Reading helps Toutche Electric CEO shape his thinking, stay focused

Raghu Kerakatty, CEO, Toutche Electric is a curious reader and reads a wide mix of content across various platforms, including books.

"I keenly follow certain companies and people on LinkedIn, Start-up and Technology news bytes on digital media, and digests from Forbes, McKinsey and Pitchbook. Then come books, which keep me engaged and engrossed. My recently read books include 'Shoe Dog' (Phil Knight), 'Working Backwards' (Colin Bryar, Bill Carr), 'Different – Escaping the Competitive Herd' (Youngme Moon) and The Book of Five Rings (Miyamoto Musashi)," he says.

Lessons

Kerakatty doesn't read much fiction these days, so books for him, are more about life stories, perspectives and personalities. A good book opens a window in your mind, leaving you curious and thinking.

"There is so much to absorb from every (good) book, it is hard to call out specific learning from a book. I enjoy the book by giving myself time to soak it all up, ponder, reflect, live it up in my head and then move on to another. I view books as an opportunity to appreciate other’s perspectives and not necessarily as learning to be applied in your lives, compulsively. The books I read, do play a part in shaping my thinking. However, I also believe in keeping myself alive and fresh in my mind, to see and do things, in my way," he says.

Daily
On an average, Kerakatty does 30-45 minutes of reading every day. "When I am reading a book, it could go slightly over. I don’t have any set times for reading, so it is generally spread throughout the day. Book reading is usually reserved for late evening or nights," he says.

Kerakatty cannot multi-task, so if he is on something then that has all his focus. "That makes it easier to for me to engage and keep myself away from any possible stress, work or otherwise, that I may be under. Reading, playing a sport and family time always top the list on that front, for me," he says.

Deeper
Reading takes Kerakatty a level deeper in terms of focus, and a good book can make him completely oblivious of time.

"The important thing is the fresh feeling in my head, after a bout of good reading. It helps me get on to other things with a clear mind. For a long time, I was a traditionalist and preferred physical books. I probably still cherish the feel of a physical book and flipping pages, in some corner of my mind. However, technology, like with other things in life, has made reading more convenient with eBooks. I have now got used to reading on Kindle. I cannot read books on a mobile or tablet and don’t fancy audibles much. What is good about eBooks (Kindle for me) is that book delivery is instant, you can carry as many as you like on your device and not lose them. These have slowly made me let go of my traditionalist liking for a physical book," he ends.