From: As told to Devlina Ganguly

Anand Srivastava lists out his top five favourite books, music and movies   

Posted On Friday, April 01, 2011

The Bhagavad Gita helped Srivastava realise his life's purpose and meaning...

BOOKS
The Bhagavad Gita: It me realise my life’s purpose, goal and introduced me to my own self.
The Prince by Niccolò Machiavelli: It taught me the ways of the world including the need for realism and balancing the same with idealism.
Art of War by Sun Tzu: The book taught me strategy and tactics.
Ignited Minds by Dr A P J Abdul Kalam:  Makes me get to the issues afflicting Indians, besides giving prescriptions for our nation’s growth.
Parallel Worlds by Michio Kaku: It is a good introduction to theoretical physics as well as gives one a tour of our universe.

MUSIC
Main Zindagi Ka Saath Nibhaata Chala Gaya: Soulfully sung by Mohammad Rafi – there can be no finer example of secular India. 
Lakshya: Sung by Shankar Mahadevan the song inspires me every time I hear it.
Vaishnava Jana Toh: Mahatma Gandhi’s favourite hymn conveying the virtues which one ought to imbibe in life.
Top of the World by Karen Carpenter: Every time I hear this song it really makes me feel on top of the world.
The Blue Danube by Johann Strauss: This masterpiece of music conjures vivid pictures of the Danube and is a timeless classic.  

MOVIES
Mother India: The plight of women essayed by Nargis and the extent of extractions that can be used by money lenders are remarkably real.  
Shri 420: A film in which even the names of each character have been carefully selected to depict their attributes.     
Guide: A philosophical film this is a masterpiece tracing the life journey of Raju the guide. 
The Pursuit of Happyness: It is a gripping drama and one can relate to certain instances. 
Invictus: It is an inspiring real life drama depicting how faith can make underdogs world champions.

(Srivastava is CMD, BEAM)