The Hindu Business Line : Long breaks for this CEO

"I make sure my office does not call me on the cell phone as it's irritating for those holidaying with you. I use PCs and fax machines only during real emergencies."

Prakash Diwan on a holiday with his family.

There are many reasons why executives have to take a longbreak from work, but a significant one among them is to test how things work in their absence. And that's why Prakash Diwan, CEO, Way2Wealth Securities Pvt Ltd, recommends a 10-12 week holiday every year for all top executives. "During this time, you'll realise how much you have empowered your juniors," he says.

This is a way of rating oneself, rather than assessing your co-workers' capabilities, he feels. And this is highly critical in the services sector more than in the manufacturing sector because the latter already has processes in place, while the former requires some impulsive decisions.

In addition, holidays also recharge and build family ties, something that doesn't happen even on long weekends at home, he says. Diwan and his family take two kinds of holidays. "Most of our smaller holidays are weekend breaks, mostly impulsive." The longerbreaks are when they visit exotic locales or places that have been on their wish list for a long time.

One trip to Europe and two trips to Australia were three such holidays for the Diwan family. Among the domestic holidays that they have taken, the most memorable ones have been at the mountains, he says. "These are mostly in the North as there's enough to do there, such as skiing, trekking, river rafting, bird watching, etc." Shimla and Manali are the popular places, but they are over-crowded, and that's the reason why Windsor (at the Himachal Pradesh-Uttranchal border) has been a favourite haunt for the Diwan family and sparks off pleasant memories. In fact, Prakash and his wife have booked themselves on a 12-day trekking holiday that begins from Rishikesh this summer.

Goa is another preferred destination for all of them, he says. "It's a comfortable kind of holiday, where you can do anything you please, eat the kind of food you like and speak any language." In other words, it's a tried and tested place and enjoyment is assured there. But this does not mean that they only prefer luxurious places where everything is five-star quality, he says, adding, "We like to rough it out too and we have done it several times. It is one way assuring that you remain physically fit."

Camping is another favourite activity with the Diwans. "My wife and I are both from Mumbai where camping is a natural way of holidaying." There are two reasons for this. Mumbai is surrounded by places for overnight trips and there are enough takers for these offerings. The Diwan family has visited several such weekend getaways near Bangalore too. "We have had some good times at the Cauvery Fishing Camp and the Jungle Lodges at Kabini," reminisces Diwan.

Wildlife locales are another hot favourite with this CEO. For their annual sales conference Diwan preferred to take his team to the Ranthambore National Park in Rajasthan. He feels that such wild locales have a positive impact on the team's spirit and enthusiasm.

Another place that Diwan has enjoyed visiting on work is Shillong. "It is a unique place where you find a mix of modernity and backwardness. But you have to stay longer there to really experience the culture of that place. "Sometimes," says Diwan, he and his wife take holidays minus their son, just to "connect with each other as our professional lives take up so much of time." His wife, Monisha, is an educationist by profession. She helps design the curriculum for an international school in Bangalore. "And that's why she has found interesting ways of keeping our son happy during our family trips," he says.

Their son, being an only child, has to be kept occupied throughout a holiday with some interesting activity or the other. During their short breaks, when they drive down, Diwan generally makes him the navigator of the drive because then "he feels important and involved in the holiday."

And Monisha has found another way of involving him. "She makes him sketch and paint pictures about the holiday at the end of the trip. Then we get an idea about what has impressed him most about the trip."

Talking of cuisines, Diwan says his family is game to sample local fare, as it does not make sense to insist on your kind of food when you are visiting someone. "In fact, isn't variety in food or tasting the local delicacies a major ingredient in making any holiday interesting?" he asks. That's why he's saddened by the fact that most hotels try to offer a popular menu rather than make available local cuisine.

"But some of the five-star hotels are now trying to give you the local experience."

He talks of the time when on a visit to Rajasthan, the family had to dine on the floor, "because we knew that a Rajasthani meal cannot be eaten in any other way except in that style."

On whether language is a barrier, he says that it is not the case except perhaps in some places in Kerala, but most of the time English works here. Shopping is one thing that the Diwans have managed to keep to a minimum. "We only shop for curios and some local foodstuff, maybe some spices or pickles," he says. But with so much commercialisation everywhere, authenticity can be a casualty, he feels.

This CEO does have some rules for his holidays: "I make sure my office does not call me on the cell phone as it's irritating for those holidaying with you. Though most resorts are well-equipped with all the modern office equipment like PCs and fax machines, I use them only in case of real emergencies."

Another no-no on a Diwan holiday is a video camera. The reason is obvious: "You can never enjoy the flavour of a place if you have the video camera stuck to your eyes," he says.

For Diwan and his family, holidaying is a great family experience. "Right from planning to record keeping, the involvement of the family is a must," he says. They take a long holiday once in six months and the weekend breaks once in six weeks. Diwan does not subscribe to the view that hardworking guys never take a holiday. "On the other hand, I think they are bad planners and cannot plan their work-life priorities properly. And that's nothing to boast about."

His principle is very clear: A rested field always yields better.

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