‘My Big Takeaway: Paying Attention To Others' Needs'

I COME FROM A FAMILY OF BOOK LOVERS. My uncle used to run a lending library close to our house in Chennai, and, as kids, my brother and I would spend our evenings reading at the library or bringing books home. So after my 12th standard exams, when I had some time on my hands, I decided to work in a bookstore as a floor manager. Landmark was the big store in town back then. I had to go through four interviews to get the job. Obeid, my mentor, wasn’t testing to see if I was skilled enough for the job; he just wanted to make sure that I was serious enough.

- Ananth Padmanabhan

Around the same time, my friend Shiv, who used to run a nightclub called Zouk at The Ambassador in Chennai, asked me if I could manage the club for him. His DJ had split and Shiv decided to take on the role himself. So I would work at the bookstore Monday to Friday and manage the nightclub on Saturday nights and Sunday afternoons.