"My role models are those who dream big
By Muntazir Abbas
Delhi, Jun 10, 2009 1541 hrs IST

Saurabh Srivastava, chairman of CA India is a well-known name in the corporate sector. Co-founder of the software industry association- Nasscom, he pioneered the creation of Xansa India (now Steria), an $800 million organization formed by merging four different companies.

Previously he held responsibilities as chairman and global board member. It was my entrepreneurial venture and the challenge was to get stakeholders and customers to appreciate the value they could get in an incorporated solution.

A usual day for Srivastava starts with a walk. A session of Yoga and a quiet moment with the newspaper and a cup of tea follows. Weekends are reserved for family and friends. Movies or music concerts form the usual outings, though sometimes he and his group of friends head to the mountains for a weekend getaway.  Srivastava somehow also manages to find time for reading and gardening.

This Saturday, he spent the morning mentoring some wannabe entrepreneurs, helping them think through their strategy and put together their business plans. "In the evening, I went out for dinner with the group of colleagues from my first start up," said Srivastava. For him Sunday means a day of rest and enjoyment.

"I spend some time getting my lawn resurfaced, and go out for dinner with some friends," says he. His favorite holiday destination are the Himalayas. "Their majesty and beauty is incredible, the weather remains excellent and the people are simple and friendly," Srivasatava enthuses.

His hobbies and interests include writing, gardening, collecting cut-glass and mentoring young entrepreneurs. Srivasatava likes jazz, light classical, soft rock, and folk music of the west and ghazals as well as some Bollywood numbers. He also enjoys thriller movies.  He rarely goes to kitchen on weekends, but enjoys making omelettes.    

"My only challenge is to find enough time to accomplish things that I want to," said Srivasatava. "I derive satisfaction in creating several sustainable organizations from scratch in both the profit and not for profit sector. More than any other company, I enjoyed co-founding Nasscom," he reminisces.

Now being a successful entrepreneur, he derives inspiration from ordinary individuals who think high. My role models are people who dared to dream really big and achieved things with minimal resources."I am inspired by people who have created something out of nothing and built organizations/institutions that survive them and touch many lives," concluded Srivasatava.