'Happily dissatisfied' is the mantra

SHYAM SRINIVASAN'S OBSESSION with cricket is part of banking folklore. Put him before an audience and the game invariably takes over - with anecdotes of sixes and fours doubling as metaphors for strategy, leadership, and risk-taking.

- NARAYANAN V

Yet, for the veteran banker, cricket is only half the story. The other half is faith. Srinivasan readily admits that his career has been powered as much by “divine energy” as by discipline and hard work. “I’m superstitious to the point of being stupid,” he says with a smile, flashing his phone wallpaper of Mumbai's Siddhivinayak. His day begins and ends with that image.

A light sleeper who manages no more than five-to-six hours of rest, Srinivasan follows rituals that leave little room for compromise. From cleaning his puja room to chanting shlokas, meditating, or visiting a temple, two hours each day are reserved for what he calls “God Time”. “I never compromised on my God Time in the last 25 years or so. That gives me confidence, that gives me my anchor,” he says, matter-of-factly.