Chawla's Marathon Lessons

Every Sunday morning, Ajoy Chawla, CEO, Jewellery Business, The Titan Company, runs anywhere between 15-20 kilometres in Bangalore's Cubbon Park. Running for Chawla is therapeutic. It not just calms his mind and body, but also helps to reflect and ideate. "I don't carry any gizmo or listen to music while I am running. When I run, I am with the environment. That is my time to myself."

Chawla has run 10-12 half-marathons across the country in the last few years, and especially looks forward to Titan's anniversary run every year. He ran 30 kilometres on the lifestyle companys 30th anniversary in 2014.

Running for Chawla is also about setting goals and bettering them. "When I run, I am not competing with anybody else, I am improving myself. Sometimes it's about timing, sometimes it's about being able to manage the run with enough energy left," he says. On the work front, his passion for running helps him set larger goals and targets for himself. It helps him build conviction that however difficult the goal is, it is not impossible to achieve. "The moment you take on a goal, your body and mind align to it. The game is always won in the mind," he says.

On a regular day, after work, Chawla loves to read. His preferences in terms of books range from philosophy to fast-paced thrillers of Jeffery Archer. "However, Netflix has started encroaching upon my free time a fair bit," he admits.