The World is not Enough

Anand Sudarshan, CEO, Netkraft is someone who's on the move 30 to 40 days in a quarter. He tells Vyas Sivanand how he manages to fuel himself

For Anand Sudarshan, CEO, Netkraft, the world is a small place interspersed with a large number of jet lags. Not only is he always on the move, but his office goes along with him, in the form of the laptop. Co-founder of Microland, a company dealing in IT Infrastructure Management & Technical Support Services Outsourcing, Sudarshan is also the man behind the Shiva PC, which once created a furore in the market, and Microland's Planetasia.com.

The world is not enough for Sudarshan, if you consider the amount of time he is abroad. On an average, he travels 30 to 40 days in a quarter. "All of it is overseas, predominantly to the US and Europe," he says.

Ask about his favourite place and he says, "I enjoy travelling. Sometimes I take off for a week with one city each day. Instead of a favourite place, I love a number of places. I like the energy of New York, Honk Kong and Mumbai. There are many things not okay with them, but when you walk on their streets, you feel the energy. Hong Kong is the best of the lot in all respects."

Another city he adores is Sydney. "Very vibrant," he says. A particular mention goes to London "especially the English countryside, during autumn".

Closer home, he is keen on visiting the Kashmir valley. "I will go there soon, my wife has not seen the valley. Kerala is another place I like. I think I am more of a mountain person than a sea person, although I enjoy both.

Closer to Bangalore, I like the forest reserves," he says.

Travelling the globe has had several interesting moments and he likes to speak about two. He cites an experience when he was travelling through Kuala Lumpur to Australia and on the way, Malaysian Airlines lost his baggage. "Luckily, I always tend to travel with one set of change, a suit and a jacket. So it did not affect me much. It was a short trip. On my way back, I had a break of five hours in Kuala Lumpur. I checked with Malaysian Airlines as to where they keep baggages with no claims. It was a separate room, which was outside the immigration and I did not have a Visa. When the situation was explained to the immigration officer, he graciously allowed me to the room. I found my baggage. The reason I remember this incident is because I don't think this might happen in too many countries. I think these things indicate customer orientation. I don't travel Malaysian Airlines often, but it did leave a fantastic impression," he says.

A not-so-positive incident was in London. Sudarshan remembers, "Sometimes Heathrow airport is a horrible place to be in. It is way too crowded. I was standing in a huge queue for about two hours for immigration. People complain about India, but I think Indian immigration is not that bad, after all they treat all people in the same manner. At Heathrow, people were very rude."

His favourite airline is Singapore Airlines and British Airways. "But I wish British Airways could handle the baggage better," he says. In India, he likes Jet Airways. "I think it is the best domestic airline I have travelled anywhere in the world. Hope they maintain it," he says.

Coming to hotels, he patronises the Taj brand in the country. "Abroad, I have not found any chain to be consistent across the board, but surprisingly there is a small brand in the US called Summerfield Suites which is pre-dominant in the west of US. It is owned by the Wyndham chain and is very comfortable for a business traveller. This concept of suites has really caught up in the US. Marriott also has a similar thing called Courtyard Inn."

Sudarshan is a veggie and not too particular about food. "I am quite easy with food. Not having a proper meal does not bother me too much. I do like to catch up with Indian food whenever I go out on trips. It is easy in London and the US. I like Mexican and Ethiopian food because they have some great vegetarian variety in them," he says.

He reads a lot and has a large personal book collection, which he calls "future antiques". Among other pursuits, Sudarshan follows sports and likes to listen to music. One thing he looks for in a hotel anywhere is the gymnasium. "For people who travel extensively, I think keeping fit is important," he says.

But working about 13 hours in a day through Monday to Friday leaves him very little time for anything else. Any complaints? "No," he retorts. "The angst does come out but still no complaints. That does not mean there are no feelings about it. But my wife, Padma's maturity has gone a long way in helping me cope with work. My six-year-old son has just begun to realise my absence and even I have started to realise that. But then it is all part of the deal. In corporate life, we have chosen it, so we have to live with it."