Jack Reacher is a predictable ally that keeps GlobalGyan Academy CEO occupied during long flights

Srinivasa Adepalli, CEO of GlobalGyan Academy, likes to usually trip on the Jack Reacher series.

"I have read each of the 24 books at least twice. When I am on a flight or a on a long trip and need to distract myself from work, Jack Reacher is a predictable ally. Some of John Grisham’s older novels, P G Wodehouse and Sherlock Holmes are also high on my repeat-read list," he told ETPanache.

The management capabilities enhancement firm boss prefers reading fiction e-books on his iPad because of the convenience - anytime, anywhere. But when it comes to non-fiction such as management books, he likes physical books.


"There’s a certain seriousness to reading when it’s on paper. Also, it is easier for me to refer across pages simultaneously and to share with my colleagues. I usually buy both physical and e-book versions of my favourite books," he explained.

Adepalli went on to share his childhood memory. When he was 12, his father who had travelled to Delhi, got him the first volume of 'Sherlock Holmes: The Complete Novels and Stories'. In a few weeks, he was done reading it, and was desperate to read the remaining novels and stories.


"But, the second volume was not available with any bookseller in Vijayawada, and while my school library had some Sherlock Holmes collections, I wanted a particular version. For a change, I desperately wanted my father to travel so that he could buy my book. It was almost a year later when he took a trip to Chennai that I got my second volume of Sherlock Holmes," he added.

He said he was most inspired by Jamsetji Tata's quote, which reads, 'What advances a nation is not so much to prop up its weakest and most helpless members, but to lift up the best and the most gifted, so as to make them of the greatest service to the country.'

Adding context, Adepalli said that the quote emphasises the value creation approach that the Tata group has followed for over 100 years.

"It is something that I firmly believe in. My inspiration to be in the space of education is to help professionals build their capabilities and do better because economic progress is the only way our nation can address its various challenges," he ended.