Hemant Jalan

I am not a voracious reader, but I have a huge collection of business and inspirational non-fiction books, and several fiction books as well. Two of my favourites are Investment Biker by Jim Rogers and Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach. Investment Biker was more than just a travelogue; it was also about a nation’s economy. I have read countless books by my all-time favourite author P.G. Wodehouse.

My Cousin Vinny is my go-to movie — light with great humor; and I love courtroom dramas! I don’t know what it is about them that I like, maybe the suspense! In Bollywood, I rarely watch the masala movies. I watch offbeat films and the ones that are critically acclaimed. I enjoyed watching Pink.

I prefer spicy and tangy food. I walk into any decently rated Thai and Mexican restaurants while I am travelling. And yes, I love street food, especially chaats. Each city has its own specialty. Indore’s Sarafa bazaar has the best chaats that I’ve ever eaten; in Kanpur, I devour dhaniya ke aaloo on Birhana Road; I also love the aaloo tikkis from Delhi.

I am a white spirit man, not much of a whisky person. My favourite alcoholic drink is Bloody Mary, a mix of tomato juice and vodka. I can also make a mean Bloody Mary. I often become the bartender when I am entertaining guests at home. I prefer dark beers when I am travelling through Europe.

I love travelling to offbeat destinations, not the typical places like Switzerland, France, USA, Germany — been there, done that! I’d rather explore countries, which are less travelled to, and do things that regular tourists tend to skip. I usually take off at least twice a year with my wife. On our recent trip to Iceland, we enjoyed adventure sports such as snowmobiling on a glacier and kayaking in a lake.