The first time I met Russi Lala, he gave me a copy of his book Celebration of the Cells: Letters from a Cancer Survivor, saying "that should keep you out of mischief for a few hours."
I hadn't heard that phrase since my schooldays and I'd never expected to encounter it again in middle age. But here was this old world Parsi gentleman using it on me with a delightful twinkle in his eyes. I had dropped in at Lala's flat in the Parsi enclave of Cusrow Baug in Colaba to request him to do an article on Ratan Tata, who has just been ranked No 1 in Corporate Dossier's 'India Inc's Most Powerful CEOs' survey.
He demurred at first, saying he was biographer to the previous generation of Tatas - JRD, Jamsetji, Dorabji - and didn't know Ratan all that well. But as it turned out, he had several anecdotes from the few times he had met the man, more than enough for the article we needed. Lala has now published a new book, titled The Art of Effective Giving, with a Foreword by Ratan Tata.
To read the full, original article click on this link: Negativity and creativity never go together, says author Russi Lala - The Economic Times
