars — were discovered in 1877.

Vision: Mars has two moonsThis all-time favourite book follows a man named Gulliver as he stops at different worlds, those occupied by giants, another by little humans, and one of the most interestin..
Read More

Vision: Organ Transplants

Written in 1818, Shelley’s novel is often considered one of the first science-fiction novels. At that time, science was just beginning to explore the concept of bringing dead tissue back to life using electricity. In Mary Shelley’s 'Frankenstein', the doctor is able to keep an organ alive outside of a body to be transplanted into a new body. To say this was ahead of its time is an understatement. It wasn’t until the mid-20th century (1954) that the first organ transplant became a reality.

Vision: Organ TransplantsWritten in 1818, Shelley’s novel is often considered one of the first science-fiction novels. At that time, science was just beginning to explore the concept of bringing dead..
Read More
See More SlideshowsMore Slideshows

Download
The Economic Times Business News App for the Latest News in Business, Sensex, Stock Market Updates & More.
READ MORE
ADVERTISEMENT

READ MORE:

Esther Duflo |books |Manu Kumar Jain |Viktor Frankl |Swami Parthasarathy

LOGIN & CLAIM

50 TIMESPOINTS

Dip in productivity, switching from family to ‘work mode’: Borosil CEO talks WFH challenges and how he overcame them

More from our Partners

Loading next story
Cancel
Business News › Magazines › Panache › Amitav Ghosh’s ‘Gun Island’, Garcia’s ‘Ikigai’ find space on Sabyasachi, Harsh Mariwala’s reading list
Text Size:AAA

Popular Categories

Hot on Web

In Case you missed it

Top Searched Companies

Download ET APP


Follow us on


Powered by

become a member

Terms of Use & Grievance Redressal Policy
DNPA Code of Ethics|Privacy Policy|Archive|Delete Data|Feedback|

Copyright © 2026 Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. All rights reserved. For reprint rights:
Times Syndication Service

Do Not Sell My Personal Information
Success
This article has been saved

*

+